All articles by Aaron Ginsburg

January 20, 2026

NYC landlord to pay $2.1M to resolve 4,000+ building-code violations

A major New York City landlord will pay $2.1 million to settle thousands of violations across its properties under a settlement announced by Mayor Zohran Mamdani on Friday. The deal covers 14 A&E Real Estate-owned buildings, requiring the landlord to pay fines, fix more than 4,000 building-code violations, and bar further harassment of tenants. The settlement concludes a year-and-a-half legal battle that began under former Mayor Eric Adams and is the largest in the history of the Department of Housing Preservation and Development’s (HPD) Anti-Harassment Unit, according to Gothamist.
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Policy

Mamdani renews support for Morris Park hospital supportive housing project

Credit: Michael Appleton/Mayoral Photography Office on Flickr

January 20, 2026

Mamdani renews support for Morris Park hospital supportive housing project

By Aaron Ginsburg

Mayor Zohran Mamdani has revived a controversial supportive housing project at a Bronx hospital that would deliver more than 80 homes, including nearly 60 for formerly incarcerated people leaving Rikers Island. On Monday, Mamdani announced his support for “Just Home” at the NYC Health + Hospitals/Jacobi campus in Morris Park, a plan to convert a vacant hospital building into 83 affordable apartments, including 58 supportive units for New Yorkers exiting Rikers Island with medical conditions such as cancer or heart failure. Former Mayor Eric Adams initially supported the project when it was unveiled in 2022, but withdrew support ahead of the 2025 election, urging lawmakers to abandon the plan, according to Gothamist.
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Affordable Housing

Mamdani signs executive order to cut costs and red tape for NYC small businesses

Credit: Ed Reed/Mayoral Photography Office on Flickr

January 16, 2026

Mamdani signs executive order to cut costs and red tape for NYC small businesses

By Aaron Ginsburg

An executive order signed by Mayor Zohran Mamdani this week gives seven city agencies 45 days to inventory the thousands of fees and penalties facing small businesses and identify ways to reduce and streamline them. Signed on Wednesday, Executive Order 11 directs newly appointed Deputy Mayor for Economic Justice Julie Su and city agencies to compile a comprehensive inventory of more than 6,000 rules, regulations, fees, and penalties affecting small businesses. The effort aims to lower costs and make it easier for small businesses to operate across the five boroughs.
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Policy

Marble Hill rental with Harlem River views opens lottery for 35 apartments, from $3,180/month

Credit: NYC Department of Housing Preservation and Development

January 15, 2026

Marble Hill rental with Harlem River views opens lottery for 35 apartments, from $3,180/month

By Aaron Ginsburg

Applications are now being accepted for 35 middle-income apartments at a new luxury rental in Marble Hill overlooking the Harlem River. Located at 170 West 225th Street, The Danby rises seven stories and offers tenants brand-new residences with modern amenities, including a rooftop deck with sweeping river views. New Yorkers earning 130 percent of the area median income can apply for the units, priced from $3,180/month one-bedrooms to $3,330/month two-bedrooms.
Find out if you qualify

Affordable Housing

NYC to complete delayed Madison Avenue bus lane redesign

Credit: Michael Appleton/Mayoral Photography Office on Flickr

January 15, 2026

NYC to complete delayed Madison Avenue bus lane redesign

By Aaron Ginsburg

New York City is moving forward with a long-delayed project to give buses a dedicated lane along a busy stretch of Madison Avenue. Department of Transportation (DOT) Commissioner Mike Flynn on Sunday announced that the agency will complete the stalled redesign of Madison Avenue, extending double bus lanes from 23rd to 42nd Streets. The upgrades aim to improve the commutes of the avenue’s 92,000 daily riders, a stretch where buses often crawl at speeds as low as 4.5 miles per hour, according to a press release.
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Trucks of Art returns: DSNY invites artists to decorate NYC garbage trucks

Images courtesy of DSNY

January 14, 2026

Trucks of Art returns: DSNY invites artists to decorate NYC garbage trucks

By Aaron Ginsburg

Back for the first time since 2022, New York City's Department of Sanitation (DSNY) is inviting artists to paint vibrant murals on its garbage trucks. As part of the "Trucks of Art" zero-waste initiative, the agency adorns the sides of its 46,000-pound garbage trucks with traveling works of art using leftover household paints that would otherwise end up in landfills. Applications are being accepted until February 8 at 11:59 p.m., with the trucks expected to be painted in April.
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Hunts Point plaza gets $12M makeover with new public space and traffic improvements

Photos courtesy of NYC DDC

January 14, 2026

Hunts Point plaza gets $12M makeover with new public space and traffic improvements

By Aaron Ginsburg

A busy Bronx intersection known for pedestrian-vehicle conflicts has received a $12 million upgrade, improving safety and creating a vibrant public space for residents. Last week, the city's Departments of Transportation (DOT), Parks, and Design and Construction (DDC) announced the completion of upgrades to Hunts Point’s Monsignor Raul Del Valle Square, finished on time and nearly 20 percent under its $14.8 million budget. The project realigned the roadway to ease traffic on East 163rd Street and added a new lane on Hunts Point Avenue, addressing issues with illegal turns, inadequate signage, and long crossing distances.
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Second Avenue Subway to expand west on 125th Street with three new stations

A view of the tunnel under construction for the Second Avenue Subway’s second phase. Credit: Marc A. Hermann / MTA on Flickr

January 14, 2026

Second Avenue Subway to expand west on 125th Street with three new stations

By Aaron Ginsburg

The next phase of the Second Avenue Subway, originally planned to continue down Manhattan’s Second Avenue, will instead run west along 125th Street, Gov. Kathy Hochul said Tuesday. The announcement, delivered during Hochul’s 2026 State of the State address, marks a major departure from the century-old plan to extend the Second Avenue Subway all the way to lower Manhattan. Instead, the Q train will be rerouted west along 125th Street, adding three new stations and ending at Broadway in Morningside Heights.
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NYC to activate red-light cameras at 450 intersections by end of 2026

Credit: NYC DOT

January 13, 2026

NYC to activate red-light cameras at 450 intersections by end of 2026

By Aaron Ginsburg

New York City is ramping up its red-light camera program, aiming to quadruple the number of cameras at intersections by the end of the year. On Friday, Department of Transportation (DOT) Commissioner Mike Flynn announced the city will activate cameras at 50 new intersections per week for the next five weeks. Red-light cameras are currently installed at 150 intersections—the maximum previously allowed under law—but state legislation passed in 2024 now permits the expansion to reach the full 600.
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43-story Downtown Brooklyn rental opens lottery for 89 apartments, from $3,543/month

Images courtesy of the NYC Department of Housing Preservation and Development

January 13, 2026

43-story Downtown Brooklyn rental opens lottery for 89 apartments, from $3,543/month

By Aaron Ginsburg

A striking new high-rise rental tower in Downtown Brooklyn designed with young professionals in mind has launched a housing lottery for 89 middle-income apartments. Rising 43 stories at 55 Willoughby Street, House 55 features sleek residential interiors and a suite of amenities tailored to a work-from-home lifestyle. New Yorkers earning 130 percent of the area median income can apply for the units, priced from $3,543/month studios to $4,518/month two bedrooms.
Find out if you qualify

Affordable Housing

Extell adds 25-story tower to Upper West Side’s former ABC campus redevelopment

By Aaron Ginsburg

After a busy year, Extell Development is planning a major new residential project at the former Disney Campus on the Upper West Side. The firm has filed plans with the city’s Department of Buildings (DOB) to construct a 25-story, 58-unit tower at 37 West 66th Street in Lincoln Square, as reported by Crain's. Extell has already begun redeveloping the site, including a 90-story skyscraper at 77 West 66th Street that would become the neighborhood’s tallest, surpassing the firm’s existing controversial building across the street at 50 West 66th Street.
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Mamdani unveils $4M pilot program to expand public restroom access in NYC

Bryant Park’s public restroom, one of the nicest in the city. Image via WikiCommons

January 12, 2026

Mamdani unveils $4M pilot program to expand public restroom access in NYC

By Aaron Ginsburg

New Yorkers on the go often face a familiar dilemma: finding a public restroom in a city of immense luxury yet with too few facilities across the five boroughs. On Saturday, Mayor Zohran Mamdani announced a $4 million pilot program to address the shortage, publishing a request for proposals (RFP) for high-quality modular public restrooms that can be installed quickly and more cheaply than traditional public facilities. Similar to facilities already in use in cities like Los Angeles and Portland, the modular units can operate without direct connection to the city’s sewer and water lines, speeding installation.
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Policy

NYC Restaurant Week returns with special prix-fixe menus at nearly 600 spots

Beauty Essex, Manhattan. Photo by Evan Angelastro

January 12, 2026

NYC Restaurant Week returns with special prix-fixe menus at nearly 600 spots

By Aaron Ginsburg

Escape the bitter New York City cold with a cheap, delicious meal. Reservations are now open for winter’s NYC Restaurant Week, the city’s beloved semi-annual dining program that lets New Yorkers enjoy special, prix-fixe menus at nearly 600 participating establishments across the five boroughs. Running from January 20 through February 12, this year’s program offers two-course lunches and three-course dinners priced at $30, $45, and $60.
A great bite ahead

Events & Things To Do

Under the Radar theater festival to distribute 1,500 free tickets

Christopher-Rashee Stevenson and Stephanie Weeks in the world premiere of “Ulysses” at the Fischer Center at Bard in 2024. Photos by Maria Baranova

January 9, 2026

Under the Radar theater festival to distribute 1,500 free tickets

By Aaron Ginsburg

Under the Radar, the theater festival that brightens New York City every January with more than 30 free and affordable shows citywide, returns this month for its biggest edition yet. Running through January 25, the event features boundary-pushing productions, from a tasteful adaptation of James Joyce’s "Ulysses" at The Public Theater to performances at Lincoln Center, the Irish Arts Center, and more. On Friday, Mayor Zohran Mamdani announced that the festival will offer 1,500 free tickets to New Yorkers, as the festival aligns with the administration’s push for greater accessibility and affordability in the arts.
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Events & Things To Do

City blocked from halting sale of neglectful landlord’s rent-stabilized apartments

Mayor Zohran Mamdani touring a unit in a Pinnacle Flatbush building last week. Credit: Michael Appleton/Mayoral Photography Office on Flickr

January 9, 2026

City blocked from halting sale of neglectful landlord’s rent-stabilized apartments

By Aaron Ginsburg

A federal bankruptcy judge has denied Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s bid to halt the sale of thousands of rent-stabilized apartments owned by a notorious landlord, a move aimed at preventing the buildings from falling into the hands of another negligent owner. On Monday, Mamdani asked the court to delay a bankruptcy auction scheduled for Thursday, arguing the city needed more time to evaluate a deal that would give ownership to Summit Properties USA. Despite the mayor's claim that the city is a major creditor in the case—Pinnacle owes the city millions in unpaid fines—the judge rejected the request, likely ensuring Summit's potential purchase of nearly 90 buildings, pending court approval at a January 15 hearing.
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Policy

Mamdani restarts bike lane redesign on Astoria’s 31st Street

Credit: DOT

January 8, 2026

Mamdani restarts bike lane redesign on Astoria’s 31st Street

By Aaron Ginsburg

Mayor Zohran Mamdani is reviving another street safety plan delayed or scrapped under his predecessor. The mayor announced the city will restart the redesign process for Astoria's 31st Street, which had briefly seen construction on a partially-protected bike lane before a Queens judge ruled the city had failed to follow proper protocols and ordered its removal. The Department of Transportation (DOT) plans to address the legal issues that previously stalled the project and ensure improved safety on the notoriously dangerous corridor, which ranks among the top 10 most dangerous streets in Queens.
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MTA is looking into using AI to monitor transit system cameras

Credit: Marc A. Hermann / MTA on Flickr

January 8, 2026

MTA is looking into using AI to monitor transit system cameras

By Aaron Ginsburg

The Metropolitan Transportation Authority has started exploring how artificial intelligence could be used to monitor the system's more than 15,000 cameras to detect and predict unsafe behaviors, identify weapons or other dangerous objects, and recognize unattended items. As first reported by The City, the MTA said there's been "interest across the board" from tech firms following a request for information issued by the agency in early December.
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Policy

Andy Cohen honored with a corner and trash can in Hudson Square

Photos by Emma Milligan

January 7, 2026

Andy Cohen honored with a corner and trash can in Hudson Square

By Aaron Ginsburg

New York City has long honored notable residents with street co-namings. Hudson Square is taking a different approach for TV personality Andy Cohen by commemorating the Bravo host with a trash can. The Hudson Square Business Improvement District paid tribute to Cohen, whose long-running show "Watch What Happens Live" has been filmed in the neighborhood since 2009, by renaming a garbage can on the corner of Vandam and Hudson Streets. Cohen attended the ribbon-cutting for the newly dubbed "Andy Cohen’s Corner," where he received a commemorative plaque and a key to the neighborhood that opens nothing.
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Policy

NYC paves infamous bike path bump at foot of Williamsburg Bridge

Credit: Michael Appleton/Mayoral Photography Office on Flickr

January 7, 2026

NYC paves infamous bike path bump at foot of Williamsburg Bridge

By Aaron Ginsburg

A small bump on the bike path at the foot of the Williamsburg Bridge in Manhattan—notorious for sending cyclists flying over their handlebars—has finally been fixed. On Tuesday, Mayor Zohran Mamdani and the city’s Department of Transportation (DOT) paved over the hazard on Delancey Street, which had forced riders to slam on their brakes and risk crashes. The effort joins other transit-related improvements Mamdani has overseen during his first week in office, including the restoration of the full “road-diet” plan for McGuinness Boulevard in Greenpoint, which features expanded protected bike lanes.
bump begone!

Huge Broadway Triangle development opens lottery for 120 apartments, from $812/month

Credit: Fischer + Makooi

January 7, 2026

Huge Broadway Triangle development opens lottery for 120 apartments, from $812/month

By Aaron Ginsburg

A huge mixed-use development in the Broadway Triangle section of Williamsburg opened a housing lottery for 120 affordable apartments. Developed by Rabsky Group, the project includes eight buildings across two blocks at a site formerly occupied by the pharmaceutical company Pfizer. The development has been constructed in phases, with the latest bringing a 10-story affordable rental building to 11 Gerry Street. New Yorkers earning 40, 60, and 100 percent of the area median income can apply for the units, priced from $812/month one-bedrooms to $3,298/month four-bedrooms.
Find out if you qualify

Affordable Housing

Mamdani orders city to close or renovate migrant shelters

The Roosevelt Hotel closed during the pandemic and became an emergency shelter center for asylum seekers. Image via WikiCommons

January 7, 2026

Mamdani orders city to close or renovate migrant shelters

By Aaron Ginsburg

The city has 45 days to create a plan to close or renovate its emergency migrant shelters under a new executive order signed by Mayor Zohran Mamdani on Tuesday. The Departments of Social Services and Homeless Services (DHS), working with the Law Department, have until February 19 to create a plan to bring all emergency shelters into compliance with city law, including maximum capacity limits and requirements for cooking facilities in shelters housing families and children. Former Mayor Eric Adams suspended those rules through a series of emergency executive orders beginning in October 2022, as the city grappled with the arrival of tens of thousands of asylum seekers.
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Policy

Williamsburg Wharf launches leasing for newest waterfront rental, from $3,980/month

Renderings courtesy of Naftali Group

January 6, 2026

Williamsburg Wharf launches leasing for newest waterfront rental, from $3,980/month

By Aaron Ginsburg

Leasing has launched for 128 market-rate apartments at the newest luxury rental building to open at the Brooklyn waterfront's Williamsburg Wharf complex. On Tuesday, Naftali Group announced the start of leasing for Four Williamsburg Wharf, designed by Brandon Haw Architecture and Hill West Architects with interior design by Studio Munge, marking the completion of the development’s first phase. Pricing starts at $3,980/month for studios and $4,925/month for one-bedroom units.
get the details

Real Estate Trends

January 6, 2026

Avdoo plans luxury residential tower in hot Hudson Square

By Aaron Ginsburg

A new development promising an "elevated residential experience" is moving forward in Hudson Square. Avdoo last week closed on 68 King Street for $63 million, with financing from Valley National Bank. The developer is planning a 200,000-square-foot luxury residential building, with the use of 125,000 square feet of development rights, and will pursue additional air rights purchases and a transit improvement–related bonus, as Yimby reported.
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New Developments

January 5, 2026

NYC’s 10 best-selling residential buildings of 2025

By Aaron Ginsburg

CityRealty has released its annual report highlighting New York City's best-selling residential buildings of the year. In 2025, Manhattan recorded just over 11,000 signed residential contracts, with the overall average last asking price at $2.32 million and the average price per square foot across all property types at $1,636. Many of the top-selling buildings have been on the market for several years and are nearing sellout. Across New York City, some of the fastest-selling developments include One Domino Square, 255 East 77th Street, and 140 Jane Street, among others, which together accounted for nearly 100 signed contracts in 2025.
see the list

Real Estate Trends

McGuinness Boulevard to be redesigned with two protected bike lanes, after all

Credit: Michael Appleton/Mayoral Photography Office on Flickr

January 5, 2026

McGuinness Boulevard to be redesigned with two protected bike lanes, after all

By Aaron Ginsburg

Greenpoint’s notoriously dangerous McGuinness Boulevard will receive its originally planned safety upgrades, Mayor Zohran Mamdani announced Saturday. The city's Department of Transportation (DOT) will move forward with its plan to install protected bike lanes along the entirety of McGuinness Boulevard, extending existing protected lanes between Meeker and Calyer Streets up to the Pulaski Bridge. The move fulfills a campaign pledge Mamdani made in August to complete the original project and follows a corruption scandal under former Mayor Eric Adams, in which the redesign was scaled back amid allegations that a neighborhood film production company bribed a senior administration official, as Gothamist reported.
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All articles by Aaron Ginsburg

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