NEW YORK CITY — The average asking rent for retail spaces throughout Manhattan fell to $688 per square foot during the second quarter, the first time that figure has fallen below $700 per square foot since 2011, according to a new report from CBRE. The average asking rent represents a decline of 11.3 percent from that period in 2019 and a 3.6 percent decrease from the first quarter of this year. New York City is a month into Phase III of the state’s reopening plan, which allows outdoor dining, office and retail and personal care services to operate with social distancing and other sanitation guidelines in place. The state legislature also recently passed a bill to provide $100 million in rent relief and aid to commercial users impacted by the pandemic. The report noted that despite these initiatives, travel restrictions and lack of tourism caused quarterly retail sales to fall 15 percent to $33.4 billion, maintaining pressure on some retail users to make rent even as average rates are falling.