All articles by Devin Gannon

Should Uber and Lyft riders pay a fee for clogging Manhattan’s busiest streets?

Traffic in NYC, photo via joiseyshowaa on Flickr

December 27, 2017

Should Uber and Lyft riders pay a fee for clogging Manhattan’s busiest streets?

By Devin Gannon

As New York City’s failure-prone subway system continues to disappoint, some commuters are turning to ride-hailing services like Uber or Lyft to reach their destinations instead. While getting picked up by a car is easy, especially in the busiest areas of Manhattan, the bumper-to-bumper traffic makes getting anywhere actually more difficult. A report released by Bruce Schaller, a former deputy city transportation commissioner, found that one-third of ride-hailing cars and yellow cabs are often driving on the city's most congested blocks without any passengers, creating unnecessary traffic (h/t New York Times). As a way to reduce car congestion, officials are considering a new fee on for-hire vehicles, possibly a way to raise money for the strapped-for-cash MTA.
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Winters during 19th century New York were so cold, the East River froze over

Crossing the East River on the ice bridge (1871) via NYPL

December 26, 2017

Winters during 19th century New York were so cold, the East River froze over

By Devin Gannon

While New York City is getting hit by a blast of arctic temperatures this week, New Yorkers of the mid- and late-1800s experienced even colder conditions. During the 19th century, the East River froze over at least seven times, shutting down the Brooklyn Bridge and preventing any ferries from crossing over. But, like today’s New Yorkers, the frozen river never stopped commuters from reaching their destinations. Instead of staying home, people would walk across the frozen East River, skating and slipping along their way.
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History

In the middle of the night, Trump Soho gets rebranded as the Dominick Hotel

Image: Trump Soho; Donald Trump via Wikimedia Commons

December 22, 2017

In the middle of the night, Trump Soho gets rebranded as the Dominick Hotel

By Devin Gannon

After an 11-year economic slump, local protests and multiple lawsuits, the Trump Soho condominium and hotel at 246 Spring Street has officially become the Dominick Hotel and Spa. Last month, the Trump Organization cut ties with the property after making a deal with the building’s owner, CIM Group, to step away from the hotel amid a decline in room prices. Between 11 pm on Wednesday and 3 am on Thursday, workers removed the Trump Soho lettering from the facade of the glitzy 46-story hotel, literally erasing President Trump's association with the building.
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Events & Things To Do

Renderings revealed for Dattner Architect’s nine-story building at the Brooklyn Navy Yard

Rendering of Admirals Row via S9 Architecture and 399 Sands Street via Dattner Architects

December 21, 2017

Renderings revealed for Dattner Architect’s nine-story building at the Brooklyn Navy Yard

By Devin Gannon

Once a shipyard where World War II warships were produced, the 300-acre Brooklyn Navy Yard is undergoing a major development to become a multi-use industrial and commercial mecca. Steiner Equities Group is overseeing the area's reinvention and as YIMBY learned, the developer has filed permits for a mixed-use building at 399 Sands Street. Designed by Dattner Architects, renderings reveal a nine-story building with a concrete facade and lots of greenery on its roof, as well as new views of the site as a whole and the planned Wegmans grocery store.
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MTA testing technology to fix 100-year-old signals, let riders use cell phones in tunnels

Photo via Pixabay

December 21, 2017

MTA testing technology to fix 100-year-old signals, let riders use cell phones in tunnels

By Devin Gannon

While removing subway seats and employing customer service ambassadors in stations will slightly improve the commuting experience, these upgrades probably won't make the trains arrive at their destinations any faster. One of the biggest problems causing subway delays continues to be the 100-year-old infrastructure still used. The Metropolitan Transportation Authority is finally addressing the failing, antiquated signals by testing technology known as Ultra-Wideband radio. As the Daily News reported, the MTA hopes the technology will more accurately locate trains, permitting them to run closer together.
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Transit

New legislation will a create a real-time portal for affordable housing in NYC

Photo via Wikimedia

December 20, 2017

New legislation will a create a real-time portal for affordable housing in NYC

By Devin Gannon

During its last full-body meeting of the year, the New York City Council passed a bill Tuesday that makes it easier for low-income renters to find apartments by creating a user-friendly online portal. Under the new legislation, landlords who receive tax breaks in exchange for renting below-market units will be required to register units each year with the city’s Department of Housing Preservation and Development. As the Wall Street Journal reported, the department would list these units online and match potential tenants by their income with apartments.
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Chinese buyer snags three penthouses at 432 Park for $91M

December 20, 2017

Chinese buyer snags three penthouses at 432 Park for $91M

By Devin Gannon

After dropping a staggering $91.1 million, a buyer from China now owns three penthhouse apartments at 432 Park Avenue, the most expensive closing to date. Picking up units 92, 92B and 93B, the buyer, 432 Park Joy LLC, gets 11,906 square feet spanning two floors (h/t TRD). As 6sqft learned earlier this month, the combined units originally hit the market for roughly $120 million. Prior to this deal, the largest closing at the supertall was a penthouse that was asking $95 million but closed last year for $87.7 million. But it's still One57 that holds the record for the city's priciest residential deal, a penthouse that sold for $100.4 million in 2014.
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Real Estate Trends

Celebrate New Year’s Eve with free rides and ice skating on Coney Island

Deno’s Wonder Wheel courtesy of kzoop’s Flickr

December 20, 2017

Celebrate New Year’s Eve with free rides and ice skating on Coney Island

By Devin Gannon

Editor's Note: Due to the extreme cold conditions, Deno's Wonder Wheel and Stop the Zombies ride will NOT open on New Year's Eve or New Year's Day. The B&B Carousell will be open. Overpriced clubs, surging Ubers, and Manhattan crowds not your thing? Check out the fourth annual New Year's Eve party at Coney Island's historic boardwalk instead. Four rides, including the iconic Wonder Wheel, will be free of charge beginning at 6 pm until 9:30 pm on December 31. Nathan's Famous, Coney Island Brewery, and Tom's Restaurant will also stay open for the festivities. As amNY learned, there will be live entertainment and the countdown to 2018 will feature a digital "burst" of lights from the Parachute jump at midnight.
Details on the event here

Events & Things To Do

A charming Bing & Bing co-op in Kip’s Bay asks $800K

December 19, 2017

A charming Bing & Bing co-op in Kip’s Bay asks $800K

By Devin Gannon

Located in a boutique 1931 Bing & Bing co-op in Kip's Bay, a renovated one-bedroom pad has hit the market for $799,000. The light-filled apartment at 140 East 28th Street boasts charming pre-war details like a wood-burning fireplace, arched entry, beamed ceilings, and a classic layout that efficiently separates dining and entertainment areas.
See inside

Distinctive Homes

MTA running longer C-trains to accommodate more commuters

Photo of a C-train via Wikimedia

December 19, 2017

MTA running longer C-trains to accommodate more commuters

By Devin Gannon

It just became slightly easier to squeeze onto a C-train. The Metropolitan Transportation Authority on Saturday added 40 longer cars to the line to accommodate more riders. As part of its emergency action plan, the MTA replaced some of its 60-foot long R32 models, which first debuted in the system in 1964, with 75-foot long R46 cars. The longer cars increase commuter capacity by 25 percent per train set and are expected to also help absorb crowds during the 2019 L train shutdown.
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Transit

Popular Articles

The Upper West Side’s next tall tower reveals its Art Deco design

December 19, 2017

The Upper West Side’s next tall tower reveals its Art Deco design

By Devin Gannon

Despite some initial construction hiccups, plans for the 668-foot residential tower at 200 Amsterdam Avenue continue to move forward. According to YIMBY, the tower's developers, SJP Properties and Mitsui Fudosan, have unveiled new renderings of the Upper West Side building, including an up-close shot of its crown. Designed by Elkus Manfredi, the exteriors feature an aluminum curtainwall and metal panels. New York firm CetraRuddy will take on the interiors of the 112-unit condominium building.
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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

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.
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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.
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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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