All articles by Devin Gannon

February 15, 2022

Britney Spears’s former Noho penthouse is on the market for $7M

The Noho penthouse Britney Spears called home nearly 20 years ago is on the market for $6,995,000. The four-level apartment is in the Silk Building, an early 20th-century factory-turned condominium building located at 14 East 4th Street. As first reported by the New York Post, the home has a celebrity-filled history, with Cher, Russell Simmons, and Keith Richards among the A-listers who once lived at this address.
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February 15, 2022

NYC commits $75M to Fair Fares program, makes it a permanent part of budget

Funding for New York City's Fair Fares program, which offers a 50 percent discount on subway and bus trips for low-income New Yorkers, has been secured annually for the first time ever. Mayor Eric Adams and City Council Speaker Adrienne Adams on Monday announced an agreement to baseline $75 million in funding for the program for the upcoming fiscal year 2023 budget. Fair Fares was originally funded at $106 million in 2020, but pandemic-related budget cuts reduced funding for the program to just over $40 million.
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February 14, 2022

Futuristic movie studio designed by Bjarke Ingels moves forward in Astoria

Construction of a massive $600 million movie studio in Queens backed by actor Robert De Niro can officially begin after the city granted the project a building permit earlier this month. Designed by Bjarke Ingels Group (BIG), Wildflower Studios will measure roughly 775,000 square feet on a five-acre lot in Astoria, next to the Steinway Pianos manufacturing warehouse. The seven-story building is considered to be the world's first "vertical commercial film, television, and film studio," according to the architects.
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February 11, 2022

Jon Bon Jovi lists Greenwich Village condo for $22M

Jersey rocker Jon Bon Jovi put his Greenwich Village apartment on the market this week for $22,000,000, the Wall Street Journal first reported. The four-bedroom home sits on a high floor of The Greenwich Lane, a condominium located at 155 West 11th Street, and has panoramic views of Downtown Manhattan and direct elevator access. The musician bought the pad in 2017 for just over $18,940,000, records show.
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February 10, 2022

Central Park takes center stage at this $5.9M condo above Lincoln Center

From its expansive, unobstructed views of Central Park to its location above Lincoln Center, this duplex condo has a flair for the dramatic. Located at 3 Lincoln Center, the only residential building within the renowned performing arts complex, the home boasts a 27-foot-long great room with direct views of Central Park and a south-facing dining room with sights of the Empire State Building. The interior views aren't too shabby either; award-winning architecture firm Jennifer Post Design put their signature sophisticated touch on the nearly 2,000-square-foot two-bedroom home. It can be yours for $5,975,000.
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February 2, 2022

Apply for 219 affordable units at new sustainable rental in Cypress Hills, from $202/month

On the border of Brooklyn's East New York and Cypress Hills neighborhoods, a newly constructed rental building designed to meet Passive House standards is now accepting applications for 219 affordable apartments. Located at 110 Dinsmore Place, Chestnut Commons rises 14-stories and contains housing for low-income and formerly homeless New Yorkers. Those earning 20, 40, 50, 70, and 80 percent of the area median income can apply for the apartments, which range from $202/month studios to $2,037/month three-bedrooms.
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February 1, 2022

$5.7M penthouse sale sets new record in Jersey City

Jersey City has a new most expensive condo. A four-bedroom, four-and-a-half-bath penthouse at 75 Park Lane closed for $5,700,000, Strategic Capital, the developer of the high-rise, announced on Tuesday. This sale takes the title from the previous record-holder in the city, 99 Hudson Street, where a penthouse sold for $4,438,500 last October.
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January 28, 2022

18 places to celebrate Lunar New Year 2022 in NYC

The two-week Lunar New Year festival began this week, ushering in the Year of the Tiger. Kicking off February 1 and running through February 15, the Lunar New Year celebrates the end of the winter and looks forward to spring and new beginnings. Thanks to its multiple Chinatowns and diverse Asian communities across the five boroughs, New York City offers many ways to celebrate the new year, including a fireworks display, parades, lion dance performances, lantern making, and more.
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January 27, 2022

Queens’ most expensive condo is this $4.995M penthouse in Long Island City

A massive loft penthouse in Long Island City hit the market this week for $4,995,000, the most expensive condo in the borough of Queens. The home measures a palatial 5,400 square feet across two levels on the top floor of the Arris Lofts, once home to the Eagle Electric Manufacturing Factory and now a full-service condo building. The property has three bedrooms, three and a half baths, and two private outdoor spaces that deliver an up-close look at the ever-evolving neighborhood.
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January 27, 2022

Lottery opens for 48 units at Downtown Brooklyn rental with impressive rooftop, from $1,542/month

Adding to the high-rise boom of Downtown Brooklyn is The Guild, a 23-story luxury rental building at 310 Livingston Street. A lottery is now open for 48 middle-income apartments at the mixed-use tower, which was designed by Fogarty Finger Architecture and boasts a dark brick facade and bronzed windows. Qualifying New Yorkers earning 80 and 130 percent of the area median income can apply for the apartments, which start at $1,542/month for a one-bedroom unit and go up to $3,219/month for a two-bedroom.
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January 26, 2022

New York’s mask mandate is reinstated, for now

New York's mask mandate has been reinstated after an appeals court judge on Tuesday temporarily blocked a ruling from a lower-court judge that struck down the policy. One day prior, Nassau County Supreme Court Justice Thomas Rademaker said Gov. Kathy Hochul's mask requirement, which applies to all indoor public places in the state that do not require proof of vaccination, was unconstitutional.
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January 24, 2022

Joe Tsai’s firm revealed as buyer of $190M penthouse at 220 Central Park South

Earlier this month it was reported billionaire Daniel Och sold his penthouse at 220 Central Park South for $190 million, roughly double what he paid for the home in 2019. While the identity of the buyer was unknown at the time, city records first reported last week by Bloomberg show Blue Pool Capital, the firm that manages some fortunes of Alibaba co-founders Joe Tsai and Jack Ma, paid $188 million for the property.
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January 21, 2022

Theodore Roosevelt statue removed from NYC’s Museum of Natural History

The statue of Theodore Roosevelt that has stood on the steps of the American Museum of Natural History for more than eight decades was removed this week. The city's Public Design Commission voted last summer to take down and relocate the statue, seen as racist for its depiction of Roosevelt on horseback flanked by a Native American figure and an African figure. The bronze statue will soon be shipped to Medora, N.D., where it will be displayed at the Theodore Roosevelt Presidential Library, set to open in 2026.
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January 20, 2022

John Legend and Chrissy Teigen list pair of penthouses in Nolita for $18M

John Legend and Chrissy Teigen are selling their two penthouses in Nolita for $18 million, the Wall Street Journal first reported. The couple purchased a $9 million unit in 2018 followed by a $7.7 million penthouse in 2020 in the six-story Brewster Carriage House at 374 Broome Street. The A-list duo told the WSJ they wanted to combine the two apartments into one but never did.
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January 20, 2022

Hochul outlines replacement for New York’s expiring 421-a tax break program

As part of her State of the State address delivered earlier this month, Gov. Kathy Hochul promised to replace the 421-a tax abatement program with a new "effective" credit. Set to expire in June, 421-a gives New York real estate developers who construct new residential buildings a property tax exemption in exchange for designating a portion of the homes as affordable. As part of her executive budget, Hochul on Wednesday outlined her plan for a replacement program called "Affordable Neighborhoods for New Yorkers." While the new program calls for the units built to be more affordable, much of the structure of the existing tax abatement remains in place.
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January 19, 2022

NYC pledges to make 1,000 intersections safer for pedestrians

Last year, New York City experienced the highest level of traffic fatalities in over a decade, a majority of which took place at street intersections. Mayor Eric Adams on Wednesday announced a plan to better protect pedestrians, including improving the design of 1,000 intersections across the city, constructing 100 raised crosswalks annually, and enforcing a new traffic rule that requires drivers and cyclists to fully stop for pedestrians when traffic controls are not in place.
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January 19, 2022

In the West Village, a cozy co-op with a huge skylight and wood-burning fireplace asks $1.15M

A light-filled one-bedroom is now available in prime West Village. Located at 459 Hudson Street between Morton and Barrow Streets, the co-op is on the smaller side but makes up for the lack of space with an extra dose of charm. A huge skylight helps drench the living room with sunshine, while a corner wood-burning fireplace brings the whole space together. It can be yours for $1,150,000.
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January 18, 2022

Adams vetoes measure that would increase fines for non-artist residents in upzoned Soho-Noho

Mayor Eric Adams last week vetoed legislation that would increase fines for residents illegally occupying artist housing in Soho and Noho, a measure passed by the City Council last month alongside the approved neighborhood rezoning. Sponsored by former Council Member Margaret Chin, the bill would increase penalties on non-artist residents of the Joint Living Work Quarters for Artists (JLWQA) zone, which was created in the 1970s to allow artists to legally live in the once manufacturing-heavy area, with fines starting at $15,000 for those without proper certification.
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January 18, 2022

Lottery opens for 288 apartments at 71-story rental in Long Island City, from $2,132/month

Late last year, leasing launched at Sven, a 71-story rental in Long Island City and the second tallest building in Queens. This week, an affordable housing lottery for 288 middle-income apartments opened at the residential skyscraper located at 2959 Northern Boulevard. Qualifying New Yorkers earning 130 percent of the area median income can apply for the apartments, which range in price from $1,990/month studios to $3,843/month three-bedrooms.
Find out if you qualify
January 14, 2022

Billionaire Daniel Och sells 220 Central Park South penthouse for $190M

Billionaire Daniel Och has sold his penthouse at 220 Central Park South for an astounding $190 million, nearly double the amount he paid for the home in 2019. As first reported by the Wall Street Journal, the sale marks one of the most expensive deals ever in New York. The buyer has not been disclosed.
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January 13, 2022

See inside a $10M penthouse at the record-setting Quay Tower in Brooklyn Heights

A palatial penthouse at record-setting condo building Quay Tower in Brooklyn Heights has just hit the market for $10,000,000. Located at 50 Bridge Park Drive at the south end of Brooklyn Bridge Park, the waterfront development has made headlines for several title-grabbing sales, including a $20.3 million penthouse (the borough's second most expensive residential sale ever) and a $10.65 million home that went into contract last fall, a condo record last year. 6sqft got a first look at photos of this just-listed penthouse, which measures a stunning 3,553 square feet and includes four bedrooms, three and a half baths, and unmatched views of Manhattan.
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January 12, 2022

NYC Restaurant Week returns with deals at more than 440 neighborhood eateries

Reservations are now open at more than 440 local restaurants participating in New York City Restaurant Week this winter. The biannual program, which was first introduced 30 years ago, offers New Yorkers a chance to dine at highly acclaimed restaurants at a discounted price. Running from January 18 through February 13, the 2022 winter Restaurant Week includes prix-fixe deals for two-course lunches or three-course dinners for $29, $39, or $59, depending on the restaurant.
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January 10, 2022

How to help victims of the Bronx apartment building fire

A five-alarm fire ignited in a residential tower in the Bronx on Sunday morning, killing 17 people, including eight children, and marking the city's most devastating fire since 1990. According to Fire Department officials, a faulty space heater started the fire at the 120-unit Twin Parks North West building, located at 333 East 181st Street. In addition to dealing with the tragic loss of life and dozens of serious injuries, families in the building have now been displaced and are in urgent need of relief supplies. We've put together a list of organizations accepting monetary donations and emergency supplies for those affected by the fire.
More here
January 7, 2022

For $1.8M, a co-op in a Lenox Hill landmark has two exposures and five-star hotel service

A perfectly proportioned two-bedroom co-op next to Central Park is now available. The home sits in the iconic Sherry Netherland, a 38-story cooperative residential hotel at 781 Fifth Avenue built in the 1920s. Now asking $1,795,000, the residence boasts East and West exposures, pouring light into the home through its incredible 12 windows.
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January 5, 2022

Hochul wants to make to-go cocktails legal again in New York

Gov. Kathy Hochul announced on Wednesday plans to introduce legislation permanently allowing the sale of to-go alcoholic beverages. First permitted at the start of the coronavirus pandemic to support the restaurant industry during the lockdown, the state ended takeout cocktails last June, coinciding with the lift of Covid-related restrictions. Legalizing the sale of to-go drinks will help local restaurants and bars recover from the pandemic, according to Hochul's proposal. "Cheers, New York," Hochul said Wednesday during her State of the State address.
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