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.
City’s plans for Willets Point include a soccer stadium and affordable housing

Rendering of 126th Street facing north; image courtesy of NYCEDC

January 18, 2019

City’s plans for Willets Point include a soccer stadium and affordable housing

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City officials have released long-awaited plans to develop the blighted Willets Point section of Corona, Queens. As 6sqft previously reported, the economic development site within the industrial neighborhood east of Citi Field known as the Iron Triangle was at one point slated for a cleanup of its toxic soil and the creation of affordable and senior housing that would replace a jumble of auto shops and industrial businesses. Finally surfacing almost four months after a task force submitted suggestions to the Econonmic Development Corp. (EDC), the plans contain two development scenarios including a soccer stadium and mixed-use scenario that includes residential development, retail and a school.
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Harlem exhibit shows an intimate side of MLK on the civil rights hero’s 90th birthday

Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and his wife Coretta being greeted by Rev. Adam Clayton Powell, Jr. (left) and labor leader A. Philip Randolph (right) at the Pan American World Airways terminal, in New York City: Image: Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture, Photographs and Prints Division, The New York Public Library. (1950 – 1959).

January 18, 2019

Harlem exhibit shows an intimate side of MLK on the civil rights hero’s 90th birthday

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Open as of January 15, a new photography exhibit titled, "Crusader: Martin Luther King Jr." at the New York Public Library's Schomburg Center considers Reverend King as man, traveler and friend. The show offers an intimate travelogue of the civil rights leader’s visits to India, Nobel Peace Prize acceptance in Oslo, Norway, and work as a crusader for non-violent civil rights action, captured by noted photographers of the day.
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Make way for the Women’s March on NYC: Street closings, maps and more

2017 Women’s March on NYC; image: mathiaswasik via Flickr.

January 17, 2019

Make way for the Women’s March on NYC: Street closings, maps and more

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The streets of NYC will fill once again this Saturday, January 19 for the third annual Women's March on New York City. The first march took place in 2017, as a demonstration in support of women's rights and in resistance to a growing list of gender-related injustices during the inauguration of President Donald Trump. Last year's march drew an estimated 200,000 participants. As with any jubilant mass display of human resilience, there will be street closings. Read on for info on where to march, how to avoid traffic snarls and what makes this year's march different.
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Cuomo pledges $23M for Hudson River Park project in State of the State speech

Rendering by Pier55 Inc/Heatherwick Studio

January 17, 2019

Cuomo pledges $23M for Hudson River Park project in State of the State speech

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Gov. Andrew Cuomo's State of the State speech Tuesday included a $23 million pledge to go toward the completion of Hudson River Park. That nearly-hidden line item in the state budget represents the governor's mediation efforts in a billionaire-vs.-billionaire feud involving Barry Diller's 2.7-acre park at Pier 55 on the water near West 14th street (often referred to as Diller Park), Crains reports.
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Demolition permits filed for world’s tallest teardown at 270 Park Avenue

The existing 270 Park Avenue, MikePScott via Flickr

January 17, 2019

Demolition permits filed for world’s tallest teardown at 270 Park Avenue

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Demolition permits were filed Tuesday for the JPMorgan Chase HQ at 270 Park Avenue, CityRealty reports. The building will be the tallest planned demolition in history. The filing is a significant step for the bank on the way to replacing the 1.5-million-square-foot Modernist tower previously known as the Union Carbide Building with a 2.5-million-square-foot skyscraper, to be designed by British Pritzker Prize winner Norman Foster/Foster + Partners architectural firm.
Down with the old, up with the new
Amazon fuels HQ2 buzz with shiny new job postings
January 16, 2019

Amazon fuels HQ2 buzz with shiny new job postings

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A pair of job postings listed by online retail giant Amazon kicked the excitement level up a notch in anticipation of the company's new "HQ2" headed for Long Island City, Queens. According to Bloomberg, the ads, seeking a software development manager and software engineer, referred to the company's impending New York expansion by saying the new HQ would be the site of a 50-person team starting in 2019 as part of its Intelligent Cloud Control group. Following a flurry of press inquiries, Amazon quickly added that though they would begin hiring for HQ2 later in 2019, the listings were for positions in an already-existing office.
More Amazon excitement this way
FDNY says Amazon’s HQ2 may overwhelm an already stretched LIC fire department

Google Street View of Long Island City’s engine 261

January 15, 2019

FDNY says Amazon’s HQ2 may overwhelm an already stretched LIC fire department

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Google Street View of Long Island City's engine 261 In 2003, when then-Mayor Michael Bloomberg shuttered six city firehouses including Engine Company 261 at 37-20 29th Street in Long Island City, the growing neighborhood was nowhere near its current density. Since then, a veritable mini-city of high-rise residential towers has sprung up in the once-industrial Queens neighborhood; the FDNY has been considering the need for more firepower to keep the mini-metropolis safe. The recent announcement of Amazon's impending arrival with 25,000 jobs in tow has given more urgency to concerns about the increased demand for emergency services, according to the Wall Street Journal.
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Affordable housing wait list opens at the iconic Manhattan Plaza Mitchell-Lama apartments

Manhattan Plaza (photo via LIHC Investment Group)

January 14, 2019

Affordable housing wait list opens at the iconic Manhattan Plaza Mitchell-Lama apartments

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A lottery to snag a waiting list spot for Mitchell-Lama rental apartments in Manhattan Plaza at 400 West 43rd Street–where, according to the Hollywood Reporter, Alicia Keys was born and Samuel L. Jackson was the first security guard–has just opened (h/t CityRealty). Senior citizens and residents of all ages in Community Board 4 are eligible to apply for studio to one-bedroom apartments. Rents aren't listed, but you can expect a significant discount from the neighborhood median of $3,000/month for studios and $3,600/month for one-bedrooms. There are four lists (community studio list, community studio elderly list, community one-bedroom list, community elderly one-bedroom list) with 500 spots available on each. The deadline to apply for all is January 31, 2019.
Get more info and see if you qualify, this way
Get a closer look at Snøhetta’s new designs for Phillip Johnson’s 550 Madison Avenue
January 14, 2019

Get a closer look at Snøhetta’s new designs for Phillip Johnson’s 550 Madison Avenue

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In December, 6sqft reported that architecture firm Snøhetta had unveiled a preservationist-friendly revision to a controversial design for an updated AT&T building at 550 Madison Avenue. Now you can get a look at the full details of the Certificate of Appropriateness proposal that will be presented to the Landmarks Preservation Commission (LPC) tomorrow. The latest design is one of several revisions, each followed by controversy over being seen by preservationists as diverting too much from the building’s original design by Philip Johnson and John Burgee. In addition to comparisons to the original, new designs must consider the subsequent revamp that made it the Sony building in 1994, which replaced the building’s open Madison Avenue arcade with “Sony Experience” storefronts and covered a rear public arcade with a glass roof.
Compare the new with the old
City’s plans for Soho and Noho may include rezoning and removal of Artist In Residence law

Image: Steven Pisano via Flickr.

January 11, 2019

City’s plans for Soho and Noho may include rezoning and removal of Artist In Residence law

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The Department of City Planning, Manhattan Borough President Gale Brewer and City Council Member Margaret Chin announced today the launch of a six-month public engagement process addressing the future of NYC's Soho and Noho neighborhoods. The series of public meetings and consultation with local stakeholders are an early phase in outlining a vision for the future of those neighborhoods; the city's plans include updating what many consider outdated zoning laws, including the removal of rarely-enforced restrictions on ground floor retail tenancy and Soho's Artist In Residence law.
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Billionaire’s Midtown penthouse got the biggest price chop in NYC history, now $70M off
January 11, 2019

Billionaire’s Midtown penthouse got the biggest price chop in NYC history, now $70M off

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Everything goes on sale after Christmas, and that’s certainly true of hedge fund billionaire Steve Cohen’s Beacon Court penthouse at 151 East 58th Street. The SAC Capital Advisors founder bought the 9,000-square-foot duplex for $24 million in 2005 and hired noted architect Charles Gwathmey to give it a once-over. The condo hit the market again in April of 2013 for a whopping $115M (around the time Cohen received a wrist-slap to the tune of $1.2 billion for insider trading). No takers at that price. Or the next one ($82M). Or the one after that ($79M)–you probably get where this is going. Where the five-bedroom aerie on the building's 51st and 52nd floors ended up today: Deeply discounted to $45 million after eight price cuts adding up to a $70 million drop, making it the heftiest haircut to happen in New York City history according to The Real Deal.
Take a closer look
$60M contract will finally bring East Side Access to Grand Central

Via Wikimedia

January 10, 2019

$60M contract will finally bring East Side Access to Grand Central

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It was announced today that a $60.2 million contract to build the project that will bring the Long Island Rail Road service to Grand Central Terminal was awarded to construction and development company Skanska. The award represents the final heavy civil contract in the MTA's largest largest capital project and one that marks the first expansion of the Long Island Rail Road (LIRR) in over 100 years.
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Court order stalls progress on De Blasio’s new horse carriage rules

A carriage near Central Park South, amongst traffic, via Flickr cc

January 9, 2019

Court order stalls progress on De Blasio’s new horse carriage rules

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Manhattan Supreme Court Judge Arthur F. Engoron ordered Tuesday that Mayor De Blasio can't “take any action or inaction that would interfere” with the horse carriages operating in Central Park until a subsequent court order is issued, according to the New York Daily News. The court order is the result of a complaint filed in October by horse carriage hack Giovanni Paliotta, whose attorney says the process was being done in the wrong order: New rules regarding the carriages should come from the City Council rather than the mayor, and legislation should be passed.
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Hudson Yards arts center The Shed sets an opening date and reveals additions to inaugural lineup

Photo: Brett Beyer

January 9, 2019

Hudson Yards arts center The Shed sets an opening date and reveals additions to inaugural lineup

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The Shed, New York City’s first arts center dedicated to presenting new performing arts, visual arts, and popular culture works, has set an opening date of April 5, 2019, the organization's Artistic Director and CEO Alex Poots announced today. The city's newest arts center on Manhattan’s west side has also announced four additional opening season commissions and the honorary naming of its building and two major spaces in recognition of visionary supporters of the project in addition to information about operating hours and tickets.
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It’s said this $1.85M Scarsdale Tudor was built by mobster Bugsy Siegel in 1920
January 8, 2019

It’s said this $1.85M Scarsdale Tudor was built by mobster Bugsy Siegel in 1920

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On a tranquil cul-de-sac in Westchester County's Scarsdale, this pretty 1920s stone Tudor has a surprisingly notorious reputation: It was allegedly the home of infamous '20s gangster Ben "Bugsy" Siegel. It has, for a new century, been restored to its original glamour with the addition of a luxurious kitchen and modern conveniences.
See more of this historic home
Amtrak engineers eye Cuomo’s L train fix for their own East River tunnel repairs

Via Flickr

January 7, 2019

Amtrak engineers eye Cuomo’s L train fix for their own East River tunnel repairs

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Amtrak is taking a close look at Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo’s possibly-disaster-averting new L train repair strategy as a "common sense solution" for their own damaged tunnels between Manhattan and Queens, the Daily News reports. The agency would, of course, subject the tunnel fix to more scrutiny before making a decision. Amtrak chairman Anthony Coscia said “It is important for us to do a thorough vetting so that we can determine now at this stage whether it’s a methodology that we could use. Because if it is, it will make the process far less painful to our travelers,” much like the new subway solution would allegedly be.
Could this make the Gateway Project obsolete?
Is SoHY the next hot neighborhood? New ‘South of Hudson Yards’ condo thinks so

Image courtesy of New Development Group.

January 7, 2019

Is SoHY the next hot neighborhood? New ‘South of Hudson Yards’ condo thinks so

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Our first reaction at reading New Development Group’s (Ryant Serhant and team) introduction of the newly-minted SoHY condo at 550 West 29th Street as “Manhattan’s newest neighborhood and building" was to think the Nest Seekers-agent-to-the-stars must be SoHY if he thinks anyone will fall for another silly neighborhood acronym (Hello, NoLo!). But in this case, the multi-hyphenate wunderkind might actually be on to something. When you think about it, SoHY–for South of Hudson Yards–is definitely better than: "um, you know that area all the way over by 11th Avenue where all those new buildings are...that aren’t Hudson Yards ones..."
More SoHY jinks, this way
Upper East Side Gilded Age mansion with Broadway cachet and a big money past tries again at $29.5M
January 4, 2019

Upper East Side Gilded Age mansion with Broadway cachet and a big money past tries again at $29.5M

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Just over a year ago, The Real Deal reported that Tony Award-winning Broadway producers Janet and Howard Kagan (“Tuck Everlasting,” “Pippin”) had put the 25-foot-wide, 12,729-square-foot mansion at 11 East 82nd Street, purchased for $24.5 million in 2009, on the market, asking $44 million. The impressive Upper East Side limestone-and-brick townhouse was also known for having previously belonged to financier Ron Perelman. The 1895 building in all its six-story, elevator-enhanced, Gilded Age glory has just been relisted for $29.5 million, a hefty haircut from last year's ask.
Embark on the grand tour
Rental tower at Essex Crossing’s new foodie mecca launches leasing from $3,750/month

Renderings by We Are Visuals/QuallsBenson via Delancey Street Association.

January 3, 2019

Rental tower at Essex Crossing’s new foodie mecca launches leasing from $3,750/month

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Leasing has officially launched at The Essex at 125 Delancey Street, the newest rental residence at the Lower East Side's Essex Crossing. Delancey Street Associates (DSA), the project's developers, announced the official launch of the building's 98 units today along with new renderings of interiors and amenity spaces within the tallest tower at the nine-site development. The 26-story Essex, designed by Handel Architects, also launched its website, which shows even more detail on the available units, which range from studios to three-bedrooms, starting at $3,750.
See more, this way
For $1.6M, this Morningside Heights co-op is a fine example of a pre-war classic six
January 3, 2019

For $1.6M, this Morningside Heights co-op is a fine example of a pre-war classic six

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Located in the picturesque Upper West Side/Morningside Heights neighborhood it shares with Columbia University's campus, Amele Hall at 536 W 111th Street is a classic elevator co-op built in 1910 by architect partners Mulliken and Moeller. This classic six apartment, listed for $1.595 million, has been modernized but retains its turn-of-the-century charm.
Get a closer look
New 2019 NYC laws ban foam, restrict cigarettes, address paid family leave, minimum wage and more

Photo via NYC.GOV

January 2, 2019

New 2019 NYC laws ban foam, restrict cigarettes, address paid family leave, minimum wage and more

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As a new year dawns, you may find you're harboring illegal contraband that was–as recently as last year–the perfectly legal container for your takeout dinner. As part of Mayor Bill De Blasio's Zero Waste campaign, manufacturers and stores may not sell or offer single-use foam items such as cups, plates, bowls, trays, or clamshell containers as of January 1, 2019. The foam ban joins more notable new legislation on the books as of 2019 including laws affecting minimum wage, cigarette sales, baby changing tables, paid family leave and gender options on birth certificates.
Read on for details
2018 Manhattan condo sales show volume drop and price cooldown from last year’s soaring heights

Rendering of 200 East 59th Street via Studio amd for Macklowe Properties

December 31, 2018

2018 Manhattan condo sales show volume drop and price cooldown from last year’s soaring heights

By
Rendering of 200 East 59th Street via Studio amd for Macklowe Properties CityRealty's new 2018 year-end market report reveals trends in Manhattan real estate including a notable drop in transaction volume and a decline in condo sales prices after 2017's roaring gains. Co-ops showed marginal gains in 2018. The New York Times refers to the report and quotes Jonathan J. Miller of Manhattan's Miller Samuel appraisal firm: “Sales are not low–they are just not unusually high. It’s like we came off the autobahn: It feels very slow relative to the last three to four years, but historically it’s not.” See a few highlights from the report, below.
More from the report
10 ideas for an adventurous NYC New Year’s Eve, regrets optional

Image courtesy of MetropolisNYE

December 20, 2018

10 ideas for an adventurous NYC New Year’s Eve, regrets optional

By
New Year's Eve is one of those holidays where expectations outweigh the realities–freezing weather, scarce transportation, raucous crowds and the prospect of corralling all of your friends in one place to avoid ringing in the new year while packed into a stalled subway car. If you've a shred of sense, you're not headed for Times Square, but the city does its best to offer up options that are suitably festive and possibly even a whole lot of fun. See the list below for some ways to avoid dropping the ball on this year's NYE plans.
2019, this way
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