COSTS SURGE SKYWARD

New York City’s building boom may be brought to a halt by something more mundane than monetary policy or global financial disruptions: It could be as simple as copper, diesel, and steel. By the end of next year, the Producer Price Index for construction inputs — the price of materials that are used in a construction project plus the cost of diesel fuel — will rise by as much as 8% and continue to do so indefinitely, according to a report released yesterday by the Associated General Contractors of America. This is a change from the previous 12 months, which saw construction inputs inch up 1.6% for the year ending in August.

MEASURING UP

In a survey by Travel + Leisure magazine and CNN, New York ranked as the top city for high-end boutiques, classical music, diversity, and ethnic food, and came in second to San Francisco for having the most notable neighborhoods. Surprisingly, New York was ranked third for most worldly city, behind Washington and San Francisco.

CONDÉ NAST MOVE

Condé Nast will relocate to a new tower in the Hudson Yards neighborhood from the 700,000 square feet it occupies at 4 Times Square by 2015, according to developer Douglas Durst. The 1.5 million-square-foot tower will be part of a West Side Rail Yard proposal submitted by the developer, with partner Vornado Realty Trust. Today is the last day the Metropolitan Transportation Authority, which owns the rail yards, is accepting bids for the site.

‘PLAGUE’ OF ROACHES AT ANSONIA

The home of baseball great Babe Ruth, conductor Igor Stravinsky, and Hollywood star Angelina Jolie is getting a new kind of attention. A couple filed a lawsuit against the management company for the historic Upper West Side building, Sirius LLC, in state Supreme Court in Manhattan this week claiming that the 14th floor is home to “a horrific plague of roaches.” The lawsuit seeks a trial for unspecified damages.

AS GOOD AS NEW

The building that was hit by a single-engine plane carrying a pitcher for the New York Yankees, Cory Lidle, nearly one year ago has been repaired. Lidle and his flight instructor crashed into the 40th floor of the Upper East Side building while trying to make a U-turn over the East River.

APPLE, BARNEYS COME TO BROOKLYN

An Apple Store and a Barneys Co-op are said to be negotiating to open retail shops at the Edge, a new condominium building being developed by Toll Brothers on Kent Avenue in Williamsburg.

jsatow@nysun.com