Not to beat the Dumbo drum too loudly today, but Chase Bank has bolted from a deal to lease space at 68 Jay Street, one of the many buildings in the neighborhood belonging to flambéed Greenpoint Terminal Market owner Josh Guttman. Coincidence? Not according to the Brooklyn Paper, which says Chase pulled out of lease negotiations after reports of suspicious fires at four Guttman properties. (Small, but amusing, irony of the day: part of 68 Jay used to be used for smoking tea.) With the Greenpoint warehouse itself smoked, Chase apparently decided to hose down the pending lease. Says the broker: "Let's just say [other spaces] are more desirable right now."
Not desirable? 68 Jay is the neighbor of the 33-story J Condo. A large second-floor space on the Front Street side is being turned into The Retreat with a cafe and performance space slated to open this month, and a Mediterranean restaurant and food tasting market that will go live during the summer. Various fire gods willing.
· After big fire, Chase backs out [Bklyn Paper]
· Builder's Smoky Trail: 4 Strange Blazes in His Past [NY Post]
· J Condo: Selling on Time? [Curbed]