All articles by Aaron Ginsburg

NYC announces pedestrian safety upgrades for Brooklyn’s Atlantic Avenue

New vehicle travel lane markings at Atlantic Avenue and Court Street. Image courtesy of the Department of Transportation

July 24, 2024

NYC announces pedestrian safety upgrades for Brooklyn’s Atlantic Avenue

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New York City is kicking off a series of key upgrades to Atlantic Avenue to improve pedestrian safety. Department of Transportation Commissioner Ydanis Rodriguez on Tuesday announced the start of pedestrian safety improvements along the western section of Atlantic Avenue that runs between Brooklyn Heights and Cobble Hill, a corridor infamous for traffic-related incidents. The enhancements include expanded pedestrian space, new mid-block crossings, upgraded traffic signals, vehicle travel lane markings, and more.
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Trader Joe’s new Harlem location will open this week

Photo courtesy of Trader Joe’s

July 23, 2024

Trader Joe’s new Harlem location will open this week

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Harlem's first-ever Trader Joe's opened on Thursday, July 25, the grocery store announced. The 17,800-square-foot location can be found at 123 West 125th Street, part of a mixed-use development with office space, retail, affordable housing, the headquarters of the National Urban League, and a new museum dedicated to the civil rights movement.
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New bill would require NYC landlords to provide air conditioning during the summer

Photo courtesy of Joe Shlabotnik on Flickr

July 23, 2024

New bill would require NYC landlords to provide air conditioning during the summer

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After multiple heat waves this summer, a Brooklyn elected official has proposed legislation mandating landlords provide air conditioning to tenants. Last week City Council Member Lincoln Restler introduced a bill to update the existing housing code and require landlords to provide tenants with air conditioning in the warmer months, just as they are required to provide adequate heat during the winter. If the legislation is enacted, property owners would have four years to comply with the rule or face up to $1,250 in fines per day for noncompliance.
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Former Chelsea prison to become 124 affordable and supportive apartments

Renderings courtesy of Gov. Kathy Hochul’s office

July 22, 2024

Former Chelsea prison to become 124 affordable and supportive apartments

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A former state prison in Chelsea will become 124 permanently affordable apartments. Gov. Kathy Hochul on Monday unveiled Liberty Landing, the proposal selected to redevelop Bayview Correctional Facility at 550 West 20th Street into a housing project with apartments for low-income New Yorkers and formerly incarcerated individuals. The women's prison closed in 2012 after damage from Hurricane Sandy and has sat vacant ever since.
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41-story tower on Greenpoint waterfront opens lottery for 115 apartments, from $1,782/month

Rendering courtesy of NYC Department of Housing Preservation and Development

July 22, 2024

41-story tower on Greenpoint waterfront opens lottery for 115 apartments, from $1,782/month

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A lottery opened this week for 115 middle-income apartments in a 41-story luxury rental on the Greenpoint waterfront. Developed by Park Tower Group and Rockefeller Group, the company's first project in Brooklyn, The Dupont will offer 381 apartments, a vast majority of which will have incredible East River and Manhattan skyline views. New Yorkers earning 80 and 130 percent of the area median income can apply for the units, priced from $1,782/month for studios to $4,001/month for two-bedrooms.
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Barbara Walters’ Upper East Side apartment sells for $15M

All photos courtesy of Donna Dotan unless noted otherwise

July 18, 2024

Barbara Walters’ Upper East Side apartment sells for $15M

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Barbara Walters' longtime Upper East Side apartment has sold for $14,999,900, public records show. The home at 944 Fifth Avenue hit the market last April for $19.75 million. The beloved journalist lived in the five-bedroom, five-bath pre-war apartment for 30 years until her death in 2022.
see the late journalist's stunning home
NYC night markets: 10 food festivals to check out

Chinatown Night Market. Photo credit: Francis Wu

July 11, 2024

NYC night markets: 10 food festivals to check out

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New York City night markets provide the best way to explore cuisines of the world, without getting on a plane. Taking place across the city, these vibrant open-air festivals offer an affordable and fun night out, while also supporting local vendors and small businesses. Adding to the nightlife feel, the markets are often accompanied by live music, performances, and art from local artists. We've rounded up our favorite night markets to check out this summer, from the well-established Queens Night Market to new events at Lincoln Center and Union Square.
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Roberta’s Pizza opens next to Penn Station

Photo courtesy of Vornado

July 9, 2024

Roberta’s Pizza opens next to Penn Station

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Roberta's Pizza has opened its first standalone location in Manhattan. The renowned restaurant, which opened in Bushwick in 2008 and quickly became a foodie favorite for its wood-fired Neapolitan-style pies, can be found between 33rd Street and 7th Avenue, next to Penn Station and Madison Square Garden, within Vornado's mixed-use Penn District campus. The two-story restaurant combines a ground-floor to-go slice shop, a full-service restaurant, and a roof deck with a Tiki bar, the latter of which will open later this month.
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NYC rolls out official trash bin, expands containerization to most residential buildings

Credit: Ed Reed/Mayoral Photography Office on Flickr

July 9, 2024

NYC rolls out official trash bin, expands containerization to most residential buildings

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New York City's next step in its "trash revolution" is here: Wheelie bins. Mayor Eric Adams on Monday rolled out the city's first-ever official trash bin, which has wheels and a rat-proof lid, and announced a new containerization mandate for certain buildings. Starting November 12, the city's Department of Sanitation (DSNY) will require buildings with one to nine residential units to put trash in a bin. When the new trash rule goes into effect, the city will have containerized 70 percent of the city's 14 billion pounds of annual trash since 2022, reducing the mounds of trash bags piled on the sidewalks and streets.
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Lottery opens for 17 co-ops on the Upper West Side, available for purchase from $174K

Streetview of 165 West 80th Street © 2024 Google

July 9, 2024

Lottery opens for 17 co-ops on the Upper West Side, available for purchase from $174K

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A housing lottery has opened for 17 apartments on the Upper West Side. Located at 165 West 80th Street, about two blocks from Central Park and the American Museum of Natural History, the five-story walk-up has 10 studios and seven one-bedroom apartments available to New Yorkers earning 120 percent of the area median income, or between $73,319 for a single person and $167,760 for a family of three. The homes are priced at $173,801 for a studio and $184,990 for a one-bedroom.
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Papaya King reopens at new Upper East Side location

Papaya King’s original Upper East Side location. Photo via WikiCommons

July 8, 2024

Papaya King reopens at new Upper East Side location

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Papaya King is officially serving its beloved hot dogs and tropical drinks to New Yorkers once again. This past weekend the iconic Upper East Side establishment reopened across the street from its original location at 179 East 86th Street to a new storefront at 206B East 86th Street, according to the local news website Upper East Site. The restaurant closed its original store in April 2023 after Extell purchased and demolished the property with plans to build a new 17-story condo tower.
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Citi Bike increasing e-bike prices this week

Photo courtesy of Elvert Barnes on Flickr

July 8, 2024

Citi Bike increasing e-bike prices this week

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Citi Bike is hiking its prices for the second time this year. The bike-sharing service, operated by Lyft, is raising its prices for e-bikes starting Wednesday, July 10, with fees increasing from 20 cents to 24 cents per minute for those with Citi Bike and Lyft memberships and from 30 cents to 36 cents per minute for non-members. The ride-share company cited "higher than anticipated battery swapping, insurance, and vehicle expenses" for the rate increases.
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A lower congestion pricing toll floated by New York lawmakers

Photo courtesy of strolicfurlan on Flickr

July 3, 2024

A lower congestion pricing toll floated by New York lawmakers

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New York lawmakers are floating a lower congestion pricing toll as a way to convince Gov. Kathy Hochul to resume the program, which she halted "indefinitely" last month. The $15 base fee was established based on the 2019 law that required the program to raise enough to support $15 billion in debt. As first reported by the New York Times, some state senators are seeking an adjusted fee low enough for Hochul to endorse but high enough to fund the MTA adequately.
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IKEA is coming to Fifth Avenue in Midtown

IKEA’s Red Hook location. Photo courtesy of Eden, Janine, and Jim on Flickr.

July 2, 2024

IKEA is coming to Fifth Avenue in Midtown

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IKEA is returning to Manhattan. The home goods store will open a new store in Midtown within 570 Fifth Avenue, an office tower developed by Extell Development. Ingka Investments, the investment arm of Ingka Group which owns most IKEA stores worldwide, plans to open an 80,000-square-foot store across two cellar levels with a corner entrance on Fifth Avenue. The Swedish company opened a store on the Upper East Side in 2019 but closed about two years later.
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Silverstein takes control over Brooklyn Tower in $672M deal

Photo by Evan Joseph

July 2, 2024

Silverstein takes control over Brooklyn Tower in $672M deal

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The real estate drama surrounding the Brooklyn Tower may be over. As first reported by Pincus Co, Silverstein Properties has taken over the tower's rental, retail, and unsold condo units from JDS Development in a $672 million deal. Silverstein had provided a $240 million loan for the tower, which JDS defaulted on in 2019, leading to a foreclosure auction scheduled for June 1. The auction was delayed and eventually avoided after Michael Stern of JDS transferred a preferred equity piece in the tower to Silverstein in order to restructure his debt, according to The Real Deal.
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Bronx Metro-North station rezoning plan approved by City Planning Commission

View looking north along East Tremont Avenue near Leland Avenue. Images courtesy of DCP.

July 2, 2024

Bronx Metro-North station rezoning plan approved by City Planning Commission

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A plan to bring thousands of new homes and jobs around new Metro-North stations in the East Bronx is moving forward. The City Planning Commission last week voted to approve the Bronx Metro-North Station Area Plan, a rezoning effort targeting the areas around four new Metro-North stations to create roughly 7,500 new homes, 10,000 jobs, improvements to public space, and neighborhood amenities. The plan heads next to the City Council for a final vote sometime this summer.
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Lower East Side rental opens lottery for 196 affordable apartments, from $454/month

Rendering courtesy of NYC Department of Housing Preservation and Development

July 1, 2024

Lower East Side rental opens lottery for 196 affordable apartments, from $454/month

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A housing lottery launched this week for 196 affordable apartments in a new rental building on the Lower East Side. Located at 165 Broome Street, the 15-story building offers tenants new residences in one of New York City's trendiest neighborhoods. New Yorkers earning 30, 50, 70, and 80 percent of the area median income, or between $18,480 for a single person and $154,080 for a household of seven, can apply for the units, which range from $454/month studios to $2,949/month for a three bedroom.
find out if you qualify
200,000 more New Yorkers now eligible for half-priced MetroCards

Photo: Marc A. Hermann / MTA New York City Transit on Flickr

July 1, 2024

200,000 more New Yorkers now eligible for half-priced MetroCards

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Nearly 200,000 additional New Yorkers will be eligible for the city's half-priced transit fare program. Mayor Eric Adams and the City Council on Friday agreed to a $112.4 billion budget deal for fiscal year 2025, which adds $10.7 million in baseline funds for the Fair Fares program and increases the program's eligibility from 120 percent to 145 percent of the federal poverty level. The deal marks the biggest expansion of the Fair Fares program since it launched in 2019, with the entire eligible population now over one million New Yorkers.
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Most NYC affordable housing built in low-income communities of color: report

Photo via Wikimedia.

June 28, 2024

Most NYC affordable housing built in low-income communities of color: report

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In New York City, a disproportionate amount of new affordable housing is being built in low-income neighborhoods, according to a new report. The New York Housing Conference released on Thursday its third annual NYC Housing Tracker, revealing the city's inequitable distribution of housing production across City Council districts. Last year, Council District 17 in the South Bronx produced 1,266 units of affordable housing, more than any other district and as many as the bottom 28 districts combined. According to the report, more affordable housing is being built in lower-income, majority Black and Latinx neighborhoods.
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NYC public library funding restored, Sunday service to resume

Brooklyn Public Library’s Central Branch. Photo via WikiCommons

June 28, 2024

NYC public library funding restored, Sunday service to resume

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Mayor Eric Adams and the City Council reached a tentative deal to restore $58 million in proposed cuts to New York City public libraries just days before the budget is due. The mayor and Council Speaker Adrienne Adams on Thursday announced in a joint statement that $58.3 million in funding will be reinstated for the city's three public library systems in the fiscal year 2025 budget, due June 30, as well as a separate $53 million for the city's cultural institutions. The funding agreement allows libraries to resume Sunday service, which ended at all branches last fall following announced budget cuts.
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Sustainable cafe with coffee and cocktails opening at Prospect Park Boathouse terrace

Photo courtesy of the Prospect Park Alliance on Flickr

June 28, 2024

Sustainable cafe with coffee and cocktails opening at Prospect Park Boathouse terrace

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A new food and drink vendor is opening on the terrace of Prospect Park's iconic Boathouse. The Prospect Park Alliance on Wednesday announced the opening of Purslane Cafe, which will offer healthy and sustainably sourced food and coffee, as well as cocktails, wine, and beer on select evenings. Starting July 4, the cafe will be open daily from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m.
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Inwood development with public library and 100% affordable housing opens

Image courtesy of NYPL/Jonathan Blanc

June 27, 2024

Inwood development with public library and 100% affordable housing opens

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New York City this week celebrated the opening of a unique new development in Inwood that combines a public library with affordable housing. City officials on Wednesday opened The Eliza, a 14-story rental with 174 deeply affordable apartments atop a two-level New York Public Library branch. In addition to 100 percent affordable homes and a public library, the project at 4790 Broadway also includes a pre-K space, STEM learning center, and community facility.
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20 spots to watch 4th of July fireworks in NYC

Image courtesy of Circle Line

June 27, 2024

20 spots to watch 4th of July fireworks in NYC

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Nowhere does the Fourth of July like New York City. For the first time in over a decade, the spectacular Macy's 4th of July Fireworks show will return to the Hudson River, sharing the stage with Jersey City's celebration and illuminating the sky in red, white, and blue. Ahead, discover a selection of the best-ticketed events across NYC to enjoy this year's Independence Day fireworks celebrations, from rooftop bars with prime views of the Hudson River to boat cruises that offer a front-row seat to the action.
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14,000 new homes projected for Long Island City under rezoning draft

Photo by Ruoyu Li on Unsplash

June 26, 2024

14,000 new homes projected for Long Island City under rezoning draft

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The city's Department of City Planning (DCP) Director Dan Garodnick on Tuesday released the draft rezoning framework for the Long Island City Neighborhood Plan, a proposal that could create up to 14,000 new homes, including 4,000 affordable units. The proposal also includes up to nine acres of open space along the Queens waterfront, new schools, and enhancements to parks and NYCHA complexes, according to Gothamist.
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Pfizer’s former Midtown HQ to become 1,500 apartments

Pfizer World Headquarters. Photo via WikiCommons

June 26, 2024

Pfizer’s former Midtown HQ to become 1,500 apartments

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The former Midtown headquarters of pharmaceutical company Pfizer is poised to become New York City's largest office-to-residential conversion. As Crain's New York first reported, the vacant two-building complex at 219 and 235 East 42nd Street will become a 1,500-unit rental property. Metro Loft Developers, the team behind other large residential conversions, including 55 Broad Street in the Financial District, is leading the conversion. The project will not contain any affordable housing units, according to the developer.
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