BY AL BARBARINO

Gary LaBarbara has an axe to grind with developers at City Point before they dig any deeper into Downtown Brooklyn.

In a move that could exacerbate friction that’s already occurring at the community level, the president of the Building & Construction Trades Council of New York thrashed the builders of the development project, claiming that they are “failing” to meet the needs of the community by instead catering to private interests.

“City Point is receiving vast amounts of public subsidies ranging from tax exempt bond financing to property tax abatements,” Mr. LaBarbera wrote in an op-ed that appeared in Real Estate Weekly yesterday. “But on a score central to responsible economic development for everyday New Yorkers — creating good jobs that strengthen local communities — City Point is failing.”

Mr. LaBarbera praised the strides made in the last year in getting more than 50 development projects off the ground through his organizations cooperation with the city’s trade unions.

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BY BILLY GRAY

The investment firm CVC Capital Partners renewed and expanded its lease for a total 20,000 square feet at 712 Fifth Avenue. Asking rents surpassed $100 per square foot, an increasingly rare sum in the current market.

CVC Capital will stay on the 43rd and extend to the 42nd floor of the 53-story, 540,000-square-foot tower managed by Paramount Group.

CBRE's Ben Friedland and Silvio Petriello represented the tenant. Ted Koltis and Peter Brindley represented the landlord in-house.

712 Fifth Avenue has carved a reputation as one of Midtown's most expensive buildings with a backbone of small financial services tenants. The Scottish-based Aberdeen Assets inked an 11,000-square-foot deal there last summer, joining neighbors the Vector Group and Riverstone Holdings. The estimable fashion houses Roberto Cavalli and Christian Dior are also tenants.

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BY KARSTEN STRAUSS

The New York City Chapter of NAIOP, the Commercial Real Estate Development Association, today announced the results of its election for 2013 chapter leadership roles. Neil Tipograph, partner at Imowitz Koenig & Co., has been elected to serve as president, having been president-elect in 2012.

The organization has 55 chapters nationwide and about 15,000 members. The New York City chapter – comprised of about 200 members, including Murray Hill Properties’ David Sturner – is its fastest growing.

The organization acts as a networking and educational hub for commercial real estate professionals, as well as a public advocate and lobbyist for the industry on issues that affect it. In 2013, NAIOP will be pushing issues on several different fronts, including some in Albany.

“We are trying to get an extension on the current New York State Brownfield credit program,” Mr. Tipograph said. “We believe that program promoted development and promotes construction jobs and all jobs related to the commercial real estate industry.”

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