TIMES TOWER FILLING UP

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THE New York Times Building at 620 Eighth Ave. is on a roll and close to landing another big name law firm to its roster.

Covington & Burling is reviewing a lease for about 160,000 feet on floors 39 through 43.

Sources said the 20-year pact will include options for floors 44 and 45.

Studley Chairman Mitch Steir, with David Goldstein, is leading a gaggle of brokers representing Covington & Burling, which would relocate from 1330 Sixth Ave.

A CB Richard Ellis team lead by Tri-State CEO Mary Ann Tighe and Howard Fiddle are representing developer Forest City Ratner.

None of the players would comment on the deal.

Last week, Forest City said it would buy out its partner, ING, for the 700,000 feet above the Times headquarters.

Forest City will then control floors 29 through 52 and the 24,000 feet of ground floor retail.

The law firm Seyfarth Shaw has already grabbed 100,000 feet on floors 31, 32 and 33 for the next 17 years.

Lauded by experts and pedestrians, the lease for the Apple store cube under the GM Building was named the most creative retail deal of the year by the Real Estate Board of New York.

The GM Building, at 767 Fifth Ave., is owned by Macklowe Properties.

The broker winners taking home the prize were Robert K. Futterman and Karen Bellantoni of Robert K. Futterman & Associates.

James Kuhn and Amira Yunis of Newmark Knight Frank won the coveted award for the retail deal that most significantly benefits Manhattan for representing NYU's dormitory property at 140 East 14th Street in its lease with Trader Joe's.

The most creative deal in the outer boroughs was taken home by Chase Welles of Northwest Atlantic Real Estate Services for leading Whole Foods into 220 3rd St. at Third Avenue. - at the crossroads of Cobble Hill and Park Slope in Brooklyn.

Philadelphia-based developer David Grasso is loading up on city projects.

Grasso just closed on 245 Tenth Ave., an L-shaped parcel off the corner of 24th St. for $15.37 million from Alf Naman. Grasso will develop a small, 20-condo building.

The project will be next to the High Line park created out of the former rail line.

"It will be ultra-luxury," Grasso promised.

Debra LaChance and Erin Boisson Aries of the Corcoran Group brought him the deal and will be handling the marketing.

"We heard the High Line was up and coming, and we were lucky enough to find an opportunity next to it," Grasso said.

A few blocks away at 124 W. 24th between Sixth and Seventh avenues, Grasso is rehabbing an existing loft building.

Halstead is handling that marketing as well as for his 50 Pine St., another 20-unit conversion Downtown which has three units left.

Chelsea keeps churning with activity.

Perhaps the oldest fish and tackle store in the world, Capitol Fishing Tackle Co., must now move from its longtime nest at the Chelsea Hotel on Aug. 1.

Customer Steve Kaufman of the Kaufman Organization reeled them into a 15-year lease for 2,000 feet at 132 W. 36th St., where the asking rent was in the high $50s a foot.

Kaufman, along with Barbara Raskob, repped the ownership in-house while Paul Stern and Francine Kayden of Midtown Commercial Real Estate spent many a day trolling for the best new fishing spot.

The firm, established in 1862 in Germany, relocated to America in 1897 and to the Chelsea in 1962. Current owner, Richard Collins, bought it in 1974 after working there as a salesman.

The Chelsea Hotel's shareholders also want to create one large retail unit.