1. Sales Slow as Manhattan Prices Reach New High

Major brokerages have released their first-quarter sales and are reporting record high apartment prices. According to a report from Prudential Douglas Elliman, sales prices have reached an average of $1.72 million, a 33.5% increase from the prior-year quarter. While brokerages such as Halstead and Brown Harris Stevens reported similar increases, many are careful to note that closings at many high-end buildings such as the Plaza and 15 Central Park West drove averages up. The median apartment price also rose 13%, to a record $945,276, compared with last year’s quarter, according to Douglas Elliman. Meanwhile, the pace of sales has slowed dramatically, Douglas Elliman said, with the number of deals falling 34% over last year. Halstead and Brown Harris Stevens reported a mild drop of 1%.

2. High Line Landscaping Moves Forward

The first shipments of soil for the High Line Park is finally set to arrive, the High Line Blog reported. Landscape contractor Kelco Landscaping, Inc. and Brooklynbased SiteWorks are expecting the soil to arrive early this month. In anticipation, workers installed a filter fabric membrane as a part of the site’s irrigation system, which will help keep the soil in place and prevent clogging of the drainage system on the site. Trees and plants also are set to arrive soon, with plantings to follow within the next few months.

3. Battle Over St. Vincent’s Hospital Remodeling Heats Up

The Landmarks Preservation Commission held its first hearings on a contentious proposal to remodel St. Vincent’s Hospital Manhattan in Greenwich Village. Situated in a preserved historic district, the hospital is proposing a new 21-story building on Seventh Avenue between 12th and 13th streets and a 21-story luxury condominium tower nearby. If completed, the development would be the neighborhood’s largest in half a century. The speaker of the City Council, Christine Quinn, who represents the area, opposes the development, while residents are split. According to one survey, residents believe that having a state-of-the-art hospital facility and reducing the height and bulk of the two proposed buildings are “very important.” No definitive agreement was reached at this week’s hearing, and a follow-up public hearing has been scheduled for April 15.

4. De Niro’s Hotel Opens Its Doors

The much-anticipated Greenwich Hotel has finally opened its doors in TriBeCa. The Greenwich Street hotel, which is backed by Robert De Niro, opened to guests Tuesday. With rooms starting at $725 a night, security is tight and staffers have been guarding against photographs, Curbed.com reported. Although the lobby appears finished, some construction is taking place in front of the building, and the Real Deal reported that the hotel is “still a work-in-progress.”

5. Jail Expansion To Include Retail

The Department of Correction is accepting proposals for the remodeling of the Brooklyn House of Detention, which has not housed inmates since 2003. Advocates of the reopening and expansion of the jail, on Atlantic Avenue, say it would speed inmates’ travel time to court appearances, as the building is connected to a nearby court via a tunnel, according to OnlytheBlogKnowsBrooklyn.com. The remodeling would double the jail’s holding capacity, to 1,469 beds from 749. This $240 million expansion also would add approximately 24,000 square feet of ground-floor retail space. Although the Department of Correction does not need community approval to reopen the jail, community groups have criticized the city agency for not holding a public forum on the proposal. The city aims to select a developer by July.

Rachel Shannon-Solomon