All articles by Devin Gannon

Second phase of Penn Station track work will not bring a winter of hell

Amtrak workers setting concrete on track 10 at Penn Station this summer, image via Amtrak

November 14, 2017

Second phase of Penn Station track work will not bring a winter of hell

Amtrak announced on Monday its plan for the second phase of track renewal projects for Penn Station, set to begin this winter. Between January 5 and May 28 of next year, there will be continuous single-track closures, affecting Amtrak and commuter train operation at the Midtown transit hub. While similar to the infrastructure repairs that took place for eight weeks this past June, dubbed by Gov. Andrew Cuomo as the “summer of hell,” the impact will be less severe for commuters and most of the work will take place on the weekends.
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MAP: Where to find all 300 works in Ai Weiwei’s ‘Good Fences Make Good Neighbors’ exhibition

Ai Weiwei: Good Fences Make Good Neighbors, The Arch, courtesy of the Public Art Fund

November 13, 2017

MAP: Where to find all 300 works in Ai Weiwei’s ‘Good Fences Make Good Neighbors’ exhibition

By Devin Gannon

Ai Weiwei's New York City art installation, "Good Fences Make Good Neighbors," is expansive: it features ten large fence-themed structures, more than 90 smaller installations and 200 banners found in all five boroughs. While the multi-site, multi-media exhibition might seem like a lot to explore, the Public Art Fund, which commissioned the project, has made enjoying Weiwei's sprawling exhibition easy. The fund has created an interactive map that displays all 300 of the famed artist-activist's artworks currently found at public spaces, transit sites, lampposts and monuments all over the city, as well as additional information for each.
Explore the map

Events & Things To Do

Brooklyn Queens Connector unveils first streetcar prototype

Photo courtesy of Friends of the BQX

November 13, 2017

Brooklyn Queens Connector unveils first streetcar prototype

By Devin Gannon

A group of public officials and advocates joined the Friends of the Brooklyn Queens Connector (BQX) today to unveil the inaugural prototype of the streetcar proposed to run between Astoria and Sunset Park. First backed by Mayor Bill de Blasio in February 2016, the BQX project, expected to cost $2.5 billion, would connect Brooklyn and Queens along the East River. Despite significant setbacks, including a bleak assessment about the finances and logistics of the project from Deputy Mayor Alicia Glen in April, BQX supporters are urging the de Blasio administration to make the project a priority during his second term.
See the streetcar

MTA’s new cardless fare system could benefit low-income New Yorkers

Image via WNYC

November 13, 2017

MTA’s new cardless fare system could benefit low-income New Yorkers

By Devin Gannon

Not only would the Metropolitan Transportation Authority’s new electronic fare payment system make commuting more efficient, it might also save money for low-income straphangers. According to amNY, advocates and experts say the new “contactless” technology could make the system more equitable through a policy called fare capping: riders pay per ride until the daily or weekly capping rates are reached, with every ride being free after that.
Find out how it works

Live in a Dattner Architects-designed affordable rental in the South Bronx, from $864/month

Rendering of East 162nd Street Court via L&M Development

November 10, 2017

Live in a Dattner Architects-designed affordable rental in the South Bronx, from $864/month

By Devin Gannon

In a partnership between L&M Development and B&S Supportive Services for the Underserved, a new 12-story affordable housing project is now accepting applications for 88 units at 294 East 162nd Street. Designed by Dattner Architects, the South Bronx building, called East 162nd Street Court, offers 126 mixed-income rental apartments, with 37 reserved for formerly homeless families. The remaining units available will be set aside for New Yorkers earning 60 and 80 percent of the area median income for units ranging from an $864 per month studio to a $1,829 three-bedroom.
Find out if you qualify

Affordable Housing

Demolition papers filed for Lower East Side’s Landmark Sunshine Cinema

Photo of the Landmark Sunshine Cinema, courtesy of Wikimedia

November 10, 2017

Demolition papers filed for Lower East Side’s Landmark Sunshine Cinema

By Devin Gannon

Plans to demolish the Landmark Sunshine Cinema, a staple of the Lower East Side since 1909, were filed with the city Wednesday. Although the new owners of the historic theater, East End Capital and K Property Group, planned in May to redevelop the space as a mixed-use building with retail and office space, the developers, who paid about $35 million for the site, have changed their mind, the Lo-Down reports. The demolition application calls for a “full demolition of a 3-story commercial building.” The iconic cinema’s doors will close for good in January 2018, when its lease expires.
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New Developments

Heating 101: How to keep your apartment warm during NYC’s coldest months

Image via Pexels

November 10, 2017

Heating 101: How to keep your apartment warm during NYC’s coldest months

By Devin Gannon

With the sun setting earlier each night and the temperature quickly dropping, it’s time to make the seasonal swap from sandals to boots and from air conditioning to heating. To prepare for the city’s coldest months, New York City renters should know the basic laws of heating an apartment, as well as the best products and decor to supplement a less-than-adequate system. Ahead, follow 6sqft’s heating guide to keeping things toasty all winter long.
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Photo via Public Domain

November 10, 2017

Sign up to testify at city hearings about controversial monuments

By Devin Gannon

The commission created by Mayor Bill de Blasio to review possible "symbols of hate" on city property will hold a series of public hearings this month to get feedback from New Yorkers about controversial monuments. In August, the mayor created the Mayoral Advisory Commission on City Art, Monuments and Markers, a group tasked with a 90-day review of all potentially offensive symbols, following the white supremacist-led violence in Charlottesville, V.A. Two months later, the city launched an online survey as a way for the public to weigh in on the issue. To get further input on this controversial issue, the commission will hold public hearings in every borough throughout this month, allowing residents to testify at them (h/t NY Daily News).
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Policy

November 9, 2017

Preserved Dakota apartment hits the market for the first time in 50 years, asking $12.5M

By Devin Gannon

For the first time in 50 years, an eight-room apartment in the Dakota, quite possibly the city’s most iconic apartment building, is for sale with an asking price of $12.5 million. Built in 1884, the fortress-looking building at 1 West 72nd Street on the Upper West Side has been home to many celebrities over the years, including Judy Garland, Roberta Flack, Yoko Ono, and many more A-listers. As Curbed learned, four of the rooms in the available unit directly face Central Park and boast wood-burning fireplaces and original mahogany pocket doors.
Take a look around

Rafael Viñoly’s 88-story tower at 125 Greenwich Street gets new renderings

Rendering of 125 Greenwich Street, courtesy of March

November 9, 2017

Rafael Viñoly’s 88-story tower at 125 Greenwich Street gets new renderings

By Devin Gannon

Shortly after the launch of condominium sales last month, new renderings of 125 Greenwich Street were released Thursday, revealing its imposing height over neighboring Financial District towers (h/t YIMBY). The proposed 912-foot tall luxury condo designed by Rafael Viñoly Architects, the firm behind staggering 432 Park Avenue, features 273 total units, including 190 studios and one-bedrooms. Upon its completion, 125 Greenwich will have the third-highest apartments in lower Manhattan, after the Four Seasons Private Residences at 30 Park Place and nearly complete 45 Broad Street.
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Architecture And Design

MAP: Explore the women’s suffrage movement through the lens of NYC landmarks

By Devin Gannon

To commemorate the 100th anniversary of women gaining the right to vote in New York State, the city’s Landmarks Preservation Commission released an interactive story map that highlights places where suffragists lived and worked in New York City. The map, called NYC Landmarks and the Vote at 100, designates 43 sites associated with impactful activists, organizations, and institutions. Explore significant sites like the Cooper Union, the Panhellenic Tower, the New School for Social Research and much more, while learning about their role in the suffrage movement.
Explore the map here

MTA will give workers iPhones to brief riders about subway delays

E-train at the World Trade Center station, via Wikimedia

November 8, 2017

MTA will give workers iPhones to brief riders about subway delays

By Devin Gannon

In a pilot program aimed at improving communication with commuters, the Metropolitan Transportation Authority will give some of its workers iPhone 6s devices. The MTA will distribute about 230 phones to platform workers and train operators by the end of the week, as the Daily News learned. Text messages from the rail control center will be sent to the workers, detailing the cause and severity of delays. Workers will then pass on the information to riders, which will include available alternative routes.
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Transit

Lottery opens for 180 affordable units near the Bronx Zoo, from $396/month

The Bronx Zoo, courtesy of Julienne Schaer on NYC &C Company

November 7, 2017

Lottery opens for 180 affordable units near the Bronx Zoo, from $396/month

By Devin Gannon

Applications are currently being accepted for 180 newly constructed, affordable units in the West Farms neighborhood of the Bronx. The building at 1939 West Farms Road and 1926 Longfellow Avenue features an on-site super, security cameras, outdoor recreation space and on-site laundry. Qualifying New Yorkers earning 30, 40, 50, 60 and 120 percent of the area median income can apply for units ranging from a $396 per month one-bedroom to a $1,898 per month three-bedroom.
Find out if you qualify

Affordable Housing

Rockefeller Plaza to get open, circular cutout in proposed makeover

Rendering of plaza outside 1221 Sixth Avenue, via Rockefeller Group/Citterio-Viel & Partners

November 7, 2017

Rockefeller Plaza to get open, circular cutout in proposed makeover

By Devin Gannon

The Rockefeller Group will transform the indoor-outdoor plaza of 1221 Sixth Avenue, formerly the site of the McGraw-Hill tower, its biggest makeover since 1969. As the New York Post reported, the redesign calls for the current sunken plaza to be replaced with a sidewalk-level space. Designed by Italian architects Citterio-Viel & Partners, the plaza will also feature a large, circle-shaped cutout in its center, adding 35,000 square feet of retail space below-grade level.
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Architecture And Design

Robert A.M. Stern joins fight against Snøhetta’s plan to renovate Philip Johnson’s AT&T Building

Photo of the protest courtesy of Nathan Eddy

November 6, 2017

Robert A.M. Stern joins fight against Snøhetta’s plan to renovate Philip Johnson’s AT&T Building

By Devin Gannon

After Olayan America and Chelsfield revealed plans last week for a $300 million renovation of the building at 550 Madison Avenue, known as the AT&T Building, criticism quickly followed. Members of the architecture community, including New York architect Robert A.M. Stern, rallied together last Friday at the base of the Philip Johnson-designed skyscraper, to protest Snøhetta's proposal to replace the building's base with a scalloped glass front (h/t Dezeen). Protestors held signs that read "Hands off my Johnson," "Save the Stone," and "Save AT&T." Plus, a petition is currently being circulated on Change.org in an attempt to preserve Johnson's iconic AT&T Building by having the New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission officially designate it as a city landmark.
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Nearly 100 middle-income units sit vacant at Brooklyn’s Pacific Park development

Photo of 535 Carlton Avenue, courtesy of Max Touhey for Greenland Forest City Partners

November 6, 2017

Nearly 100 middle-income units sit vacant at Brooklyn’s Pacific Park development

By Devin Gannon

In July 2016, the lottery opened for 298 mixed-income rentals at 535 Carlton Avenue, part of the sprawling Pacific Park complex, in Brooklyn. But now, more than a year later, about 95 units remain vacant at the Prospect Heights site, as City Limits reported. Despite over 93,000 New Yorkers applying for the nearly 300 units within just eight weeks, the applicants were rejected because they did not make enough money to qualify for those specific units. The 95 vacancies, the most expensive apartments at Pacific Park, are reserved for households that earn between 135 and 165 percent of the area median income, which translates to $74,606 and $173,415 annually. Unable to secure tenants for this income bracket, developer Greenland Forest City Partners (GFCP) placed advertisements for the units on market-rate real estate websites.
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Affordable Housing

More affordable senior housing units planned for Essex Crossing development

New rendering of 140 Essex Street courtesy of Beyer Blinder Belle

November 6, 2017

More affordable senior housing units planned for Essex Crossing development

By Devin Gannon

Thanks to a $34 million loan from Wells Fargo, Delancey Street Associates closed last week on financing the construction of a 100 percent affordable senior building at 140 Essex Street, site 8 of the 1.9 million-square-foot Essex Crossing development. Originally, the project called for an 80/20 condo building, but developers decided to add 61 more affordable units to the building, bringing the number of affordable rentals at the Lower East Side complex to 561 out of 1,078 total units. Designed by Beyer Blinder Belle, the building at 140 Essex will rise 8 stories and include 92 affordable homes for seniors earning between 0 and 60 percent of the area median income, as well as 9,600 square feet of retail on the ground floor. Construction will begin soon, with an expected opening date sometime in 2019.
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Fully skinned, TF Cornerstone’s mammoth Midtown tower on West 57th tops out

Construction progress as of mid-October, via CityRealty

November 3, 2017

Fully skinned, TF Cornerstone’s mammoth Midtown tower on West 57th tops out

By Devin Gannon

In May 2012, TF Cornerstone (TFC) entered a 99-year ground lease for the building's site that spans nearly a full city block and measures 63,000 square feet. Now topped out and fully skinned, the massive rental at 606 West 57th Street has a less flashy appearance than renderings previously hinted, but still features an impressively imposing, boxy design, as CityRealty reported. Designed by Arquitectonica, the 42-story, 1.2 million-square-foot building will contain a whopping 1,028 apartments. It joins other West Side gems like the Helena and the pyramid-shaped, Bjarke Ingels-designed Via57 West.
See it here

Live across from Socrates Sculpture Park in Long Island City for $867/month

Rendering of Vernon Tower, via PACS Architecture and Excel Development

November 3, 2017

Live across from Socrates Sculpture Park in Long Island City for $867/month

By Devin Gannon

On Monday, the lottery opens for 21 affordable units in a new luxury residential building located on the border of the trendy Queens neighborhoods of Astoria and Long Island City. The mixed-use rental at 11-06 31st Drive, called the Vernon Tower despite being just eight-stories, sits directly across from Socrates Sculpture Park and just a few blocks from the Noguchi Museum and waterfront promenade. Qualifying New Yorkers earning 60 percent of the area median income can apply for the units ranging from $867/month studios to $1,123/month two-bedrooms.
Find out if you qualify

Affordable Housing

MAP: The best loops and trails for running in Central Park

Joggers in Central Park, via Wikimedia

November 2, 2017

MAP: The best loops and trails for running in Central Park

By Devin Gannon

If you're suddenly feeling inspired to start running with all the talk of the New York City Marathon, a map created by the Central Park Conservancy will help you get moving. While Central Park no longer serves as the only spot marathon contestants race through as it did during the city’s first marathon in 1970, it remains an oasis for runners of all experience levels. The conservancy's guide maps out the many loops and trails of the park to help you hit the ground running in preparation for next year's marathon, or even just starting a new hobby.
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City Living

Live in the heart of Downtown Jamaica from $707/month

Rendering of 147-36 94th Avenue courtesy of GF55 Partners

November 2, 2017

Live in the heart of Downtown Jamaica from $707/month

By Devin Gannon

Applications are currently being accepted for 379 recently constructed, affordable units in a 26-story rental tower, called Alvista Towers, in Jamaica--a Queens neighborhood on the brink of transformation as new residential and commercial developments continue to take root. Amenities at this spacious housing complex located at 147-36 94th Avenue include on-site laundry, playroom, an outdoor courtyard, fitness center, yoga room and a rooftop terrace. Qualifying New Yorkers earning 50, 60, 120, 130 and 165 percent of the area median income can apply to units ranging from a $707 per month studio to a $2,611 per month two-bedroom.
Find out if you qualify

Affordable Housing

FXFOWLE reveals renderings of 40-story office tower at Jersey City’s Harborside boardwalk

Rendering of Harborside Tower, courtesy of Mack-Cali and SJP Properties

November 1, 2017

FXFOWLE reveals renderings of 40-story office tower at Jersey City’s Harborside boardwalk

By Devin Gannon

In conjunction with a larger plan to transform Jersey City into a waterfront destination, real estate investors Mack-Cali and SJP Properties announced on Tuesday a proposal for a 40-story office building that will implement the latest in “intelligent building” technology. Located just seven minutes to Manhattan via the PATH, Harborside Tower, designed by FXFOWLE, will feature a sleek glass and steel facade, with 1.2 million square feet of space for businesses. In addition to the office space, the tower will feature two units of retail space, one at 12,000 square feet and the other at 25,000 square feet, found just off the lobby.
Renderings this way

Lottery opens for Extell’s Lower East Side affordable rental, from $947/month

Rendering of 229 Cherry Street, via Extell Development

November 1, 2017

Lottery opens for Extell’s Lower East Side affordable rental, from $947/month

By Devin Gannon

The housing lottery for Extell Development's affordable housing building in the Lower East Side has officially launched. The 13-story development at 229 Cherry Street and sits right next to the group's amenity-filled, luxury condo, One Manhattan Square. Designed by Dattner Architects, residents at 229 Cherry Street will have access to a landscaped terrace, fitness center and a lounge. Qualifying New Yorkers earning 60 percent of the area median income can apply for $947 per month studios, $1,017 per month one-bedrooms and $1,230 per month two-bedrooms.
Find out if you qualify

Affordable Housing

3 Hudson Boulevard loses 100+ feet in new renderings

A new rendering of 3 Hudson Boulevard, via FXFOWLE/Moinian Group

November 1, 2017

3 Hudson Boulevard loses 100+ feet in new renderings

By Devin Gannon

A revised proposal for the Moinian Group’s Hudson Yards tower 3 Hudson Boulevard calls for a slight height chop, which will strip it of its supertall status. A redesign from FXFOWLE now brings the total square footage to 2 million square feet from a previous 1.8 million and lowers its height to 940 feet tall from 1,050 feet. Instead of 63 floors, the tower will rise 53 floors in this new design. To match standards for today’s modern office, the building will now feature larger floor plates, higher ceilings and a terrace on the eighth floor. As the New York Post reported, a groundbreaking ceremony will be held this Friday with elected officials, celebrating the reboot.
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October 31, 2017

Vornado pitches new Moynihan Train Hall for Amazon’s second headquarters

By Devin Gannon

Earlier this month, New York City officially pitched four neighborhoods to house Amazon’s HQ2: Long Island City, the Brooklyn Tech Triangle, Lower Manhattan and Midtown West. During its third-quarter earnings call Tuesday, Vornado Realty Trust said the Moynihan Train Hall remains at the forefront of the city’s Midtown West bid, citing the project’s proposed 730,000 square feet of office space and 120,000 square feet of retail as meeting the retailer's key requirements (h/t Commercial Observer). Vornado, along with Related Companies, Skanska USA, and architecture firm Skidmore, Owings & Merrill, is converting the former James A. Farley Post Office into the Moynihan Train Hall, an effort led by Governor Andrew Cuomo to create a world-class transit center.
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