Brooklyn

Owners of six small businesses in Coney Island, Lola Star Boutique, Nathan's Famous, Ruby's Bar & Grill, Paul's Daughter, Tom's Restaurant, and the Coney Island Beach Shop, are currently negotiating new 10-year lease agreements with amusement park operator Zamperla. The New York Times reported on Wednesday that the boardwalk businesses are facing rent increases of between 50 and 400 percent each. "We care about Coney Island and its future, and we are dedicated to making it as strong a community as possible," Alessandro Zamperla, the president of the company, told the Times. "This is why we've been working with our tenants to ensure their success and preserve the character of Coney Island." Mayor Bill de Blasio's administration has not come forward with a plan to mediate; according to the newspaper, the rent increases do not violate the agreement between Zamperla and the city.
Find out more

Real Estate Trends

This $3.5M wood-frame house in Fort Greene has high-end finishes and a delicious mint kitchen

Photo credit: DDreps for The Hudson Advisory Team courtesy of Compass

January 14, 2020

This $3.5M wood-frame house in Fort Greene has high-end finishes and a delicious mint kitchen

Built in 1870, this historic wood-frame home on a block of gorgeous landmarked townhouses a few blocks from Fort Greene Park is asking $3,495,000. It's had a recent renovation that bestowed updates like well-concealed central air and an intercom system and high-end finishes like herringbone wood flooring, arriving at that magic mix of contemporary comfort and historic charm. Within the single-family home are four bedrooms, each with its own bath, plus grand entertaining rooms and plenty of family space. A large landscaped rear yard joins a patio and wood deck for indoor-outdoor living in season.
Take the townhouse tour

Bushwick rezoning stalled after city dismisses community plan

Photo by Mike Steele on Flickr

January 13, 2020

Bushwick rezoning stalled after city dismisses community plan

The plan to rezone Bushwick hit a possibly fatal roadblock Monday after city officials and local politicians failed to reach an agreement on affordable housing requirements. The city said it will not study the Bushwick Community Plan (BCP), first envisioned by the community in 2014 to address out-of-context development, as part of its proposal, effectively postponing the rezoning. After years of Bushwick residents calling for a study of the area's growing gentrification, the city released its official rezoning plan last April. But local stakeholders and leaders, including Council Members Antonio Reynoso and Rafel Espinal Jr., said the city's plan fell short of the vision laid out in the BCP.
Details here

Policy

L train service will be interrupted over the course of three upcoming weekends

Image by Jason Eppink via Flickr

January 13, 2020

L train service will be interrupted over the course of three upcoming weekends

The rehabilitation of the Canarsie Tunnel is on track to wrap up months ahead of schedule and restore full L train service by April—roughly one year after the revised “slowdown” started—but service will get a little worse before it gets better. As the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) prepares to finish their work, partial L outages will impact service during three weekends in January, February, and March.
More details

Transit

Plans filed for large apartment building on parking lot of classic Coney Island restaurant Gargiulo’s

View of 1517 Surf Avenue; Photo courtesy of Ace Aerial

January 9, 2020

Plans filed for large apartment building on parking lot of classic Coney Island restaurant Gargiulo’s

The owner of a 100-year-old Italian restaurant in Coney Island has agreed to lease the establishment's neighboring parking lot to a luxury real estate developer. Gargiulo's Restaurant owner Louis Russo filed a 99-year ground lease for the lot at 1517 Surf Avenue, located about one block from the boardwalk, with developer LCOR, as first reported by the Brooklyn Paper. According to the developer, plans will likely involve a mixed-income residential development and ground-floor retail.
Get the details

New Developments

Image credit: VHT courtesy of The Corcoran Group

January 8, 2020

For just $250K, the buyer of this chic Bay Ridge studio gets a parkside location and a Verrazano view

Tucked into a verdant strip of southwest Brooklyn overlooking Shore Road Park, a block from New York Harbor with stunning vistas of the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge from the street, this compact studio at 9902 Third Avenue is asking a relatively reasonably $250,000. In addition to bridge views, the Bay Ridge/Hamilton Parkway street is lined with pre-war co-ops and quaint two-story free-standing homes.
See more, this way

Distinctive Homes

Williamsburg’s William Vale hotel opens rooftop ice skating rink with skyline views

Photo courtesy of The William Vale

January 6, 2020

Williamsburg’s William Vale hotel opens rooftop ice skating rink with skyline views

In the warmer months, the 23rd-floor rooftop of The William Vale is one of the hottest spots for an outdoor drink, and now the hotel has introduced a fun way to take advantage of those skyline views during the winter. Vale Rink is a public ice skating rink, as well as a tented lounge that offers hot chocolate and other treats. Admission is $20 for adults and includes your skate rental.
Get the details

Events & Things To Do

For $1.9M, this Bed Stuy townhouse mixes historic details with modern upgrades

Listing images by DDreps; courtesy of Compass

December 31, 2019

For $1.9M, this Bed Stuy townhouse mixes historic details with modern upgrades

Having last sold in February for $830,000, this Bed Stuy townhouse at 610 Bainbridge Street has since been transformed by a complete renovation. The modern upgrades live alongside restored classic details from the original 1899 construction, including a wood-burning fireplace in the living room and charming pocket doors. The five-bedroom, 3,200-square-foot property also has income-generating potential with a separate two-bedroom unit on the garden floor. It’s now asking $1,895,000.
Take a look around

Distinctive Homes

For $2.4M, a townhouse-sized classic seven overlooking Prospect Park

Photo credit: DDReps courtesy of Compass

December 27, 2019

For $2.4M, a townhouse-sized classic seven overlooking Prospect Park

As one of the highly sought-after, elegant pre-war Park Slope co-ops that overlook Prospect Park and Grand Army Plaza, 47 Plaza Street West was built in 1928 and designed by renowned architect Rosario Candela. Asking $2.4 million, this "classic seven" unit is one of only two that share an elevator bank. And with four bedrooms and a unique corner configuration, the gracious apartment feels like a townhouse–without all the stairs. Plus, high-floor status means gorgeous views of Grand Army Plaza and the park below.
Take the tour

Distinctive Homes

Dumbo’s Time Out Market adds rooftop igloos for festive cocktails

Photo: Time Out/Ali Garber

December 20, 2019

Dumbo’s Time Out Market adds rooftop igloos for festive cocktails

Ever since Instagram made popular Midtown bar 230 Fifth's rooftop "igloos" an international sensation, other drinking and dining establishments have been hopping on the dome train, too. The latest comes from Dumbo's Time Out Market food hall, where guests can enjoy a special wintery cocktail menu in an enclosed bubble overlooking the Manhattan Bridge and skyline. Called the Rooftop Iglounge, the three domes are available on a first-come basis and can each accommodate eight guests.
READ MORE

December 20, 2019

100 spots open on waitlist for modern Greenpoint rental near the Pulaski Bridge

Applications are now being accepted for a 100-spot waitlist for a rental building in Greenpoint. Located at 215 Freeman Street at the foot of the Pulaski Bridge, the building sits near all Manhattan Avenue has to offer, with easy access to Long Island City and beyond via the bridge's pedestrian path. Qualifying New Yorkers earning 130 percent of the area median income can apply to be placed on the waitlist for the apartments, which include one-bedrooms priced between $2,270 and $2,542 per month and two-bedrooms between $2,733 and $3,063 per month.
Do you qualify?

Affordable Housing

December 19, 2019

See BIG and WXY’s vision for a pedestrian-friendly Downtown Brooklyn

A plan to improve the streets and public space of Downtown Brooklyn was unveiled on Thursday, as officials look to accommodate the area's booming population. Created in collaboration with the Downtown Brooklyn Partnership, Bjarke Ingels Group, and WXY architecture + urban design, the "Public Realm Action Plan" calls for fewer cars, more bike lanes, a bus-only lane, and more parks and plazas. As first reported by CityLab, the proposal takes ideas from already-implemented street redesigns, like the new 14th Street busway.
See the plan

Transit

For $490K, this Bushwick studio includes amenities, parking, and a private terrace

Photo credit: Jesse Armas, courtesy of Compass.

December 18, 2019

For $490K, this Bushwick studio includes amenities, parking, and a private terrace

If you're looking for a sleek pied-a-terre or an attractive investment condo in buzzy central Bushwick, this compact studio at 364 Harman Street fits the bill. At $490,000, the brand-new condominium offers amenities–like a gym and a parking garage–not often found in newly-constructed boutique buildings in the neighborhood. A private terrace adds to the list of enviable perks.
Get a closer look

Distinctive Homes

The Collective announces a new Williamsburg co-living location with student housing included

Renderings by Scuares, courtesy of The Collective

December 18, 2019

The Collective announces a new Williamsburg co-living location with student housing included

The Collective is wrapping up a busy year with news of its latest co-living development at 292 North 8th Street in Williamsburg. Stonehill Taylor will design a 100,000-square-foot building comprised of 224 studios. Ninety-seven of those are to be set aside for students, and the remaining 127 rooms will be geared toward nightly and monthly stays. The North 8th Street location is one of three now underway in Brooklyn. A forthcoming flagship location is in the works at 555 Broadway in South Williamsburg, and a Sou Fujimoto-designed building will soon take shape at the site of the former Slave Theater in Bed-Stuy. All three Brooklyn locations are set to open in 2022.
READ MORE

Uncategorized

The city’s first LGBT-friendly affordable senior housing opens in Fort Greene

Rendering courtesy of BFC Partners and Marvel Architects

December 18, 2019

The city’s first LGBT-friendly affordable senior housing opens in Fort Greene

New York City’s first affordable LGBT-friendly senior housing complex has opened in Fort Greene. Originally called the Ingersoll Senior Residences, the project—which is the first to be completed under the city’s controversial plan to lease NYCHA land to private developers—was dubbed Stonewall House in honor of the 1969 riots that launched the modern LGBT movement. The building comprises 145 apartments that will be available to seniors 62 years and older who make 50 percent or less of the area median income, with 25 percent of the units set aside for formerly homeless tenants.
More details

Affordable Housing

Billionaire’s Row tops list of most expensive streets in the world

Looking north towards Billionaires’ Row in early October © 6sqft

December 17, 2019

Billionaire’s Row tops list of most expensive streets in the world

A new study of the top "ultra-prime" locations in the world dispels any doubt that Billionaire's Row is living up to its name. London-based property consultancy Knight Frank, along with Douglas Elliman, looked at the number of homes sold for over $25 million since 2015 and found the greatest concentration along Midtown's 57th Street, where 41 transactions have been closed in the last five years at an average price of $38.5 million. Manhattan cracked the top ten three more times, with Central Park South coming in third, followed by Park Avenue and Fifth Avenue in fourth and seventh place.
READ MORE

Real Estate Trends

A 266-unit affordable senior housing complex with focus on health and wellness to open in Brooklyn

Rendering courtesy of Dattner Architects

December 16, 2019

A 266-unit affordable senior housing complex with focus on health and wellness to open in Brooklyn

A medical center in Brooklyn will be developed into a mixed-use complex with affordable housing, on-site counseling service, fitness programs, and integrated health care. Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced last week plans to transform the current Kingsbrook Jewish Medical Center North Campus, located between Prospect Lefferts Gardens and East Flatbush, into Kingsbrook Estate, a three-building development with 266 units of affordable housing. Designed by Dattner Architects in collaboration with landscape architecture firm terrain, the development falls under the state's Vital Brooklyn plan, created in 2017 to bring more housing and jobs to the Central Brooklyn area.
Learn more

Affordable Housing

NYC’s third $100M+ real estate deal closes at 220 Central Park South

Image courtesy of Vornado Realty Trust and Robert A.M. Stern Architects

December 13, 2019

NYC’s third $100M+ real estate deal closes at 220 Central Park South

A penthouse at 220 Central Park South has sold for $100 million to an undisclosed buyer, the Wall Street Journal reports. The Billionaire's Row transaction is only the third nine-figure deal to close in New York City, following hedge-fund executive Ken Griffin’s whopping $240 million purchase in the same building earlier this year (the most expensive home ever sold in the U.S.) and tech mogul Michael Dell’s $100.47 million penthouse at nearby One57, which closed in 2014.
More info

Real Estate Trends

All renderings © James Corner Field Operations and BIG-Bjarke Ingels Group, courtesy of Two Trees Management

December 12, 2019

Massive Bjarke Ingels-designed apartment towers and public beach planned for Williamsburg

Two new mixed-use towers with 1,000 units of housing and six acres of public space have been proposed for the North Brooklyn waterfront. Two Trees Management on Thursday unveiled plans to bring two Bjarke Ingels Group-designed buildings, one at 650 feet and the other at 600 feet, on River Street between North 1st and North 3rd Street in Williamsburg. The buildings, with Metropolitan Avenue running between them, will serve as an entrance to the new waterfront space, part of a master plan designed in collaboration with BIG and James Corner Field Operations. The park and public beach would close the gap between Grand Ferry Park and North Fifth Park, eventually providing continuous access to the East River between South Williamsburg and Greenpoint.
Check out the whole project

Bedford Union Armory redevelopment project in Crown Heights breaks ground

Rendering courtesy of BFC Partners.

December 11, 2019

Bedford Union Armory redevelopment project in Crown Heights breaks ground

The New York City Economic Development Corporation (NYCEDC) along with Council Member Laurie Cumbo, BFC Partners and community members today celebrated the groundbreaking of the redevelopment project finally underway at the historic Bedford Union Armory in Crown Heights. The new community hub will offer affordable space for local non-profits, recreational space for youth and hundreds of units of affordable housing as shown in new renderings. The road to this latest milestone has been a long and storied one since community leaders first envisioned the massive armory as a multi-use gathering space for the Crown Heights community.
New renderings of the redeveloped armory, this way

December 6, 2019

69 newly constructed affordable units available in East New York, from $856/month

Linwood Park Apartments, a new development at 315 Linwood Street in East New York, has just launched an affordable housing lottery. The 10-story complex is located in the rezoned Atlantic Avenue corridor and is made up entirely of affordable units, available to those earning 40, 50, and 60 percent of the area median income. 69 apartments are available in the lottery, ranging from $856/month studios to $1,504/month three-bedrooms. Eight of those units have been set aside for those who qualify for Section 8, meaning eligible residents will pay 30 percent of their income for rent.
Find out if you qualify

Affordable Housing

Lottery opens for 20 affordable and supportive studios in Brownsville, from $571/month

Photo by DanTD via Wikimedia Commons

December 6, 2019

Lottery opens for 20 affordable and supportive studios in Brownsville, from $571/month

One- and two-person households earning 50 or 60 percent of the area median income (between $21,978 and $51,240 annually) can now apply for 20 affordable studios at 212 Hegeman Avenue, a newly constructed, 71-unit rental in Brownsville. Sixty percent of the units are set aside as supportive housing for formerly homeless and disabled New Yorkers, while 29 percent are open to the public. Residents can take advantage of on-site social services, a computer lab, landscaped rear yard, and laundry room.
READ MORE

Affordable Housing

Construction begins on Fort Greene’s newest cultural center at 300 Ashland Place

Renderings courtesy of TEN Arquitectos and Andrea Steele Architecture

December 5, 2019

Construction begins on Fort Greene’s newest cultural center at 300 Ashland Place

The city’s Economic Development Corporation (NYCEDC) and Department of Cultural Affairs (DCLA) is starting construction on a new cultural center housed within the 32-story tower at 300 Ashland Place in Fort Greene. The new L10 Arts and Cultural Center will span across 50,000 square feet and host a range of institutions, including new gallery and performance spaces for the Museum of Contemporary African Diasporan Arts (MoCADA), three cinemas for the Brooklyn Academy of Music (BAM), rehearsal studios and performance space for 651 ARTS, and a new branch of the Brooklyn Public Library.
More info

Events & Things To Do

950-unit ‘Gowanus Green’ development met with skepticism by local residents who hoped for a park

Photo by Danny Navaro via Flickr cc

December 4, 2019

950-unit ‘Gowanus Green’ development met with skepticism by local residents who hoped for a park

During a Brooklyn Community Board 6 meeting on Monday night, architects, developers, and city officials revealed preliminary plans for Gowanus Green, a multi-building development on a 5.8-acre site at the corner of Smith and Fifth Streets. Once home to a gas plant, the city-owned site has been vacant for decades and was designated as a "public place" in 1974. As the Brooklyn Daily Eagle first reported, Carroll Gardens and Gowanus residents who were expecting that the site would become a park widely panned the new proposal for a series of buildings ranging from a five-story school to a 28-story residential tower.
More details

This Saturday, celebrate the 300th anniversary of Brooklyn’s Lott House

Photo by Alyssa Loorya, VP of Friends of the Lott House

December 4, 2019

This Saturday, celebrate the 300th anniversary of Brooklyn’s Lott House

It's been 300 years since the Hendrick I. Lott House was built on a rural piece of land in Marine Park, Brooklyn. One of the few Dutch-American houses remaining in NYC, in its original location no less, the Lott House also has the distinction of being the longest single-family owned and occupied home in the city. Though it is currently closed for renovations, the Lott House still hosts educational events, and this Saturday, they'll be celebrating their milestone anniversary with a holiday celebration, tree lighting, and rare chance to go inside.
More details

December 3, 2019

Lottery launches for 55 middle-income apartments at chic Clinton Hill rental, from $1,097/month