Douglas Elliman victorious in agent-poaching case against William Raveis, who must pay $5M
William Raveis Real Estate, a powerhouse brokerage in Westchester and Fairfield counties, was ordered this week to pay rival Douglas Elliman $5 million in damages for poaching agents. In the kind of turf war that could have been been scripted by Martin Scorsese, things got heated when Elliman opened a Greenwich office in 2014. Raveis then opened a Manhattan office headed by former Elliman president Paul Purcell and Kathy Braddock. Accusations flew back and forth, with Elliman ultimately victorious when an inevitable lawsuit ensued. Raveis has vowed to appeal the ruling. [TRD]
ELD Properties’ 110-unit “Millennia” breaks ground in New Rochelle
By naming their 110-unit New Rochelle building “Millennia,” developer ELD Properties, Inc. doesn’t make it too hard to figure out who their target audience is. Featuring a fitness center, shared rooftop patio and flexible office space, the $30 million dollar project, which began construction this week, is due for completion by the fourth quarter of 2018. Ten percent of the units will be priced for low-income families, Real Estate In-Depth reported. The project is the third of seven residential properties ELD has planned for the city. [Real Estate In-Depth]
Harry Connick Jr. lists his New Canaan home for $7.5 million
After almost 20 years, Harry Connick Jr. and his wife Jill have decided to try something new … and it’s their house they are ditching, not each other. The couple’s 4.61-acre estate in New Canaan just hit the market for $7.5 million, the Wall Street Journal reports. The couple spent two years renovating the seven-bedroom, 11,600-square-foot former dairy farm after purchasing it in 1998 for $1.54 million. In addition to interior upgrades, they added a heated swimming pool and pool house. April Kaynor and Kelly DeFrancesco at William Raveis Real Estate have the listing. [WSJ]
White Plains seeks developers for land around Metro-North station
The city of White Plains has issued a call for developers to submit proposals to create mixed-used projects on 4.5 acres around the Metro-North train station. The request for expressions of interest, which includes the repurposing of three-city owned properties (a fire station, parking garage and two parking lots), was released on June 12, the Westchester Business Journal reported. Submissions should include plans for open space, parking, pedestrian walkways and bike lanes. The deadline for proposals is August 18. [WBJ]
Works begins on Mamaroneck’s largest residential development in nearly 20 years
Halpern Real Estate Ventures and Rosen Development Group have just broken ground on a $35 million, 100-unit project at 270 Waverly Avenue, next to the town’s Metro North station. Dubbed the Sheldrake Station, the 2.7-acre development will feature three five-story buildings and will include seven studios, 45 one-bedroom units and 44 two-bedroom units. A fourth building in the development will contain four townhouse units, Westchester Business Journal reported. [WBJ]
Ginsburg Development breaks ground on a $64.5M mixed-use project in Peekskill
Ginsburg Development Companies have just broken ground on a $64.5 million mixed-used project in Peekskill. The complex, named Fort Hill, will include 178 luxury rental units, 20 rental townhomes, a 42-room hotel and a restaurant inside a former chapel. Ginsburg Development has owned the site for 14 years. After about a decade of pitching proposals that fell through, they revived the plans at the urging of mayor Frank Catalina in 2015, the Westchester Business Journal reports. [WBJ]