All articles by Devin Gannon

Kool & the Gang founder’s Montclair home hits the market for $7.5M

Photos courtesy of Brown Harris Stevens

August 8, 2025

Kool & the Gang founder’s Montclair home hits the market for $7.5M

The former New Jersey home of late musician and founding member of the Kool & the Gang, Dennis "Dee Tee" Thomas, is for sale. Located at 82-84 Watchung Avenue in Montclair, the property consists of two seemingly identical four-story townhomes, allowing for multi-generational living or a smart investment. The two-family residence is on the market for $7,500,000; each townhouse is also available to rent for $18,000/month.
a 'Kool' deal

Restored Richmond Barthé frieze returns to the Kingsborough Houses in Crown Heights

Photos courtesy of the Public Housing Community Fund

August 7, 2025

Restored Richmond Barthé frieze returns to the Kingsborough Houses in Crown Heights

By Devin Gannon

A monumental artwork that has been a fixture of a Crown Heights public housing complex for 80 years has been restored. Created by Harlem Renaissance artist Richmond Barthé, "Exodus and Dance" is an 80-foot cast-stone frieze depicting biblical scenes and Black figures dancing that has been on display at the city's Kingsborough Houses since 1941. Eight decades of exposure to the elements caused the stone to crack and crumble, requiring a major restoration to preserve the public artwork. After an 18-month conservation project, officials on Thursday cut the ribbon on the rehabilitated "Exodus and Dance" sculpture, which once again stands as a community landmark.
READ MORE

NYC construction activity picks up, but mostly projects with under 100 units

In Long Island City, 30-25 Queens Boulevard will have 451 rentals and 110 condos. Photo by Newell Reinvention on Flickr

July 28, 2025

NYC construction activity picks up, but mostly projects with under 100 units

By Devin Gannon

New construction in New York City may finally be picking up. A report released last week by the Real Estate Board of New York (REBNY) found there were 424 new building filings in the second quarter of 2025, a 43 percent increase from the same period last year. Plus, more multifamily housing units are being built compared to the overall average units since 2008, with 6,943 units across 158 proposed buildings between April 1 and June 30. While the new 485-x tax break is spurring development, most new residential projects have fewer than 100 units, likely so developers avoid the state's $40 hourly wage requirement for larger buildings.
learn more

Policy

Hebrew Union College taps Beyer Blinder Belle to renovate historic UWS armory building for new campus

Photos courtesy of Hebrew Union College

July 24, 2025

Hebrew Union College taps Beyer Blinder Belle to renovate historic UWS armory building for new campus

By Devin Gannon

A historic Upper West Side armory building turned television studio is getting ready for its next chapter. After buying the First Battery Armory from ABC earlier this year, Hebrew Union College has hired Beyer Blinder Belle Architects & Planners to renovate the landmarked building as part of the Jewish seminary's new New York campus. The renovation will add modern classrooms, a new library, and dedicated spaces for prayer and gathering.
details this way

Architecture And Design

Tour a hidden rooftop meadow in Greenpoint this weekend

Photos courtesy of Kingsland Wildflowers unless otherwise noted.

July 23, 2025

Tour a hidden rooftop meadow in Greenpoint this weekend

By Devin Gannon

In the heart of industrial Greenpoint is a hidden green surprise. Kingsland Wildflowers is a 24,000-square-foot pollinator garden, planted with native grasses and flowers, on top of Broadway Stages, a working soundstage. On Saturday, July 26, the rooftop meadow will open to the public as part of its annual Kingsland Wildflowers Festival, for an afternoon of guided tours, performances, and food and drinks from local vendors.
READ MORE

Events & Things To Do

All photos courtesy of Compass

July 21, 2025

Adam Neumann lists Gramercy penthouse for $22.75M

By Devin Gannon

Billionaire Adam Neumann has once again listed his Gramercy Park penthouse, but with a new offering. The WeWork co-founder is selling his sprawling condo at 78 Irving Place for $22,750,000. While previous attempts to sell the property included the entire 7,880-square-foot combination spread, the latest listing does not include the additional smaller unit, which Neumann and his wife Rebekah plan to keep for themselves, as the New York Post reported.
get the details

Bronx co-op launches lottery for 58 apartments for purchase, starting at $145K

Courtesy of NYC Department of Housing Preservation and Development

July 18, 2025

Bronx co-op launches lottery for 58 apartments for purchase, starting at $145K

By Devin Gannon

Here's a chance to own an apartment in the Bronx for less. In Soundview, a sprawling new housing complex, dubbed Stevenson Square, launched a lottery for 58 affordable co-ops for purchase. Qualifying New Yorkers earning 70 and 80 percent of the area median income can apply to buy one-, two-, and three-bedroom apartments, priced from $145,632 to $264,500.
find out if you qualify

Affordable Housing

NYC Council approves 1,000-unit One45 Harlem development

Rendering courtesy of SHoP Architects

July 16, 2025

NYC Council approves 1,000-unit One45 Harlem development

By Devin Gannon

A residential development will finally rise on the corner of West 145th Street and Lenox Avenue in Harlem after years of delays and debates. The New York City Council on Monday approved the One45 for Harlem plan, which includes three new buildings and 1,000 units of housing, 338 of which will be affordable. The previous proposal at the site failed to materialize after the former council member refused to accept the development unless at least 57 percent of the units were affordable to families earning 30 percent of the area median income; the developer said that was not economically feasible, withdrew the plan, and turned the property into a truck depot.
GET THE DETAILS

Southern Lesser Galago. All photos courtesy of the Bronx Zoo

July 14, 2025

World of Darkness exhibit showcasing nocturnal animals reopens at the Bronx Zoo after 16 years

By Devin Gannon

The Bronx Zoo is shining a light on animals that thrive in the dark. After closing in 2009, the World of Darkness exhibit reopened this past weekend, showcasing 25 species of nocturnal creatures, from pygmy slow lorises and blind cave fish to blood pythons and Egyptian fruit bats. The exhibit employs a reverse light cycle, allowing visitors to observe these night-dwellers during the day.
step into the dark

Events & Things To Do

Central Park’s new public pool is now open

All photos © Richard Barnes

July 10, 2025

Central Park’s new public pool is now open

By Devin Gannon

Swimming is back in Central Park. The Gottesman Pool opened last month as part of the new $160 million Davis Center at the Harlem Meer. Located on the northern end of the park, the elongated oval pool measures 285 feet by 120 feet, making it bigger than an Olympic-size pool and one of the largest public pools in New York City.
dive in

Rent Guidelines Board approves increase up to 4.5 percent for stabilized apartments

By Devin Gannon

Rent for more than two million New Yorkers will increase for the fourth year in a row. The Rent Guidelines Board on Monday voted to raise rents for stabilized apartments by 3 percent for one-year leases and 4.5 percent for two-year leases that start on or after October 1. The vote comes less than a week after Assembly Member Zohran Mamdani's win in the Democratic mayoral primary; Mamdani has pledged to direct the board to freeze the rent if elected in November.
find out more

Policy

Final phase of affordable La Central complex breaks ground in the South Bronx

Rendering courtesy of FXCollaborative

June 25, 2025

Final phase of affordable La Central complex breaks ground in the South Bronx

By Devin Gannon

Work began last week on the second, and final, phase of La Central, a five-building affordable housing development in the South Bronx. The $343 million second phase includes two mixed-use buildings with 420 affordable apartments, with more than 60 units set aside for formerly homeless New Yorkers. The development, near Third Avenue and 149th Street in Melrose, a shopping district known as the Hub, has been in the works for years, with a request for proposals for the city-owned vacant lot issued in 2013 and a plan approved by the City Council three years later. Upon its completion in 2028, La Central will include nearly 1,000 affordable homes, retail, community space, and public green space.
READ MORE

Photos courtesy of Gloria Kilbourne

June 24, 2025

A retro diner opens under the High Line

By Devin Gannon

The Standard, High Line has turned its plaza into an open-air retro diner for the summer. As the latest seasonal pop-up at the Meatpacking District hotel, The Soda Shop will serve up a nostalgic experience, with an Americana-inspired design and a menu that includes diner classics, like flapjacks, tuna melts, and soda floats, as well as fun cocktails, like a frozen dirty Shirley and pickle martini.
more here

Food & Dining

Elizabeth Street Garden will remain open in deal reached with city

Photos by James and Karla Murray exclusively for 6sqft. Photos are not to be reproduced without written permission from 6sqft

June 23, 2025

Elizabeth Street Garden will remain open in deal reached with city

By Devin Gannon

One of the city's most contentious development battles has come to an end. Plans to turn the Elizabeth Street Garden in Nolita into affordable housing for seniors have been halted in a deal announced by Mayor Eric Adams on Monday. According to the mayor, Council Member Christopher Marte will now support the rezoning of three sites in his district to allow for 623 new affordable homes in exchange for preserving the one-acre community garden, ending a decade-long fight over the site.
details here

Affordable Housing

$10.75M upside-down triplex in Tribeca has retractable dining tables and a dog elevator

Photos courtesy of Brown Harris Stevens

June 19, 2025

$10.75M upside-down triplex in Tribeca has retractable dining tables and a dog elevator

By Devin Gannon

A fashion designer's one-of-a-kind Tribeca triplex is on the market for $10,750,000. Lela Rose, whose A-list clientele includes Gwyneth Paltrow and Michelle Obama, is selling her 6,000-square-foot maisonette loft at 46 White Street that has an upside-down layout, with a dramatic entertainment level equipped with a retractable dining table that can fit nearly 70 people or expand to become a catwalk. Other unconventional additions include a dog elevator, a hidden tequila tasting room, and a red-carpeted dressing room.
get the full tour

Distinctive Homes

City looks to build mixed-use project with up to 900 homes on Hunter’s Point South parcel

Image courtesy of the Department of Housing Preservation and Development

June 18, 2025

City looks to build mixed-use project with up to 900 homes on Hunter’s Point South parcel

By Devin Gannon

The city is seeking a developer to build a mixed-use development on one of the last vacant parcels in the Hunter's Point South neighborhood of Long Island City. The Department of Housing Preservation and Development last week issued a request for proposals for Parcel E, the sixth of seven sites that are part of the city's 30-acre redevelopment of the waterfront. For this project, the city wants a multi-tower, mixed-use project with between 850 and 900 apartments, with up to 70 percent of them affordable.
find out more

One Domino Square penthouse sells for $7.45M, a new sponsor sale record for Williamsburg

Photo courtesy of Evan Joseph

June 17, 2025

One Domino Square penthouse sells for $7.45M, a new sponsor sale record for Williamsburg

By Devin Gannon

There's a new sponsor sale record for Williamsburg. A duplex penthouse at the new waterfront development One Domino Square is under contract for $7,450,000, developer Two Trees Management announced on Monday. The deal takes the priciest sponsor sale title from neighboring project One Williamsburg Wharf, which had a penthouse asking $7,200,000 enter contract in December.
find out more

New Crown Heights rental opens lottery for 55 affordable apartments, from $933/month

Renderings courtesy of the NYC Department of Housing Preservation and Development

June 17, 2025

New Crown Heights rental opens lottery for 55 affordable apartments, from $933/month

By Devin Gannon

Applications are now being accepted for 55 affordable apartments in Crown Heights. Located in the southwestern section of the neighborhood, Botanica is a brand-new 17-story rental near the Brooklyn Botanic Garden and the Brooklyn Museum. Qualifying New Yorkers earning 40, 60, and 100 percent of the area median income can apply for the apartments, which start at $933/month for one-bedrooms and go up to $3,010/month for two-bedrooms.
find out if you qualify

Affordable Housing

June 16, 2025

Mayor Adams wants to remove part of protected bike lane on Bedford Avenue

By Devin Gannon

Mayor Eric Adams announced plans for the city to remove part of the protected bike lane on Bedford Avenue in Brooklyn after concerns from local residents. Last year, a 1.5-mile protected bike lane was added to Bedford Avenue from Dean Street in Crown Heights to Flushing Avenue in Bed-Stuy, a section known for being unsafe due to speeding vehicles. But after several crashes between cyclists and pedestrians, particularly young children, the mayor said three blocks of the protected bike lane will be removed and returned to its original unprotected configuration. Following a lawsuit filed by Transportation Alternatives, a Brooklyn Supreme Court judge on Wednesday temporarily halted the removal of the protected bike lane until a hearing in August, Streetsblog reported.
details here

New legislation would legalize NYC bodega cats

Photo by Seth Werkheiser via Wikimedia Commons

June 12, 2025

New legislation would legalize NYC bodega cats

By Devin Gannon

New legislation would protect some of New York City's most beloved residents: bodega cats. City Council Member Keith Powers on Thursday said he plans to introduce a bill that would legalize convenience store cats, which are technically barred from places that sell food, but have become neighborhood fixtures for their cuteness and ability to deter rodents.
READ MORE

Policy

Brooklyn Tower relaunches sales, with studios from $965K

Photo credit: Evan Joseph

June 10, 2025

Brooklyn Tower relaunches sales, with studios from $965K

By Devin Gannon

Nearly a year after Silverstein Properties took control, Brooklyn Tower has relaunched sales, with a new marketing team and a new address. The supertall skyscraper at 85 Fleet Street (formerly 9 Dekalb Avenue) first launched sales in 2022 but struggled to make much headway, with just 23 of the 143 condos sold to date. Now, with Corcoran Sunshine leading sales efforts, listings at the tower are once again live, with condos priced from $965,000 for a studio.
get the details

$8.9M restoration of Brooklyn’s Grand Army Plaza Arch is complete

Photos courtesy of NYC Parks / Malcolm Pinckney

June 6, 2025

$8.9M restoration of Brooklyn’s Grand Army Plaza Arch is complete

By Devin Gannon

A Brooklyn icon has been restored. The Soldiers' and Sailors' Memorial Arch at Grand Army Plaza reopened on Thursday following a $8.9 million renovation, the city's Parks Department and the Prospect Park Alliance announced. The two-year project replaced the arch's roof, cleaned and replaced the brick and stone structure, repaired interiors, including the cast-iron spiral staircase, and added new lighting. The landscape surrounding the arch was also revitalized with new plants, trees, paving, and an accessible curb cut.
details this way

Architecture And Design

Upper East Side pre-war co-op owned by champion of Central Park asks $4.95M

Photos courtesy of Brown Harris Stevens

June 5, 2025

Upper East Side pre-war co-op owned by champion of Central Park asks $4.95M

By Devin Gannon

The longtime Upper East Side co-op of a key Central Park supporter is on the market. Norma Dana, who passed away last year, founded the Central Park Conservancy's Women's Committee and led fundraising efforts for several improvement and restoration projects in the park, including the creation of the Charles A. Dana Discovery Center with her husband. The park champion's three-bedroom apartment at 550 Park Avenue hit the market this spring for $4,950,000.
see more here

Distinctive Homes

Bjarke Ingels unveils cascading concrete tower with 1,000 apartments along the Gowanus Canal

All renderings by bucharest.studio

June 3, 2025

Bjarke Ingels unveils cascading concrete tower with 1,000 apartments along the Gowanus Canal

By Devin Gannon

It's going to be BIG. Architecture firm Bjarke Ingels Group (BIG) this week unveiled designs for a 1,000-unit mixed-use tower at 175 Third Street in Gowanus, expected to be the largest building in the neighborhood. Situated along the canal, the concrete-clad building will take a horseshoe shape and rise 27 stories in a series of cascading volumes. The u-shape design opens towards the canal, where a park and esplanade will offer public open space and flood protection.
see the design

Times Square office tower to become 1,250 apartments

5 Times Square. Photo via WikiCommons

May 22, 2025

Times Square office tower to become 1,250 apartments

By Devin Gannon

A largely vacant office tower in Times Square is set to become a mixed-use development with 1,250 new homes. The Empire State Development (ESD) on Thursday voted to approve the conversion of 5 Times Square, a 38-story building on 7th Avenue between 41st and 42nd Streets. About 313 apartments will be permanently affordable to New Yorkers earning up to 80 percent of the area median income in exchange for a tax exemption under a new office-to-housing incentive, 467-m.
READ MORE

New Developments

All articles by Devin Gannon

Kool & the Gang founder’s Montclair home hits the market for $7.5M

Restored Richmond Barthé frieze returns to the Kingsborough Houses in Crown Heights

NYC construction activity picks up, but mostly projects with under 100 units

Hebrew Union College taps Beyer Blinder Belle to renovate historic UWS armory building for new campus

Tour a hidden rooftop meadow in Greenpoint this weekend

Adam Neumann lists Gramercy penthouse for $22.75M

Bronx co-op launches lottery for 58 apartments for purchase, starting at $145K

NYC Council approves 1,000-unit One45 Harlem development

World of Darkness exhibit showcasing nocturnal animals reopens at the Bronx Zoo after 16 years

Central Park’s new public pool is now open

Rent Guidelines Board approves increase up to 4.5 percent for stabilized apartments

Final phase of affordable La Central complex breaks ground in the South Bronx

A retro diner opens under the High Line

Elizabeth Street Garden will remain open in deal reached with city

$10.75M upside-down triplex in Tribeca has retractable dining tables and a dog elevator

'Secret' live-work compound on Tribeca's skybridge street lists for $30M

City looks to build mixed-use project with up to 900 homes on Hunter’s Point South parcel

One Domino Square penthouse sells for $7.45M, a new sponsor sale record for Williamsburg

New Crown Heights rental opens lottery for 55 affordable apartments, from $933/month

Mayor Adams wants to remove part of protected bike lane on Bedford Avenue

New legislation would legalize NYC bodega cats

Brooklyn Tower relaunches sales, with studios from $965K

$8.9M restoration of Brooklyn’s Grand Army Plaza Arch is complete

Upper East Side pre-war co-op owned by champion of Central Park asks $4.95M

Bjarke Ingels unveils cascading concrete tower with 1,000 apartments along the Gowanus Canal

Times Square office tower to become 1,250 apartments

482 Kent Avenue in Williamsburg

All articles by Devin Gannon

Pitch a Story

Interested in seeing the property in person?

Interested in seeing the property in person?

Distinctive Post Form

Get in Touch

Send us a Tip

Interesting in learning more about purchasing a new home?

Thinking about selling your home?

Sell a Home (Footer)

Before You Move On from this Page.

Your Daily Doseof NYC Life!

Before You Move On
from this Page.

Your Daily Dose
of NYC Life!