A Wall Street tycoon’s plan to combine three Carnegie Hill brownstones into one massive single-family home (or McMansion to critics) has neighbors and preservationists on edge. [NY Times]
Developers and unionized workers are concerned that the city’s safety crackdown could lead to delays and layoffs at building sites. [NY Times]
The former New York State Inebriate Asylum in Binghamton known as "the castle" will get a $40 million face-lift and a new purpose: an educational training center for physician assistants. [NY Times]
Bank of America said it would modify at least $40 billion of problem loans as part of its deal to acquire Countrywide Financial. [NY Times]
The hotel industry is increasingly relying on test rooms to figure out what does and doesn’t work before spending on new technology. [NY Times]
Development proposals for the 42nd Street Show World Center, one of the last remnants of Richard Basciano’s "porn empire," are due tomorrow. [NY Post]
New York area foreclosures were up 34 percent year-over-year in the first quarter of 2008. [NY Post]
The superintendent at 100 UN Plaza has been keeping a secret brood of baby chicks in the basement of his building. [NY Post]
The city is facing $190 million in lawsuits related to the Turtle Bay crane collapse last month. [NYDN]
The New York State Racing Association said it was close to emerging from bankruptcy yesterday, following a court ruling allowing betting parlors and racetracks to accept wagers over the phone and Internet. [NY Sun]
A court ruled that construction of a new playground at Union Square can continue, but halted work on the pavilion there to accommodate a new restaurant. [NY Sun]
Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver said a New York State property tax cap is not up for negotiation in Albany. [NY Sun]
The number of U.S. homes vacant or for sale set a record in the first quarter of 2008, in another ominous sign for the housing market. [WSJ]
