All articles by Devin Gannon

Apply for 15 affordable apartments off Williamsburg’s Metropolitan Avenue, from $818/month

Photo: Marc A. Hermann / MTA New York City Transit

August 4, 2020

Apply for 15 affordable apartments off Williamsburg’s Metropolitan Avenue, from $818/month

A housing lottery launched this week for 15 affordable apartments in Williamsburg. The rental at 31 Ainslie Street is currently accepting applications from New Yorkers earning 60 percent of the area median income, or an annual household income of between $28,286 and $73,680. Just steps from the Metropolitan G and L trains, the building is near a number of notable bars, restaurants, and vintage shops.
Do you qualify?

Affordable Housing

Since March, thousands of small businesses in NYC have closed for good

Photo by Peter Burka on Flickr

August 4, 2020

Since March, thousands of small businesses in NYC have closed for good

By Devin Gannon

New York City small businesses are barely hanging on. More than 2,800 have closed permanently since March 1, the New York Times reported. And when the pandemic eventually subsides, as many as one-third of the city's 230,000 small businesses may not reopen, according to a report from the Partnership for New York City. Despite the city reaching the final and fourth phase of reopening, the distribution of millions of dollars in aid, and creative measures to help shops survive, thousands of businesses remain at risk.
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Policy

Here’s what Facebook’s huge new office will look like at Midtown’s former Farley Post Office

Rendering courtesy of Vornado Realty Trust

August 4, 2020

Here’s what Facebook’s huge new office will look like at Midtown’s former Farley Post Office

By Devin Gannon

Facebook has signed a lease for 730,000 square feet at the former James A. Farley Post Office, a Midtown landmark currently being converted into a mixed-use building, Vornado Realty Trust announced Monday. Reports of the deal first surfaced last December, but the coronavirus pandemic put into question the need for massive office space with thousands of workers. But Gov. Andrew Cuomo said the deal shows New York's resilience as the city recovers from the crisis. "Vornado's and Facebook's investment in New York and commitment to further putting down roots here - even in the midst of a global pandemic - is a signal to the world that our brightest days are still ahead and we are open for business," Cuomo said in a statement. "This public-private partnership fortifies New York as an international center of innovation."
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Real Estate Trends

Katz’s Deli launches its own local delivery service

Photo courtesy of Lower East Side Partnership

August 3, 2020

Katz’s Deli launches its own local delivery service

By Devin Gannon

Last month, Katz's Delicatessen opened for outdoor dining for the first time in its 132-year history. And last week, the legendary Lower East Side eatery launched its own local delivery service, dodging the excessive fees charged by third-party companies. As first reported by the Bowery Boogie, diners can order from Katz's classic menu directly from their website, including pastrami and corned beef sandwiches, matzoh ball soup, and square potato knishes.
More details here

Food & Dining

See the 193 new Rockefeller Center flags designed by the public

Courtesy of Tishman Speyer

August 3, 2020

See the 193 new Rockefeller Center flags designed by the public

By Devin Gannon

The iconic flags that surround the Rink at Rockefeller Center got a makeover over the weekend. Public art initiative "The Flag Project" opened on Saturday with 193 new flags designed by the public, as well as a number of well-known artists and designers. Led by Tishman Speyer, the installation aims to celebrate New York City as the city continues its fight against the coronavirus pandemic.
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Events & Things To Do

Outdoor dining comes to two NYC food halls

The Market Line Patio; Credit: Greater Studio

August 3, 2020

Outdoor dining comes to two NYC food halls

By Devin Gannon

With nearly 10,000 New York City restaurants open for outdoor dining, now even food halls are getting in on the Open Restaurants program. The Market Line at Essex Crossing on Friday opened a spacious outdoor patio and a menu made up of a mix of vendors from the Lower East Side food hall. And Time Out Market will reopen its fifth-floor rooftop and seating along the waterfront in Dumbo this week.
Find out more

Food & Dining

Queens County Farm Museum reopens this weekend with first-ever site-specific art installation

Photo credit: Aaron Asis

July 31, 2020

Queens County Farm Museum reopens this weekend with first-ever site-specific art installation

By Devin Gannon

The Queens County Farm Museum is set to reopen its 47 acres to the public on Sunday after temporarily closing in March because of the coronavirus pandemic. Along with the reopening, Queens Farm will also unveil its first-ever site-specific art installation: Cover Crop by the artist Aaron Asis. The half-acre artwork includes a "planted composition" with crisscrossing paths, letting visitors discover the farm's cover crops, including sweet peas, buckwheat, and rye.
More this way

Events & Things To Do

Lottery opens for 45 affordable units at supportive rental near Crotona Park, from $748/month

Photo via Wikimedia

July 31, 2020

Lottery opens for 45 affordable units at supportive rental near Crotona Park, from $748/month

By Devin Gannon

Applications are now being accepted for 45 affordable apartments at a new supportive residential building in the Claremont Village section of the South Bronx. Located at 3500 Park Avenue a half-mile from Crotona Park, the seven-story development sets aside some studios for homeless veterans with disabilities, chronically homeless adults with mental illness, and homeless seniors with disabilities. The remaining apartments, now available through the housing lottery, are designated for low-income seniors and families that earn 50 and 60 percent of the area median income.
Find out if you qualify

Affordable Housing

Photograph by Ximena Exhague, @ximena_exhague

July 30, 2020

Powerful photos show the COVID-19 crisis through the eyes of New Yorkers

By Devin Gannon

The Museum of the City of New York will reopen on Saturday with a stunning new outdoor installation. The first phase of the museum's New York Responds project includes a photo exhibit depicting life in New York City in the early days of the coronavirus pandemic and the Black Lives Matter protests that kicked off in May and continue today. On view starting August 1, the powerful photographs have been installed at the Upper East Side museum's terrace and balustrade.
See it here

Events & Things To Do

‘No end in sight’: How NYC is dealing with the growing hunger crisis

City Harvest driver Ramon Vargas, July 17, 2020, in New York. Photo by Jason DeCrow for City Harvest

July 30, 2020

‘No end in sight’: How NYC is dealing with the growing hunger crisis

By Devin Gannon

While the spread of the coronavirus in New York is waning, another crisis shows no signs of slowing. The number of people experiencing food insecurity in New York City continues to grow, with a projected increase of 38 percent this year compared to 2018. In response, nonprofits like City Harvest, the city's largest food rescue organization, have tremendously scaled up their operations to meet demand. The group has rescued more than 42 million pounds of food since March, a 92 percent increase from the same period last year.
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Policy

Chinatown’s historic Mott Street is transformed into an outdoor dining oasis

By Devin Gannon

Chinatown's Mott Street got a colorful upgrade on Wednesday with a block-long outdoor installation designed by architect David Rockwell. His firm, Rockwell Group, launched DineOut NYC earlier this summer to help New York City restaurants safely open outside by providing design templates for creative ways to use sidewalk and street space. Mott Street, now closed to cars between Mosco and Worth Streets, serves as the program's first community-wide dining area, with multiple restaurants on the strip using the facilities.
More here

July 29, 2020

This map explores NYC’s 19,000 acres of natural park land

By Devin Gannon

Contradictory to its "concrete jungle" nickname, New York City is home to over 19,000 acres of natural areas, consisting of forest, salt marsh, freshwater wetland, and streams. A new map from the Natural Areas Conservancy (NAC) highlights the location, size, and condition of natural resources throughout the five boroughs, while comparing the percentage of green space among neighborhoods, parks, and City Council districts. When the coronavirus pandemic hit the city, New Yorkers explored more wild parts of city parks as a way to get fresh air and maintain a safe distance from others. But according to the Conservancy, the increase in visitors is putting additional strain on park management, at a time when budgets across the country are being slashed because of COVID-19.
More here

City Living

235 chances to live in a luxury waterfront rental in Greenpoint, from $2,370/month

Courtesy of QuallsBenson

July 29, 2020

235 chances to live in a luxury waterfront rental in Greenpoint, from $2,370/month

By Devin Gannon

Two newly-constructed waterfront towers in Greenpoint are now accepting applications for rent-stabilized "affordable" apartments. A lottery is set to launch for 235 middle-income apartments at One Blue Slip and Two Blue Slip, a pair of luxury towers designed by Handel Architects that are part of Greenpoint Landing, a master plan developing 22 acres of the Brooklyn neighborhood. Households with combined annual incomes of between $81,258 and $183,300 can apply for the available units, including $2,370/month studios, $2,542/month one-bedrooms, $3,063/month two-bedrooms, and $3,530/month three-bedrooms. Qualified New Yorkers can submit one application for each building.
Find out if you qualify

Affordable Housing

These are the 10 library books New Yorkers checked out most during the shutdown

Photo credit: Jonathan Blanc / NYPL

July 28, 2020

These are the 10 library books New Yorkers checked out most during the shutdown

By Devin Gannon

New York Public Library patrons kept busy during the citywide shutdown by reading lots of books. According to the library, since the temporary closure of all of its branches in Manhattan, the Bronx, and on Staten Island on March 16, there were over two million checkouts of e-books. Plus, 65,000 new users signed up for the SimplyE, the library's free e-reader app. Now with some of the city's public libraries reopened, the NYPL released on Monday a list of the most checked out e-books during the lockdown, with Robin DiAngelo's White Fragility: Why It's So Hard for White People to Talk About Racism taking the top spot.
More this way

City Living

Electric moped service Revel shuts down in NYC after two deaths

Photo courtesy of Revel

July 28, 2020

Electric moped service Revel shuts down in NYC after two deaths

By Devin Gannon

Electric moped company Revel is suspending service in New York City after two riders died within two weeks, Mayor Bill de Blasio announced on Tuesday. A 32-year-old man was killed in Queens early Tuesday morning after crashing the scooter into a light pole. CBS New York reporter Nina Kapur died earlier this month after being thrown off the Revel moped onto the street in Greenpoint. "Revel has made the decision to shut down their service for the time being and that is the right thing to do," the mayor said during a press briefing. "No one should be running a business that is not safe. Unfortunately, this has been proven to be not safe."
More here

NYC might get a COVID-19 memorial on Hart Island

Photo by David Trawin on Flickr

July 28, 2020

NYC might get a COVID-19 memorial on Hart Island

By Devin Gannon

A New York City elected official wants to create a memorial on Hart Island dedicated to those who died from the coronavirus. City Council Member Mark Levine is set to introduce on a bill on Tuesday that would create a task force to develop a way to honor the hundreds of COVID-19 victims buried on the Island, which has served as the final resting place for poor and unclaimed New Yorkers since the Civil War.
More here

Policy

New looks and name for Islanders’ home venue, UBS Arena at Belmont Park

All renderings courtesy of UBS

July 28, 2020

New looks and name for Islanders’ home venue, UBS Arena at Belmont Park

By Devin Gannon

The future home for the New York Islanders hockey team has a name. Wealth management service UBS last week secured a 20-year naming rights agreement for the new sports and entertainment venue in Nassau County. The UBS Arena at Belmont Park is expected to open for the Islanders' 2021-2022 season, with the team returning to Long Island after playing home games at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn since 2015.
See it here

Real Estate Trends

NYC pol calls for rent relief, permanent outdoor dining, and other small business-saving measures

Gem Spa in the East Village permanently closed in May; Photo by Eden, Janine and Jim on Flickr

July 27, 2020

NYC pol calls for rent relief, permanent outdoor dining, and other small business-saving measures

By Devin Gannon

Small businesses in New York City are struggling to stay afloat, especially those still unable to reopen because of the coronavirus pandemic. A survey from the Hospitality Alliance found that only 19 percent of city businesses paid June rent and only 26 percent of landlords waived rent. Council Member Keith Powers on Monday released a report detailing ways to save small businesses and prepare for a post-COVID-19 world by providing emergency rent relief using federal funds, waiving the commercial rent tax, making outdoor dining permanent, and other measures.
More here

Policy

New York suspends liquor licenses of six NYC bars in violation of COVID-19 regulations

Photo by Eden, Janine and Jim on Flickr

July 27, 2020

New York suspends liquor licenses of six NYC bars in violation of COVID-19 regulations

By Devin Gannon

Six more bars and restaurants in New York City temporarily lost their liquor license last week for violating social distancing regulations. Following a statewide compliance check between July 21 and July 23, the State Liquor Authority found violations at 84 establishments and suspended the liquor licenses of 10 bars, of which six were in the five boroughs, Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced Friday. Over the weekend, an additional 105 violations were issued to bars and restaurants, the governor said on Sunday.
Find out more

De Blasio adds ‘play streets’ to some car-free blocks, but cuts nearly 3 miles from the program

Photo courtesy of city’s Department of Transportation on Flickr

July 24, 2020

De Blasio adds ‘play streets’ to some car-free blocks, but cuts nearly 3 miles from the program

By Devin Gannon

While the city is adding just under two miles of open streets to its roster of car-free blocks, nearly three miles will be removed from the program. Mayor Bill de Blasio on Friday announced 1.72 miles of open streets across the five boroughs, as well as a new initiative called "Play Streets," which will offer families a number of contactless activities, sports, and arts and crafts on 12 streets currently closed to cars. However, the mayor failed to mention during the press briefing that 2.77 miles will be cut from the program and returned to normal vehicle traffic at "underused locations."
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Inwood rezoning plan can move forward, appeals court rules

Photo of Inwood Hill Park by Dana on Flickr

July 24, 2020

Inwood rezoning plan can move forward, appeals court rules

By Devin Gannon

The plan to rezone Inwood can move forward, a state appeals court ruled on Thursday. The decision comes after a judge in December overturned the land-use changes approved by the City Council in 2018 to rezone 59 blocks of the northern Manhattan neighborhood. But in their decision, the appellate court said the City Council "acted properly and consistently" with review procedures.
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Policy

Return of 24/7 subway service in NYC would be required under new legislation

Photo: Patrick Cashin / MTA New York City Transit

July 23, 2020

Return of 24/7 subway service in NYC would be required under new legislation

By Devin Gannon

In May, for the first time in its history, the New York City subway system shut down overnight as part of a nightly disinfection plan to kill traces of the coronavirus on trains and buses. To ensure the subway resumes 24/7 service, seen as an integral part of the city that never sleeps' DNA, the State Senate on Thursday passed legislation that would require nonstop subway service when a state of emergency is not in effect.
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NJ yoga, pilates, and martial arts studios can reopen for indoor classes

A yoga class at Pier A in Hoboken courtesy of the City of Hoboken

July 23, 2020

NJ yoga, pilates, and martial arts studios can reopen for indoor classes

By Devin Gannon

Some fitness studios in New Jersey can resume indoor classes at limited capacity, Gov. Phil Murphy announced on Wednesday. The governor clarified an executive order issued this week that allowed for outdoor control drills and practices to resume for "high-risk" organized sports, including football, cheerleading, wrestling, and others.
More here

Policy

Susan Sarandon lists massive Chelsea duplex for $7.9M

Photos: Eitan Gamliely for Sotheby’s International Realty

July 22, 2020

Susan Sarandon lists massive Chelsea duplex for $7.9M

By Devin Gannon

The dramatic Chelsea duplex owned by actress Susan Sarandon for nearly 30 years has hit the market for $7.9 million. Located at 147 West 15th Street within the luxury co-op building La Fabrique, the massive 6,000-square-foot apartment boasts a flexible layout with six bedrooms, four exposures, and a gallery foyer on the eighth floor. In an interview with the Wall Street Journal, the Academy Award winner, a native of Queens, said she plans to downsize to a smaller pad nearby and has no intention of leaving the city. "I’ve always been a New Yorker and I’ll continue to be a New Yorker," Sarandon said.
Take the tour

All articles by Devin Gannon

Apply for 15 affordable apartments off Williamsburg’s Metropolitan Avenue, from $818/month

Since March, thousands of small businesses in NYC have closed for good

Here’s what Facebook’s huge new office will look like at Midtown’s former Farley Post Office

Katz’s Deli launches its own local delivery service

See the 193 new Rockefeller Center flags designed by the public

Outdoor dining comes to two NYC food halls

Queens County Farm Museum reopens this weekend with first-ever site-specific art installation

Lottery opens for 45 affordable units at supportive rental near Crotona Park, from $748/month

Powerful photos show the COVID-19 crisis through the eyes of New Yorkers

‘No end in sight’: How NYC is dealing with the growing hunger crisis

Chinatown’s historic Mott Street is transformed into an outdoor dining oasis

This map explores NYC’s 19,000 acres of natural park land

235 chances to live in a luxury waterfront rental in Greenpoint, from $2,370/month

These are the 10 library books New Yorkers checked out most during the shutdown

Electric moped service Revel shuts down in NYC after two deaths

For $595K, this Turtle Bay pre-war co-op elegantly maximizes every square inch of space

NYC might get a COVID-19 memorial on Hart Island

New looks and name for Islanders’ home venue, UBS Arena at Belmont Park

NYC pol calls for rent relief, permanent outdoor dining, and other small business-saving measures

New York suspends liquor licenses of six NYC bars in violation of COVID-19 regulations

De Blasio adds ‘play streets’ to some car-free blocks, but cuts nearly 3 miles from the program

Inwood rezoning plan can move forward, appeals court rules

Return of 24/7 subway service in NYC would be required under new legislation

NJ yoga, pilates, and martial arts studios can reopen for indoor classes

Susan Sarandon lists massive Chelsea duplex for $7.9M

144 Vanderbilt Avenue in Clinton Hill

All articles by Devin Gannon

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