All articles by Aaron Ginsburg

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.
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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.
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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.
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Events & Things To Do

Tennis in NYC: What to know, where to play

August 20, 2025

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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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Popular Articles

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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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Plan to bring 300+ affordable and supportive homes to Morrisania hospital advances

Renderings courtesy of Type A Projects

August 6, 2025

Plan to bring 300+ affordable and supportive homes to Morrisania hospital advances

By Aaron Ginsburg

A plan to bring more than 300 affordable and supportive homes, along with a new health clinic and community space, to Morrisania just cleared a key hurdle. Part of the city's "Housing for Health" initiative, NYC Health + Hospitals announced Wednesday its board of directors approved the advancement of Morrisania River Commons, a 17-story building with 328 affordable and supportive units, a clinic, community facilities, and green space planned for a parking lot on the NYC Health + Hospitals/ Gotham Health Morrisania campus.
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Affordable Housing

Flatiron Building will be illuminated at night for the first time as part of condo conversion

On left: Photo by Artem Zhukov on Unsplash. On right: Rendering courtesy of The Flatiron Building

August 6, 2025

Flatiron Building will be illuminated at night for the first time as part of condo conversion

By Aaron Ginsburg

After over 120 years as a commercial building, the Flatiron Building will shine brightly as a new condo development. Literally. The distinct triangular building at 175 Fifth Avenue will be illuminated for the first time in its history when it reopens as luxury apartments. As first reported by the New York Post, the LED lighting scheme, designed by L’Observatoire International and approved by the city's Landmarks Preservation Commission, will be most prominent on the top five floors beneath the building’s signature cornice, then cascade downward to emphasize its architectural details, which have been restored as part of a multi-year renovation.
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This Crown Heights block was named the greenest in Brooklyn

Photos by Peter Slattery, courtesy of the Brooklyn Botanic Garden

August 5, 2025

This Crown Heights block was named the greenest in Brooklyn

By Aaron Ginsburg

A lush stretch of Eastern Parkway in Crown Heights has been named Brooklyn’s greenest block. On Tuesday, the Brooklyn Botanic Garden (BBG) awarded the title to the block between Franklin and Bedford Avenues as part of its free annual Greenest Block competition. The block—the first winner in the residential category to be made up primarily of apartment buildings—was praised for creating a "remarkable community space centered around plants and urban gardening."
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City Living

Brooklyn Mirage owner files for bankruptcy, venue won’t reopen this year

Credit: Chris Lavado

August 5, 2025

Brooklyn Mirage owner files for bankruptcy, venue won’t reopen this year

By Aaron Ginsburg

After "several months of financial distress," Avant Gardner, the operator of East Williamsburg music venue Brooklyn Mirage, filed for bankruptcy on Monday. In a statement posted on Instagram, the company said it filed for Chapter 11. While the Great Hall and Kings Hall venues are set to remain open throughout the process, the Brooklyn Mirage—whose grand May reopening was abruptly canceled just hours before its first show and remains closed—will not reopen this year.
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Policy

Clark Street station reopens after hotel awning collapse

The Hotel St. George Awning before collapse. Image via WikiCommons

August 5, 2025

Clark Street station reopens after hotel awning collapse

By Aaron Ginsburg

Subway service has been restored at the Clark Street station in Brooklyn Heights following the collapse of a concrete awning on Sunday. A video posted to social media by Council Member Lincoln Restler captured the moment the 15-by-20-foot awning on Henry Street came crashing down over the station entrance. Service was suspended at the station after the Department of Buildings (DOB) had found a similar structure above another entrance unsafe. As of Tuesday morning, the vacate order was lifted, and subway service was restored.
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NYC could lose 300,000 parking spots under new street safety bill

Credit: Nick Kelly on Unsplash

August 4, 2025

NYC could lose 300,000 parking spots under new street safety bill

By Aaron Ginsburg

Parking could become more difficult under a new City Council bill that would eliminate up to 300,000 spaces citywide in an effort to improve street safety. Intro. 1138 would ban vehicles from parking within 20 feet of crosswalks and improve visibility by adding "daylighting" structures, such as planters and bike racks, to protect sightlines for drivers, cyclists, and pedestrians. The bill would bring New York City in line with existing state law, which already prohibits parking within 20 feet of intersections, according to City & State.
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11 more NYC libraries will offer seven-day service starting September

Credit: Clay Banks on Unsplash

August 4, 2025

11 more NYC libraries will offer seven-day service starting September

By Aaron Ginsburg

Eleven more New York City public libraries will be open seven days a week, thanks to funding included in the city’s fiscal year 2026 budget. Made possible by a $2 million investment to expand weekend service, the new Sunday hours begin September 7, bringing the total number of branches open on Sundays to more than 30. The $2 million is part of a broader $15 million increase for the New York Public Library (NYPL), Brooklyn Public Library (BPL), and Queens Public Library (QPL) systems secured in the FY 2026 budget.
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Policy

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