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"Metropolitan College eyes Rector Street spot," The Real Deal, 8/19/14. "The Metropolitan College of New York, on the search to relocate its Hudson Square campus, is eyeing a 110,000-plus-square-foot office condo at 40 Rector Street," says The Real Deal. "Such a deal would mark the largest buy at the building since owner Phillips International began converting the property three years ago. MCNY, the professional education school founded by social entrepreneur Audrey Cohen 50 years ago, is considering purchasing the sixth, seventh and eighth floors of the 19-story FiDi building, as well as a ground-floor condo with a private entrance facing West Street. The college is seeking $68 million in tax-free bond financing from the Build NYC Resource Corporation, which will consider the matter at a public hearing early next month." For the complete article, click here.

"On Governors Island, Many Visitors but Few Tenants," Wall Street Journal, 8/19/14. Though hundreds of thousands of visitors are now trekking to Governors Island, "when the island closes to day trippers for the season on Sept. 28, the daytime population will fall to fewer than 1,000 park employees, construction workers, students and artists," says the Wall Street Journal. "Advocates for the 172-acre island off the southern tip of Manhattan say there have been many stumbling blocks to luring year-round tenants, including limited ferry service, building restrictions and poor infrastructure. While tourism has been increasing - nearly 400,000 visitors made the trek to the island last season, up 15% from a year earlier - a far bigger challenge has been convincing business owners to be among the first to move in." For the complete article, click here.

Woolworth building.

"Revealed: Floor plans for $110M Woolworth penthouse," The Real Deal, 8/21/14. "Alchemy Properties' offering plan for the condominiums at the Woolworth Building was just approved by the New York Attorney General's office," says The Real Deal. "The plan reveals that the $110 million penthouse atop the iconic tower - a unit that has been christened the 'Pinnacle' - will span 9,400 square feet with just under 500 square feet of outdoor space. This means Alchemy is asking about $11,700 per square foot for the eyrie atop the landmark tower, by far a record for Downtown and one of the priciest listings ever to hit the city." For the complete article, with photos, click here.

"New York City's 25 Most Anticipated Fall Openings," Eater.com, 8/19/14. Eater.com's list of the city's "25 most exciting restaurants opening before the end of the year" includes four in Lower Manhattan. They are Floyd Cardoz's White Street at 221 West Broadway in Tribeca, projected to open in early September; Andrew Carmellini's as yet unnamed project at The Smyth, 85 West Broadway, with a projected opening in December; Le District at Brookfield Place, 250 Vesey St., where restaurateurs Peter Poulakakos and Paul Lamas are installing a market, restaurants, bars and a café, scheduled to open in stages beginning in November; and Amada, also at Brookfield Place. It will be an outpost of chef Jose Garces' Spanish restaurant in Philadelphia. For the complete article, click here.

"Con Ed Sells Building Near Ground Zero Where Plans for Mosque Caused Uproar," New York Times, 8/20/14. Consolidated Edison "notified state regulators this week that it had sold the site of a proposed Islamic cultural center in Lower Manhattan that came to be known as the 'ground zero mosque,'" says The New York Times. "Con Edison has not used the building since 1969, but the company got caught in the uproar over the proposal when it surfaced nearly five years ago. By then, Con Edison had been nothing more than the landlord for the building at 49-51 Park Place, about two blocks north of the World Trade Center. It was close enough to the twin towers destroyed on Sept. 11, 2001, that a wing flap from one of the crashed jets was found there last year. That proximity to a place where more than 2,700 people were killed by terrorists set off a national debate about the plan for a mosque and Islamic cultural center on the property. The developer, Soho Properties, eventually abandoned that idea and now plans to build a three-story museum dedicated to Islam on the Con Ed site and a condominium tower on an adjacent lot, 45 Park Place," accoding to The Times. If Sharif El-Gamal, the chief executive of Soho Properties, can obtain the necessary financing, the existing buildings would be torn down. For the complete article, click here.

Auditions for Writers in Performance at BMCC: A 12-week workshop at the Borough of Manhattan Community College offers a chance for people of all ages, ethnicities, styles and levels of experience to create an original theater piece and perform it at the Tribeca Performing Arts Center, 199 Chambers St. The workshop utilizes writing exercises, theater games, improvisation, movement and ensemble work by all participants. Auditions will be held by appointment only on Wednesday, Sept. 17 and Thursday, Sept. 18 from 5:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. The free workshop is directed by Mario Giacalone, the program director at BMCC Tribeca Performing Arts Center. He has taught acting in New York City for over 10 years and has directed both stage and film. To schedule an audition, contact him at Mgiacalone@bmcc.cuny.edu or call (212) 220-1459 on weekdays from Tuesday, Sept. 9 through Tuesday, Sept. 16. The performances will take place on Dec. 5 and Dec. 6.