Deals & Deeds - Westfair Communications

Developer Robert P. Weisz recently closed on his Rye Brook company”™s approximately $7.17-million purchase of 450 Mamaroneck Ave., a vacant four-story, 158,000-square-foot office building in Harrison. The pending deal was first reported in the Business Journal in March.

The former Citicorp Building was sold by Property Reserve Inc., the real estate arm of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints in Salt Lake City, Utah. The Mormon church in 1999 acquired the class-A property as part of the two-building Harrison Plaza complex in a $42.1 million deal.

Weisz, founding president and CEO of RPW Group Inc., in 2006 paid $33.25 million to the Mormon realty arm for its adjacent property, 440 Mamaroneck Ave., a five-story, 240,000-square-foot, class-A building on 20 acres. The developer converted the former office of The Bank of New York to a multitenant building now almost fully leased.

Yonkers offers free space for entrepreneurs

Owners of emerging small businesses might want to polish their contestant skills in a bid to win six months of free, furnished office space in Yonkers.

Yonkers city officials recently announced the Y-Your Enterprise? contest for companies with one to eight employees that have been in business for at least one year. The winner will have until Sept. 1 to move into the free office space in the city”™s Y-Enterprise Business Center, a full-service business incubator that recently opened at 28 Wells Ave. in the downtown i.park Hudson commercial complex.

To enter, entrepreneurs must submit a complete Y-Enterprise application and video, no longer than 60 seconds, explaining why they are interested in locating in Yonkers and in winning free office space at Y-Enterprise, and describing their business, product and service and their passion for their business.

Entries will be accepted through June 15. They will be judged by the business center”™s contest committee, based on these criteria:Â correct completion and submission of the application and video; assessments of the business”™s financial stability and potential for growth and success; whether the business is an appropriate fit for the Y-Enterprise Business Center and the creativity and passion shown in the video.

Finalists will have their videos posted online for a public vote that will run from June 30 to July 15. Contest site visitors will be limited to one vote each day.

The top vote-getter can take occupancy as early as July 18.

Yonkers Planning and Development Commissioner Louis Kirven said tenant services at the business incubator include business development, legal and accounting support and advice on accessing capital sources. The office space includes a shared receptionist, shared meeting rooms and shared lounge area.

“This contest is a terrific opportunity to take funds normally set aside for rent and instead use it to take that leap and either start a company or expand,” said Yonkers Mayor Philip Amicone.

Contest applications, details and rules can be found at www.y-enterprise.com.

Three sign leases in Armonk

Three companies recently signed office leases at two Lashins Development Corp. buildings in Armonk.

At 80 Business Park Drive, Fibar Group L.L.C. signed a long-term renewal for 3,770 square feet of space. The company, which provides safety surfaces for indoor and outdoor playgrounds and race tracks, has been a tenant there since 1994.

Also at 80 Business Park Drive, Heckler & O”™Keefe P.C., a public accounting firm, signed a long-term lease for 2,657 square feet of space. The firm relocated from Katonah.

International Property Exchange Services Inc. relocated from 80 Business Park Drive to 84 Business Park Drive, leasing 1,382 square feet of space. IPX is a division of Fidelity National Title Co., the nation”™s largest provider of title insurance and escrow services.

Jonathan Marwell, vice president of Howard Properties Ltd. in White Plains, represented all three tenants in the deals.

Colliers named leasing agent for Briarcliff site

The Stamford, Conn., office of Colliers International has secured the leasing agency for the Briarcliff Corporate Campus at 555 Pleasantville Road in Briarcliff Manor. The five-building complex totals 130,000 square feet of class-A office space on a 15-acre campus.

Stamford-based Core Plus Properties L.L.C. in 2004 paid $20.6 million for the office park, built between 1973 and 1983 as corporate headquarters for the Frank B. Hall Co. The largest tenant, USI Holdings Corp., occupies approximately 60,000 square feet of space.

NYC company to market White Plains rental units

Rose Associates Inc., a New York City real estate developer and owner, will manage and serve as exclusive leasing and marketing agent for One City Place at City Center, the 311-unit luxury apartment tower in downtown White Plains.

Built in 2004 by developer Louis R. Cappelli, the 35-story tower”™s units rent from $1,875 to $4,700 a month.

“Rose Associates will bring the highest level of service to the White Plains market,” Adam R. Rose, co-president of Rose Associates, said in a written statement. “Our company has decades of experience representing the finest residential buildings in New York City, and we are delighted to offer our third-party marketing and management services in Westchester.”