All articles by Michelle Cohen

Michelle is a New York-based writer and content strategist who has worked extensively with lifestyle brands like Seventeen, Country Living, Harper’s Bazaar and iVillage. In addition to being a copywriter for a digital media agency she writes about culture, New York City neighborhoods, real estate, style, design and technology among other topics. She has lived in a number of major US cities on both coasts and in between and loves all things relating to urbanism and culture.
Trump says ‘no deal’ on federal funding for Gateway rail project in 2020 budget

Photo courtesy of Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s office.

March 12, 2019

Trump says ‘no deal’ on federal funding for Gateway rail project in 2020 budget

By
Despite a meeting in November to discuss the Gateway project, President Donald Trump has made it clear that the 2020 federal budget doesn't specify an money for the much-needed rail tunnel under the Hudson River. U.S. Department of Transportation Deputy Secretary Jeffrey Rosen told reporters Monday that, “Those transit projects are local responsibilities, and elected officials from New York and New Jersey are the ones accountable for them.” Gov. Andrew Cuomo replied in a statement, "These ridiculous claims should not be taken seriously," calling the exclusion of funds for the project "political posturing."
200,000 daily commuters hope somebody figures it out
400 spots open on waitlist for affordable units at El Barrio’s Artspace PS109, from $731/month

Image courtesy of El Barrio’s Artspace PS109. Photo by Christopher Lopez.

March 11, 2019

400 spots open on waitlist for affordable units at El Barrio’s Artspace PS109, from $731/month

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A housing lottery has opened for 400 spots on the wait list for residential units at El Barrio's Artspace PS109 at 215 East 99th Street in East Harlem. Built in 1899, the limestone-and-brick neighborhood landmark was a school building until 1996. In 2015 it became El Barrio’s Artspace PS109, a project that transformed the then-abandoned public school building into a housing complex for local artists with affordable live/work housing for artists and their families and 10,000 square feet of complementary space for arts organizations. Qualifying New Yorkers earning between 40 and 60 percent of the area median income can apply for apartments which range from a $731/month studio to a $1,348/month two-bedroom.
Find out how to apply
Flatiron-shaped Prospect Heights co-op with loft-like details is back on the market for $1.8M
March 11, 2019

Flatiron-shaped Prospect Heights co-op with loft-like details is back on the market for $1.8M

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This Prospect Heights co-op at 296 Sterling Place has the unusual blessing of having views on all three sides through oversized windows and all-day sunlight due to the building's Flatiron resemblance. Inside, the top-floor pre-war loft has beamed ceilings that reach almost 13 feet, original hardwood floors and exposed brick. Listed back in 2016 for $1.8 million, the three-bedroom home is back on the market for the same price, albeit with new kitchen and bath details.
Get a closer look
Hudson Yards got bigger tax breaks than the ones promised to Amazon

Rendering courtesy of Related/Oxford.

March 11, 2019

Hudson Yards got bigger tax breaks than the ones promised to Amazon

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The $20 billion, 28-acre Hudson Yards megaproject has been in the news recently as its official March 15 grand opening approaches. The New York Times reports that the nation's largest residential development has gotten more than a little financial help from the city government to get there. In fact, public records–and a recent study by the New School–reveal that the development has received nearly $6 billion in the form of tax breaks and additional government assistance, twice the controversial $3 billion in incentives held out to Amazon to entice the retail tech giant to bring its second headquarters to Queens.
That's a pretty big break
Judge rules MTA must provide elevators in all stations it renovates

Photo via Flickr

March 8, 2019

Judge rules MTA must provide elevators in all stations it renovates

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On Wednesday U.S. District Court Judge Edgardo Ramos ruled that the MTA was in violation of the Americans with Disabilities Act for failing to install elevators when it renovated a Bronx subway station. The ruling is the result of a 2016 lawsuit initiated by Bronx Independent Living Services after the MTA refused to make a the Middletown Road elevated subway station in the Bronx wheelchair accessible, though the $27 million renovation included new floors, walls, ceilings and stairs to the street and the train platform, Gothamist reports. Ramos' ruling stated that the MTA is obligated to install an elevator, regardless of cost, unless it is technically infeasible.
Really, MTA?
Deal reached between Hudson Yards developer and unions ends bitter labor fight

Rendering courtesy of Related/Oxford.

March 7, 2019

Deal reached between Hudson Yards developer and unions ends bitter labor fight

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The announcement Wednesday of a newly-forged framework between developer Related Companies and the Building and Construction Trades Council of Greater New York (BCTC) marks the end–at least for now–of a menacing feud between the developer of the $20 billion Hudson Yards megaproject and the umbrella union group representing 100,000 union construction workers. The two organizations have headed back to the bargaining table after a year-long boycott of the project by the labor group which threatened progress on its final phase. The accord, unanimously ratified at a BCTC executive board meeting, represents a new model of collaboration between the development community and skilled workforce.
Find out more
New renderings revealed for Greenpoint Landing’s OMA-designed towers

Rendering courtesy of Brookfield Properties and Park Tower Group.

March 7, 2019

New renderings revealed for Greenpoint Landing’s OMA-designed towers

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Developers Brookfield Properties and Park Tower Group have unveiled the next phase of development in the massive Greenpoint Landing waterfront project, including an addition to the public waterfront esplanade designed by James Corner Field Operations and mixed-income housing designed by OMA, the architecture firm founded by Rem Koolhaas. Construction is scheduled to begin this summer on the two new towers and an adjacent seven-story building that will bring the total number of units in the project to 745, of which 30 percent will be affordable.
More this way
Rockefeller Center developer reveals first NYC residential tower in Nomad

Left: Rendering of Rose Hill; credit: Pandiscio Green and Recent Spaces. Right: Still from a video by artist Marco Brambilla, commissioned by Rockefeller Group to emphasize the building’s Art Deco influence.

March 6, 2019

Rockefeller Center developer reveals first NYC residential tower in Nomad

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Formed over 90 years ago to develop and build Rockefeller Center, developer Rockefeller Group has never built a residential tower in its New York City hometown–until now. Their new condominium tower, Rose Hill has just been unveiled along with the launch of the building's teaser site. The 600-foot tower is currently under construction at 30 East 29th Street. The building will be designed by CetraRuddy; first looks show an Art Deco-inspired facade that does not diverge heavily from the architectural style of Rockefeller Center.
More, this way
Moishe’s East Village kosher bakery has closed after 42 years

Photo by James and Karla Murray of the store in 2015 afte rthe original signage was replaced following the East Village gas explosion nearby.

March 6, 2019

Moishe’s East Village kosher bakery has closed after 42 years

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Moishe's, the beloved kosher bakery on 2nd Avenue, instantly recognizable by what the New York Times called its "stopped-in-time storefront," has served its last hamantaschen. Owner Moishe Perl told local photographers James and Karla Murray that yesterday was the bakery's last day, and that the entire building has been sold. In business since 1977, everything was baked on the premises daily. Moishe's challah bread, rye bread, hamantaschen, rugelach, babka and sugar kichel were legendary.
Find out more
56 Leonard sidewalk gets outlined in anticipation of Anish Kapoor’s bean sculpture

Rendering by Anish Kapoor.

March 6, 2019

56 Leonard sidewalk gets outlined in anticipation of Anish Kapoor’s bean sculpture

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Herzog & de Meuron's striking "Jenga" condo tower at 56 Leonard Street in Tribeca is a conversation piece on its own, with its cantilevered rectangles of glass rising into the sky. The long-anticipated flourish that will anchor the skyscraper–artist Anish Kapoor's reflective bean-shaped sculpture–is finally on the way, as evidenced by an intricate set of circles and arrows that just arrived on the building's sidewalk. The spray-painted outline will inform installation of the sculpture, which resembles a similar public art icon in Chicago, where Kapoor's "Cloud Gate" sculpture apparently attracts millions of tourists every year and has become an Instagram staple.
What's taking so long, the anticipation is killing us
Bespoke finishes and hanging gardens create an enchanted oasis at this $10M Soho penthouse

Photo courtesy of Compass. Photo credit: Donna Dotan.

March 6, 2019

Bespoke finishes and hanging gardens create an enchanted oasis at this $10M Soho penthouse

By
The interiors of this fifth-floor co-op at 12 Greene Street in Soho bring to mind a perfectly redesigned deco-era London terrace house or a dreamy country estate more than the average Manhattan penthouse. To top it off, three levels of private roof terrace gardens wouldn't be out of place in either, complete with mature trees and a reflecting pool. As unusual as it is expensive–it’s asking $9.95 million–this three-bedroom downtown oasis boasts a renovation that spared no luxury and considered every angle, from a rustic loft-like kitchen and a fabulous array of bespoke floor tiles to the aforementioned gardens.
Take the tour
Live in a Tudor City penthouse like the one in ‘The Godfather’ and ‘Spider-Man’ for $2.85M
March 5, 2019

Live in a Tudor City penthouse like the one in ‘The Godfather’ and ‘Spider-Man’ for $2.85M

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This pre-war triplex penthouse, listed for $2.85 million, sits atop the Murray Hill apartment complex known as Windsor Tower at 5 Tudor City Place where "Scarface," "The Godfather," and "Spider-Man" were filmed; a nearly identical penthouse unit can be seen onscreen as the home of Spider-Man’s green nemesis, Willem Dafoe’s Green Goblin in the popular movie and yet another penthouse was featured in both Woody Allen’s “Bullets Over Broadway” and “The Godfather: Part III.” But you don't need Hollywood cachet to appreciate 18-foot ceilings, a wall of casement windows overlooking the East River, a wood-burning fireplace, or a dramatic staircase that curves its way up to an intimate terrace.
Three floors of charm, this way
35 Hudson Yards reveals new interior renderings and details ahead of March 15 sales launch

35 Hudson Yards. Image courtesy of Related-Oxford.

March 5, 2019

35 Hudson Yards reveals new interior renderings and details ahead of March 15 sales launch

By
New details and lots of renderings were released this week revealing the 143 residences at 35 Hudson Yards, the tallest residential building in the Hudson Yards mega-development, ahead of a just-announced March 15 sales launch with units starting at $5 million. At over 1,000 feet, the building was designed by David Childs and Skidmore, Owings & Merrill with interiors by Tony Ingrao. In addition to the neighborhood's loftiest homes, the building is home to the world's first Equinox Hotel.
New renderings, this way
Emily Ratajkowski and millionaire hubby live rent free thanks to city’s loft law, Noho landlord says

The loft building at 49 Bleecker Street in Noho. Image: Google maps.

March 4, 2019

Emily Ratajkowski and millionaire hubby live rent free thanks to city’s loft law, Noho landlord says

By
There have been a lot of discussions recently about the city's lack of affordable living space causing artists to flee the city, and about the relevance of regulations like the Loft Law, created to allow artists to live in neighborhoods like Noho and Soho. The New York Post now brings us the case of millionaire movie producer Sebastian Bear-McClard, 31, and his wife, model/actress Emily Ratajkowski, 27. The pair is reportedly living rent-free in a sprawling Noho loft at 49 Bleecker Street. The pair's landlord, of course, isn't happy with the fact that Bear-McClard, who is apparently worth an estimated $12 million, has been claiming protection under the state's Loft Law since 2017, to the tune of $120,000
unfair advantage, this way
DXA Studio’s pedestrian bridge design would connect Hudson Yards and Moynihan Train Hall

Rendering: DXA Studio.

March 4, 2019

DXA Studio’s pedestrian bridge design would connect Hudson Yards and Moynihan Train Hall

By
A curvy urban pathway designed by DXA Studio could allow commuters to pass between the new Moynihan Train Hall at West 31st Street to the High Line and Hudson Yards at 30th Street without having to deal with cars at all. The design is the grand prize-winning entry–for a $15,000 prize–in the 2019 Design Challenge by Metals in Construction magazine. The contest asked architects, engineers, and students to create a pedestrian bridge that could safely move the approximately 100,000 people daily that travel from the train hall to Hudson Yards while keeping the foot traffic from affecting the street below.
Find out more
It’s a loft! It’s a townhouse! It’s a full-service co-op! It’s $825K!

Image courtesy of Compass; photo credit: Rise Media.

March 4, 2019

It’s a loft! It’s a townhouse! It’s a full-service co-op! It’s $825K!

By
As if the building name–The Penny Lane–of this unusual home at 215 East 24th Street in Manhattan's Kips Bay wasn't sweet enough, the building is a former ice cream factory that was transformed into a full-service co-op. On the market for $825,000, this maisonette-style apartment is accessible through a private entrance from the street or via a full-service lobby. It's a duplex of sorts, with loft-like proportions and an interesting layout.
See more, this way
Old-fashioned porches and a pool make this striking $1.8M NJ home perfect for a summer day

Image courtesy of Sotheby’s International Realty. Photo credit: Warren Young.

March 1, 2019

Old-fashioned porches and a pool make this striking $1.8M NJ home perfect for a summer day

By
The listing for the circa 1867 Thomas Watlington house in Ridgewood, New Jersey's Prospect Street Historic District calls it "unforgettable," and it's certainly not one you'd pass by without taking note. The six-bedroom Second Empire style home at 226 Prospect Street, on the market for $1.825 million, is filled with historic details. But the home's wide, gracious porches, grand port-cocheres, in-ground heated pool and 3-car garage make it especially well suited for enjoying everyday life.
Take a look around
Sale prices rose 125 percent between 2014 and 2018 around Bronx’s Grand Concourse

View from the Grand Concourse; photo courtesy of Dan DeLuca via Flickr.

March 1, 2019

Sale prices rose 125 percent between 2014 and 2018 around Bronx’s Grand Concourse

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According to an analysis by Property Shark, the area surrounding the thoroughfare once known as the “Park Avenue of the Middle Class” has seen an elevated housing demand that has brought median home sales prices along with it, showing an increase in just 5 years that ranges from 56.2 percent in Bedford Park to a whopping 124.5 percent in Mott Haven.
Bronx rising, this way
Cuomo pleads with Amazon to reconsider Long Island City deal

Image via CityRealty

March 1, 2019

Cuomo pleads with Amazon to reconsider Long Island City deal

By
Update 3/1/19, 1:10pm: According to Crain's, Governor Cuomo said today on WNYC's Brian Lehrer Show, "They have given no indication that they would reconsider. I have no reason to believe that Amazon is reconsidering. Would I like them to? Certainly. But I have no reason to believe that." Amazon's Valentine's Day breakup with New York City has been rough on Governor Andrew Cuomo; the New York Times reports that Cuomo has continued to beseech the retail giant to build one of its two new headquarters in Long Island City, Queens, as it had announced plans to do last November. According to the Times, Cuomo has privately assured Amazon officials that he would ease the company's path to any needed approvals and is "working intensely behind the scenes"–including a personal pitch to founder Jeff Bezos–to get Amazon to reconsider.
Baby, come back
Karlie Kloss and Joshua Kushner just put their Nolita condo on the market for $7M

Photo of Karlie via Flickr

February 28, 2019

Karlie Kloss and Joshua Kushner just put their Nolita condo on the market for $7M

By
Recently-wed supermodel Karlie Kloss and Joshua Kushner, venture capitalist, and brother of presidential son-in-law/advisor Jared Kushner have just listed their two-bedroom condo at 211 Elizabeth Street for $6.995 million, the New York Post reports. The 2,000-square-foot home boasts interiors by Roman and Williams and a 1,120-square-foot landscaped, irrigated terrace.
Get a closer look
Why Ken Griffin’s $238M condo is taxed like it’s worth $9.4 million

220 Central Park South. Image via Vornado Realty Trust and Robert A.M. Stern Architects.

February 28, 2019

Why Ken Griffin’s $238M condo is taxed like it’s worth $9.4 million

By
We've heard it before, but it's always a shock to hear about how the city’s tax system undervalues big-ticket apartments in expensive neighborhoods. The Wall Street Journal reports that the effective tax rate on billionaire hedge funder Ken Griffin’s sky mansion at 220 Central Park South comes out to about 0.22 percent–compared with about one percent in the city's less affluent neighborhoods. The reasoning behind this is tied to a complicated city property tax system that assesses all co-ops and condos as if they were rental properties. Rental income at nearby buildings is assessed in order to estimate a condo's value.
What's going on here?
Usonian-style Bronxville home built in 1950 by Frank Lloyd Wright collaborator asks $5M

Images courtesy of William Pitt/Julia B. Fee for Sotheby’s International Realty; photo credit: Chris Collins Studio.

February 26, 2019

Usonian-style Bronxville home built in 1950 by Frank Lloyd Wright collaborator asks $5M

By
This unique home tucked into a gorgeous wooded landscape in Bronxville, NY, was built in 1950 by architect and Frank Lloyd Wright apprentice David Henken in the iconic Usonian style. A complete renovation by renowned architect Markus Dochantschi in 2012 modernized and expanded the 5,500-square-foot home; Dochantschi, founder of StudioMDA, is a former director of Zaha Hadid Architects and specializes in minimalist, functional design. The property is on the market for $4.995 million.
See more, this way
Finalists announced in Transit Tech Lab accelerator program to help modernize NYC public transit

Image via Flickr

February 26, 2019

Finalists announced in Transit Tech Lab accelerator program to help modernize NYC public transit

By
As part of the much-needed effort to modernize New York City public transit, the MTA and the Partnership for New York City have announced six finalists for the inaugural Transit Tech Lab accelerator program. The eight-week program, which began this week, will give the six chosen companies an opportunity to try new technologies customized to solve for specific subway and bus priorities such as reducing cost and cutting down subway delays by employing predictive maintenance, deploying a transit network planning platform, using computer vision to untangle bus lane traffic and using sensors to address platform crowding.
More innovation this way
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