WEEKLY NEWS BULLETIN: SELLING HEARST’S HAVEN, 23 CATS RESCUED, RETAIL BONANZA

Long early-morning shadows creep down 72nd street.

Fancy apartments, neglected cats, and the hot retail real estate market all made it into our Upper West Side news bulletin this week.

Retail space at the base of condos is apparently hot right now. A retail condo at Broadway and West 107th just sold for $20.5 million, or more than $2,000 a square foot. There’s a Bank of America and a LensCrafters there now, and the owners think they’re paying below-market rents. Though few people will shed a tear for those corporations, the trend doesn’t bode well for mom-and-pops. (Crain’s)

Rescuers removed 23 cats living in squalid conditions in an apartment on West 86th street near Central Park. “The landlord evicted the cats’ owner, and he was nowhere to be found as the animals were herded up. They had been left to starve and freeze in the apartment by themselves.” (CBS)

Community Board 7 is trying to find a more dog-friendly alternative to the rock salt that buildings use to melt snow. (Columbia Spectator)

Preservationists want a $5.5 million upgrade for the Soldiers’ and Sailors’ Monument in Riverside Park. “The monument — a cylindrical building with 12 Corinthian columns designed in the Greek Revival style — has significantly deteriorated because of exposure to the elements, said John Herrold, the administrator of Riverside Park for the Parks Department and president of the nonprofit conservancy.” (DNAinfo)

A recent meeting dealt with concerns over shadows cast by new mega-towers being built South of Central Park. “Warren St. John, a former reporter for The New York Times and a panelist, called for a moratorium on buildings over a certain height south of Central Park. He said that he was not opposed to tall towers, but that these new skyscrapers contain luxury condominiums that would do little to alleviate the city’s housing crisis. Gary Barnett, the sole developer on the panel, countered that the uproar over shadows was overblown. ‘The shadows cast by tall, slender buildings are very brief, maybe 10 minutes, in any one place and cause no negative effect on the flora or fauna in the park,’ he said.” More from us on this issue here. (NY Times)

William Randolph Hearst’s old manse on West 86th street is up for sale at $38 million. “The seven-bedroom, 7½ bathroom home has roughly 7,000 square feet over multiple levels, Ms. Del Nunzio said, plus another 7,000 square feet of terraces with Hudson River views. Several rooms have vaulted 15-foot ceilings that were once part of Mr. Hearst’s tapestry hall, the agent said.” Ah, back in the days when you could actually make money in journalism! (WSJ)

Local assemblywoman Linda Rosenthal introduced a bill to ban tattoos and piercings on animals. “A Brooklyn artist who goes by the name ‘Mistah Metro’ posted photos after he tattooed his pit bull while the dog was undergoing spleen surgery.” (Capital NY)

A new blog chronicles where to find good places to cry in New York (none on the UWS so far, but they’re asking for suggestions). (NYC Crying Guide)

For our last bulletin, click here.