Toll Brothers Has a Secret

Another issue altogether is whether sales at Northside Piers may lend themselves to future cancellations from buyers who currently have contracts on the units. Closings are set to begin in November, but some early buyers could end up disappointed since they may have been unaware of just how much the two additional towers would obstruct water views.

"In the beginning, when they started selling, they didn't have models in the sales office, so people couldn't really understand what buildings would be built in front of the existing building," says Barak, the Elliman broker.

The sales office denied that the model wasn't there when the office opened in January.

Aside from the blocked waterfront views, Tower 1 of Northside Piers will also eventually suffer from poor views to the North, since a competing condo project called The Edge will be built next door.

Jeff Lavine's Douglaston Development, a prominent New York City builder, will develop The Edge, which is expected to have 1,000 condo units. Although official plans haven't been determined, local Brooklyn real estate sources say the Edge project will be 15 floors high, thus blocking much of the views on one side at the 29-story Tower 1 of Toll's Northside Piers.