Class A Common Units	12 Months Ended
Jan. 31, 2012
Class A Common Units [Abstract]
Class A Common Units	U. Class A Common Units Master Contribution Agreement The Company and certain of its affiliates entered into a Master Contribution and Sale Agreement (the “Master Contribution Agreement”) with Bruce C. Ratner (“Mr. Ratner”), an Executive Vice President and Director of the Company, and certain entities and individuals affiliated with Mr. Ratner (the “BCR Entities”) on August 14, 2006. Pursuant to the Master Contribution Agreement, on November 8, 2006, the Company issued Class A Common Units (“Units”) in a jointly-owned limited liability company to the BCR Entities in exchange for their interests in a total of 30 retail, office and residential operating properties, and certain service companies, all in the greater New York City metropolitan area. The Company accounted for the issuance of the Units in exchange for the noncontrolling interests under the purchase method of accounting. The Units may be exchanged for one of the following forms of consideration at the Company’s sole discretion: (i) an equal number of shares of the Company’s Class A common stock or, (ii) cash based on a formula using the average closing price of the Class A common stock at the time of conversion or, (iii) a combination of cash and shares of the Company’s Class A common stock. The Company has no rights to redeem or repurchase the Units. At January 31, 2012 and 2011, 3,646,755 Units were outstanding. The carrying value of the Units of $186,021,000 is included as noncontrolling interests at January 31, 2012 and 2011. Also pursuant to the Master Contribution Agreement, the Company and Mr. Ratner agreed that certain projects under development would remain owned jointly until such time as each individual project was completed and achieved “stabilization.” As each of the development projects achieves stabilization, it is valued and the Company, in its discretion, chooses among various options for the ownership of the project following stabilization consistent with the Master Contribution Agreement. The development projects were not covered by the Tax Protection Agreement (the “Tax Protection Agreement”) that the parties entered into in connection with the Master Contribution Agreement. The Tax Protection Agreement indemnified the BCR Entities included in the initial closing against taxes payable by reason of any subsequent sale of certain operating properties. In accordance with the terms of the Tax Protection Agreement, the Company paid BCR Entities $1,074,000 and $1,695,000 for tax indemnification during the years ended January 31, 2012 and 2011, respectively. New York Times and Twelve MetroTech Center Two of the development projects, New York Times, an office building located in Manhattan, New York and Twelve MetroTech Center, an office building located in Brooklyn, New York, achieved stabilization in 2008. The Company elected to cause certain of its affiliates to acquire for cash the BCR Entities’ interests in the two projects pursuant to agreements dated May 6, 2008 and May 12, 2008, respectively. In accordance with the agreements, the applicable BCR Entities assigned and transferred their interests in the two projects to affiliates of the Company and will receive approximately $121,000,000 over a 15 year period. An affiliate of the Company has also agreed to indemnify the applicable BCR Entity against taxes payable by it by reason of a subsequent sale or other disposition of one of the projects. The tax indemnity provided by the affiliate of the Company expires on December 31, 2014 and is similar to the indemnities provided for the operating properties under the Tax Protection Agreement. The consideration exchanged by the Company for the BCR Entities’ interest in the two development projects has been accounted for under the purchase method of accounting. Pursuant to the agreements, the BCR Entities received an initial cash amount of $49,249,000. The Company calculated the net present value of the remaining payments over the 15 year period using a discounted interest rate. This initial discounted amount of $56,495,000 was recorded in accounts payable and accrued expenses and will be accreted up to the total liability through interest expense over the next 15 years using the effective interest method.

Class A Common Units

12 Months Ended

Jan. 31, 2012

U. Class A Common Units

Master Contribution Agreement

The Company and certain of its affiliates entered into a Master Contribution and Sale Agreement (the “Master Contribution Agreement”) with Bruce C. Ratner (“Mr. Ratner”), an Executive Vice President and Director of the Company, and certain entities and individuals affiliated with Mr. Ratner (the “BCR Entities”) on August 14, 2006. Pursuant to the Master Contribution Agreement, on November 8, 2006, the Company issued Class A Common Units (“Units”) in a jointly-owned limited liability company to the BCR Entities in exchange for their interests in a total of 30 retail, office and residential operating properties, and certain service companies, all in the greater New York City metropolitan area. The Company accounted for the issuance of the Units in exchange for the noncontrolling interests under the purchase method of accounting. The Units may be exchanged for one of the following forms of consideration at the Company’s sole discretion: (i) an equal number of shares of the Company’s Class A common stock or, (ii) cash based on a formula using the average closing price of the Class A common stock at the time of conversion or, (iii) a combination of cash and shares of the Company’s Class A common stock. The Company has no rights to redeem or repurchase the Units. At January 31, 2012 and 2011, 3,646,755 Units were outstanding. The carrying value of the Units of $186,021,000 is included as noncontrolling interests at January 31, 2012 and 2011.

Also pursuant to the Master Contribution Agreement, the Company and Mr. Ratner agreed that certain projects under development would remain owned jointly until such time as each individual project was completed and achieved “stabilization.” As each of the development projects achieves stabilization, it is valued and the Company, in its discretion, chooses among various options for the ownership of the project following stabilization consistent with the Master Contribution Agreement. The development projects were not covered by the Tax Protection Agreement (the “Tax Protection Agreement”) that the parties entered into in connection with the Master Contribution Agreement. The Tax Protection Agreement indemnified the BCR Entities included in the initial closing against taxes payable by reason of any subsequent sale of certain operating properties.

In accordance with the terms of the Tax Protection Agreement, the Company paid BCR Entities $1,074,000 and $1,695,000 for tax indemnification during the years ended January 31, 2012 and 2011, respectively.

New York Times and Twelve MetroTech Center

Two of the development projects, New York Times, an office building located in Manhattan, New York and Twelve MetroTech Center, an office building located in Brooklyn, New York, achieved stabilization in 2008. The Company elected to cause certain of its affiliates to acquire for cash the BCR Entities’ interests in the two projects pursuant to agreements dated May 6, 2008 and May 12, 2008, respectively. In accordance with the agreements, the applicable BCR Entities assigned and transferred their interests in the two projects to affiliates of the Company and will receive approximately $121,000,000 over a 15 year period. An affiliate of the Company has also agreed to indemnify the applicable BCR Entity against taxes payable by it by reason of a subsequent sale or other disposition of one of the projects. The tax indemnity provided by the affiliate of the Company expires on December 31, 2014 and is similar to the indemnities provided for the operating properties under the Tax Protection Agreement.

The consideration exchanged by the Company for the BCR Entities’ interest in the two development projects has been accounted for under the purchase method of accounting. Pursuant to the agreements, the BCR Entities received an initial cash amount of $49,249,000. The Company calculated the net present value of the remaining payments over the 15 year period using a discounted interest rate. This initial discounted amount of $56,495,000 was recorded in accounts payable and accrued expenses and will be accreted up to the total liability through interest expense over the next 15 years using the effective interest method.