All articles by Aaron Ginsburg

50-story luxury rental in Fort Greene opens lottery for 171 units, from $1,793/month

All renderings courtesy of the NYC Department of Housing Preservation and Development

August 29, 2025

50-story luxury rental in Fort Greene opens lottery for 171 units, from $1,793/month

A housing lottery launched this week for 171 middle-income apartments at a 50-story building in Fort Greene. Located at 180 Ashland Place, the Everly has over 560 apartments and impressive amenities, like a rooftop pool with stunning Manhattan views, and a prime location, steps from Fort Greene Park and the convenience of Downtown Brooklyn. New Yorkers earning 80 and 130 percent of the area median income can apply for the units, priced from $1,793/month studios to $4,399/month two bedrooms.
how to apply

Affordable Housing

18 fun ways to spend Labor Day weekend in NYC

West Indian American Day Parade in 2024. Photo by Theklan on Wikimedia

August 28, 2025

18 fun ways to spend Labor Day weekend in NYC

By Aaron Ginsburg

On the first Monday in September, Americans celebrate Labor Day to honor the vital contributions of workers throughout the nation’s history and their fight for safer working conditions. New York City’s history is closely tied to Labor Day—the city was a hub for unions and labor movements throughout the 19th century and hosted the nation’s first Labor Day Parade in 1882. Ahead, find some great ways to celebrate the long weekend in NYC, from Brooklyn's colorful West Indian Day Parade to the citywide unicycle festival.
your long weekend, ahead

Events & Things To Do

Penn Station revamp to begin in late 2027, Trump says

Photo by Don Ramey Logan on Wikimedia

August 28, 2025

Penn Station revamp to begin in late 2027, Trump says

By Aaron Ginsburg

Construction on the long-delayed revamp of Penn Station will start in late 2027, the Trump administration announced on Wednesday. U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said proposals will be accepted starting in October for the redevelopment of the busy train hall, with a goal to start construction in two years. The news comes after the feds put Amtrak in control of the project over Gov. Kathy Hochul in April. It's unclear how much the project will now cost under the updated timeline and possibly new design, but previous estimates from the MTA listed a $7 billion price tag.
Learn more

145-year-old footbridge connecting Sheepshead Bay and Manhattan Beach reopens after revamp

Credit: NYC DOT on Flickr

August 27, 2025

145-year-old footbridge connecting Sheepshead Bay and Manhattan Beach reopens after revamp

By Aaron Ginsburg

A 145-year-old footbridge connecting Sheepshead Bay and Manhattan Beach has reopened after a long-overdue revitalization. Last week, Department of Transportation Commissioner Ydanis Rodriguez cut the ribbon on the new Ocean Avenue Pedestrian Bridge, originally built in 1880 and last repaired in 1930. As part of the project, in-house crews replaced the deck and walking boards, vertical supports, railings, and stringers, repainted the structure, and restored its decorative lighting.
learn more

122 apartments for low-income seniors available at new 17-story building in Hudson Square

Rendering courtesy of the NYC Department of Housing Preservation and Development

August 27, 2025

122 apartments for low-income seniors available at new 17-story building in Hudson Square

By Aaron Ginsburg

Applications are now being accepted for 122 affordable apartments for seniors at a new development next to Google's Hudson Square headquarters. Located at 570 Washington Street, the 17-story building offers spacious units designed for residents ages 62 and older, with a slew of modern amenities to promote comfort, connection, and wellness. Applicants must have at least one household member aged 62 or older, qualify for Section 8 benefits, and earn 50 percent of the area median income or less. Eligible New Yorkers will pay 30 percent of their income for the available studio, one-, and two-bedroom apartments.
Find out if you qualify

World’s tallest Passive House building in Brooklyn secures $535M in financing

All renderings courtesy of Alloy Development

August 27, 2025

World’s tallest Passive House building in Brooklyn secures $535M in financing

By Aaron Ginsburg

The future tallest Passive House building in the world is moving ahead in Downtown Brooklyn. Alloy Development and the Vistria Group on Tuesday announced the closing of $535 million in capital for the construction of One Third Avenue, a 730-foot mixed-use project with 583 apartments, retail, and office space. The tower is the final piece of the Alloy Block, a five-building complex that includes more than 1,000 homes, the city’s first all-electric skyscraper, and two Passive House public schools.
Find out more

Amtrak launches new Acela trains, with higher speeds and elevated amenities

All photos courtesy of Amtrak

August 26, 2025

Amtrak launches new Acela trains, with higher speeds and elevated amenities

By Aaron Ginsburg

The fastest train in the United States is getting faster. This week, Amtrak will roll out the "NextGen" Acela, a new fleet of sleek trains traveling between Boston, New York, and Washington, D.C. at 160 miles per hour, up from the Acela's current 150 miles per hour. Not only will the trains move faster, but the NextGen Acela will also offer better onboard features, including ergonomic seating, extra legroom, large windows, high-speed WiFi, and new wayfinding screens. The first day of service for the new trains is Thursday, August 28.
learn more

City begins $44M project to rebuild busy stretch of Grand Concourse

Credit: Department of Design and Construction

August 26, 2025

City begins $44M project to rebuild busy stretch of Grand Concourse

By Aaron Ginsburg

New York City has broken ground on a $44 million project to bring major street safety upgrades to a stretch of Grand Concourse, one of the Bronx’s busiest corridors. Announced on Monday by the city, phase five includes an overhaul of the roadway from East Fordham Road to East 198th Street by adding new bike lanes, wider medians, bollards, better lighting, and improved pedestrian access. The project builds upon four earlier phases and is part of a broader effort to improve safety and ease traffic along the bustling corridor.
Find out more

Tunnel boring for Hudson River tunnel project to begin next summer

Credit: Gateway Development Commission

August 25, 2025

Tunnel boring for Hudson River tunnel project to begin next summer

By Aaron Ginsburg

Tunnel boring for the Hudson Tunnel Project, which will build a new rail tunnel between New York and New Jersey and rehabilitate the existing tunnel, is set to begin next summer. The Gateway Development Commission (GDC) announced last week that two massive tunnel boring machines (TBMs) will arrive early next year to start digging the 2.4-mile connection to Penn Station. The machines are expected to take about a year to dig the first mile of tunnel from Tonnelle Avenue in North Bergen, where crews have spent the past two years preparing the site, to an access shaft in Hudson County, which is currently under construction.
Learn more

NYPL to display rare Declaration of Independence draft for America’s 250th anniversary

Photos courtesy of Jonathan Blanc/The New York Public Library

August 25, 2025

NYPL to display rare Declaration of Independence draft for America’s 250th anniversary

By Aaron Ginsburg

To celebrate America’s 250th anniversary next year, the New York Public Library will publicly display its rare copy of the Declaration of Independence. On view at the Stephen A. Schwarzman Building from July 1 to July 3, 2026, the draft is one of the few surviving "fair copies" handwritten by Thomas Jefferson. As part of a systemwide commemoration of the nation’s semiquincentennial, the display of the document joins the library's exhibition "Revolution: 1776 and Beyond," which will explore New York's role in the American Revolution and its impact on global revolutions that followed.
Find out more

Events & Things To Do

Tennis in NYC: What to know, where to play

By Aaron Ginsburg

With the U.S. Open here, New Yorkers are ready for the excitement that the prestigious tennis tournament brings, including the chance to watch some of the world’s best players go head-to-head. But you don’t have to be a Grand Slam contender to enjoy the game in the city. There are courts across the five boroughs where players of all ages and skill levels can get their serve on.
get your serve on

Events & Things To Do

Plan to build huge 72-story tower at 395 Flatbush Avenue enters public review

All renderings courtesy of Binyan Studio and TenBerke Architects

August 14, 2025

Plan to build huge 72-story tower at 395 Flatbush Avenue enters public review

By Aaron Ginsburg

The proposal to turn an outdated Downtown Brooklyn office building into a 72-story tower with over 1,000 apartments officially entered public review this week. Mayor Eric Adams on Thursday announced that 395 Flatbush Avenue Extension has begun the seven-month uniform land-use review procedure (ULURP). The tower would be the second-tallest in the borough after the Brooklyn Tower, and feature roughly 1,200 mixed-income residences, with at least 25 percent set aside as permanently affordable for households earning 60 percent of the area median income.
Find out more

Policy

NYC releases greenway master plan with 40 miles of new paths

Credit: NYC DOT on Flickr

August 14, 2025

NYC releases greenway master plan with 40 miles of new paths

By Aaron Ginsburg

New York City has an ambitious vision to expand its greenways by 40 miles, offering a continuous walk around Manhattan and car-free cycling from Brooklyn to Far Rockaway. Released on Wednesday, the "Greater Greenways" plan is the city’s first master plan for its greenway network in more than 30 years. The plan assesses the existing 500 miles of paths and proposes new pedestrian and cycling routes to fill in existing gaps across the five boroughs, with construction on some short-term projects beginning as early as 2028.
Learn more

Rudy Giuliani sells Upper East Side penthouse for under $5M

45 East 66th Street. Photo by Epicgenius via Wikimedia Commons

August 14, 2025

Rudy Giuliani sells Upper East Side penthouse for under $5M

By Aaron Ginsburg

Rudy Giuliani has sold his Upper East Side penthouse for under $5 million, marking another price cut for the residence once slated to be turned over to two Georgia election officials as part of a lawsuit. As first reported by Crain's, the former New York City mayor and Trump attorney sold the three-bedroom unit at 45 East 66th Street for $4.95 million, after first listing it for $6.5 million in 2023 and later cutting the price by $1.4 million in March to $5.175 million. The penthouse was among the possessions Giuliani was ordered to surrender in October 2023 after losing the lawsuit. A settlement was reached in April 2024, allowing him to keep the home.
Learn more

31-story Downtown Brooklyn rental tower opens lottery for 120 apartments, from $784/month

Credit: NYC Department of Housing Preservation and Development

August 13, 2025

31-story Downtown Brooklyn rental tower opens lottery for 120 apartments, from $784/month

By Aaron Ginsburg

Applications are now being accepted for 120 mixed-income apartments at a new 31-story rental tower in Downtown Brooklyn. Located at 202 Tillary Street, the property offers modern apartments with panoramic skyline views, complemented by a suite of upscale amenities. New Yorkers earning 40, 60, 110, and 120 percent of the area median income can apply for the units, with rents starting at $784/month for studios, $828/month for one-bedrooms, and $967/month for two-bedroom apartments.
Find out if you qualify

Affordable Housing

Central Park Conservancy endorses horse-drawn carriage ban

Photo by Fernando Gonzalez on Pexels

August 13, 2025

Central Park Conservancy endorses horse-drawn carriage ban

By Aaron Ginsburg

For the first time, the Central Park Conservancy has taken a side in the city’s horse-drawn carriage debate, backing a City Council bill that would ban the rides from the park. On Tuesday, the nonprofit publicly called for the end of horse-drawn carriages in Central Park, calling them unsafe, damaging to the park's roads, and incompatible with the growing crowds. The bill, known as “Ryder’s Law,” would phase out carriage horses by 2026 and help drivers transition to other jobs, according to Gothamist. The Conservancy's endorsement comes a week after a horse collapsed and died in Hell’s Kitchen, reigniting debate over the future of horse-drawn carriages.
details here

New York’s first hybrid-electric ferry sails to Governors Island

Credit: Timothy Schenck

August 13, 2025

New York’s first hybrid-electric ferry sails to Governors Island

By Aaron Ginsburg

The first hybrid-electric public ferry in New York is now taking passengers to and from Governors Island. On Tuesday, the Trust for Governors Island debuted the Harbor Charger, a $33 million vessel equipped with a hybrid propulsion system that will cut carbon dioxide emissions by roughly 600 tons annually, as 6sqft previously reported. The ferry, the first of its kind in the state, can travel up to 66 percent faster than current diesel-powered vessels, offering visitors a quicker and more sustainable trip to the island.
Find out more

New MCNY exhibit traces a century of NYC housing activism

A rent strike in Harlem, September 1919. Photo via WikiCommons

August 12, 2025

New MCNY exhibit traces a century of NYC housing activism

By Aaron Ginsburg

While New York City's current housing crisis has pushed rents to all-time highs and the vacancy rate to an all-time low, it's not a new problem. New Yorkers have been rallying for more affordable housing and tenant protections for over a century. A new installation at the Museum of the City of New York, "Housing Activism: Rent Strikes and Tenant Mobilizations, 1908-1939," explores the rich history and lasting impact of tenant organizing in the early 20th century through photographs, drawings, flyers, and other artifacts. The installation covers a period of immense housing pressure, harsh winters, overcrowded tenements, and soaring rents—and the grassroots movements that helped win many of the tenant protections still in place today.
Find out more

New public waterfront esplanade opens at Astoria residential complex

All photos courtesy of Jeremy Frechette/The Durst Organization

August 12, 2025

New public waterfront esplanade opens at Astoria residential complex

By Aaron Ginsburg

A previously industrial stretch of the East River in Astoria has been transformed into a vibrant public waterfront esplanade, restoring access to the area for the first time in decades. On Monday, the Durst Organization celebrated the opening of the Halletts Point esplanade, located beside the developer’s 20 and 30 Halletts Point buildings. Designed by Starr Whitehouse, the 50,000-square-foot waterfront green space offers sweeping city skyline views, lots of seating, a playground, and picnic areas.
see it here

Architecture And Design

New JFK terminal to display art from iconic NYC museums

Credit: JFK Millennium Partners on Flickr

August 11, 2025

New JFK terminal to display art from iconic NYC museums

By Aaron Ginsburg

New York City’s world-famous cultural institutions are set to greet global travelers arriving at the new Terminal 6 at John F. Kennedy International Airport. On Monday, the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey and JFK Millennium Partners announced a partnership with the American Museum of Natural History, Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, and the Museum of Modern Art to permanently display installations from each institution in the airport’s new $4.2 billion terminal.
Find out more

Transit

City unveils ‘Fordham Landing South’ Bronx development with 900+ homes on the Harlem River

Credit: Perkins Eastman

August 11, 2025

City unveils ‘Fordham Landing South’ Bronx development with 900+ homes on the Harlem River

By Aaron Ginsburg

New York City has unveiled plans for a vibrant mixed-use community with nearly 1,000 affordable homes along the Bronx waterfront. On Friday, Mayor Eric Adams announced that the city will move forward with "Fordham Landing South," a major affordable housing project that will bring roughly 927 homes to an underutilized stretch of the Harlem River just south of the University Heights Bridge. The 100 percent affordable development would reserve 15 percent of its units for formerly homeless households and span two mixed-use buildings, with public waterfront space, parking, and convenient access to the Metro-North Railroad.
details here

Affordable Housing

NYC’s Dominican Day Parade: What you need to know

Photo by S Pakhrin on Wikimedia

August 8, 2025

NYC’s Dominican Day Parade: What you need to know

By Aaron Ginsburg

Colorful parade floats, vibrant costumes, and lively music will return to Midtown this Sunday for the 43rd annual National Dominican Day Parade. Celebrating New York City’s Dominican community—the largest in the country—the event features a festive procession with beautiful costumes, traditional food, dance, and more. Taking place on August 10, this year's theme is "Unidos en Cultura y Tradicion (United in Culture and Tradition)," honoring Dominican heritage in the Dominican Republic, the United States, and abroad, with Dominican-American baseball player Nelson Cruz serving as the grand marshal.
Find out more

Events & Things To Do

Track work to disrupt 4, 5, and 6 subway service for two weekends this month

Credit: Billie Grace Ward on Flickr

August 8, 2025

Track work to disrupt 4, 5, and 6 subway service for two weekends this month

By Aaron Ginsburg

Riders on the 4, 5, and 6 subway lines are in for two weekends of major service disruptions this month. The Metropolitan Transportation Authority on Tuesday announced track work will shut down service south of Grand Central–42nd Street from 11:30 p.m. Friday to 5 a.m. Monday on the weekends of August 15 through 18 and August 22 through 25. Crews will be replacing the concrete beneath switches north of 14th Street.
Learn more

TF Cornerstone plans to convert Billionaires’ Row office tower into 350 apartments

Photo by Tdorante10 via WikiCommons

August 7, 2025

TF Cornerstone plans to convert Billionaires’ Row office tower into 350 apartments

By Aaron Ginsburg

A prominent New York City developer wants to convert a 32-story Billionaires' Row office tower into over 300 apartments, joining the city’s growing wave of office-to-residential conversions. As first reported by Commercial Observer, TF Cornerstone will convert Tower 57 at 135 East 57th Street into 350 apartments, 25 percent of which would be affordable to households earning 80 percent of the area median income. The project would take advantage of the state’s 467-m tax incentive program and new zoning tools included in Mayor Eric Adams’ City of Yes housing plan.
details here

Midtown South rezoning moves forward, 34th Street busway and protection for Garment District workers included

Photo © 6sqft

August 7, 2025

Midtown South rezoning moves forward, 34th Street busway and protection for Garment District workers included

By Aaron Ginsburg

The Midtown South rezoning received key approval this week, with new community and infrastructure improvements included in the deal. The City Council Subcommittee on Zoning and Franchises on Wednesday voted to approve the Midtown South Mixed-Use (MSMX) plan, which updates zoning rules for 42 blocks of the neighborhood to allow for 9,535 new homes, including 2,842 permanently affordable apartments, in an area where housing development has been largely restricted. In addition to lowering the residential density allowed on certain blocks in the original plan, the City Council and City Hall agreed to $488 million in community infrastructure investments, including a busway on 34th Street and protection for Garment District workers.
FInd out more

All articles by Aaron Ginsburg

Pitch a Story

Interested in seeing the property in person?

Interested in seeing the property in person?

Distinctive Post Form

Get in Touch

Send us a Tip

Interesting in learning more about purchasing a new home?

Thinking about selling your home?

Sell a Home (Footer)

Before You Move On from this Page.

Your Passport to NYC:Subscribe for Local Insights and Stories!

Before You Move On
from this Page.

Your Passport to NYC:
Subscribe for Local Insights and Stories!