All articles by Devin Gannon

Study says Mayor de Blasio’s affordable housing plan ignores low-income New Yorkers

Photo via Wiki Commons

September 19, 2017

Study says Mayor de Blasio’s affordable housing plan ignores low-income New Yorkers

By Devin Gannon

Despite making affordable housing a policy priority, Mayor Bill de Blasio’s plan falls short for the poorest New Yorkers, a new study says. The report, released by the Real Affordability for All (RAFA) coalition last week, says low- and moderate-income households across the city face a worsening affordability crisis (h/t DNAinfo). Although the city’s lowest earners experience the largest gap between incomes and housing costs, de Blasio’s affordable housing plan, which aims to develop or preserve 200,000 affordable units over 10 years, sets aside more units for middle-income households than low-income ones.
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Apply for five affordable apartments in East Harlem, from $867/month

The East Harlem neighborhood, via Wikipedia

September 18, 2017

Apply for five affordable apartments in East Harlem, from $867/month

By Devin Gannon

Applications are now being accepted for five newly constructed, affordable units at 230 East 124th Street in the Manhattan neighborhood of East Harlem. Located between Third and Second Avenues, the six-floor building features 20 apartments. Qualifying New Yorkers earning 60 percent of the area median income can apply for the units that range from a $867 per month studio to a $1,123 per month two-bedroom.
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Affordable Housing

Trump is claiming a $45K tax break by calling Trump Tower his primary residence

Photo of Trump Tower courtesy of Krystal T’s Flickr

September 18, 2017

Trump is claiming a $45K tax break by calling Trump Tower his primary residence

By Devin Gannon

While this week marks just the third time President Donald Trump has visited New York City since his January inauguration, property taxes he filed after the election designate Trump Tower as his primary residence. As the Real Deal reported, Trump will save $45,000 by calling his penthouse his main home, utilizing a tax credit known as the “coop condo abatement.” The credit can be used by owner-occupied co-ops and condos and takes off 28.1 percent of property taxes for the unit. Because of the tax abatement, the president has saved a little under $200,000 on his taxes over the last five years.
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Refugees are renting out Trump’s childhood home during this week’s UN General Assembly

Photo courtesy of Laffey Fine Homes from a previous listing

September 18, 2017

Refugees are renting out Trump’s childhood home during this week’s UN General Assembly

By Devin Gannon

With President Donald Trump back in New York City for the United Nations General Assembly this week, a group of refugees is staying at the president’s childhood home, renting the Queens property through Airbnb. The Jamacia Estates home at 85-15 Wareham Place is being rented by Oxfam, an anti-poverty organization, to bring attention to the refugee crisis (h/t NY Post). The group invited four refugees to talk with journalists at the rental, highlighting their concern with Trump’s travel ban on people from six Muslim-majority countries and all refugees that was introduced in January. After facing multiple legal challenges, the Supreme Court allowed the refugee policy to remain temporarily, but justices will hear arguments about the travel ban on Oct. 10.
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OTD in 1954, Marilyn Monroe’s dress famously flew up above a random NYC subway grate

The iconic shot of Marilyn Monroe via Wikimedia; subway via Steven Pisano/flickr cc

September 15, 2017

OTD in 1954, Marilyn Monroe’s dress famously flew up above a random NYC subway grate

By Devin Gannon

Sixty-three years ago today, one of the most iconic moments in cinematic history happened on the corner of Lexington Avenue and 52nd Street, above a gritty subway grate. On September 15, 1954, Marilyn Monroe’s white halter dress blew up over her hips while filming "The Seven Year Itch." The shot was taken after midnight, with thousands of fans looking at the Hollywood starlet standing on the grate, with the uptown 6 train running underneath. While the scene appears effortless, it took roughly three hours to film and 14 takes to get it just right. Despite the multiple takes, the scene was later re-shot in California, with the original shots used just for ads.
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Tri-State Trail proposal would connect New York, New Jersey and Connecticut with 1,650 miles of trails

Pochuck Creek, photo via Pixabay

September 15, 2017

Tri-State Trail proposal would connect New York, New Jersey and Connecticut with 1,650 miles of trails

By Devin Gannon

The NY-NJ-CT region features hundreds of parks and landscapes, from the Catskills and Pinelands to the beaches of Jersey and Long Island. Despite all of this open space, these recreational spots are disjointed from each other and from the communities that would use them. To better connect the parks to one another and to residents, the Regional Plan Association (RPA) has released a new proposal that calls for a Tri-State Trail network, linking 1,650 miles of biking, hiking, and walking trails in the greater New York region. The trail network would put over 8 million of the area’s residents within a half-mile of a trail, increasing access by 25 percent. It would put over 80 percent of today’s residents, or roughly 18.6 million, within just two miles of a trail.
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Problems at 666 Fifth Avenue tower linked to Jared Kushner’s White House role

A rendering of 666 Fifth Avenue, courtesy of Kushner Companies/Zaha Hadid Architects

September 14, 2017

Problems at 666 Fifth Avenue tower linked to Jared Kushner’s White House role

By Devin Gannon

In 2007, Kushner Companies purchased a 41-story tower in Midtown for $1.8 billion, which was the most expensive real estate deal ever in the U.S. at the time. The transaction of 666 Fifth Avenue, coordinated by Jared Kushner, now a senior advisor to President Donald Trump, was ill-timed, making the purchase just before the economic recession. As the Washington Post reported, the Fifth Avenue project is one of the most financially troubled for Kushner Cos., with one-fourth of office space empty, and its lease revenue not covering monthly interest payments. While Kushner has divested his stake in the property to avoid conflicts of interest, the property's value has dropped and foreign entities have withdrawn financial support. Currently, Kushner’s dealings are under investigation by special counsel Robert Mueller, as part of the broader investigation into Russian collusion with the Trump campaign.
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Could the new Amazon headquarters be in Sunset Park’s Industry City?

Photo courtesy of Industry City

September 14, 2017

Could the new Amazon headquarters be in Sunset Park’s Industry City?

By Devin Gannon

After Amazon announced last week plans to build a second corporate headquarters in North America, the competition among cities hoping to be chosen remains fierce. The company’s proposed headquarters, called HQ2, would bring $5 billion in initial city investment and 50,000 new jobs, making it very appealing for most cities. According to Crain’s, a group of landlords in Brooklyn is working together to pitch Amazon the borough’s many office properties, including space in Industry City, a massive 6.5 million square-foot complex in Sunset Park. Proposals are due by Oct. 19 and Amazon is expected to make a decision by next year.
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Policy

Morphosis Architects’ innovative Bloomberg Center at Cornell Tech on Roosevelt Island officially opens

September 13, 2017

Morphosis Architects’ innovative Bloomberg Center at Cornell Tech on Roosevelt Island officially opens

By Devin Gannon

The first building of Cornell Tech's Roosevelt Island campus officially opened on Wednesday, set to be the first net-zero university building in New York City. Known as the Emma and Georgina Bloomberg Center, named after former Mayor Michael Bloomberg who donated $100 million for the project, the four-story 160,000-square foot academic building will be the intellectual nerve center of Cornell Tech. Designed by Morphosis Architects, the building has a photovoltaic canopy and an aluminum-paneled facade.
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New renderings of 3 Hudson Boulevard revive the skyscraper’s proposed 300-foot spire

September 13, 2017

New renderings of 3 Hudson Boulevard revive the skyscraper’s proposed 300-foot spire

By Devin Gannon

In what seems like a game of hide-and-seek, the 300-foot spire on top of the Moinian Group’s supertall at 3 Hudson Boulevard has returned to renderings, after being absent from them two weeks ago. The spire, which would make the skyscraper the tallest building in Hudson Yards at 1,350 feet tall, first made its appearance in early August, only to disappear a few weeks later. Now, as YIMBY reported, the FXFOWLE-designed building shows the spire’s return, as construction begins at the site.
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Popular Articles

REVEALED: 27-story tower at Lincoln Savings Bank site will be tallest in East Williamsburg

September 13, 2017

REVEALED: 27-story tower at Lincoln Savings Bank site will be tallest in East Williamsburg

By Devin Gannon

The first renderings for the mixed-use rental development planned for 525-545 Broadway in Brooklyn’s East Williamsburg neighborhood were released this week, showing a creative reimagining of the 20th century Lincoln Savings Bank. As CityRealty learned, the project’s developers Blesso Properties and Bravo Builders, plan on building a 27-story, 298-foot tall building with offices and retail on the lower floors and 218 rental properties above it. The plan also calls for 37,000 square-feet of landscaped space, a food hall, nightlife venue and a wellness center.
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New Developments

In the early 20th century, Finns in Sunset Park created NYC’s first not-for-profit co-op

Streetview of Sunset Park’s Alku Toinen, photo courtesy of Lynn Massimo via HDC

September 12, 2017

In the early 20th century, Finns in Sunset Park created NYC’s first not-for-profit co-op

By Devin Gannon

While the co-op movement officially began in Europe in the late 1800s, its legacy as the dominate housing choice in New York City continues today, all thanks to the large groups of Finnish immigrants that landed in Brooklyn’s Sunset Park during the first half of the 20th century. Instead of renting the typical tenement-style buildings of the time, a group of 16 Finnish families decided to combine their resources and set up a housing cooperative called the Finnish Home Building Association in the South Brooklyn neighborhood in 1916 (h/t WNYC). Just over 100 years later, the Finn’s idea of co-ops, which spread quickly throughout the five boroughs, remains prevalent in the city today.
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History

VIDEO: Drone footage shows construction of ODA’s massive Rheingold Brewery site

September 11, 2017

VIDEO: Drone footage shows construction of ODA’s massive Rheingold Brewery site

By Devin Gannon

Slated to be the largest influx of housing created in Bushwick ever, ODA Architect’s two projects on the old Rheingold Brewery site continue to progress. Rabsky Group’s 10 Montieth Street, a nearly 400,000-square-foot, seven-story building with 392 units, just topped out. And All Year Management’s impressive development, totaling one million square feet, at 123 Melrose Street is currently being clad. Overall, the two projects will span three full city blocks.
Watch the video

John Catsimatidis wants his Coney Island development to have its own street car

A rendering of Ocean Dreams from January via Dattner Architects

September 11, 2017

John Catsimatidis wants his Coney Island development to have its own street car

By Devin Gannon

As part of his “Ocean Dreams” development in Coney Island, billionaire real estate mogul John Catsimatidis plans to build a streetcar that would link the mixed-use project to the Stillwell Avenue subway station in Coney Island. Developed by Catsimatidis’ Red Apple Group, the project at 3514 Surf Avenue includes three buildings between West 36th and West 37th Streets that will feature retail space, 440 market-rate apartments and a 254-car garage. As the Coney Island News first reported, Catsimatidis said the streetcar would be available to everyone, not just residents of his development.
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NYC-based startup aims to replace security deposits with monthly fee

Image via Pexels

September 8, 2017

NYC-based startup aims to replace security deposits with monthly fee

By Devin Gannon

Image via Pexels Finding that perfect New York City apartment can be tough, but pulling together all of that cash for the security deposit can be even tougher. A brand new startup, Rhino, wants to help renters throughout this process by eliminating security deposits. Instead, through the firm, renters would pay a monthly fee, starting at $19 (h/t Crain’s).
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Real Estate Trends

Penn Station’s foul bathrooms will get much-needed upgrades

Photo via Kev Harb on Flickr

September 8, 2017

Penn Station’s foul bathrooms will get much-needed upgrades

By Devin Gannon

After announcing the official end of the “summer of hell” last week, Amtrak said the next thing on their to-do list is to finally fix the disgusting and dilapidated bathrooms at Penn Station. Both men’s and women’s bathrooms at the busiest transit center in the country will be refurbished beginning this fall, as the New York Times reported.
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Trump appears receptive to funding multi-billion Gateway tunnel project

The path for a future Hudson River tunnel is being preserved at Hudson Yards, photo via Amtrak

September 8, 2017

Trump appears receptive to funding multi-billion Gateway tunnel project

By Devin Gannon

Even though the U.S. Department of Transportation withdrew in July from the board that oversees the Gateway Program, President Trump is keeping an open-mind about the nearly $30 billion project that would add a second rail beneath the Hudson River. According to the Daily News, during a meeting at the White House between New York and New Jersey elected officials and the Trump administration, the president showed interest in the project and appeared to support having the federal government pay for half of the cost. The new train tunnel under the Hudson would provide a critical link between NJ and Penn Station.
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Queens official wants Trump State Park renamed to honor Charlottesville victim

Photo via Wikimedia

September 7, 2017

Queens official wants Trump State Park renamed to honor Charlottesville victim

By Devin Gannon

Assembly Member Nily Rozic, a Democrat who represents Queens, is expected to introduce a bill that would change the name of a state park named after President Donald Trump. Rozic’s bill would rename the park to honor Heather Heyer, the woman killed last month by a white supremacist in Charlottesville. As BuzzFeed first reported, a similar push was made in both houses of the state legislature and from local members of Congress in 2015 and 2016. Trump donated the 436 acres of land to New York State in 2006 on the condition his name be “prominently displayed.”
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Policy

Trump could earn $14M from the sale of a Brooklyn housing complex he co-owns

Starrett City photo via Matt Green on Flickr, President Trump photo via Wikimedia

September 7, 2017

Trump could earn $14M from the sale of a Brooklyn housing complex he co-owns

By Devin Gannon

The owners of Starrett City, the largest federally subsidized housing project in the country, recently announced they found a buyer for the $850 million Brooklyn development. Located in East New York, Starrett City sits on 145 acres and includes 5,881 affordable apartments for 15,000 residents. As the New York Times reported, President Donald Trump partially owns the housing development and will benefit from the sale of the property. Since the sale requires federal approval from the Department of Housing and Urban Development and state officials, this puts the president on both sides of the agreement, creating a potential conflict of interest for him.
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100 free things to do in New York City

September 6, 2017

100 free things to do in New York City

By Devin Gannon

Despite being one of the most expensive cities to live in, New York City offers many free activities, events, and attractions all year round, letting you pinch pennies when the rent check is due. From free lectures at the Met to free group meditation classes, there are tons of activities that don't cost a dime. To help New York visitors and natives alike, we've put together a guide of the 100 best wallet-friendly things to do in the Big Apple.
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New York City ranked the 57th most family-friendly city in the U.S.

Families in Central Park’s Sheep Meadow, photo courtesy of ep_jhu on Flickr

September 5, 2017

New York City ranked the 57th most family-friendly city in the U.S.

By Devin Gannon

As the average cost of childcare grows across the United States, raising a family can be difficult anywhere, which is why personal finance website WalletHub analyzed the country's 150 most populated cities and ranked them in terms of family friendliness, based on key metrics like safety, education, and housing affordability. While it comes as no surprise that NYC ranks nearly last for affordability and the median family salary, it ties with Chicago for first place with the highest number of playgrounds per capita and most family-fun attractions. Overall, New York City ranked 57 out of 150.
What cities scored the highest?

City Living

Not-so-hellish repairs at Penn Station finish ahead of schedule

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

September 1, 2017

Not-so-hellish repairs at Penn Station finish ahead of schedule

By Devin Gannon

Amtrak announced on Thursday that the eight weeks of infrastructure repairs at Penn Station predicted to be the “summer of hell” by Governor Cuomo, have officially ended ahead of the scheduled Monday deadline (h/t WNYC). Following a series of train derailments and system failures, Amtrak began repairing and replacing tracks in July. Over 360 workers installed six football fields worth of track and 176 yards of concrete this summer, according to Amtrak. While regular transit operations at Penn Station will resume Sept. 5, more repair work will continue through June 2018, with most of the work taking place on the weekends.
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Transit

Apply for 22 energy-efficient apartments at a passive house in the Bronx from $865/month

Rendering of 3365 Third Avenue courtesy of Curtis+Ginsberg Architects

August 31, 2017

Apply for 22 energy-efficient apartments at a passive house in the Bronx from $865/month

By Devin Gannon

Applications are currently being accepted for 22 affordable apartments at 3365 Third Avenue in the Bronx neighborhood of Morrisania. Developed by Bronx Pro Group and designed by Curtis+Ginsberg Architects, the project meets the passive house standard by featuring energy-efficient measures such as fiberglass triple-pane windows, LED lighting, and low-flow water fixtures -- all of which will result in energy reduction savings as high as high as nearly 90 percent. Qualifying New Yorkers earning 60 or 100 percent of the area median income can apply for the units, ranging from $865/month studios to$1,969/month four-bedrooms.
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Affordable Housing

Apply for 12 affordable apartments in Bed-Stuy, from $1,230/ month

27 Albany Avenue rendering via Loci Architecture

August 30, 2017

Apply for 12 affordable apartments in Bed-Stuy, from $1,230/ month

By Devin Gannon

Applications are currently being accepted for 12 affordable apartments at 27 Albany Avenue in the Brooklyn neighborhood of Bedford-Stuyvesant. Located on the bustling corner of Fulton Street, the building rises 10 stories with 50 residences. Amenities include on-site parking, a virtual doorman, package room, fitness center, communal terraces and a lounge. New Yorkers earning 80 percent of the area median income can apply for five one-bedrooms for $1,230 per month and seven two-bedrooms for $1,486 per month.
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Affordable Housing

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