New York RealEstateRama

High numbers of Bronx taxpayers are paying tax preparers rather than using free options.

The Brownfield Opportunity Areas Program helps local communities establish revitalization strategies that return dormant and blighted areas into productive areas to spur economic development.

The Federal Reserve Bank of New York today launched a series of reports detailing trends in borrowing and indebtedness at the state and local level. The Regional Household Debt and Credit Snapshot includes data about mortgages, student loans, credit cards, auto loans and delinquencies for New York City and its boroughs, as well as various metro areas in New York State, northern New Jersey and western Connecticut. There are a total of 27 Snapshots.

Attorney General Eric T. Schneiderman today announced a lawsuit against the board of directors of two Brooklyn-based nonprofits, Brooklyn Child & Family Services, Inc. and Project Teen Aid Housing Development Fund Corp., for alleged gross negligence and failed management of the organizations – and of two converted townhouses in the Bedford-Stuyvesant section of Brooklyn

Last night the New York State Legislature voted to include $4.5 million for homeless youth shelters in the 2015-16 budget, $2.1 million more than previous years and the first appreciable increase in funding for such shelters since 2008.

New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio and U.S. Senator Charles Schumer announced today approximately $3 billion in federal funding to repair and protect 33 public housing developments that sustained severe damage during Hurricane Sandy – the largest FEMA grant in the history of the agency. Half of the funds will be designated for repairs, while the other half will be aimed at implementing resiliency measures to better protect developments from future disasters. The funding is authorized by FEMA’s Alternative Procedures, which provides a lump sum payment instead of the typical incremental funding by FEMA

The Center for NYC Neighborhoods today launched a new webbased tool that tracks the 16,000 one- to four-family homes on the NYC Department of Finance’s 60-day lien sale list: cnycn.org/taxliensale. Every year, the Department of Finance sells the liens of properties that have unpaid debts – including property taxes, water bills and other charges –which can result in an increased financial burden for families already behind on their bills, and even result in foreclosure

After fees, manager performance is $2.5 billion below benchmark over 10 years, new analysis of City pension system reveals. Calls for review of investment fee structure, alignment of pay with performance.

Turner's Interiors group in New York recently turned over 120,000 square feet of luxury retail space within Brookfield Property Partners’ 375,000-square-foot retail offering at Brookfield Place.

Governor Andrew M. Cuomo today announced a $160 million investment designed to grow large scale clean energy projects statewide. As part of the State’s Reforming the Energy Vision (REV) strategy, this funding is being made available to support public-private sector partnerships in clean energy projects. Funding will be administered competitively, and proposals will improve energy affordability and reliability, while also expanding new economic development opportunities and protecting the environment.

Governor Andrew M. Cuomo today announced a $160 million investment designed to grow large scale clean energy projects statewide. As part of the State’s Reforming the Energy Vision (REV) strategy, this funding is being made available to support public-private sector partnerships in clean energy projects. Funding will be administered competitively, and proposals will improve energy affordability and reliability, while also expanding new economic development opportunities and protecting the environment

Earlier today, federal agents arrested Stacey Stackhouse, the former executive director of Village of Hempstead Housing Authority (VHHA) and James Alimonos, Michael Lambros, and Demetrios Kaouris, who performed construction work for the agency, for their involvement in a wire fraud conspiracy in connection with the theft of federal funds.

Eastman Business Park Will Use Funding For Manufacturing And Job Creation Opportunities In Rochester. The project aims to provide technology entrepreneurs with more efficient and economical pathways to develop their businesses.

The Federal Home Loan Bank of New York (FHLBNY) and MAX Exchange (MAX), a multi-seller to multi-buyer exchange and clearing house for residential mortgage loans, announced a pilot program that will enable approved FHLBNY members to sell conforming and jumbo residential whole loan mortgages on an open exchange platform.

Earlier today, federal agents arrested Stacey Stackhouse, the former executive director of Village of Hempstead Housing Authority (VHHA) and James Alimonos, Michael Lambros, and Demetrios Kaouris, who performed construction work for the agency, for their involvement in a wire fraud conspiracy in connection with the theft of federal funds.

Rochester Mayor Lovely Warren today announced the selection of Home Leasing as the developer of the Charlotte Street redevelopment project, now known as “Charlotte Square.”

State Senator Joseph A. Griffo of Rome and Assemblyman Anthony Brindisi of Utica say the state’s approximately $142 billion budget for 2015-2016 includes $300 Million in funding for a new health care facility designed to serve residents of the Mohawk Valley for decades to come.

Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie, Local Governments Committee Chair William Magnarelli and Economic Development, Commerce, Industry and Job Creation Committee Chair Robin Schimminger today announced that $19.5 million in funding restorations for economic development funding is included in the approved 2015-16 SFY Budget.

Empire State Development (ESD), Buffalo Niagara Enterprise (BNE) and TROVE Predictive Data Science today announced a significant expansion that will result in a $3.3 million investment and creation of 36 new high-tech, high-paying jobs.

Representatives of the New York Power Authority (NYPA) and the New York State Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA), will be joined by the Superintendent of the Somers Central School District, and local and state officials on April 9, to announce the expansion of Governor Andrew M. Cuomo’s K-Solar program. A question-and-answer session with students, some of whom are in a pre-engineering program, will follow.

Borough President Gale A. Brewer and 26 other Manhattan elected officials-- Members of Congress, State Senators, State Assembly Members, City Council Members-- sent a letter to Carl Weisbrod, Chair of the City Planning Commission, calling for changes to the zoning text amendment which the de Blasio Administration has proposed to expand development in the City, including reforms to the city's inclusionary housing policies.

New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio and U.S. Senator Charles Schumer announced today approximately $3 billion in federal funding to repair and protect 33 public housing developments that sustained severe damage during Hurricane Sandy – the largest FEMA grant in the history of the agency. Half of the funds will be designated for repairs, while the other half will be aimed at implementing resiliency measures to better protect developments from future disasters. The funding is authorized by FEMA’s Alternative Procedures, which provides a lump sum payment instead of the typical incremental funding by FEMA.

Assemblyman Clifford W. Crouch (R-Bainbridge) today called for the inclusion of a $500 property tax credit for middle-class families in the Southern Tier in the state’s final budget. Crouch’s call for tax relief comes in the wake of news that New York State has an additional $610 million on hand from yet another bank settlement.

Mayor Lovely Warren visited a worksite to thank youth and adult volunteers on the first day of the Flower City Work Camp, a faith-based organization comprised of more than 40 churches throughout Monroe County providing home improvements for city homeowners who are unable to make repairs themselves.

Kyle Burkhardt has joined the Long Island office of Cushman & Wakefield as Senior Director. Previously a broker with Colliers International and a managing principal at Alliance Real Estate, Burkhardt is an industrial real estate sales and leasing specialist with extensive experience in both buyer/ seller and tenant/ landlord representation