The November 18, 2025 episode of "Best & Final" opens with Extell’s latest power moves — a $36 million air-rights deal with Saint Thomas Church, a mezzanine-debt position that could hand them One Worldwide Plaza, and a new 25-story tower filing on West 66th Street — before moving into a full slate of market activity, including Mori Trust’s $541 million acquisition at Hudson Yards, new prewar-inspired luxury designs along Fifth Avenue, distress signals at the New York Times Building and NoMo SoHo, Brooklyn’s 1,000-unit surge in Greenpoint, an $85 million rental trade in DUMBO, and the city’s newly unveiled modernization plan for the Manhattan Cruise Terminal.

In this episode the City Council greenlights the OneLIC rezoning in Queens and Jersey City steps into the skyline race with a proposed 1,055-foot residential tower at 100 Bay Street. We also track major office-to-residential maneuvers in Midtown East and Tribeca, fresh refinancing activity from Global Holdings, and new flashpoints in the luxury hotel and co-op world — including the Lexington Hotel listing and the escalating battle over the Pierre. No spin, no takes — just the facts shaping New York’s real estate landscape today.

Citadel’s Ken Griffin is backing a 1,400-foot tower at 350 Park Avenue — a new benchmark for Midtown East and a signal that institutional capital still believes in New York’s vertical future. In today’s Best & Final, we break down the next generation of office towers, the surge in leasing momentum, and the capital shifts quietly reshaping Manhattan’s skyline.

A political earthquake hits New York City as Zohran Mamdani’s victory ushers in a new era for real estate. From proposed rent freezes and higher taxes to the resilience of Manhattan’s commercial core, Best & Final breaks down what this shift means for developers, investors, and brokers navigating the city’s next test.

It’s Election Day in New York — and the city chose this morning for a full-scale news dump. From billion-dollar housing commitments in Queens to Brookfield’s $1.3 billion refinancing on Fifth Avenue, the week brought movement across every sector. Office restructurings, luxury condo progress, new conversion filings, and the first steps toward Penn Station’s redevelopment all landed at once — a reminder that the market never waits for the polls to close.

A new kind of skyline is taking shape. From Prada’s planned Fifth Avenue tower blending couture and condos to billion-dollar office conversions and luxury hospitality deals, today’s episode tracks the pivot points reshaping New York’s real estate hierarchy. The balance of power is shifting — and the next cycle is already underway.

It's here! Manhattan’s first Midtown South conversion under new zoning signals the next era of adaptive reuse. Major capital shifts, high-stakes litigation, and political promises collide in today's Best & Final—where policy meets property and the city’s next phase begins.

MCM offloads nearly its entire equity stake in a $489.8 million hotel portfolio — marking Manhattan’s largest trade since the Safe Hotels Act. Meanwhile, RXR recapitalizes 1211 Avenue of the Americas for $1.45 billion, Vanbarton pushes a 440-unit conversion in Midtown East, and lenders escalate enforcement across the multifamily sector.

The office-to-residential conversion boom has reached levels not seen since 2008 — reshaping Manhattan’s skyline and balance sheets. Jordan Shea unpacks the data behind the 4.1 million square feet already underway, the Midtown shift, and the policy incentives fueling it. Plus: office leasing rebounds, new developments rise, and $18B in federal funding stalls key infrastructure. 

New York pushes $1.8B into housing, Citi Field’s $8B casino bid advances, a 1,600-foot Midtown supertall gets the green light, and condo supply hits a decade low — today’s Best & Final breaks down the moves reshaping the city’s real estate market.