All articles by Aaron Ginsburg

March 29, 2023

Flatiron Building future uncertain as buyer fails to pay deposit

After placing a winning bid of $190 million for the Flatiron Building during a live auction last week, Jacob Garlick of Abraham Trust missed the deadline to make the down payment, as first reported by NY1. After placing the winning bid, Garlick was required to pay a 10 percent deposit of $19 million by Friday but has yet to do so. This could mean another auction will be set for the iconic property.
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March 29, 2023

Brooklyn’s tallest tower launches lottery for 120 middle-income apartments, from $2,630/month

Here's a chance to live in Brooklyn's tallest tower for (slightly) less. The 93-story Brooklyn Tower launched a housing lottery this week for 120 middle-income apartments. New Yorkers earning 130 percent of the area median income, or between $90,172 annually for a single person and $215,150 for a household of seven, can apply for the units, priced between $2,630/month for studios and $3,872/month for three bedrooms.
Find out if you qualify
March 28, 2023

108 apartments for low-income seniors available in Brownsville

A housing lottery opened this week for 108 apartments at a new senior housing development in Brooklyn. Located at 381-401 Chester Street in Brownsville, Simba Simbi Seniors is an eight-story apartment building offering senior residents comfortable homes and a wide variety of amenities. Applicants must have at least one household member who is 62 years of age or older, qualifies for Section 8 benefits, and earns no more than $60,050 annually. Eligible New Yorkers will pay 30 percent of their income for the available studio and one-bedroom apartments.
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March 28, 2023

Macy’s Flower Show returns for a dream-like 48th year

The 48th annual Macy's Flower Show returned to Midtown on Sunday, once again transforming Macy's Herald Square flagship store into a dream-like, floral landscape that beckons in the spring. As part of the yearly exhibition, thousands of live flowers, plants, and trees adorn the window displays, countertops, and sprout from the architecture across the famed department store's main floor. The Macy's Flower Show is free and open to the public at the Herald Square store through April 10.
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March 27, 2023

Adams proposes NYC’s first composting mandate

For the first time ever, New York City residents will be required to separate their organic waste from their other garbage or face fines. Mayor Eric Adams on Monday proposed NYC's first composting mandate, a new policy that will require New Yorkers with yards to separate yard waste, which are biodegradable materials like leaves, flowers, twigs, and grass clippings, into a separate bin for pickup by the NYC Department of Sanitation. Residents who fail to do so will have to pay fines similar to the penalties for failing to recycle properly.
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March 27, 2023

MTA to install dedicated stroller spaces on over 1,000 NYC buses across 57 routes

The Metropolitan Transportation Authority last week announced it would begin the second phase of its Open Stroller Pilot, expanding its dedicated stroller spaces to over 1,000 buses on 57 routes across the five boroughs. The program will equip all local and select buses operating out of six bus depots with dedicated stroller spaces by the fall of 2023.
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March 24, 2023

72 middle-income units available at Hamilton Heights tower next to the Hudson River, from $2,350/month

Applications are now being accepted for 72 middle-income units at a new residential development in Upper Manhattan. Located at 620 West 153rd Street in Hamilton Heights, Sunrose Tower Apartments contains 238 apartments and a wide variety of amenities, including a rooftop terrace with panoramic skyline views. New Yorkers earning 130 percent of the area median income, or between $80,572 annually for a single person and $187,330 annually for a household of five, can apply for the apartments, which range from $2,350/month studios to $3,550/month two bedrooms.
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March 24, 2023

Brooklyn’s refugee-run restaurant Emma’s Torch opening at Citi Field this season

Emma's Torch, the Brooklyn restaurant-nonprofit that provides refugees with culinary training, will operate at Citi Field this season. The Carroll Gardens-based eatery will be one of the newest vendors at the New York Mets home stadium this season, offering sliders, black-eyed pea hummus wraps, and tamarind barbecue wings.
Details here
March 23, 2023

Take a journey through space at Tribeca’s Hall des Lumières

Interactive art museum Hall des Lumières promises to take visitors out of this world. Produced by Culturespaces in collaboration with the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and the National Center for Space Studies, the exhibition, dubbed, Destination Cosmos: The Immersive Space Experience, transports guests through the universe with 13 visual sequences and a prologue that starts on Earth and brings viewers over Martian canyons, into the heart of Jupiter, across the rings of Saturn, and more. Destination Cosmos will be open at Tribeca's Hall des Lumières on April 7 and run through June 4.
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March 23, 2023

Pickleball is coming to Central Park’s Wollman Rink

Central Park will soon be home to the largest pickleball offering in the Northeast. The park's Wollman Rink will turn into CityPickle, a 14-court pickleball installation opening in April. Presented by Harris Blitzer Sports & Entertainment, Related Companies, and Equinox, CityPickle will offer lessons, clinics, leagues, open-play sessions, tournaments, and other activities for players of all levels.
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March 23, 2023

NYC’s iconic Flatiron Building has sold for $190M

New York City's iconic Flatiron Building has sold for $190 million. During a live public auction in Lower Manhattan on Wednesday, Jacob Garlick of Abraham Trust placed the winning bid over one of the historic landmark's previous owners, Jeffrey Gural of GFP Real Estate, as the Real Deal reported. Earlier this month, a judge approved a partition sale of the property to resolve a longstanding dispute among its owners.
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March 22, 2023

NYC multi-family housing production down for third straight month, report finds

A new report shows that New York City is not building enough housing to meet current demand. The Real Estate Board of New York on Tuesday released its February 2023 Multi-family Foundation Plan Application Report, a monthly report that reviews applications submitted by developers to the NYC Department of Buildings for new residential developments. For the third month in a row, there have been fewer than 30 total filings for new developments across the five boroughs, according to the report.
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March 22, 2023

NYC to lift ban on e-bikes in city parks this summer

New Yorkers will soon be able to ride electric bikes and scooters in New York City parks legally. As part of a pilot program starting this summer, the city's Department of Parks and Recreation will drop its current ban on certain electric vehicles on park drives and greenways, lifting a rule that conflicts with state laws. The pilot program is one part of a plan unveiled by Mayor Eric Adams on Tuesday aimed at promoting the safe usage of e-bikes and other electric micro-mobility devices and preventing fires caused by lithium-ion batteries.
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March 21, 2023

144 affordable units available at new development in Woodside, from $1,511/month

A housing lottery opened this week for 144 affordable apartments at a major new mixed-use development in Queens. Developed by Madison Realty Capital, Woodside Central occupies a full block from 69th Street to 70th Street on the border of Elmhurst and Woodside and includes over 470 mixed-income homes, a new public school, and public outdoor space. New Yorkers earning 80 percent of the area median income, or between $55,886 annually for a single person and $115,280 annually for a household of five, can apply for the affordable apartments, priced from $1,511/month studios to $1,824/month two-bedrooms.
How to apply
March 21, 2023

NYC public libraries say $36.2M budget cut will impact service, free programs

New York City's three public library systems are protesting Mayor Eric Adams' planned $36.2 million budget cuts in the FY24 budget. Brooklyn Public Library President Linda Johnson, Queens Public Library President Dennis M. Walcott, and New York Public Library President Anthony W. Marx testified in front of the City Council on Monday, warning the proposed budget cut could lead to reduced hours of service and fewer free programs, classes, and other opportunities thousands of New Yorkers depend on.
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March 20, 2023

Williamsburg rental with rooftop and zen garden opens lottery for 43 units, from $2,924/month

Applications are now being accepted for 43 middle-income apartments in the heart of Williamsburg. Located at 130 Hope Street, the seven-story luxury building contains 143 apartments, boutique retail space, and outdoor amenities like a rooftop and zen garden. New Yorkers earning 130 percent of the area median income, or between $100,252 annually for a single person and $215,150 annually for a household of seven, can apply for the apartments, priced from $2,924/month studios to $4,296/month three bedrooms.
Find out if you qualify
March 17, 2023

Yayoi Kusama’s upcoming NYC show includes new infinity room

World-renowned artist Yayoi Kusama will unveil new works in New York City this summer at her largest gallery exhibition yet. The exhibition, called "Yayoi Kusama: I Spend Each Day Embracing Flowers," includes new paintings, her signature pumpkin and flower sculptures, and a new edition of Kusama's super popular Infinity Mirror Room. The exhibition, which is free and open to the public, opens on May 12 at David Zwirner's West 19th and West 20th Street galleries in Chelsea.
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March 17, 2023

NYC looks to ‘beautify’ 191st Street tunnel again

Two months after painting the mural- and graffiti-covered 191st Street pedestrian tunnel white, New York City announced plans to "beautify" the underground path once again. The Department of Transportation on Thursday issued a request for proposals seeking artists to submit "bold, colorful designs" for the tunnel that reflect the "rich cultural identity of Washington Heights." The request comes after community members criticized the agency for "whitewashing" an iconic piece of the neighborhood, as Gothamist reported.
Details here
March 16, 2023

East Village icon Veselka opening a second location in Williamsburg

Veselka, a staple of the East Village for nearly seven decades, is headed to Brooklyn. As first reported by the New York Post, the 69-year-old Ukrainian diner known for authentic dishes like pierogi and borscht will open a new 5,000-square-foot location in Williamsburg. While the lease isn't finalized yet, Jason Birchard, co-owner of Veselka, expects to announce the location of the new eatery soon. Once the new restaurant opens, owners will temporarily close the Second Avenue location for renovations.
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March 16, 2023

New York lawmakers call for $2.75 fare freeze and free bus pilot in NYC

New York lawmakers on Tuesday proposed keeping New York City subway and bus fares at $2.75. As first reported by Crain's New York, the state legislature's one-house budgets rejected Gov. Kathy Hochul's proposal to raise transit fares to $3, and instead called for a freeze on fares and an investment of $50 million for a free bus pilot program.
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March 15, 2023

City breaks ground on $1.6B project to protect Gowanus Canal from pollution

New York City on Wednesday broke ground on one of two new underground storage tanks that will prevent pollution of Brooklyn's Gowanus Canal. The $1.6 billion project will prevent up to 12 million gallons of sewer overflow from entering the canal during rainstorms and flooding events. The first tank, bounded by Nevins Street, Butler street, and Degraw Street, will hold up to eight million gallons of sewage waste and include 3.6 acres of public open space on the waterfront.
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March 15, 2023

New York lawmakers clash with Hochul’s housing plan in budgets

The New York State Assembly and Senate on Tuesday released their budget proposals, which both deviate from the priorities of Gov. Kathy Hochul and set the stage for negotiations over the next two weeks. As first reported by City & State, the Senate's budget discarded some of Hochul's top goals, including the "New York Housing Compact," a plan to build 800,000 new homes over the next 10 years to address the state's looming housing crisis. The Senate did show support for "good cause" eviction protections and the creation of a Housing Voucher Program, two proposals omitted by the governor in the past.
Details here
March 14, 2023

Two historic FDNY buildings in the Bronx may become city landmarks

Two Bronx buildings associated with the Fire Department of New York may become New York City landmarks. The Landmarks Preservation Commission on Tuesday voted to calendar the Firehouse, Engine Company 88/Ladder Company 38 in Belmont, and the Fire Alarm and Telegraph Bureau, Bronx Central Office, both of which are architecturally significant and represent historic moments in the development of the city's fire department.
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March 14, 2023

Plans for AirTrain to LaGuardia have been scrapped

Plans to build an AirTrain to LaGuardia Airport are officially dead after the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey on Monday released the results of a 17-month-long analysis of mass transit options to the Queens airport. A panel of experts recommended the Port Authority abandon the proposed 1.5-mile elevated rail line and instead move forward with improving existing bus service and adding a new non-stop airport shuttle. Estimated costs for the bus options are just under $500 million, according to the report, compared to estimates of between $2.4 billion and $6.2 billion for light rail options.
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