Developers of The Apthorp, an Upper West Side icon, have been attempting to bring new penthouses to the roof of the landmarked building since last year, and now Area Property Partners will have to put off the potential addition a little longer. Yesterday, a meeting was held with the Landmarks Preservation Commission, and its back to the drawing board for Area Property Partners.

The Upper East Side is among the most consistent of Manhattan neighborhoods, but at New Construction Manhattan, we hear everything, and there's always something happening in terms of real estate. Here's a roundup of some of the bigger stories to hit the Upper East Side real estate world in August.

The debate over landmarking has finally come to a head. The Real Estate Board of New York (REBNY) composed a three page signatory letter confronting landmarking policies developed by the Landmarks Preservation Commission (LPC) which allow for any building erected more than thirty years ago to be conserved as a landmark. Today will mark REBNY’s first public announcement to speak out regarding transparency in the landmark process, lack of public input for what buildings should become landmarks, and that the increasing number of landmarks have weakened Manhattan’s economic growth. In response to the historic districts created by the LPC on West End Avenue in Manhattan and in the Downtown Brooklyn Skyscraper District in particular, REBNY has formed the Responsible Landmark Coalition.

West End Avenue is home to some of the most regal buildings in all of Manhattan, and soon those buildings might be off limits to the real estate developers who are constantly looking to transform Manhattan with new construction. A few years ago, the West End Preservation Society submitted a proposal to the Landmarks Preservation Commission to expand the historic district on West End Avenue, thereby preserving a huge swath of the area. If approved, the proposed district will extend from West 70th Street all the way up to West 109th Street between Broadway and Riverside Avenues, a 2-mile stretch on the Upper West Side that encompasses 745 buildings in all. This change would eliminate new construction on West End Ave, although it would still allow developers to convert existing buildings into condos. Nonetheless, in a neighborhood that attracts very affluent buyers and renters, it's safe to say that developers will not be happy about being forced to give up such a valuable part of Manhattan.