All articles by Aaron Ginsburg

Work finally begins on Kushner’s One Journal Square project in Jersey City

All renderings courtesy of Kushner unless otherwise noted

June 17, 2022

Work finally begins on Kushner’s One Journal Square project in Jersey City

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Construction is finally underway at Kushner's huge One Journal Square project in Jersey City. The nearly $1 billion mixed-use development consists of two 710-foot-tall towers with more than 1,700 rentals and 45,000 square feet of amenities and public space, including a new Target location as its anchor tenant. The developer was joined by Jersey City Mayor Steven Fulop during a groundbreaking ceremony at the Journal Square site on Thursday.
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177 mixed-income apartments available at 52-story Hudson Yards rental, from $1,399/month

Lyra, under construction in Hudson Yards. 2021. © Ondel Hylton

June 17, 2022

177 mixed-income apartments available at 52-story Hudson Yards rental, from $1,399/month

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A housing lottery opened this week for 177 mixed-income units at a new residential skyscraper in Manhattan. Located at 555 West 38th Street in Hudson Yards, Lyra offers its residents thoughtfully crafted apartments and an unparalleled collection of amenities. New Yorkers earning 70 and 130 percent of the area median income, or between $47,966 for a single person and $187,330 for a household of five, are eligible to apply for the apartments, which range from $1,399/month studios to $3,397/month two-bedrooms.
Find out if you qualify
NYC and NJ selected as host city for 2026 FIFA World Cup

Image courtesy of Anthony Quintano on Flickr

June 17, 2022

NYC and NJ selected as host city for 2026 FIFA World Cup

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Soccer fans across New York and New Jersey celebrated on Thursday as FIFA announced that the region had been selected as one of the host cities for the 2026 World Cup. East Rutherford's MetLife Stadium will be host to one of the largest sporting events in the world, the first time the tournament has been held in the United States since 1994. The tournament will be hosted jointly by the U.S., Mexico, and Canada.
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Take a break from the city at a private Catskills campsite for $119/night

Photo courtesy of Getaway

June 16, 2022

Take a break from the city at a private Catskills campsite for $119/night

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Health and wellness hospitality company Getaway on Thursday announced a new amenity-packed lodging experience just two hours away from New York City. With Getaway Campgrounds, guests can reserve a private campsite complete with a pitched tent, bed linens, and modern bathrooms and amenities to ensure a relaxing and welcoming respite from the hectic city life. The full experience, complete with the tent and modern amenities, will cost you $119 per night. For those who would rather bring their own tent for a traditional camping experience, it's $79 per night.
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Adams outlines long-awaited plan to tackle NYC’s housing crisis

Photo courtesy of Ed Reed/Mayoral Photography Office on Flickr

June 16, 2022

Adams outlines long-awaited plan to tackle NYC’s housing crisis

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Mayor Eric Adams on Tuesday finally released a plan to confront New York City's housing crisis.  The plan, titled Housing Our Neighbors: A Blueprint for Housing and Homelessness, addresses the city's range of housing problems with a focus on reforming NYCHA, expanding affordable homeownership opportunities, creating more units of supportive and affordable housing, and eliminating unnecessary administrative barriers to housing for homeless New Yorkers. But unlike many of the affordable housing plans released in recent years, Adams' plan does not set a clear goal for the number of new affordable housing units created.
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NYC’s outdoor swim programs won’t return this summer due to ‘lifeguard shortage’

 Photo by Danny Avila for NYC Parks

June 15, 2022

NYC’s outdoor swim programs won’t return this summer due to ‘lifeguard shortage’

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The New York City Parks Department on Tuesday announced that a number of the city's outdoor swim programs would not be returning for the summer season due to a "national shortage of lifeguards." Lap swim, senior swim, water aerobics, swim team and day camp, and Learn to Swim are among the programs that will not be returning for a third consecutive year.
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600-foot-tall luxury rental breaks ground in Downtown Brooklyn and beats 421-a deadline

The construction site in June 2022 © Ondel Hylton

June 15, 2022

600-foot-tall luxury rental breaks ground in Downtown Brooklyn and beats 421-a deadline

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Construction has officially begun on yet another new residential skyscraper in Downtown Brooklyn. Located at 589 Fulton Street, The Brook is a 600-foot-tall luxury rental with 591 apartments and 30,000 square feet of indoor and outdoor amenities. Developed by Witkoff and Apollo and designed by Beyer Blinder Belle, the building broke ground just days before the 421-a tax abatement program expired, allowing developers to still cash in on the 35-year tax break.
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57 affordable units available at new South Bronx rental, from $522/month

Photo courtesy of Comunilife

June 7, 2022

57 affordable units available at new South Bronx rental, from $522/month

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A housing lottery opened this week for 57 low-income units at a new residential building in the Bronx. Located at 3401 Third Avenue in Morrisania, the 10-story building, known as El Borinquen, is being developed by Comunilife, a non-profit that provides housing and health services to vulnerable residents. New Yorkers earning 40 and 60 percent of the area median income, or between $17,898 for a single person and $72,060 for a household of three, can apply for the apartments, which range from $522/month studios to $1,065 one-bedrooms.
Find out if you qualify
421-a tax break will continue to cost NYC revenue for decades after it expires, report finds

Photo by Patrick Tomasso on Unsplash

June 7, 2022

421-a tax break will continue to cost NYC revenue for decades after it expires, report finds

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The 421-a tax abatement program, which gives real estate developers who construct new residential buildings a property tax exemption in exchange for designating a portion of the homes affordable, will expire on June 15 after state lawmakers last week did not renew it during the final day of this year's legislative session. Even with it set to lapse, the controversial program will continue to cost the city revenue for decades, according to a new report. According to findings published Monday by the Independent Budget Office of New York City, the tax abatement program will cost the city over $1 billion annually until 2034, with total costs not ceasing until the fiscal year 2056.
Details here
Lottery launches for 53 affordable studios for seniors at former illegal Upper West Side hotel

Rendering courtesy of the NYC Department of Housing Preservation and Development

June 3, 2022

Lottery launches for 53 affordable studios for seniors at former illegal Upper West Side hotel

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A building that once operated as an illegal hotel and has been converted into affordable housing for seniors opened a lottery on Friday for 53 apartments. Located at 117 West 79th Street, Park 79 Apartments is a 100 percent affordable housing development with 77 rent-stabilized studio apartments for seniors earning at or below 50 percent of the area median income (AMI), including 24 homes for formerly homeless New Yorkers. Residents, who must be aged 62 years or older to qualify, will pay only 30 percent of their income in rent.
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See NYC’s largest outdoor dance floor and its 10-foot disco ball at Lincoln Center

All photos courtesy of Chris Lee

June 3, 2022

See NYC’s largest outdoor dance floor and its 10-foot disco ball at Lincoln Center

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New York City's largest outdoor dance floor is now open. As part of Lincoln Center's three-month-long festival Summer for the City, "The Oasis" opened this week with a 10-foot, 1,300-pound disco ball hovering above the institution's iconic fountain. Designed by costume and set designer Clint Ramos, The Oasis has transformed Josie Robertson Plaza into a dance floor that will host silent discos, live music, dance lessons, and more free events all summer. Summer for the City, which kicked off last month, will feature over 1,000 artists across 10 stages at the famed campus.
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Mayor Adams proposes changes to city zoning rules to create more housing

Image courtesy of Michael Appleton/Mayoral Photography Office on Flickr

June 2, 2022

Mayor Adams proposes changes to city zoning rules to create more housing

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Mayor Eric Adams wants to turn New York into a city of "Yes in my backyard." During an event hosted by the Association for a Better New York (ABNY) on Wednesday, the mayor introduced three citywide zoning amendments that would spur affordable housing creation, support small businesses, and reduce the city's carbon footprint. Under Adam's "City of Yes" plan, the Zoning for Housing Opportunity amendment would allow for a variety of housing types, make it easier to convert office space into housing, and reduce "unnecessary parking requirements" at developments.
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Enjoy unlimited food and rich history at Brooklyn’s landmarked Lott House

Photo courtesy of Friends of the Lott House, Alyssa Loorya

June 2, 2022

Enjoy unlimited food and rich history at Brooklyn’s landmarked Lott House

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Come enjoy unlimited dining from food trucks at the longest continually owned and occupied single-family home in New York City. Located in Marine Park, Brooklyn, the historic Hendrick I. Lott House is a rare surviving Dutch-American farmhouse situated on a parcel of land first purchased in 1719. The non-profit organization that preserves the grounds, Friends of the Lott House, this month will host "Taste the Neighborhood," a special ticketed event that includes unlimited food from local food trucks and encourages exploration of the historic site. The event will be held on June 12 from 12 p.m. to 3 p.m. at 1940 East 36th Street.
Details here
Developers behind Harlem’s One45 withdraw plan after opposition from local council member

Rendering courtesy of SHoP Architects

June 1, 2022

Developers behind Harlem’s One45 withdraw plan after opposition from local council member

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A proposal to bring two new residential towers with hundreds of affordable housing units to a largely vacant lot in Harlem was scrapped by developers this week. Late on Monday, the developer withdrew the project, known as One45, a few hours before it was set to be voted on by a City Council committee, as Patch first reported. The plan involved two mixed-use towers on the corner of West 145th Street and Lenox Avenue with a total of 915 apartments. The proposal faced fierce opposition from local Council Member Kristin Richardson Jordan, who argued that the new development would displace Harlem's Black residents and contribute to gentrification. Without the zoning changes needed to build One45, the developers could construct a condo building with no affordable housing, a self-storage facility, and a community facility.
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MTA’s East Side Access project renamed ‘Grand Central Madison’

Photo by Marc A. Hermann / MTA on Flickr

June 1, 2022

MTA’s East Side Access project renamed ‘Grand Central Madison’

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Gov. Kathy Hochul on Tuesday announced that the Metropolitan Transportation Authority's long-awaited 700,000-square-foot East Side Access Project will be renamed "Grand Central Madison." The project, which brings Long Island Rail Road service to Grand Central Terminal, will increase LIRR service systemwide by 40 percent during morning peak service and significantly increase reverse peak service. Grand Central Madison is expected to open in December.
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New street mural promoting peace has been installed on 14th Street in Union Square

All photos courtesy of Jane Kratochvil

May 31, 2022

New street mural promoting peace has been installed on 14th Street in Union Square

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A new street mural was unveiled last week along the 14th Street Busway in Union Square. Designed by Brooklyn-based artist Ji Yong Kim, Ripples of Peace and Calm is inspired by traditional East Asian paintings, depicting lotus flowers, floating leaves, and swimming koi fish. The mural's serene qualities are meant to represent the "antithesis of hate" and promote peace and calm, particularly at a time when the city continues to see a spike in violence against Asian New Yorkers. Presented by the city's Department of Transportation and the Union Square Partnership, the mural was installed over the course of five days last week with help from Brooklyn-based urban planning and design firm Street Plans, community groups, and volunteers.
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Lottery opens for 23 middle-income units next to Van Cortlandt Park in Riverdale, from $1,800/month

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

May 31, 2022

Lottery opens for 23 middle-income units next to Van Cortlandt Park in Riverdale, from $1,800/month

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Applications are being accepted for 23 middle-income units at a new residential development in the Bronx. Located at 6375 Broadway in North Riverdale, the seven-story building sits across the street from Van Cortlandt Park, the city's third-largest park at more than a thousand acres. New Yorkers earning 130 percent of the area median income–or between $61,715 annually for a single person and $187,330 for a family of five–are eligible to apply for the apartments, which range from $1,800/month studios to $2,350/month two bedrooms.
Find out if you qualify
First permanent museum dedicated to hip hop tops off on the South Bronx waterfront

Rendering: S9 Architecture

May 31, 2022

First permanent museum dedicated to hip hop tops off on the South Bronx waterfront

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The country's first permanent museum dedicated to hip hop hit a major construction milestone last week. The Universal Hip Hop Museum (UHHM) topped out in the South Bronx last week as part of the huge mixed-use project Bronx Point. The museum, located at Exterior Street and East 150th Street, aims to serve as a "living document" that will chronicle the history of the music genre in the borough where it was invented 50 years ago.
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Construction begins on massive $100M affordable complex in Far Rockaway

All renderings by Aufgang Architects

May 27, 2022

Construction begins on massive $100M affordable complex in Far Rockaway

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Construction officially kicked off on a huge housing development that will rise on a former hospital site in Far Rockaway. Edgemere Commons is an 11-building complex with more than 2,000 affordable homes, retail, community space, medical facilities, and outdoor public space planned. The first phase involves the construction of a 17-story building with 194 homes.
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See the new stucco sculpture by Jan Hooss on display in the Upper East Side’s tallest tower

Photo courtesy of Alex Stein

May 26, 2022

See the new stucco sculpture by Jan Hooss on display in the Upper East Side’s tallest tower

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World-renowned plaster artist Jan Hooss has installed a custom stucco art installation in the lobby of 180 East 88th Street, a new condo tower designed by Joe McMillan's DDG. Inspired by an architectural style widely used on the Upper East Side at the beginning of the 20th century, the art piece "fuses a rococo design with a whimsically modern aesthetic," according to a press release. The stucco sculpture sits above the vaulted lobby's fireplace, contrasting its flowing, water-like quality with the fire below.
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Subway ridership almost at 90% of pre-pandemic levels in NYC’s working-class neighborhoods

Photo by Jenna Day on Unsplash

May 26, 2022

Subway ridership almost at 90% of pre-pandemic levels in NYC’s working-class neighborhoods

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Subway ridership has nearly returned to pre-pandemic levels in New York City's working-class neighborhoods. During the Metropolitan Transportation Authority's monthly board meeting on Wednesday, MTA Chair and CEO Janno Lieber said in most working-class neighborhoods throughout the five boroughs, subway ridership has climbed back up to 70, 80, and for some, 90 percent of pre-pandemic ridership levels. But in the city's major business districts, subway ridership remains way below pre-Covid-19 levels.
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25 ideas for your New York City bucket list
May 25, 2022

25 ideas for your New York City bucket list

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New York City is one of the most visited cities in the world, and for good reason. There is no shortage of attention-worthy landmarks, buildings, and activities to spend time exploring. Ahead, find 25 fun ideas deserving a spot on your NYC bucket list, from secret waterfalls and iconic roller coasters to sky-high observation decks and covert speakeasies. This list is by no means comprehensive but should be a good starting point.
See the full list here
You can pick your own tulips on Park Avenue

Photo courtesy of East Midtown Partnership on Flickr

May 24, 2022

You can pick your own tulips on Park Avenue

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Get your trowels ready! The Park Avenue Tulip Dig is back, giving New Yorkers the opportunity to dig up and take home tulip bulbs planted along the famed thoroughfare between the north side of East 54th Street and the south side of East 86th Street. Approximately 60,000 tulips are planted every year in a new color by the non-profit Fund for Park Avenue, as reported by Patch. This year's flowers are a pink tulip known as "Darwin Hybrid Apricot Pride."
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Group of NYC building owners sue city over greenhouse gas emissions cap

Looking north towards Billionaires’ Row © 6sqft

May 24, 2022

Group of NYC building owners sue city over greenhouse gas emissions cap

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A group of New York City building owners is suing the city in an effort to block a 2019 law that requires large buildings to lower greenhouse gas emissions. Local Law 97 mandates owners of buildings more than 25,000 square feet to cap their property's greenhouse gas emissions or face fines. The lawsuit, filed on Thursday by two co-ops in Queens and a mixed-use building owner in Manhattan, claims the new law is "excessive and disproportionate to the purported offense," as first reported by Crain's New York. Under the law, owners have until 2024 to ensure their property's compliance, with the ultimate goal of reducing the emissions produced by the city’s largest buildings 40 percent by 2030 and 80 percent by 2050.
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NYC public libraries want you to read these 10 commonly banned books

Photo by Clay Banks on Unsplash

May 23, 2022

NYC public libraries want you to read these 10 commonly banned books

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Public libraries in New York City are calling on New Yorkers to take a stand against book banning. The New York Public Library, Brooklyn Public Library, and Queens Public Library on Monday launched the citywide "Banned Books Challenge," urging New Yorkers to read 10 books that explore issues of race, sexuality, religion, and history, subjects that have been targeted for censorship in recent months. To kick off the challenge, the libraries made Last Night at the Telegraph Club by Malinda Lo, available for free with no waits on e-reader apps until June 26.
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