All articles by Dana Schulz

January 30, 2017

Jersey City makes list of 10 fastest gentrifying cities; Ikea’s complex furniture-naming system

Gotham West Market’s outpost at The Ashland is officially open, bringing 16,000 square feet of food hall deliciousness to Fort Greene. [Metro] A new report based on home values and census data says that Charleston is the fastest gentrifying city in the nation. Jersey City is the eighth. [Curbed] The city brings in roughly $2 million a […]

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January 30, 2017

Pier 55 offshore park may be flatter than originally proposed

By Dana Schulz

Despite the fact that the 535 concrete piles that will support the planned undulating base of the Pier 55 offshore park have already been erected, the Hudson River Park Trust is now looking towards a flatter design. The Architect's Newspaper obtained a copy of a permit modification request that the group submitted to the Army Corps of Engineers that reduces the park's overall size slightly from 2.7 to 2.4 acres and replaces many of the hollow pentagonal pots that would have sat on top of the columns with "a flat structural base sandwiches between the piles and the landscaping."
Find out the reason for the major change

Architecture And Design

January 27, 2017

Reality star Olivia Palermo buys $3M DUMBO pad; Elton John bringing ‘Devil Wears Prada’ to Broadway

By Dana Schulz

Donald Trump the interior decorator. [Elle Decor] Reality star and fashionista Olivia Palermo, along with her hubby, German model Johannes Huebl, bought a $3 million apartment in DUMBO’s Clocktower Building. [LL NYC] Harvard will offer free online architecture classes. [Curbed] Elton John has previously worked on “The Lion King” and “Aida,” and he’ll now help […]

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January 27, 2017

City says Cuomo’s ‘Affordable New York’ plan would cost an extra $820M

By Dana Schulz

Governor Cuomo recently announced that his revised version of the city's 421-a tax exemption program would officially be moving forward. He said the initiative, dubbed "Affordable New York," would create 2,500 new affordable housing units per year, but a new study from the city's Department of Housing Preservation and Development says this will come at a cost. As Politico reports, Cuomo's changes to the program would cost NYC an additional $820 million over 10 years if approved by the state Legislature, $82 million a year more than Mayor de Blasio's proposed 421-a overhaul in 2015.
READ MORE

January 27, 2017

Lottery opens for 40 affordable units across Central Harlem, starting at $822/month

By Dana Schulz

Second to the Bronx, Central Harlem has seen perhaps the most new affordable housing opportunities in the city. The latest is a 40-unit lottery spread across four buildings near Jackie Robinson Park--304 West 152nd Street, 232 West 149th Street, 2797 Frederick Douglass Boulevard, and 2472 Adam Clayton Powell, Jr. Boulevard. The units are available to those earning 50 or 60 percent of the area media income and range from $822/month studios to $1,371/month four-bedrooms.
Find out more

Affordable Housing

January 26, 2017

Rem Koolhaas’ Gramercy condo reveals interior renderings, launches sales

By Dana Schulz

Right before the new year, the highly anticipated condo from Toll Brothers City Living at 121 East 22nd Street in Gramercy reached its full height, providing the first real views of its glassy facade and chiseled corner that resembles a giant crystal. And what makes the structure even more special is the fact that it's the first NYC project from Pritzker Prize-winning Dutch architect Rem Koolhaas's firm the Office for Metropolitan Architecture (OMA).CityRealty now tells us that sales have officially begun, currently ranging from $1.5 million, 761-square-foot one-bedrooms to $4.7 million,2,402-square-foot three-bedrooms, and along with the launch comes the first set of interior renderings and some fresh looks at the exterior and amenity spaces.
More details and all the renderings

January 26, 2017

Living on Queen’s Broad Channel island; $41M allocated for New York cultural and arts organizations

By Dana Schulz

After 9/11, Donald Trump argued that his skyscraper at 40 Wall Street was the tallest downtown, just one example of how he “can’t admit simple facts.” [NYP] The mile-long Broad Channel, a small island off Queens, is home to fewer than 3,000 New Yorkers. Here’s what it’s like living there post Hurricane Sandy. [Refinery29] SL […]

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January 26, 2017

NYU announces $500M expansion of Downtown Brooklyn tech campus

By Dana Schulz

In 2012, NYU signed a 99-year lease for the Downtown Brooklyn building at 370 Jay Street, a former MTA headquarters. Two years later, the University opened its Tandon School of Engineering in the neighborhood, and now that 5,212 students are enrolled, NYU is moving ahead with a $500 million renovation, restoration, and expansion of the Jay Street building, adding 500,000 square feet of space for areas of study such as computer coding, video game design, and digital forensics. The Daily News first shared the news, and they report that the new facility will open this coming summer, in time to welcome students for the Fall semester.
More views and details

New Developments

January 26, 2017

Travel + Leisure dubs ‘NoLo’ NYC’s next trendy neighborhood

By Dana Schulz

DoBro (Downtown Brooklyn), MiMa (Midtown Manhattan), Hellsea (Hell's Kitchen meets Chelsea), BoCoCa (Boerum Hill, Cobble Hill, Carroll Gardens)--typically we blame brokers and real estate marketers for inventing outlandish neighborhood acronyms as a way to make their listings and developments seem unique and in uncharted territory. But this time, the writers over at Travel + Leisure have decided to try their hand at the name game, dubbing "NoLo" the next trendy 'hood. "There's no cooler neighborhood mashup," they say, than "the parts of Soho where Nolita bumps against the Lower East Side." Here you'll find "a community of restaurants, shops, cafes and drinking spots that exude the city's cutting edge style."
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Live in John Catsimatidis’ curvy Downtown Brooklyn rental tower from $833/month

By Dana Schulz

Way back in 1982, the CEO and owner of Red Apple Group, John Catsimatidis (you may know him better as the billionaire owner of Gristedes or for his failed Republican run in the last mayoral election) paid $500,000 for a 2.5-acre, four-block site in Downtown Brooklyn, on the western edge of Fort Greene. Thirty-five years later, construction is wrapping up on the final, and by far the tallest, of the four-tower development. The curving glass building at 86 Fleet Place was designed by Goldstein, Hill & West and will rise 32 stories/350 feet and house 440 rentals, 29 of which are set aside as affordable and have just come online through the city's affordable housing lottery. They range from $833/month studios to $1,247/month three-bedrooms and are available for those earning 45 to 60 percent of the area media income.
Find out if you qualify here

January 25, 2017

Extell’s One Manhattan Square reaches halfway point and gets its glassy skin

By Dana Schulz

Despite the rapid influx of new development that's popping up in the controversial Two Bridges area, the Chinatown-meets-Lower East Side neighborhood's first project, One Manhattan Square, still reigns as the tallest. In fact, when it reaches its full 823-foot height, Extell's 80-story condo at 252 South Street will have the highest rooftop between downtown and Midtown Manhattan. Now that sales have commenced, CityRealty paid the construction site a visit, noticing that the double-slab tower is already more than 30 stories tall and has begun to receive its reflective glass skin.
More views ahead

January 25, 2017

EPA says Gowanus Canal cleanup will proceed; get your romantic proposal on a city WiFi kiosk

By Dana Schulz

If you pop the question between now and early next month, your proposal can be featured on one of the city’s LinkNYC Wi-Fi kiosks on Valentine’s Day. [EV Grieve] And if you’re feeling more vindictive than romantic, you can name a cockroach at the Bronx Zoo after your ex. [Gothamist] As part of de Blasio’s 10-year capital […]

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De Blasio to spend $384M renovating old city-owned office buildings

Downtown Brooklyn’s 345 Adams Street

January 25, 2017

De Blasio to spend $384M renovating old city-owned office buildings

By Dana Schulz

Despite "a backdrop of uncertainty," as he put it, Mayor de Blasio yesterday unveiled an $89.4 billion, 10-year capital plan that includes school construction, public housing repairs, paving roads, and a new NYPD training center. It also sets aside $384.2 million to renovate and rehabilitate aging, city-owned buildings. Commercial Observer tells us that the bulk of this allotment, $94.5 million, would go towards 345 Adams Street in Downtown Brooklyn. The 1920s office building is home to the Department of Finance, Department of Probation, Board of Elections, and Administration for Children’s Services. Others on the list are the Brooklyn Municipal Building ($39.1 million), 253 Broadway in lower Manhattan ($18.5 million), and the Manhattan Municipal Building ($16.7 million).
More details

Policy

January 25, 2017

Trump’s infrastructure plan may include $26B+ for NYC’s Gateway Project and Second Avenue Subway

By Dana Schulz

Reporters at McClatchy obtained documents that the Trump transition team provided to the National Governor’s Association detailing 50 projects across the country that would take priority under the President's proposed $1 trillion infrastructure plan, and among them are two NYC-based projects. The Gateway Project, which would repair the aging and Sandy-damaged Hudson River rail tunnels and build a new one, would cost $12 billion and create 34,000 jobs. Phases two and three of the Second Avenue Subway would cost $14.2 billion and create 16,000 direct jobs.
Get more details this way

January 24, 2017

NYC not one of world’s most expensive cities; L train repairs already over budget and behind schedule

By Dana Schulz

Hong Kong, Sydney, and Vancouver are the three most expensive cities in the world to live. Believe it or not, NYC didn’t make the top 10. [Fortune] Actor Steve Guttenberg on why he loves the Upper West Side. [West Side Rag] For the first time in 30 years, the Playboy Club is opening in NYC, […]

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January 23, 2017

Map: Here’s where you can afford to live in NYC in 2018

By Dana Schulz

For New York home buyers, a lot can change in a year. A neighborhood that was considered affordable can all of a sudden become out of reach, whether it be from new developments like a subway or good old fashioned gentrification. For this reason, Fast Forward Labs created an interactive map that predicts the price of real estate in 2018. As Google Maps Mania explains, "The map allows you to input a housing budget and see how likely it is that you will be able to afford to buy a property in different New York neighborhoods during different future time periods."
More on the map here

Real Estate Trends

January 23, 2017

Amtrak tearing down Penn Station departure board; Billy Bush lost $1.4M on his Chelsea house

By Dana Schulz

Penn Station’s archaic-yet-iconic Amtrak departure board is officially coming down today to make way for a series of updated, smaller information screens. [ABC 7] Mapping the top 10 fast food chains around the country. [Story Maps] A year ago, the feds began databasing high-end real estate buyers making all-cash transactions or hiding behind an LLC in […]

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January 20, 2017

Express N train tunnel will close for a year in Brooklyn; Map shows the CO2 savings of CitiBike

By Dana Schulz

The express N train tunnel between the 36th and 59th street stations in Brooklyn will close for a year for repairs starting next spring. [BK Paper] Brooklyn Brewery scrapped plans to relocate to the Navy Yard and will remain in Williamsburg. [NYT] Mapping the CO2 emissions of CitiBike and how they compare to the equivalent vehicle rides. [Inverse] […]

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January 20, 2017

VIDEO: Watch the MTA clean subway tracks with their new Mobile Vacs

By Dana Schulz

This past May the MTA recorded 50,436 subway delays, 697 of which were caused by track fires that could have been ignited by the 40 tons of trash that are removed from the system every day. To curb this ongoing issue, the agency announced in August "Operation Trash Sweep," an initiative that upped the frequency by which the 622 miles of tracks get cleaned. At the time, the MTA said it would also employ individually-operated Mobile Vacs that workers can use to quickly suck up trash. Yesterday, the agency released a video of the Vacs being tested, which not only shows their incredible force, but gives an overview of how the Operation is shaping up.
Watch the full video here

Transit

January 20, 2017

The Urban Lens: Inside ‘Little Odessa,’ Brighton Beach’s quaint beachfront Russian community

By Dana Schulz

6sqft’s ongoing series The Urban Lens invites photographers to share work exploring a theme or a place within New York City. In this installment, Chaz Langley explores the people and establishments that breathe life into Brighton Beach. Are you a photographer who’d like to see your work featured on The Urban Lens? Get in touch with us at [email protected]. 6sqft recently featured Chaz Langley's photo series "A Stroll in Chinatown," where he captured the neighborhood's unique cultural establishments and the everyday comings and goings of its residents. He's now taken the same approach with Brighton Beach, Brooklyn's beach-front community that's often referred to as "Little Odessa" for its strong Russian community. Langley, a Nashville native who moved to New York almost a decade ago to pursue a career as a singer/songwriter/actor/model, has taken to sharing his location-specific collections on Instagram, integrating his graphic design background in their presentation. From a fruit stand to boardwalk, his Brighton Beach series certainly paints a picture of the neighborhood.
See all the photos here

Places

January 20, 2017

MTA backs plan to raise subway and bus fare to $3 come March

By Dana Schulz

At a board meeting over the summer, the MTA began discussions about increasing subway and bus fare to $3 by 2017 "in an effort to raise more than $300 million annually," as 6sqft reported at the time. The Daily News has now learned that the agency will officially recommend the four-percent increase at their board meeting next week. Though they'll be passing on another option that would've kept fares at $2.75, the hike will increase the bonuses that come with re-loading one's MetroCard from 11 to 16 percent, "an extra 96 cents for every $6 purchase."
Find out more

January 19, 2017

You can now apply for IDNYC online; Bjarke Ingels featured in new Netflix design series

By Dana Schulz

Bjarke Ingels will be featured in Netflix’s new series, “Abstract: The Art of Design” as one of eight design professionals in different fields. [ArchDaily] You can now forego the long lines at enrollment centers and apply for IDNYC online. [Brokelyn] Restaurateur Keith McNally’s historic West Village townhouse has been on and off the market since 2012, but […]

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January 19, 2017

Gain free admission to these NYC cultural institutions on Inauguration Day

By Dana Schulz

A couple weeks ago, a long list of artists, including Cindy Sherman and Richard Serra, started a petition calling for cultural institutions to close on Inauguration Day as "an act of noncompliance" against "Trumpism." That list has grown to 740 artists and critics, and many galleries, museums, and academic spaces will shut their doors tomorrow according to the J20 Art Strike. But there's also a long list of museums and cultural institutions across the city that have decided to take an alternate approach and remain open, offering free admission and/or special programming. From a marathon reading of Langston Hughes’s"Let America Be America Again" at the Brooklyn Museum to special gallery tours at the Rubin, these are all the (free!) ways to use the arts as an outlet on Inauguration Day.
See the full list here

Events & Things To Do

January 19, 2017

$10.5M Federal-era house in Brooklyn Heights was Truman Capote’s muse

By Dana Schulz

When he penned an essay about his neighborhood of Brooklyn Heights in 1959, it was this wood-frame house at 13 Pineapple Street that inspired Truman Capote. "Cheerfully austere, as elegant and other-era as formal calling cards, these houses bespeak an age of able servants and solid fireside ease; of horses in musical harness," he wrote, referencing the 1830 Federal-era home that was around the corner from his personal house. The Wall Street Journal reports that, for the past 26 years, the residence has been preserved by a couple who were drawn to its grey shingles as a reminder of the old houses in Nantucket they love. But now that their children are grown, they're looking to downsize and have listed the storied property for $10.5 million.
All the history right this way

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