All articles by Alexandra Alexa

For $615K, this Upper West Side two bedroom is two blocks from Central and Morningside Parks

Listing images by Mike Tauber; courtesy of Compass

July 23, 2019

For $615K, this Upper West Side two bedroom is two blocks from Central and Morningside Parks

With lots of exposed brick and a laidback vibe, this Upper West Side pad pairs downtown style with an impressive uptown address, less than two blocks away from Central Park. The “value-priced” two-bedroom condo at 65 West 107th Street last sold in 2009 for a mere $263,000 and is now on the market seeking $615,000.
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To protect their Empire State Building views, these Chelsea loft owners forked over $11M for air rights

Image via Google Maps shows 206 West 17th Street in 2016. Now, the handful of single and four-story buildings has been replaced by a short, glassy retail space.

July 22, 2019

To protect their Empire State Building views, these Chelsea loft owners forked over $11M for air rights

By Alexandra Alexa

Air rights can be bought by whoever values them the most. In most scenarios, that ends up being a developer, but that’s not always the case. The New York Times recently reported on a rather unusual deal made in 2016 when a group of Chelsea loft owners refused to let a proposed condominium tower obstruct their natural light and Empire State Building views. Instead, they came together and made a substantial offer to buy the air rights themselves: $11 million.
How much is a view worth?

Development with affordable housing and city’s first civil rights museum gets the green light in Harlem

Rendering courtesy of Empire State Development

July 22, 2019

Development with affordable housing and city’s first civil rights museum gets the green light in Harlem

By Alexandra Alexa

New York’s first civil rights museum will soon land in Harlem, as the city pushes forward with a new $260 million development near the Adam Clayton Powell office building on 125th Street. Empire State Development is planning a 17-story mixed-use building that, in addition to the museum, will house the headquarters of civil rights nonprofit National Urban League (which was founded in the neighborhood in 1910 and currently has offices downtown), office space (including below-market-rate for Harlem-based nonprofits), retail, and 170 affordable apartments targeted to New Yorkers making 30-80 percent of the area median income.
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Rockaways beach house with bay views and an in-ground pool seeks $3.85M

Listing images by Matt Vacca; courtesy The Corcoran Group

July 19, 2019

Rockaways beach house with bay views and an in-ground pool seeks $3.85M

By Alexandra Alexa

If you don’t mind the trek, you can find some nice properties out in the Rockaways—like this home at 148-16 Newport Avenue, nestled in the affluent enclave of Neponsit. With a $3.85 million price tag, it’s by no means a bargain—despite its distance from pricier Manhattan and Brooklyn—but if you have the budget, you’ll get 4,800 square feet of living space and an impressive backyard complete with an in-ground pool, gazebo, and sweet Jamaica Bay views.
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Distinctive Homes

As this weekend’s heat wave sweeps over the city, here are some ways to beat the heat

Image via Flickr

July 19, 2019

As this weekend’s heat wave sweeps over the city, here are some ways to beat the heat

By Alexandra Alexa

After a toasty week, the city's first heatwave of the year is about to get even hotter, with Friday’s expected heat index reaching 98 degrees and as high as 109 degrees over the weekend. The city is taking precautions to keep residents safe as the temperatures continue to heat up. Mayor Bill de Blasio declared an official heat emergency and directed office buildings and residents to set their AC to 78 degrees in order to prevent another power outage. The city's annual Triathlon, originally scheduled to take place on Sunday, was just canceled for the first time in its history. While the best advice is still to stay indoors as much as possible, out of the sun, and well hydrated, there are some ways to beat the heat in the city, all for free.
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City Living

Rent a polished Fort Greene one bedroom with a wood-burning fireplace for $3K/month

Listing images by Russ Ross; courtesy of The Corcoran Group

July 18, 2019

Rent a polished Fort Greene one bedroom with a wood-burning fireplace for $3K/month

By Alexandra Alexa

This one bedroom on the third floor of a four-story co-op at 416 Clermont Avenue is "nestled in the treetops in prime Fort Greene," per the listing. Judging from the green views out the windows, that description isn't far off. The charming apartment was recently renovated to reflect more modern tastes but it held on to some of it's best prewar details, like the wood-burning fireplace with a carved marble mantle in the living room. The unit is now available to rent for $3,000 a month.
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Distinctive Homes

1, 2, and 3 lines will get hit with major disruptions over the next six weekends

Image via Flickr

July 18, 2019

1, 2, and 3 lines will get hit with major disruptions over the next six weekends

By Alexandra Alexa

The MTA is preparing an extensive upgrade to track switches on the 1, 2, and 3 lines at and north of 96 Street, which will cause significant weekend service changes for the rest of the summer. The work will be done in three phases over the next six weekends, with reduced service expected throughout the Upper West Side. During the final two weekends of repair work in August, there will be a full suspension of service at all 1, 2, 3 stations between Harlem and Downtown Brooklyn. “We scheduled the work for these summer weekends when our ridership has been historically low,” the MTA said.
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Transit

July 17, 2019

$3.65M Williamsburg townhouse with an in-ground pool is a summer retreat in the city

By Alexandra Alexa

Having a private, in-ground pool is a luxury of which most New Yorkers can only dream. If you have the budget to scoop up this $3.65 million townhouse at 35 Devoe Street, your summer days would receive a major upgrade. In addition to the large pool and backyard oasis, the Williamsburg pad is pretty impressive on the inside too. A recent renovation transformed the 3,822-square-foot home with a crisp, minimal aesthetic that’ll be easy to transition into, regardless of your style.
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Distinctive Homes

Billionaire developer Stephen Ross lists Time Warner Center penthouse for $75M

Listing images by Evan Joseph and Nina Poon; courtesy of The Corcoran Group

July 17, 2019

Billionaire developer Stephen Ross lists Time Warner Center penthouse for $75M

By Alexandra Alexa

As Related CEO and Miami Dolphins owner Stephen Ross prepares to move into the penthouse at one of his most recent developments, 35 Hudson Yards, he’s first unloading one of his older properties at another one of the company’s Skidmore Owings & Merrill-designed building, the Time Warner Center. (The Real Deal's roundup of his properties shows Ross's penchant for “getting high off his own supply.”) First reported by the Wall Street Journal, Ross has listed the 80th-floor condo he shares with his wife, jewelry designer Kara Ross, for a staggering $75 million—one of the most expensive properties on the market in New York City.
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Newly uncovered report finds ties between city’s affordable housing policy and segregation

Image via Wiki Commons

July 16, 2019

Newly uncovered report finds ties between city’s affordable housing policy and segregation

By Alexandra Alexa

Following years of efforts to keep a report about segregation in the city’s affordable housing lottery system under wraps, a federal court ruling finally led to the report’s release on Monday. As the New York Times first reported, the findings, written by Queens College sociology professor Andrew A. Beveridge, found unequivocal racial disparities at every stage of the process and in every community district where a majority of residents are of one race or ethnicity.
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Try out townhouse living with this $8.5K/month Clinton Hill home, complete with a huge backyard

By Alexandra Alexa

Since it last sold in 2016 for $2.35 million, the five-bedroom, three-bathroom townhouse at 12a Monroe Street (located right on the Clinton Hill, Bed-Stuy border) has undergone some key layout changes to maximize the home’s narrow 14-foot width and make it feel as spacious as possible. Now on the rental market seeking $8,500 a month, the 2,568 square-foot home boasts eight marble mantels, pocket shutters, wide plank floors, a gorgeous center staircase, and an expansive 52-foot backyard.
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As plans for 5 WTC push forward, long-time FiDi residents seek more involvement in the process

Image via Flickr

July 15, 2019

As plans for 5 WTC push forward, long-time FiDi residents seek more involvement in the process

By Alexandra Alexa

Last month, Gov. Andrew Cuomo put out a request for proposals for 5 World Trade Center, the last remaining site at World Trade Center’s southern end and the former home of a Deutsche Bank Building that was severely damaged during the September 11 attacks. The RFP seeks commercial or mixed-use proposals for a roughly 900-foot-tall building, that may include a residential component. As the process continues to unfold—and rapidly, with a site tour for interested developers scheduled on July 22—local residents worry that their voices are being left out, as Daily News reported.
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JetBlue’s ‘Soar with Reading’ initiative brings free book vending machines for kids across NYC

The founder of #1000BlackGirlBooks 14-year-old Marley Dias (pictured above), has partnered with the initiative as an ambassador; photo courtesy of JetBlue

July 15, 2019

JetBlue’s ‘Soar with Reading’ initiative brings free book vending machines for kids across NYC

By Alexandra Alexa

After runs in cities like Detroit, San Francisco, Oakland, and Washington D.C., JetBlue’s free book vending machine program "Soar with Reading" is coming to New York City. The literacy initiative aims to create more access to age-appropriate books in underserved communities. JetBlue will install six vending machines—one in each borough and two in Queens—and will restock and rotate new titles every two weeks, with options available in both English and Spanish.
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City Living

For $6K/month, a trendy loft studio with a piano in Williamsburg’s popular Mill Building

Listing images courtesy of Compass

July 15, 2019

For $6K/month, a trendy loft studio with a piano in Williamsburg’s popular Mill Building

By Alexandra Alexa

A loft in Williamsburg’s popular Mill Building at 85 North 3rd Street—just a few blocks from the waterfront—is now available to rent for $6,000 a month. The trendy abode has all the details loft lovers look for: soaring 15-foot ceilings, exposed brick, wood columns and beams, and large windows. The open layout is currently set up as a studio, but with over 1,000 square feet there's plenty of space to play around with. The apartment can come fully furnished or vacant—the only permanent fixture is the Yamaha upright piano next to the kitchen, making this pad extra sweet for musicians.
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Distinctive Homes

Lottery opens for a handful of middle-income units in East Williamsburg, from $1,689/month

Rendering courtesy of Reside New York

July 12, 2019

Lottery opens for a handful of middle-income units in East Williamsburg, from $1,689/month

By Alexandra Alexa

If you don't mind waiting out the L train "slowdown," this opportunity might be for you. The lottery is now open for eight newly constructed, middle-income units at 150 Meserole Street in Williamsburg, just two blocks from the Montrose Avenue station. The apartments in the brand-new building are available to households earning 130 percent of the area median income and range from $1,689/month for a studio to $2,189/month for two-bedrooms.
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Affordable Housing

July 12, 2019

‘Real Housewives’ star Ramona Singer sells longtime Upper East Side home for $4M

By Alexandra Alexa

Real Housewives of New York City star Ramona Singer has officially parted ways with her beloved Upper East Side apartment of 20 years. The empty-nester decided to list the four-bedroom Yorkville abode last year and downsize to a smaller space now that her 24-year-old daughter, Avery Singer, is no longer living at home. She initially listed the unit for $4.995 million and, as The Real Deal reports, just closed for a little over $4 million. Singer has already found a new home about 20 blocks south, where she’s been settling in with her old furniture. “It’s good when you move that you have your same furniture, ’cause it makes you feel familiar and not so strange,” she recently told Bravo.
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Image via Google Maps

July 11, 2019

Historic Downtown Brooklyn townhouse with strong abolitionist ties in danger of demolition

By Alexandra Alexa

Just across the street from Willoughby Park, where the city is planning a memorial to commemorate the abolitionist history of Downtown Brooklyn, the townhouse at 227 Duffield Place—once the home of prominent abolitionists Thomas and Harriet Truesdell and believed to be a stop on the Underground Railroad—is facing an uncertain future. As Brownstoner reported, demolition plans were filed with the city’s Department of Buildings on June 5 and an eviction notice has been posted at the site.
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History

Temporary “pop-up park” opens at future site of Willoughby Square Park

Images courtesy of EDC

July 10, 2019

Temporary “pop-up park” opens at future site of Willoughby Square Park

By Alexandra Alexa

As plans for a permanent park at Willoughby Square go forward, a temporary green space at the same site has opened to the public. The 15,000-square-foot "pop-up park" will provide a green escape for the local community until the end of the summer in 2020, at which point construction will commence on the permanent, 1.15-acre park scheduled for completion by 2022.
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Architecture And Design

Operators of Coney Island’s Luna Park will lead retail transformation of the Stillwell Avenue Terminal Complex

Image via Wiki Commons

July 10, 2019

Operators of Coney Island’s Luna Park will lead retail transformation of the Stillwell Avenue Terminal Complex

By Alexandra Alexa

Since taking over operations of Luna Park in 2010, Central Amuseument International (CAI) has had a big hand in the transformation of the neighborhood, and that will continue to increase. Following a Request for Proposals (RFP) last June, the MTA has just announced that CAI Foods—a subsidiary of CAI—will lead a retail conversion of Coney Island’s iconic Stillwell Avenue Terminal Complex. CAI will take over nine of the 11 retail units in the Complex, turning the largest into “Rcade,” an arcade with a restaurant, bar, and coffee shop that will be open year-round. The remaining units will be subleased on a seasonal basis.
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Transit

Yayoi Kusama’s polka-dot pumpkins are coming to the New York Botanical Garden

Kusama with Pumpkin, 2010 ©YAYOI KUSAMA. Courtesy of Ota Fine Arts, Tokyo / Singapore / Shanghai; Victoria Miro, London; David Zwirner, New York

July 9, 2019

Yayoi Kusama’s polka-dot pumpkins are coming to the New York Botanical Garden

By Alexandra Alexa

Over the next year, celebrated Japanese artist Yayoi Kusama will have a big moment in New York City. In addition to the forthcoming exhibition at David Zwirner Gallery this fall—which will include some of the artist’s insanely popular Infinity Rooms—the New York Botanical Garden has just revealed that its blockbuster 2020 exhibition will be dedicated to Kusama. The exclusive show will include a range of works, old and new, that shed light on the artist’s lifelong engagement with nature, including everything from her famous polka-dot pumpkins to her signature Infinity Rooms.
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Events & Things To Do

Cuomo announces new LIRR station as part of Belmont Park redevelopment project

Rendering courtesy of Governor Cuomo’s office

July 9, 2019

Cuomo announces new LIRR station as part of Belmont Park redevelopment project

By Alexandra Alexa

Governor Andrew Cuomo has announced plans for a new Long Island Rail Road station to be built as part of the Belmont Park Redevelopment Project, which will provide a home base for the National Hockey League’s New York Islanders. The station will serve the proposed 19,000-seat arena, a 250-room hotel, and a 435,000-square-foot retail complex at the state-owned horseracing venue, as well as local commuters who have long needed more transportation options. Located between the Queens Village and Bellerose stations on the LIRR's Main Line, the station will be the first full-time LIRR station built in 50 years. It's expected to be partially open by 2021—as the Islanders arena opens to the public—and fully operational by 2023.
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Transit

Two Trees exploring a new Williamsburg waterfront park and development next to Domino Park

Image via Google Street View

July 8, 2019

Two Trees exploring a new Williamsburg waterfront park and development next to Domino Park

By Alexandra Alexa

Developer Two Trees has begun convening meetings with Williamsburg residents in the early stages of planning a future waterfront park and development in the neighborhood. As Brownstoner reported, the site under consideration is comprised of three lots owned by Con Edison on River Street between Grand Street and North 3rd Street, right between Grand Ferry Park and Two Trees’ popular Domino Park. The new park would thus connect the existing parks “and take a giant step towards creating a contiguous waterfront park that extends from the Navy Yard to Newtown Creek,” Two Trees notes.
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Architecture And Design

12K/month Lower East Side loft on the Bowery features a boat-like wooden ceiling

Listing images courtesy of Citi Habitats

July 8, 2019

12K/month Lower East Side loft on the Bowery features a boat-like wooden ceiling

By Alexandra Alexa

This 2,250-square-foot loft is located at 259 Bowery, between East Houston and Stanton Streets in a 1910 building that was converted to five full-floor apartments in 2000. The Lower East Side pad stands out with a unique, wooden ceiling in the living room that looks like an inverted boat hull, luxurious finishings, hardwood floors, and 11.5-foot ceilings throughout. Renting at $12,000 a month, the unit can come unfurnished or with "most furnishing included," per the listing.
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Distinctive Homes

Yearlong event series explores the future of New York City’s transportation infrastructure

Image via Flickr

July 5, 2019

Yearlong event series explores the future of New York City’s transportation infrastructure

By Alexandra Alexa

Two years after Governor Andrew Cuomo declared a state of emergency for New York's subway system, the future of transportation remains one of the city's most critical, ongoing conversations. It's also one of the more fraught topics, impacting more than 20 million residents on a daily basis. To deepen public understanding of the current state of things, as well as what the future might bring, Open House New York is launching a yearlong event series to both inform and "ignite the city's imagination." The Moving City will begin later this month and continue through next Spring, featuring a wide range of tours, presentations, and panel discussions that will bring much-needed context to this pressing issue.
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Developer Silverstein Properties funds a new artist residency at 3 World Trade Center

Images courtesy of Silver Art Projects

July 5, 2019

Developer Silverstein Properties funds a new artist residency at 3 World Trade Center

By Alexandra Alexa

As rents and costs of living continue to rise in the city, artists have an increasingly hard time finding affordable studio space—particularly in Manhattan. In an effort to help struggling artists, a new artist residency is launching at 3 World Trade Center this fall. Funded by developer Silverstein Properties, Silver Art Projects is a “corporate social responsibility initiative” that will host 30 artists every September for up to eight months, providing them with 44,000 square feet of free studio space on the 50th floor of the building.
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All articles by Alexandra Alexa

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