All articles by Devin Gannon

MTA set to hike fares next year, despite poor service and fewer riders

Image by Ged Carroll via Flickr CC

July 26, 2018

MTA set to hike fares next year, despite poor service and fewer riders

By Devin Gannon

Metropolitan Transportation Authority officials announced Wednesday it will stick with its plan to increase fares and tolls that net four percent in 2019 and 2021 as the agency faces budget deficits in the coming years, the Daily News reported. The MTA said it expects to lose roughly $376 million over the next four years, or $90 million per year, due to a drop in ridership. Between 2016 and 2017, there was a loss of 69 million rides on the city's subway and buses. The fare hike would be the sixth since 2009 when the state legislature approved a plan that included increasing fares every other year.
More here

You can soar down Centre Street on a 165-foot-long zipline this August

2017 Summer Streets; photo via DOT on Flickr

July 25, 2018

You can soar down Centre Street on a 165-foot-long zipline this August

By Devin Gannon

Summer Streets is back! Starting August 4, New Yorkers can enjoy seven miles of car-free fun along Park Avenue, from Central Park to the Brooklyn Bridge. As part of the Department of Transporation's 11th annual event, activities will be offered on three Saturdays in August, from 7 am to 1 pm. While there's sadly not a dishwasher-looking waterslide this year, there will be a 165-foot-long, 30-foot-high zip line, fun hand-cycles to test out, and an eight-foot-tall bouldering wall.
Plan your summer streets fun

New map from NYC Planning displays all zoning and land use applications dating back to 1970

July 25, 2018

New map from NYC Planning displays all zoning and land use applications dating back to 1970

By Devin Gannon

The Department of City Planning launched a new data tool on Tuesday that displays the status of all zoning and land use applications dating back to 1970. The Zoning Application Portal, or ZAP, provides the public an easy way to search through 28,000 projects and pending applications, 500 of which are currently in public review. "This online tool is the ultimate in planning and zoning transparency," Marisa Lago, director of DCP, said. "It’s fast, it’s easy, it’s intuitive. We hope that New Yorkers – residents, advocacy groups, property and business owners – take full advantage, and get more involved in planning for our city’s future."
Explore the Zap Map

Policy

First look at ODA’s boxy condo coming to busy 14th Street corner

Rendering by ODA Architecture

July 25, 2018

First look at ODA’s boxy condo coming to busy 14th Street corner

By Devin Gannon

First renderings of ODA Architecture's 13-story tower planned for Greenwich Village reveal a Tetris-inspired, boxy design, YIMBY reported on Wednesday. Much like the firm's other projects, the facade of the building, located at 101 West 14th Street, will look like a series of sculpted, stacked boxes. Developer Gemini Rosemont has filed permits to convert the site which currently holds a former bank into condos with ground floor retail. There will be 45 condos total, with 21 of them duplexes.
See the design

Astoria is getting a new food hall with outer-borough vendors

Rendering via Vass Stevens

July 24, 2018

Astoria is getting a new food hall with outer-borough vendors

By Devin Gannon

A new food hall is coming to the Astoria-Long Island City border in Queens, the Commercial Observer reported on Tuesday. Developer Vass Stevens Group is in the process of converting a former print shop, dollar store and restaurant supply store at 34-39 31st Street into a retail space with eight 2,000-square-foot storefronts. The interiors of the single-story building have been demolished and renovations, which will add new glass storefronts and doors, are set to begin soon.
Get the details

Food & Dining

Our 1,600sqft: Inside the Tribeca live-work showroom of Vipp, a Danish ‘tool building’ company

July 24, 2018

Our 1,600sqft: Inside the Tribeca live-work showroom of Vipp, a Danish ‘tool building’ company

By Devin Gannon

6sqft’s series “Where I Work” takes us into the studios, offices, and businesses of New Yorkers across the city. In this installment, we’re touring the showroom-apartment of Tribeca's Vipp, a third-generation Danish company. Want to see your business featured here? Get in touch! Nearly 80 years ago in Denmark, Holger Nielsen designed a trash can with a pedal for his wife Marie's hair salon. Despite having no intention of selling it, demand grew for Nielsen’s sleek, and hygienic, trash bin and it became a fixture in Danish clinics, and later home use, over the next several decades. Nielsen called the bin “Vipp,” Danish for tilt, which describes the lid's movement. In 2009, the design was accepted into the permanent design collection at MoMA. Today, Vipp is a third generation family-owned company run by Nielsen’s daughter, Jette Egelund, and her two children Kasper and Sofie. In addition to its classic bin, Vipp now offers a wide range of lifestyle products, from entire kitchens and bathrooms to tableware and lighting. Based in Copenhagen, Vipp came to the United States four years ago and opened a showroom in Tribeca. Sofie Christensen Egelund, along with her husband and business partner Frank Christensen, turned the showroom into their actual apartment, outfitted with Vipp products. The designer-couple gave 6sqft a tour of their live-work space and Sofie talked to us about the company's design DNA, the move from Denmark to Manhattan and what it's like to work together as a married couple.
Take a tour of the apartment-showroom

Amazon launches same-day delivery from Whole Foods in Brooklyn and Lower Manhattan

Image via Whole Foods Market

July 24, 2018

Amazon launches same-day delivery from Whole Foods in Brooklyn and Lower Manhattan

By Devin Gannon

You can now have all of your organic needs met within as little as an hour--without waiting in line. Amazon launched on Tuesday "ultrafast" same-day delivery from Whole Foods Market in 24 cities, including Lower Manhattan, Brooklyn and select areas of Long Island. The service, for Prime members only, began earlier this year and will continue to expand to more neighborhoods in NYC and in the country throughout 2018. "Today’s announcement is another way that we are continuing to expand access to our high-quality products and locally-sourced favorites," Christina Minardi, executive vice president of operations for Whole Foods Market, said in a statement.
Find out more

City Living

East Village Target’s CBGB odes get mixed reviews

Photo by Tia Richards for 6sqft

July 23, 2018

East Village Target’s CBGB odes get mixed reviews

By Devin Gannon

Target officially opened its first store in the East Village on Saturday, to mixed reviews from locals. During its grand opening, the chain recreated the storefront of CBGB, a famous punk rock club where the Ramones, Patti Smith and Blondie played, with a red-and-white awning that reads "TRGT." Located on 14th Street and Avenue A, the design included red newspaper boxes similar to old ones of the Village Voice paper, fake fire-hydrants and a temporary facade made to look like the housing tenements of the Village in the 1970s and 1980s. Jeremiah Moss, the author behind the Vanishing New York blog, called the new store "the most deplorable commodification of local neighborhood culture I've ever witnessed." As of Monday, the CBGB-themed storefront is no longer up.
Details here

One year and $300M in repairs later, on-time subway rates are still awful

July 23, 2018

One year and $300M in repairs later, on-time subway rates are still awful

By Devin Gannon

Photo via rhythmicdiaspora on Flickr Despite spending over $300 million on system repairs over the last year, the New York City subway is showing little improvement, with its on-time rate just around 65 percent during the weekday, the New York Times reported. Last summer, after a train derailed at 125th street and left 30 people injured, Gov. Andrew Cuomo declared a state of emergency for the Metropolitan Transportation Authority. And while the MTA and its chair, Joseph Lhota, unveiled an $800 million action plan to fix the subway, and new NYC Transit Chief Andy Byford later laid out an aggressive plan to modernize the system, the subway's "summer of hell" seems far from over.
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NYC added 32,000 affordable homes this year, setting a new construction record

July 20, 2018

NYC added 32,000 affordable homes this year, setting a new construction record

By Devin Gannon

Via Pixabay New York City financed more than 32,000 affordable homes in the last fiscal year, Mayor Bill de Blasio announced on Thursday. This breaks the record set by former Mayor Ed Koch in 1989 and sets a record for most new construction with 9,140 affordable homes. But with the additional units come additional costs: The city's investment in the housing plan grew from $1 billion in fiscal year 2017 to $1.6 billion this year.
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Popular Articles

62 New York City neighborhoods lack an accessible subway station

Via City Comptroller’s office

July 18, 2018

62 New York City neighborhoods lack an accessible subway station

By Devin Gannon

More than half of the 122 neighborhoods served by New York City's subway system do not have a single accessible station, a new report by City Comptroller Scott Stringer found. And out of the 62 neighborhoods dubbed "ADA transit deserts," 55 are in the Bronx, Brooklyn and Queens. In his report, "Service Denied," Stringer details the gaps in accessibility for seniors and mobility-impaired New Yorkers and calls on the state legislature to create a new funding source dedicated to upgrades compliant with the American with Disabilities Act.
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$150M revamp announced for Central Park’s Lasker pool and ice rink

Via Central Park Conservancy

July 18, 2018

$150M revamp announced for Central Park’s Lasker pool and ice rink

By Devin Gannon

Central Park's Lasker pool and ice rink is set to undergo a major makeover, funded collectively by the Central Park Conservancy and the city. As first reported by the Daily News, the pool and rink will close for construction in 2020 for three years. The refurbishment will better connect the North Woods and the Harlem Meer, both currently blocked from one another by the rink.
Get the details

Architecture And Design

$1.8M Chelsea loft is industrial meets country-chic with tin ceilings and cast-iron columns

July 17, 2018

$1.8M Chelsea loft is industrial meets country-chic with tin ceilings and cast-iron columns

By Devin Gannon

While it measures just over 1,050 square feet, the design of this Chelsea co-op packs a punch. The beautiful two-bedroom apartment boasts unique touches which fuse an industrial and country aesthetic, from its ten-foot restored pressed ceilings to its original cast-iron columns. The loft, located on the fifth floor of the pre-war building at 107 West 25th Street, has hit the market for $1.79 million.
See Inside

Distinctive Homes

PHOTOS: Pier 55’s undulating support structure takes shape on the Hudson River

July 17, 2018

PHOTOS: Pier 55’s undulating support structure takes shape on the Hudson River

By Devin Gannon

Construction photo via CityRealty; Rendering via Heatherwick Studio Construction has moved along quite nicely at Pier 55, the on-again, off-again public park project funded by billionaire businessman Barry Diller planned for the Hudson River. While there was not much to show when the park broke ground in April, photos recently taken by CityRealty reveal new concrete pylons arranged in various heights. These will act as the wave-shaped floating park's support structure.
See the photos

8 chances to snag an apartment near the Pulaski Bridge in Greenpoint, from $2,270/month

July 17, 2018

8 chances to snag an apartment near the Pulaski Bridge in Greenpoint, from $2,270/month

By Devin Gannon

Via EXR A Greenpoint rental building located near the foot of the Pulaski Bridge launched a housing lottery this week for eight middle-income apartments. The development, dubbed Freeman's Corner, contains two buildings at 215 and 216 Freeman Street. Units boast oversized windows, polished concrete floors, built-in Bluetooth speakers and some feature private balconies. Qualifying New Yorkers earning 130 percent of the area median income can apply for the units, which include four $2,270/month one-bedrooms and four $2,733/month two-bedrooms.
Find out if you qualify

Affordable Housing

Live one block from the J, M, Z trains in Bushwick, from $1,979/month

July 16, 2018

Live one block from the J, M, Z trains in Bushwick, from $1,979/month

By Devin Gannon

Photo via CityRealty Three middle-income units in Bushwick are up for grabs for New Yorkers earning 130 percent of the area median income. Located at 20 Jefferson Street, the newly constructed rental building sits right next to J, M and Z trains at the Myrtle Avenue subway station. The apartments boast state-of-the-art appliances and on-site laundry. Available units include one $1,979/month one-bedroom and two $2,387/month two-bedrooms.
Find out if you qualify

Affordable Housing

Cuomo to investigate allegations of tenant harassment by Kushner Cos. at Williamsburg condo

Rendering via Morris Adjmi Architects

July 16, 2018

Cuomo to investigate allegations of tenant harassment by Kushner Cos. at Williamsburg condo

By Devin Gannon

Gov. Andrew Cuomo on Monday launched an investigation into allegations of tenant harassment by Kushner Companies at the Austin Nichols House in Williamsburg. The announcement comes on the same day a group of 19 current and former residents of the building are set to file a $10 million lawsuit against the company for creating unlivable conditions from construction noise and dust and pushing them out to make room for condo buyers. The company, run by the family of Donald Trump's son-in-law and senior advisor Jared Kushner, purchased the 338-unit property at 184 Kent Avenue in 2015, and has since sold or emptied 75 percent of the rent-stabilized apartments, the Associated Press reported.
Find out more

Policy

New Yorkers paid over $507M for security deposits in 2016, report says

Photo via Creative Commons

July 16, 2018

New Yorkers paid over $507M for security deposits in 2016, report says

By Devin Gannon

In addition to having some of the highest rents in the country, New York City requires renters to provide a substantial chunk of money up front to cover an apartment's security deposit. According to a new report by City Comptroller Scott Stringer, New Yorkers forked over more than $507 million for security deposits over the course of 2016. Stringer is calling for an overhaul of the city's security deposit system, which he says has created a financial barrier that has intensified the city's affordable housing crisis. "For too long, the deck has been stacked against New York’s working-class renters but we’re taking a step forward to reimagine how the housing system works in our City," Stringer said in a press release.
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Preservationists, LGBT groups push Landmarks to designate Walt Whitman’s Clinton Hill home

Photo of Whitman via Wikimedia; Photo of 99 Ryerson Street via NYC LGBT Historic Sites Project

July 16, 2018

Preservationists, LGBT groups push Landmarks to designate Walt Whitman’s Clinton Hill home

By Devin Gannon

A coalition of preservationists, LGBT groups and literary experts is asking the Landmarks Preservation Commission to reassess their decision last year to not landmark Walt Whitman's Brooklyn home, the last residence of the 19th-century poet remaining in New York. Located at 99 Ryerson Street in Clinton Hill, the home was where Whitman and his family lived between May 1, 1855 and May 1, 1856. While living at the home, Whitman wrote "Leaves of Grass," a collection of poems considered to be one of the most significant American works ever. The home is also one of the earliest extant buildings in NYC associated with a member of the LGBT community.
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Live just a short drive from the New York Botanical Garden, from $1,375/month

July 13, 2018

Live just a short drive from the New York Botanical Garden, from $1,375/month

By Devin Gannon

Photo via Wikimedia A lottery launched this week for five newly constructed, middle-income units in the Bronxdale/Allerton neighborhood of the Bronx. Located at 2953 Barnes Avenue, the four-story building sits just over a mile from the New York Botanical Garden and the Bronx Zoo, making the trip just a five-minute car ride or 20-minute bus ride. Qualifying New Yorkers earning 130 percent of the area median income can apply for the units, which range from a $1,375/month one-bedroom to a $1,575/month two-bedroom.
Do you qualify?

Affordable Housing

Rotating panels at Storefront for Art and Architecture converted into shelves for books ‘yet to be written’

July 13, 2018

Rotating panels at Storefront for Art and Architecture converted into shelves for books ‘yet to be written’

By Devin Gannon

Photo by Naho Kubota The iconic rotating facade panels at the Storefront for Art and Architecture have been reconstructed as mostly-empty bookshelves in an installation currently on view at the Soho gallery. Abruzzo Bodziak Architects (ABA) designed the sidewalk-encroaching shelves for the exhibition, dubbed Architecture Books-Yet to Be Written. As its name suggests, the installation "seeks to celebrate and evaluate both existing and the missing volumes of a history still in the writing." ABA's design will be on display until August 25 as part of the New York Architecture Book Fair, an initiative introduced by the gallery.
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Beyond Manhattanhenge: Find mini-henges happening every day across NYC

Photo via d26b73 on Flickr

July 13, 2018

Beyond Manhattanhenge: Find mini-henges happening every day across NYC

By Devin Gannon

While the biannual sunset that aligns perfectly between two skyscrapers in Manhattan is perhaps the best known 'henge,' it's certainly not the only one. Because every neighborhood in New York City features its own pattern of a street grid, each has its own henge days (h/t NY Times). An interactive map called NYCHenge displays where mini-henges happen for every sunset throughout the year, allowing outer-borough residents to snap a solid sunset picture nearly every day.
Find a henge near you

Michael Cohen optimistically drops $6.7M on a condo at Tribeca’s 111 Murray

July 12, 2018

Michael Cohen optimistically drops $6.7M on a condo at Tribeca’s 111 Murray

By Devin Gannon

Photo of Michael Cohen via Wikimedia As Michael Cohen put his $9 million Trump Park Avenue apartment as collateral against a bank loan this spring, the former personal lawyer of President Donald Trump was signing a deal for a $6.7 million pad in Tribeca. The Wall Street Journal reported on Thursday that Cohen, who is under federal investigation, bought a 19th-floor apartment in April at 111 Murray Street, a 792-foot-high condo tower designed by Kohn Pedersen Fox.
Get the scoop

Grow a green thumb this weekend with free activities at over 70 of NYC’s community gardens

July 12, 2018

Grow a green thumb this weekend with free activities at over 70 of NYC’s community gardens

By Devin Gannon

Long Island City community garden, photo via Quench Your Eyes on Flickr With nearly 600 community gardens across New York City, picking just one to join can be difficult. GreenThumb, the largest community garden program in the country, wants to help connect New Yorkers with local gardens by hosting the first-ever Open Garden Day NYC. This Saturday, the organization will celebrate their 40th anniversary by opening more than 70 community gardens to the public, with lots of free, environmentally-friendly activities.
Go green

Events & Things To Do

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