All articles by Aaron Ginsburg

IKEA to open small-format store in Soho

Photo courtesy of Ingka Investments

October 1, 2025

IKEA to open small-format store in Soho

By Aaron Ginsburg

Soho is getting an IKEA. The Scandinavian furniture retailer purchased a six-story commercial building at 529 Broadway from billionaire Jeff Sutton’s firm, Wharton Properties, for $213 million, according to property records. Ingka Group, which owns most IKEA stores worldwide, plans to open a 25,000-square-foot store on the building’s first and second floors, as The Real Deal first reported, continuing its push for smaller-format locations.
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Real Estate Trends

NYC subway and bus fare to increase to $3

Photo by Felicity Tai from Pexels

October 1, 2025

NYC subway and bus fare to increase to $3

By Aaron Ginsburg

It will officially cost you 10 more cents to ride New York City subways and buses starting in January. On Tuesday, the MTA Board voted 11-0, with two abstentions, to approve fare hikes raising the base fare from $2.90 to $3. Reduced fares will go up from $1.45 to $1.50 and express bus fares from $7 to $7.25. The agency did scale back increases to its 7-day fare-capping program from $36 to $35 in response to rider feedback.
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$8B Citi Field casino proposal moves forward

Credit: SHoP Architects, Field Operations

September 30, 2025

$8B Citi Field casino proposal moves forward

By Aaron Ginsburg

Some good news for New York Mets owner Steve Cohen. The billionaire's vision of a casino complex next to Citi Field is one step closer to becoming reality. On Tuesday, the Community Advisory Committee (CAC) overseeing the bid unanimously approved "Metropolitan Park," advancing the proposal to the final stage: securing one of the state’s coveted downstate gaming licenses. Cohen's bid joins three other CAC-approved proposals: Bally's Bronx casino, MGM Empire City in Yonkers, and Resorts World NYC in Jamaica, Queens.
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Policy

New York launches design competition for Ruth Bader Ginsburg memorial in Brooklyn Bridge Park

Ruth Bader Ginsburg at her confirmation hearing / R. Michael Jenkins, Congressional Quarterly. Courtesy of the Library of Congress

September 30, 2025

New York launches design competition for Ruth Bader Ginsburg memorial in Brooklyn Bridge Park

By Aaron Ginsburg

New York is inviting artists to help honor late Supreme Court Justice and Brooklyn native Ruth Bader Ginsburg with a new memorial at Pier 1 in Brooklyn Bridge Park. On Monday, Gov. Kathy Hochul launched an artist competition to design the memorial, celebrating Ginsburg’s contributions to civil rights, gender equality, and the rule of law. The announcement comes during the same month as the fifth anniversary of Ginsburg's passing in 2020.
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Architecture And Design

F and M trains will swap routes between Manhattan and Queens

Credit: Marc A. Hermann / MTA on Flickr

September 30, 2025

F and M trains will swap routes between Manhattan and Queens

By Aaron Ginsburg

Subway riders traveling between Manhattan and Queens should prepare for changes to their commute come December, when the MTA swaps the F and M lines to ease notorious delays at Queens Plaza. Starting December 8, the F and M lines will trade East River tunnels, separating express and local service and eliminating a bottleneck at Queens Plaza that delays up to 20 percent of rush-hour E, M, and R trains, the agency announced on Monday. The changes will apply on weekdays from 6 a.m. to 9:30 p.m., improving trips for the 1.2 million riders who use the lines each day.
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MTA looking into cooling subway stations with geothermal technology

181st Street Station. Photo by Famartin via Wikimedia

September 29, 2025

MTA looking into cooling subway stations with geothermal technology

By Aaron Ginsburg

The MTA is exploring a new way to cool sweltering subway stations: geothermal technology. According to a request for information (RFI) published last week, the agency is considering a system that would use the Earth’s subsurface to transfer heat out of stations and store it elsewhere, to keep platforms between 82 and 85 degrees on hot days. As first reported by The City, the MTA is targeting the 1 line’s 168th Street and 181st Street stations, which rank among the system’s hottest because of their depth.
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MTA revises proposed fare hikes, following public feedback

Credit: Marc A. Hermann / MTA on Flickr

September 29, 2025

MTA revises proposed fare hikes, following public feedback

By Aaron Ginsburg

The MTA is scaling back part of its planned fare hikes in response to feedback from riders, transit advocates, and elected officials. On Saturday, the agency announced that after a six-week public outreach period that collected nearly 1,400 comments, the fare cap for seven days of unlimited travel on subways and buses will go up by $1, to $35, instead of the originally planned $36. After 12 trips in any seven-day period, customers get unlimited free rides the rest of the week. The cost of a single ride, however, is still expected to increase from $2.90 to $3.
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Williamsburg ice skating rink reopens in Domino Park this November

Credit: Dan Levin

September 26, 2025

Williamsburg ice skating rink reopens in Domino Park this November

By Aaron Ginsburg

After a successful debut last year, Williamsburg’s first waterfront ice skating rink will return this winter in Domino Park. Two Trees Management announced Monday that the 7,000-square-foot rink will open on November 10, offering New Yorkers the chance to skate with scenic views of the skyline and the Brooklyn Bridge through February 22, 2026. The rink’s popular DJ nights, holiday-themed skate events, live performances, and other seasonal activities will return, and this year it will also offer a semi-private party space for birthdays.
time to skate

Events & Things To Do

Yonkers and Jamaica casino proposals advance

Rendering courtesy of MGM Resorts

September 26, 2025

Yonkers and Jamaica casino proposals advance

By Aaron Ginsburg

After several high-profile New York City casino proposals were rejected this month, two bids, in Queens and Yonkers, have advanced in the approval process. On Thursday, Resorts World NYC in Jamaica and MGM Empire City in Yonkers won unanimous approval from community advisory committees, sending the proposals to the state board. Both bids aim to convert existing gaming facilities into full-scale casinos, unlike other remaining plans, such as those in the Bronx and Flushing Meadows-Corona Park, which include entirely new developments.
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Policy

Adams targets city-owned sites in Williamsburg and East Harlem for 1,700 homes

Credit: Michael Appleton/Mayoral Photography Office on Flickr

September 25, 2025

Adams targets city-owned sites in Williamsburg and East Harlem for 1,700 homes

By Aaron Ginsburg

Two city-owned sites could be redeveloped into at least 1,700 new homes. Mayor Eric Adams on Thursday said the city will issue requests for proposals for 900 homes at 390 Kent Avenue, one of the last underutilized waterfront sites in Williamsburg, and 800 homes at 1880 First Avenue in East Harlem, currently a parking lot for NYC Health + Hospitals. The two properties were identified through an executive order Adams signed in August 2024, directing city agencies to determine if housing could be built on any properties they owned.
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Popular Articles

Bensonhurst library to become new modern branch with 100% affordable housing

Photo by QuasyBoy via WikiCommons

September 25, 2025

Bensonhurst library to become new modern branch with 100% affordable housing

By Aaron Ginsburg

A Brooklyn public library will be redeveloped into a new modern branch with affordable housing above it. Mayor Eric Adams announced on Wednesday plans to replace the 70-year-old New Utrecht Library in Bensonhurst with a new state-of-the-art branch alongside housing units, part of the city's "Living Libraries" program, which pairs new libraries with housing. The city's Department of Housing Preservation and Development (HPD) and the Brooklyn Public Library (BPL) will issue a request for proposals for the redevelopment, which will also include the city-owned parking lot next to the library.
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NYC on track to complete more than 50,000 new homes this year

Photo by Zoshua Colah on Unsplash

September 24, 2025

NYC on track to complete more than 50,000 new homes this year

By Aaron Ginsburg

New York City is on pace to complete 50,000 new homes this year, according to newly released data from the Department of City Planning. In the first half of 2025, developers completed 25,674 residential units, putting the city on track to meet the 50,000 homes needed per year to reach Mayor Eric Adams' "moonshot" goal of 500,000 new homes over the next decade. As first spotted by Crain's, the projected total would far exceed last year’s 34,000 units, which marked the highest number of new homes built in the city since 1965.
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Policy

15 mph e-bike speed limit to take effect in October

Credit: Billie Grace Ward on Flickr

September 24, 2025

15 mph e-bike speed limit to take effect in October

By Aaron Ginsburg

A 15-mile-per-hour speed limit on e-bikes and e-scooters will take effect in October, Mayor Eric Adams announced on Wednesday. Starting October 24, the new rule lowers the speed limit for vehicles from 25 miles per hour to 15 miles per hour, a pledge Adams made in June. It remains unclear how the limit will be enforced and what the possible fines would be for speeding.
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On the Rockaway peninsula, new rental opens lottery for 37 apartments, from $2,650/month

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

September 24, 2025

On the Rockaway peninsula, new rental opens lottery for 37 apartments, from $2,650/month

By Aaron Ginsburg

Applications are being accepted for 37 middle-income apartments at a new residential development on the Rockaway peninsula. Located at 60-14 Beach Channel Road in Arverne, a small neighborhood between Rockaway Beach and Far Rockaway, the five-story building includes contemporary residences, surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean on one side and the Jamaica Bay on the other. New Yorkers earning 130 percent of the area median income can apply for the units, priced from $2,650/month studios to $2,800/month two bedrooms.
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Affordable Housing

New ‘super-express’ Metro-North trips travel between NYC and Poughkeepsie in under 90 minutes

Image via WikiCommons

September 23, 2025

New ‘super-express’ Metro-North trips travel between NYC and Poughkeepsie in under 90 minutes

By Aaron Ginsburg

Metro-North is launching faster "super-express" trains on the Hudson Line next month, zipping passengers between New York City and Poughkeepsie in under 90 minutes. Starting October 6, the service will offer the fastest trip ever between New York City and Poughkeepsie, Gov. Kathy Hochul announced Tuesday. Originally slated for 2026 and first unveiled in her 2025 State of the State address, the early launch comes after work was completed ahead of schedule.
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Sabrina Carpenter buys Tribeca penthouse for $9.95M

All photos courtesy of Melanie Greene

September 23, 2025

Sabrina Carpenter buys Tribeca penthouse for $9.95M

By Aaron Ginsburg

Pop star Sabrina Carpenter is the latest celebrity to scoop up a home in a Tribeca landmark. The singer-songwriter paid $9,950,000 for a duplex penthouse at 108 Leonard Street, as first reported by The Real Deal. Designed in the 1890s by McKim, Mead & White, the Beaux-Arts building served as the headquarters of the New York Life Insurance Company and has been recently restored by Jeffrey Beers International and converted into luxury condos. Carpenter, who is currently touring behind her new album "Man's Best Friend," bought the home from Cassandra Grey, founder of beauty brand Violet Grey.
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$3.5B Brooklyn Marine Terminal redevelopment moves forward

Credit: Caroline Rubinstein-Willis/Mayoral Photography Office on Flickr

September 22, 2025

$3.5B Brooklyn Marine Terminal redevelopment moves forward

By Aaron Ginsburg

A plan to redevelop 122 acres of Brooklyn’s industrial waterfront—adding thousands of apartments and a modern port—just cleared a major hurdle. A task force overseeing the $3.5 billion redevelopment of the Brooklyn Marine Terminal on Monday voted to advance the project, which includes a 60-acre all-electric port, 6,000 new apartments, and 28 acres of open space from Cobble Hill to Red Hook. The vote followed five previous postponements and comes just before the deadline to secure city and federal funding, according to The City.
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Five-alarm fire destroys 150-year-old Red Hook artist warehouse

Credit: FDNY

September 22, 2025

Five-alarm fire destroys 150-year-old Red Hook artist warehouse

By Aaron Ginsburg

A 19th-century warehouse in Red Hook that has been a hub for artists for decades was engulfed in a five-alarm fire last week. Located at 481 Van Brunt Street, the four-story wood-framed warehouse contained dozens of studios and design businesses, as well as the Brooklyn Waterfront Artists Coalition (BWAC). According to the New York Times, the fire broke out shortly before midnight on Wednesday and escalated quickly, drawing more than 250 firefighters who battled the flames into the night.
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Policy

Rare Constitution copy on display in Queens for one weekend only

Images courtesy of Christie’s

September 19, 2025

Rare Constitution copy on display in Queens for one weekend only

By Aaron Ginsburg

As the right to free speech makes headlines following the Trump administration's attack on late-night show hosts, what better time to revisit the Constitution? A rare draft of the document will be on display at the King Manor Museum in Jamaica, home to founding father Rufus King, for this weekend only. The draft has King's handwritten edits and marks the first time the words "We the people of the United States," were included. The free public exhibition, held September 19 through September 21, is presented by Christie's auction house, ahead of its annual Americana sale in January.
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Events & Things To Do

Studio 54 founder Ian Schrager lists Westchester estate for $7.5M

All photos courtesy of Dan Milstein for Douglas Elliman

September 18, 2025

Studio 54 founder Ian Schrager lists Westchester estate for $7.5M

By Aaron Ginsburg

Ian Schrager, hotelier and co-founder of famed New York City nightclub Studio 54, is selling his Westchester estate for $7,500,000. Located in Bedford Corners, the 12-acre property at 213 Baldwin Road, built in 1936, was reimagined by Schrager in 2014 in a renovation that retained its historic charm while adding "natural textures and muted tones." The property includes a five-bedroom, four-and-a-half-bath home, an outdoor pool, and a back patio with sweeping views of rolling fields.
take the tour

Distinctive Homes

Adams backs horse-drawn carriage ban, calls for electric alternatives

Credit: Elvert Barnes on Flickr

September 18, 2025

Adams backs horse-drawn carriage ban, calls for electric alternatives

By Aaron Ginsburg

Mayor Eric Adams this week came out in support of a law banning horse-drawn carriages in Central Park and said the tourist attraction could be replaced with "electric alternatives." The issue of carriages resurfaced this summer after a horse collapsed and died in Hell's Kitchen, prompting outcry from animal advocates and the Central Park Conservancy to endorse prohibiting carriages for the first time. In a statement, Adams pushed for the City Council to pass Ryder's Law, which phases out horse-drawn carriages by 2026 and said his administration would explore a new program for electric carriages, "so New Yorkers and visitors can continue to enjoy the majesty of Central Park."
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Canal Street to get ‘super sidewalks’ and other pedestrian upgrades under proposed redesign

All photos courtesy of NYC DOT

September 18, 2025

Canal Street to get ‘super sidewalks’ and other pedestrian upgrades under proposed redesign

By Aaron Ginsburg

Canal Street will soon join the roster of major New York City corridors slated for major upgrades. The city's Department of Transportation plans to redesign the Lower Manhattan thoroughfare from West Street to Bowery with "super sidewalks," which widen the sidewalk across several blocks, a new protected bike lane, and more public space, according to the agency's design proposal. The agency first revealed the project to local stakeholders in August and expects to complete it by next summer.
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Hell’s Kitchen and Times Square casino proposals rejected

Photo © Ondel Hylton

September 17, 2025

Hell’s Kitchen and Times Square casino proposals rejected

By Aaron Ginsburg

There will be no casino in Hell's Kitchen or Times Square. Bids by Silverstein Properties to build the $7 billion "Avenir" on Manhattan's far West Side and a Caesars Palace casino on Broadway by SL Green were rejected by community advisory committees on Wednesday, killing both proposals. Six remaining proposals vying for one of three downstate casino licenses to be awarded this year will be voted on by the committees this month.
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Policy

Construction to turn vacant Forest Hills hospital into 145 affordable apartments begins

Photo by Peter Wilk/Wilk Marketing Communications

September 17, 2025

Construction to turn vacant Forest Hills hospital into 145 affordable apartments begins

By Aaron Ginsburg

Construction has begun on an intergenerational affordable housing development at the site of a long-vacant hospital in Forest Hills. Foxy Development and Selfhelp Realty Group on Wednesday announced work has begun on The Perennial, a mixed-use project that converts the existing Parkway Hospital building, inactive since 2008, into 145 affordable apartments for seniors and families. Developers describe the $150 million project as one of New York's most complex public-private development projects in recent history and the neighborhood’s first deeply affordable senior housing project.
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NYC subway saw 26.8 million riders last week, a new post-pandemic record

Credit: MTA / Trent Reeves on Flickr

September 17, 2025

NYC subway saw 26.8 million riders last week, a new post-pandemic record

By Aaron Ginsburg

New York City's subway system surpassed 26 million riders in a single week, setting a new post-pandemic record, Gov. Kathy Hochul announced on Tuesday. Between September 8 and 14, the system recorded 26.8 million riders, the highest weekly total since the pandemic. The subway also carried more than four million riders every weekday last week, another post-pandemic first.
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