All renderings courtesy of Marchmade

Brooklyn Nets point guard Ben Simmons is moving closer to the Barclays Center. The basketball star has entered contract for a combined two-unit apartment at Olympia Dumbo, a new 33-story residential development next to the Brooklyn Bridge. The apartment was listed for $13 million, as the New York Post reported, but the purchase price won’t be known until Simmons closes. While the Australian-born NBA star did not play in a single Nets game last season due to an injury, his new home in Dumbo is less than 15 minutes away from the team’s home court.

Learn more here

Photo credit: Robert Deitchler, courtesy of ©️Gensler

A museum dedicated to the life and legacy of Jackie Robinson opened in New York City on Tuesday. Located at 75 Varick Street in Hudson Square, the 19,380-square-foot Jackie Robinson Museum celebrates both Robinson’s baseball achievements, as well as his role in the civil rights movement, and encourages a conversation about race and social issues. Designed by Gensler, the museum features immersive exhibits and artifacts, from an interactive model of Ebbets Field to his Dodgers home uniform.

See inside

Rendering courtesy of CetraRuddy

A housing lottery opened this week for 55 middle-income units at a new residential development in Downtown Brooklyn. Located at 22 Chapel Street, the 20-story tower offers its residents a prime location at the intersection of Brooklyn Heights, Dumbo, Fort Greene Park, Boerum Hill, Barclays Center, and the heart of Downtown Brooklyn. New Yorkers earning 130 percent of the area median income, or between $79,098 for two people and $215,150 for a household of seven, are eligible to apply for the apartments, which range from $2,307/month studios to $3,431/month three bedrooms.

Find out more

Image courtesy of Marc A. Hermann / MTA on Flickr

One of hip-hop’s most influential artists will be paid tribute by his hometown this weekend. On May 21, the Empire State Building will turn its lighting to red and white, with a crown spinning atop its mast, in honor of the late rapper Notorious B.I.G., who would have turned 50 on Saturday. In Brooklyn, videos of Biggie Smalls, born Christopher Wallace, will be shown at the Barclays Center entrance and special MetroCards featuring the icon will be sold at three nearby subway stations, Variety reports.

Find out more

Photo by Tomas Eidsvold on Unsplash

New York City’s unvaccinated athletes and performers will be able to compete and perform at local venues under a new order reversing part of the city’s private-sector vaccine mandate. Mayor Eric Adams announced on Thursday the city will expand a current exemption that has allowed unvaccinated players and entertainers who lived outside of the city to perform or play in New York to hometown athletes and performers. The decision comes just two weeks before the start of the Major League Baseball season, allowing Yankees and Mets players who have not confirmed their vaccination status to take the field at home, as well as confirmed unvaccinated Brooklyn Nets star Kyrie Irving to play at the Barclays Center.

Details here

Photo by Eden, Janine and Jim on Flickr

New York City will no longer require masks in public schools or proof of vaccination for indoor dining and entertainment starting March 7 if there is no spike in Covid-19 cases before then, Mayor Eric Adams announced Sunday. The announcement comes after Gov. Kathy Hochul lifted the indoor mask mandate statewide for schools. In addition to ending the mask mandate in schools, Adams said the “Key to NYC’ initiative, which has required proof of vaccination at restaurants, bars, gyms, and indoor entertainment venues since August, will also be lifted. An official decision is expected on March 4.

Find out more

Rendering courtesy of RXR

A housing lottery launched this week for 143 middle-income units in a new building in Downtown Brooklyn. Designed by Perkins Eastman, The Willoughby is a 34-story mixed-use residential tower offering prospective tenants the opportunity to save money in the long term with rent-stabilized units. New Yorkers earning 130 percent of the area median income are eligible to apply for the apartments, which range from $2,523/month studios to $3,235/month for two bedrooms.

Find out if you qualify

Rendering courtesy of the NYC Department of Housing Preservation and Development

A housing lottery opened this week for 258 middle-income apartments in a new rental building in Prospect Heights. Designed by Perkins Eastman, Brooklyn Crossing is a 51-story residential tower in Prospect Height’s 22-acre Pacific Park mega-development. New Yorkers earning 130 percent of the area median income, or between $65,315 for a single person and $167,570 for a family of five, are eligible to apply for the apartments, which range from $1,905/month studios to $3,344/month for two bedrooms.

Do you qualify?

Image courtesy of VMI Studio for IF Studio

The Brodsky Organization and Greenland USA on Tuesday announced the beginning of leasing for Brooklyn Crossing, the latest, and currently tallest, addition to Prospect Height’s 22-acre development Pacific Park. Located at 18 Sixth Avenue between Atlantic Avenue and Pacific Street, the 51-story residential tower offers 858 mixed-income units, ranging from studios to one-to-three bedroom apartments, with 258 of the units to be designated as affordable for middle-income earners. Occupancy is expected this month.

See more here