WEEKLY NEWS BULLETIN: REAL ESTATE, LAWSUITS, A VERY PRICEY FINGER-PAINTING
This year’s West Side Little League trophy winners. By Allan Margolin.
Check out some stories published about the neighborhood in other media outlets over the past week.
A couple sued the Cathedral School of St. John the Divine after their proxy ended up bidding $50,000 for a finger painting at a charity auction. “Beautiful blonde-about-town Michelle Heinemann and her investment-banker hubby, Jon, have sued the school for $415,000 plus damages for allegedly conspiring to rig a fund-raising auction and then sticking them with a $50,000 bill for their ‘winning bid.'” And, oh yes, the Heinemanns are from the Upper East Side. (NY Post)
Real estate developers are scooping up more Upper West Side buildings. The latest is a multi-family at 992 Amsterdam Avenue (109th street). (The Real Deal)
One resident at 80 Central Park West (68th street) sued his neighbor for $30,000 for playing the piano too loud all the time: “And the worst part, Nedlin says, is he doesn’t like the music. ‘He never gets better. If he got better, I might say, OK, it’s not that bad,’ Nedlin said.” (NY Post)
The Real Estate Board of New York thinks neighborhoods like the Upper West Side are oversaturated with landmark buildings, which is stifling growth and driving up prices. On the UWS, about 70% of buildings apparently have some sort of landmark designation. Preservationists point out that there has been a building boom under Bloomberg, and that REBNY once wanted to tear down Broadway theaters, now a major cash cow. (Observer and DNAinfo)
Pedicabs riders can’t scam people anymore: they have to carry around city-sanctioned stopwatches. (NY Post)
The Community Board approved changes to the PS 166 playground on 89th that will flatten parts of the playground to make it more safe. Some community members wanted the playground preserved. (DNAinfo)
