Trippy. (Citi-Habitats)

Wavy gravy apartment. (SHoP Architects)

One of the prettiest zombies of the real estate collapse is finally coming back to life. The condo tower at 290 Mulberry Street has been nearly finished for years now, but the developer fell into trouble, the building bounced around a bit, and only now is it coming back on the market, as a rental.

Karass Development picked up the project, and with the help of Citi Habitats broker Lucie Holt, it has been rebranded as Mulberry House, a rental building that has just come on the market. From the marketing materials:

All residences at Mulberry House include private keyed elevators, radiant-heat Walnut flooring, security camera systems, central A/C and oversized double-glazed windows.

State-of-the-art kitchens boast custom gloss-white cabinetry with stone countertops, Bosch gas cooktops and ovens, Miele dishwashers and Liebherr stainless steel refrigerators.  In addition, all kitchens feature Marvel wine coolers to keep bottles at the perfect temperature.

The lofts’ bathrooms are equally luxurious.  Designed as a spa-like retreats, Mulberry House baths boast custom vanities and concrete tubs designed by SHoP Architects.  All residents will appreciate amenities including the full-time lobby attendant, common terrace located on the second floor, and the available private storage units.

The interior is still being completed and the rental prices remain undecided.

"Mulberry House offers rental residences that are unlike anything available in SoHo," Ms. Holt said in a release. "The breathtaking modern design, top-of-the line finishes, and privacy offered to residents, are all truly spectacular."

This may be the nicest news on Houston Street since they reinstalled "The Wall" in 2007—about the same time poor old Mulberry House got underway.

mewing@observer.com

Look, it's 30-30! (Courtesy of the Real Deal)

It's Queens' time to shine!

Long Island City was once a barren post-industrial wasteland, but recent efforts are shifting the borough into a plausible location to live. Jet Blue flew its headquarters over two years ago and Queens Plaza is booming with real estate, but is it really New York if you aren't living next to some college students?

Of course not! The vacant building at 30-30 Northern Boulevard will become a massive commercial complex next year and a university campus within the next five, the Daily News reports.

Alma Realty has started the gutting process and plans to add two new stories that will increase the building's square footage to 270,000 square feet.

"This is an opportunity to impact the neighborhood in a positive way,"  George Valiotis, project director at Alma Realty, told the Daily News. "We really believe in this area."

The previous owners had proposed a 19-story, 900-room complex for students but that plan was squashed. Mr. Valiotis further noted, however, that Alma Realty plans to "build a university campus on the property and hopes the school will be up and running in five years."

He's talking all out, too–classrooms, amphitheater space, and even a museum, though no specific school is yet affiliated.

Now it's time to convince out-of-town parents that Queens is a safe and scholastic environment!

mewing@observer.com

Oh, who wants to live here anyway? (Courtesy of Wikipedia)

The Plaza has had more international intrigue than a Bond film, so why not a bit more!

The brother of Kazakhstan's president, Bolat Nazarbayev filed charges against Maira and Daniyar Nazarbayeva, his ex-wife and her son, at the Manhattan Supreme Court to be returned his $20 million dollar plaza condo, plus money damages, the Post reported.

The suit trails back to 2008 when Mr. Nazarbayev was looking to purchase a New York pad and settled on a $20 million condo on the 18th floor of the Plaza. He then gave his wife's son, Daniyar, power of attorney over him so he didn't have to personally travel to the United States to sign on the dotted line.

The apartment was placed in the elder Mr. Nazarbayev's name, but also in the name of the missus without his authority, allowing the son to conspire with his mom, use his power of attorney, and sell the apartment to himself for zero dollars without Mr. Nazarbayev knowing or consenting.

It wasn't until after the divorce that Mr. Nazarbayev realized that he married an "international fugitive currently wanted by Interpol," the Post noted. The ex-wife "had been declared by Kazakhstani authorities to be wanted for various crimes, including kidnapping, use of threats of physical harm to extract funds from a business associate, and using criminal threats to force another person to transfer real property to the name of a family associate."

So much for knowing your wife!

mewing@observer.com

The address is clearly fake as there is actually no 31 East 66th Street. Further, if it did exist, chances are it would have been located in the middle of Madison Avenue according to the addresses of the buildings on the corner. Very clever, Mr. Weiner.

In perspective to the cast: Pete Campbell lives closest to Mr. Sterling, residing with his wife in an apartment on Park Avenue on the Upper East Side. Then there's Peggy Olson who moved to Manhattan after the commute from Brooklyn tired her, but it's not disclosed which neighborhood she lives in.

The main character himself, Don Draper, resided in Ossining, New York (about a 45 minute trip from Grand Central on the MTA's Hudson Line) with his witch of a wife until he moved to an apartment on Waverly Place near 6th Avenue sans Betty, and then that swank Upper West Side pad of "Zou Bisou Bisou" fame.

mewing@observer.com

The field house will occupy this site (The New York Times)

Brooklyn bikers received a treat to the tune of $40 million dollars!

Joshua Rechnitz, a cyclist and the grandson of New York philanthropists, pledged a $40 million dollar gift to the city to build a field house in the Brooklyn Bridge Park, The New York Times reported.

The field house is set to be massive project (15,000 square feet!) with an indoor, inclined cycling track with up to 2,500 seats and a 22,000-square-foot infield for sports like basketball, tennis, volleyball and gymnastics.

The project isn't entirely funded—it remains tens of millions of dollars away–but the donation stands as a huge strep in the right direction and the largest donation to any New York City park or recreational facility. The gift is double that of the previous $20 million donation, given last year to the High Line Park by Barry Diller and designer wife Diane von Furstenberg, The Times noted.

"I am thrilled at the magnitude and generosity of this gift, which would invigorate the park in the winter months and provide much-needed active recreation space for youth all over the borough on a year-round basis," Regina Myer, the president of the Brooklyn Bridge Park Corporation, told The Times.

Alas, nothing in life is free, and the park will charge for use of the field house. But Mr. Rechnitz has agreed to cover any shortages in operating revenue for the first ten years.

Time to gear up, Brooklyn! We just hope that noted bicycle-hater Woody Allen doesn't catch wind of this scheme.

mewing@observer.com

How inconvenient. (Robert S. Donovan, flickr)

It's bad enough to wake up early for church on Sunday without having to trek through an endless sea of slovenly, hungover hipsters waiting for brunch.

Williamsburg's churchgoers are so sick of it that they have taken their gripes to Brooklyn Community Board 1, which plans to enforce a city law that bars outdoor sidewalk restaurants from operating before noon on Sunday, the New York Post reports.

"We need to keep the sidewalks open and accessible for people walking to church Sunday morning," Tom Burrows, the chairman of the board's Public Safety Committee told the Post. "City sidewalk space is valuable, and not only are many of these businesses blocking the sidewalks by serving early, but there’s also the people who hang out on the sidewalks waiting to be served."

Mr. Burrows claimed that Lokal Bistro is one of the biggest violators. Its owner, Gino Kutluca, defended his establishment, telling the Post that his restaurant had no crowding.

“It’s not a good decision. There are 10,000 other streets to get to church," he said.

The Department of Consumer Affairs plans to inspect the early-bird eatery complaints. If the restaurants are found violating the law, they will face fines and could lose their sidewalk permits.

Can we get an amen and an extra side of hashbrowns?

mewing@observer.com

Some things are free! (Courtesy Dumbo Books of Brooklyn)

Ever think "Where's my wallet?" when walking around the Atlantic Terminal or Atlantic Center malls?

It's probably missing. The shopping centers have become the "singular crime epicenter in Fort Greene and Clinton Hill's 88th Precinct," The New York Times reports.

At least 26 reported crimes have happened in the center since the beginning of the year, The Times noted:

• 14 purses and wallets stolen

• Four reported — and countless unreported — incidents of shoplifting

• Two victims losing $1,200 in an iPad scam

• Two fights

• Three muggings or attempted muggings

• One theft of a bicycle

The brazen thieves are even going after the center's employees. Rebecca Godfrey, a worker in the Altantic Terminal,  has been a two-time victim: three months ago someone snatched a purse containing valuables and $1,250 and last month someone grabbed her iPhone. "I saw it two seconds too late. They do it right in front of your face," she told The Times.

The commanding officer of the precinct said that he has to constantly reminds shoppers: "Close your pocketbook, keep it close to your person, don't leave the purse in the shopping cart."

Apparently, the outlaw culture has developed to such heightened levels that some thieves are even dressing as Best Buy employees selling discounted iPads. Once the cash is handed over, the pseudo-employee ditches and the customer is left with an empty box.

Although, c'mon guys, consumers typically pay for things at a cash register.

mewing@observer.com

Tech-Savvy MiMA Tower! (Courtesy of Streeteasy)

At the same time that some apartment buildings are emphasizing those weird pre-technological places called libraries, others are boosting up their tech teams to plug you in when you move in.

Related, the real estate developers behind MiMA and One MiMA Tower, has implemented a technology concierge service that will handle tasks from hanging televisions to troubleshooting a home office network, The New York Times reports.

"We’re always looking for what’s on the horizon," Daria Salusbury, senior vice president of Related, told The Times. "What feedback are we getting from residents? It took a little while to figure out that this was a trend, and that’s when we said, ‘We understand technology is really important in everybody’s lifestyle, and we need to embrace that.'"

New residents will receive one free hour of consultation and one free hour of installation. Mrs. Salusbury further noted that large projects will be charged in a lump sum and that "most smaller jobs will be billed by the hour, at a rate to be determined, but competitive with what a chain store like Best Buy would charge."

Related plans to expand it to their portfolio of over 5,000 units within the next month. It remains to be seen whether the concierges will be inundated with calls from the technologically challenged, but at least someone is finally tackling the daunting waits for internet services in this city.

mewing@observer.com

Nice glass windows!(Courtesy of Winick Realty Group)

So we've got a 7-Eleven on St. Marks and now some big box stores for West Chelsea. One might be moving to the corner of 8th Avenue and 26th Street.

Artimus Development contacted the Winick Realty Group about marketing a massive space at 320 Eighth Avenue, DNAInfo reported:

The new 12-story building offers the potential tenant a whopping 18,000 square feet of ground floor space, a loading dock for trucks, 200 feet of wraparound frontage, and an 18,000 square foot basement.

Hello big box! About 200 apartments will sit over the store and will be ready for occupancy at the end of the year.

"The ideal tenant will target the neighborhood’s growing residential and student population coming from the Fashion Institute of Technology to the north and the School of Visual Arts to the south," Alex Hill, associate director at Winick, told DNAInfo.

The listing struck a chord with a local neighborhood preservation group, Save Chelsea. Lesley Doyel of the group told DNAInfo, "[...] we also see Winick's listing for 320 Eighth Ave. as an opportunity to stress how we think the city needs to do much more to encourage and support small, independent and affordable retailers in our neighborhood."

Oh, Walmart! There's an opening in Manhattan!

mewing@observer.com

It was a rather well-designed building! (Courtesy of CBS)

If you thought the Ground Zero "mosque" struggle ended when the courts struck down a lawsuit against the cultural center last July, you are a little off. A notice of appeal was later filed, but that was finally withdrawn last Friday, according to The Real Deal.

Timothy Brown, a retired New York City firefighter, initially filed the suit back in October 2010 to the New York State Supreme Court. The suit challenged the recent Landmarks Preservation Commissions denial to grant the 150-year old factory landmark status. If the building was marked as a landmark, then it would make it harder, but not impossible, for the site to be redeveloped.

But even with the court shooting it down, and then the later withdrawal of his appeal, Mr. Brown still views it as a victory.

“Basically, we achieved our primary objective, which was to raise public awareness of the issue," Brett Josphe, one of Brown's attorneys, told The Real Deal. "My client felt he had achieved his goal and it was time to move on. As a Sept. 11 survivor, who lost more than 100 friends [that day,] it was absolutely a victory."

Mr. Josphe further noted that a factor in dropping the appeal was that Soho Properties, the developers behind the mosque, "lacks the necessary funds, approximately $17 million, to build the Islamic community center at the site."

Though that isn't the end of the property. As of last summer, Sharif El-Gamal, Park51's developer, might have a five-story trick up his sleeve (with yoga).

mewing@observer.com