The new apartment building at 163 Washington Avenue in the Clinton Hill section of Brooklyn may become a rental although a report yesterday at Brownstone.com said that "about 35 to 40 percent of the contracts for the 163 Washington Ave. Condo building were signed, as of the end of January 2011."

The "tipster" report at brownstoner.com said that "everyone, including myself, received emails from the sales representative of the building saying that the units were being permanently taken off of the market because the building was sold, and all deposits would be returned."

An article today at ny.curbed.com said that, "according to the Forum poster, the new plan is rentals, with all the hopeful condo owners now left in the dust."

"After everything that 163 Washington Avenue's Finger of Clinton Hill has been through - including three appearances before the Board of Standards and Appeals and a fight with the neighbors - we're surprised that now is the moment the developers are caving," the article said," adding that "it was all going so well: the Karl Fischer-designed building had finally hit the market, and 35 or 40 percent of the 49 units, priced up to $767,000, were in contract."

The article said that a forum poster at brownstoner.com "passes along an e-mail from the building sales rep saying that all units are off the market and deposits are being returned due to the sale. The new owners plan on going the rental route, which will do absolutely nothing at all to appease still-bitter neighbors."

The attractive building, which is between Myrtle and Park, was developed by The GLC Group. It has a fitness center, a lounge and a roof deck and walnut kitchen cabinetry. Its website offers surfers the choice of three different artistic/graphic schemes: "Lichtenstein," "Warhol" and Haring."