Mayor Bill de Blasio may end up being the only member of his administration who didn’t know about the deed restriction deal that led to the $116 million sale of 45 Rivington Street on the Lower East Side.
Emma Wolfe, the city’s Director of Intergovernmental Affairs, was reportedly aware of negotiations as early as January 2015, according to the New York Post.
In March, the city agreed to lift a rule that required the property to be used for nonprofit purposes, in exchange for a $16 million dollar payment from the Allure Group, a for-profit nursing home operator, who had bought the property in February for $28 million.
In May, Allure went into contract with Slate Property Group, Adam America Real Estate and China Vanke, who agreed to buy the property for $116 million, with plans to build a luxury condominium.
Wolfe’s deputy Avi Fink was revealed last week to have met with Allure’s Joel Landau in December 2014.
The mayor himself has denied any contemporary knowledge of the deal, which is now under investigation by federal, state and city authorities.
As a result of the fallout from the deal, de Blasio said he would personally approve all deed restriction changes going forward. [NYP] – Ariel Stulberg