All articles by Devin Gannon

Will New York get a White Christmas this year?

December 19, 2017

Will New York get a White Christmas this year?

By Devin Gannon

In the United States, if at least one inch of snow falls on the morning of December 25, it gets labeled as a "White Christmas." While some states in the north and Midwest are the most likely to enjoy a snow day on Christmas, the phenomenon is uncommon in New York, but not impossible. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, a federal agency that provides timely information about climate and weather patterns, created a map that shows the historic probability of there being at least one inch of snow on the ground in 48 states on Christmas. The darkest gray shows places where the probability is less than 10 percent and the white areas show probabilities greater than 90 percent.
Is New York dreaming of a White Christmas?

City Living

MAP: Explore nearly 34,000 landmarks in New York City

December 18, 2017

MAP: Explore nearly 34,000 landmarks in New York City

By Devin Gannon

New York City is home to over 36,000 architecturally, historically and culturally significant buildings and sites, as designated by the city's Landmarks Preservation Commission. To make information about the thousands of landmarks in the city more accessible, the LPC launched on Monday an enhanced interactive map that allows users to search and filter building data by architectural style, architect, building type and era. The nearly 34,000 sites on the map build upon the existing 1,400 individual landmarks and 141 historic districts the commission had mapped last year.
Check it out

Policy

Republican tax bill cuts critical funding for the MTA, report says

Photo via Wikimedia

December 18, 2017

Republican tax bill cuts critical funding for the MTA, report says

By Devin Gannon

If Congress passes the GOP-backed tax reform bill this week, the already-beleaguered Metropolitan Transportation Authority will find itself in even more financial trouble, says a joint study released by transit advocacy groups Riders Alliance and the Tri-State Transportation Campaign on Sunday. The legislation adds $1.46 trillion in debt by providing the wealthiest Americans and corporations with tax cuts. As amNY reported, the tax plan would jeopardize the financing of major projects from the MTA like expanding the Second Avenue subway and even everyday operations. The MTA relies on federal funds to pay for about 23 percent of capital needs.
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Extell’s first outer-borough skyscraper, Brooklyn Point, gets new renderings

December 18, 2017

Extell’s first outer-borough skyscraper, Brooklyn Point, gets new renderings

By Devin Gannon

In October, Extell Development released a website with details about their luxury high-rise planned for Downtown Brooklyn. Two months later, they've released additional renderings of 138 Willougby, their first outer-borough tower. As YIMBY learned, the 720-foot skyscraper called Brooklyn Point, temporarily the tallest in Brooklyn, will have 458 condominiums designed by Katherine Newman that focus on blending "Brooklyn industrial chic” with a “refined mid-century aesthetic."
Get a first look inside

NY and NJ commit $5B to the Hudson River tunnel project, but still no word from Trump

Photo via The Gateway Program Development Corporation

December 15, 2017

NY and NJ commit $5B to the Hudson River tunnel project, but still no word from Trump

By Devin Gannon

Govs. Andrew Cuomo and Chris Christie on Thursday announced commitments to totally fund New York and New Jersey's share of the Gateway Hudson Tunnel Project. The project aims to fix the 107-year-old tunnel damaged by seawater during Hurricane Sandy. It serves as the only intercity passenger rail crossing into NYC from NJ, a critical link for 200,000 daily passengers. Although two state officials wrote letters to the U.S. Department of Transportation detailing their combined $5.5 billion funding of the project through various agencies, the Trump administration has not agreed to fund the rest of the $12.7 billion project. As Crain's reported, a senior official at DOT called the states' funding commitment "entirely unserious."
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On the site of a former Bronx church, 76 affordable units are up for grabs, from $718/month

Rendering of 1180 Fulton Avenue via Magnusson Architecture and Planning

December 14, 2017

On the site of a former Bronx church, 76 affordable units are up for grabs, from $718/month

By Devin Gannon

St. Augustine Apartments, a brand new affordable multi-family building in the Morrisania neighborhood of the Bronx, is accepting applications for 76 one-, two- and three-bedroom apartments. Located on the site of the demolished St. Augustine's Church at 1180 Fulton Avenue, the complex, designed by Magnusson Architecture and Planning, contains 112 units and measures slightly more than 117,000 square feet. Qualifying New Yorkers earning 50 and 60 percent of the area median income can apply for affordable units ranging from a $718/month studio to a $1,229 three-bedroom.
Find out if you qualify

Affordable Housing

For $300, own a used subway trash can from the MTA

December 14, 2017

For $300, own a used subway trash can from the MTA

By Devin Gannon

Every month the MTA sells outgoing buses and subway cars, station signs, doors, seating and other fixtures from retired subways to lucky buyers who for some reason want to bring the underground experience into their homes. This holiday season, the MTA and the New York City Transit are offering discounted prices of memorabilia and collectibles until Dec. 18, making it easy to check off all holiday shopping lists. Brand new items up for grabs include a used "authentic, unique" refuse canister (read: trash can) for $300 and an "iconic" 10-foot-long wooden subway bench for a staggering $650.
Check out the full list of MTA memorbilia

Transit

A public waterfront park is finally taking shape at Greenpoint’s first skyscraper

Rendering of The Greenpoint via +TOM

December 14, 2017

A public waterfront park is finally taking shape at Greenpoint’s first skyscraper

By Devin Gannon

The Greenpoint, a 40-story waterfront rental and condo tower and the neighborhood's tallest building, topped out in February, launched sales in July and now, is a few months away from getting a public 275-foot long promenade at its waterfront site. After nearly a decade of delays, the Brooklyn walkway, the first of its kind to be privately built in Greenpoint, will open in the spring. According to the Wall Street Journal, the park will total 29,500 square feet, including a 4,000-square-foot playground with lots of trees and colorful oval panels above.
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MTA releases plan to address impending 15-month shutdown of L train

Photo of the L-train via Wiki Commons

December 13, 2017

MTA releases plan to address impending 15-month shutdown of L train

By Devin Gannon

The MTA unveiled on Wednesday its much-anticipated plan for the 15-month shutdown of the L train, set to begin in April of 2019. Hurricane Sandy heavily damaged the 100-year-old Carnarsie Tunnel in 2012, filling it with 7 million gallons of saltwater and forcing a total reconstruction of the tunnel. The 225,000 daily L train riders that travel from Brooklyn through the tunnel to Manhattan will be given alternative travel options, as amNY reported. The MTA's plan calls for a new bus route that would run between Brooklyn and Manhattan, a busway on 14th Street in Manhattan with a two-way bike lane on 13th Street and increase subway service on nearby lines.
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Lottery opens for 98 units at site two of Lower East Side’s Essex Crossing, from $519/month

Rendering of 115 Delancey Street via Handel Architects

December 13, 2017

Lottery opens for 98 units at site two of Lower East Side’s Essex Crossing, from $519/month

By Devin Gannon

Applications are now being accepted for 98 mixed-income apartments located at 115 Delancey Street, known as site two of the sprawling nine-site Essex Crossing Development. The 26-story tower is the tallest building on the $1.9 billion complex and will host the Essex Street Market and a 14-screen Regal Cinemas Theater. Qualifying New Yorkers earning 40, 60, 120 and 165 percent of the area median income can apply for units ranging from a studio for $519/month to a three-bedroom for $3,424/month.
Find out if you qualify

Affordable Housing

Popular Articles

This map of NYC’s subway distorts geography to give commuters more realistic arrival times

December 13, 2017

This map of NYC’s subway distorts geography to give commuters more realistic arrival times

By Devin Gannon

While the standard map of New York City's subway from the MTA might be easier to read, it distorts the geographic distance between stops making it tough to really know how far apart they are from one another. Many designers and architects have taken a stab at creating more accurate maps to ease the struggle of subway straphangers. And now designer Nate Parrott has released his own interactive subway map that shows how many minutes it takes between point A and point B, as Co.Design reported. Click on a station and the whole map changes to show the travel time to reach every stop.
Find out more

Transit

Essex Crossing rental gets new renderings and a new name to honor jazz legend Sonny Rollins

December 13, 2017

Essex Crossing rental gets new renderings and a new name to honor jazz legend Sonny Rollins

By Devin Gannon

Legendary jazz saxophonist and New York City native Sonny Rollins lived in an apartment on the Lower East Side home for many years during the late 1950s. Although the building he called home has long been demolished, the sprawling development rising on the same site, Essex Crossing, will pay tribute to the iconic artist by naming one of the buildings after him. The Rollins, a 15-story rental building at 145 Clinton Street, sits near the entrance of the Williamsburg Bridge, a spot where Rollins practiced every day for two years. As the New York Times reported, the Rollins, designed by Beyer Blinder Belle, will include 107 market-rate apartments, which start at $3,150 for a studio, $4,450 for a one-bedroom, $5,800 for a two-bedroom and $8,450 for a three-bedroom. Leasing will begin in January for these market-rate units.
More this way

Real Estate Trends

Apply for a mixed-income unit at CetraRuddy’s Hell’s Kitchen rental, from $596/month

Rendering of 572 Eleventh Avenue courtesy of the Moinian Group

December 13, 2017

Apply for a mixed-income unit at CetraRuddy’s Hell’s Kitchen rental, from $596/month

By Devin Gannon

A CetraRuddy-designed building at 572 Eleventh Avenue is now accepting applications for 46 newly constructed, mixed-income studios, one- and two-bedroom apartments. Developed by the Moinian Group, the Hell's Kitchen rental, which recently topped out this June, rises 13 stories high and features 10,000 square feet of commercial retail at its cellar and ground floors. Qualifying New Yorkers earning 40, 60 and 130 percent of the area median income can apply for units ranging from a studio for $596/month to a two-bedroom for $2,715/month.
Find out if you qualify

Affordable Housing

COOKFOX unveils design for five eco-conscious high-rises in Hudson Square

December 12, 2017

COOKFOX unveils design for five eco-conscious high-rises in Hudson Square

By Devin Gannon

COOKFOX Architects released new renderings this week of its five proposed high-rise buildings in Hudson Square, part of the redevelopment of St. John's Terminal into a nearly two-million-square-foot complex of housing, retail and office space. As CityRealty learned, the design calls for an industrial-meets-earthy design with deftly sculpted towers detailed with geometric setbacks and planted terraces. Located near Pier 40, the proposed buildings will hold a total of 1,586 apartments, with 30 percent of them below market rate, office spaces, a hotel and about 400,000 square feet of retail.
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City will convert cluster apartments occupied by homeless New Yorkers into affordable housing

Photo via Public Domain Pictures

December 12, 2017

City will convert cluster apartments occupied by homeless New Yorkers into affordable housing

By Devin Gannon

Mayor Bill de Blasio announced on Tuesday another plan aimed at adding to New York City's affordable housing inventory, while combating homelessness. As the New York Times reported, the plan converts hundreds of cluster apartments, occupied by homeless families across the city, into permanently affordable units. Cluster or scatter-site housing are typically private apartments in buildings in which landlords rent out to the city to house homeless people. To lower the number of homeless New Yorkers and add more affordable housing, the city's plan could potentially place 3,000 people into permanent housing, allowing some homeless families to remain in the same apartment and not be considered homeless any longer by the city.
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Waterline Square mega-development tops out on the Upper West Side

December 12, 2017

Waterline Square mega-development tops out on the Upper West Side

By Devin Gannon

Waterline Square, a mega-development consisting of three luxury residential high-rises and measuring 2.2 million square feet, officially topped out this week, one of the most ambitious projects to hit the Upper West Side in decades. GID Development Group commissioned three major New York City architecture firms, Richard Meier & Partners, Kohn Pedersen Fox Associates and Rafael Viñoly, to design One Waterline Square, Two Waterline Square and Three Waterline Square, respectively. The 263 condominiums of the development, located between West 59th Street and West 61st Street on the Hudson River, will commence closings in late 2018. There will also be 800 rental units available, with 20 percent of them below market rate. Hill West Architects serves as the executive architect on the project.
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De Blasio launches new programs to make affordable homeownership easier for New Yorkers

Image: Ed Reed/Mayoral Photography Office

December 11, 2017

De Blasio launches new programs to make affordable homeownership easier for New Yorkers

By Devin Gannon

In October, Mayor Bill de Blasio increased the goal of his ambitious affordable housing plan from 200,000 financed affordable homes to 300,000 by 2026. Expanding his Housing New York 2.0 initiative further, the mayor announced on Monday two new homeowner assistance programs, aimed at helping 2,100 New York City families own real estate and renovate homes over eight years.
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Apply for 93 low- and middle-income apartments along the Grand Concourse from $822/month

Rendering via Douglaston Development

December 11, 2017

Apply for 93 low- and middle-income apartments along the Grand Concourse from $822/month

By Devin Gannon

Applications are now being accepted for 93 newly constructed mixed-income apartments at 2605 Grand Concourse in the Bedford Park neighborhood of the Bronx. Built by Douglaston Development, the 12-story building is one of the first ground-up residential projects along this Bronx thoroughfare in decades. Qualifying New Yorkers earning 60, 100 and 130 percent of the area median income can apply for units ranging from $822/month studios to $2,190/month three-bedrooms.
Find out if you qualify

Affordable Housing

Extell’s proposal for the Upper West Side’s tallest tower faces backlash from the community

December 11, 2017

Extell’s proposal for the Upper West Side’s tallest tower faces backlash from the community

By Devin Gannon

Architecture firm Snøhetta revealed last month their design for a 775-foot condominium tower at 50 West 66th Street, slated to be the tallest building on the Upper West Side. Developed by Extell, the condo will rise 69 stories and contain 127 units, featuring series of “sculptural excavations” that are “evocative of the chiseled stone of Manhattan’s geologic legacy,” according to the architects. As the New York Times reported, critics of the project from the UWS community say the tower would violate zoning restrictions in the area. Local advocate groups, joined by Council Member Helen Rosenthal and Manhattan Borough President Gale Brewer, are pushing back against the construction of Extell's ultra-luxury tower. In a statement, Rosenthal said, "We will fight this project with every tool at our disposal."
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City will replace Nolita’s Elizabeth Street Garden with 121 affordable apartments for seniors

Rendering courtesy of Curtis + Ginsberg Architects

December 8, 2017

City will replace Nolita’s Elizabeth Street Garden with 121 affordable apartments for seniors

By Devin Gannon

After years of public battles between open space advocates and public officials, the city announced on Friday that it will create an affordable senior housing development at the site of the Elizabeth Street Garden in Nolita. Dubbed Haven Green, the project will be an energy-efficient passive house, with units reserved for seniors earning between $20,040 and $40,080, as well as formerly homeless seniors. According to the Daily News, the project calls for 121 deeply affordable units with 7,600 square feet of public open space in a new garden. Developed by Pennrose Properties, Habitat for Humanity New York City, and RiseBoro Community Partnerships, Haven Green will use 60 to 70 percent less energy than a standard building of its kind and will be designed to manage and reuse stormwater through permeable surfaces.
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To relieve Brooklyn Bridge congestion, the city wants a bike-only entry and fewer vendors

Photo of the Brooklyn Bridge via pixabay

December 8, 2017

To relieve Brooklyn Bridge congestion, the city wants a bike-only entry and fewer vendors

By Devin Gannon

Dubbed the "Times Square in the Sky," the Brooklyn Bridge promenade remains the borough's most popular attraction, experiencing an increase in pedestrian volume by 275 percent between 2008 and 2015. The New York City Department of Transportation released a report on Friday that details ways to reduce the growing congestion of cyclists, pedestrians and vendors on the promenade. After hiring the consulting term AECOM over a year ago to conduct an engineering study aimed at improving safety, DOT has finally outlined steps to be taken in order to limit crowds. As the New York Times reported, the city is exploring ideas like building a separate bike-only entrance to the Manhattan side of the bridge, possibly expanding the width of the promenade and reducing the number of vendors allowed to sell goods, while restricting where they can sell them.
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Port Authority approves more than $1B for construction at NYC airports

Interior rendering of LaGuardia Airport, via Governor Andrew Cuomo on Flickr

December 8, 2017

Port Authority approves more than $1B for construction at NYC airports

By Devin Gannon

With the approval of its $8 billion 2018 budget on Thursday, the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey plans to spend more than $1 billion on major redevelopment projects at LaGuardia, Newark Liberty International and JFK Airports next year. The agency’s board of commissioners approved a budget that allocates $3.2 billion for operating expenses and $3.4 billion for capital expenses. According to the Wall Street Journal, $578 million will be put toward the $8 billion redevelopment of LaGuardia and $167 million toward a $2.3 billion redevelopment plan of Newark's Terminal A.
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City Council Speaker pushing legislation to expand NYC’s food truck industry

Photo via Megan Morris/Flickr

December 7, 2017

City Council Speaker pushing legislation to expand NYC’s food truck industry

By Devin Gannon

Before the end of her tenure on Dec. 31, City Council Speaker Melissa Mark-Viverito is making an eleventh-hour push for legislation aimed at expanding the city's food vending industry. As Politico New York reported, the bill adds 335 more licenses for food vendors over 10 years, with 35 set aside for veterans. Currently, there are 5,100 licensed food vendors in the city. While the bill's passage could be a victory for immigrant workers, many who make a living working on food trucks or carts, although sometimes on the black market, critics say increasing the number of permits allowed for rent-free vendors could hurt brick-and-mortar shops.
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Policy

New renderings revealed for Extell’s Central Park Tower as it hits halfway mark

Rendering courtesy of Extell

December 7, 2017

New renderings revealed for Extell’s Central Park Tower as it hits halfway mark

By Devin Gannon

The 1,550-foot Central Park Tower, the soon-to-be tallest residential tower in New York City, has gotten some new renderings that reveal how it'll appear lit up at night, as well as how its interiors may look (h/t YIMBY). Extell Development's current plans for the Billionaires' Row tower call for 179 condominiums, spanning on average 5,000 square feet, with open layouts and oversized windows overlooking Central Park. With the construction of the supertall at 217 West 57th Street now hitting its halfway mark and rising to roughly 700 feet, Central Park Tower is expected to be completed in 2019.
See inside the supertall

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