Renderings courtesy of FXCollaborative

The Brooklyn Music School has just announced plans for a new 20,000 square-foot facility as part of a 167,000 square-foot mixed-use development in the heart of the Brooklyn Cultural District. In addition to expanding the school’s existing facilities to meet growing demand, the FXCollaborative-designed project will also create 120 new residential units with 36 of those reserved for moderate-income households earning 70 to 100 percent of the area median income.

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A 19th-century townhouse in Brooklyn has undergone a creepy and kooky makeover just in time for Halloween. Travel company Booking.com transformed the Clinton Hill home at 272 Lafayette Avenue into a real-life replica of The Addams Family Mansion from the hit 1960s comedy sitcom. For just over $100 per night, guests can spend Halloween playing with Wednesday’s beheaded dolls, calling Lurch on his “you rang” bell, and getting scared by Thing.

It’s creepy and it’s kooky

Listing images courtesy of Douglas Elliman

The bones of this two-family townhouse at 362 Clermont Avenue date back to 1899, but inside, a gut renovation has brought the property well into the 21st century. Several wood-burning fireplaces and the original doors were restored while other materials, like the reclaimed wood floors, were carefully sourced to reflect what was originally there. The 22-foot-wide Fort Greene home spans across 3,650 square feet (not including the basement apartment) and is seeking $4.35 million.

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Citi Bike cyclists in Prospect Park; photo courtesy of CitiBike

Does your child want to ditch the training wheels? Need a new helmet? Head to Prospect Park this weekend for the park’s first annual “Bike Day.” Hosted by the Prospect Park Alliance with Citi Bike and Bike New York, the free event on Sunday, Oct. 20 hopes to encourage a more diverse group of New Yorkers to take up biking by offering demonstrations, classes, prizes, and a one-month free trial of Citi Bike.

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Photo of 25 Kent by Ty Cole

Earlier this month, we got a look at the completed 25 Kent, Williamsburg’s first ground-up commercial project in 50+ years. The eight-story building is notable for its bi-partite, ziggurat-like design, as well as its prime waterfront location and open space–all of which make it the perfect spot for an outpost of Smorgasburg and Brooklyn Flea. The markets announced today that beginning November 2nd and lasting through March 2020, they’ll be operating out of a 25,000-square-foot, top-floor space at the building.

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The Bay Ridge Branch crossing Ralph Avenue in Canarsie, photo by Jim Henderson / Wiki Commons

Since the 1990s, the Regional Plan Association has been advocating for the restoration of passenger service to a rail line that runs from Bay Ridge, Brooklyn to Ridgewood, Queens and is now used as a freight line. Known as the Bay Ridge Branch, the line is owned by the Long Island Railroad, but at the end of the year, the MTA hopes to begin a study to determine if this idea is feasible. The RPA’s Kate Slevin explained to NY1, “We don’t have unlimited resources here in New York City, as we know, so the fact that we already have tracks there, that are underutilized, really means a lot.”

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Photos by Melanie Greene, Courtesy of Compass

Built around 1910, this charming Victorian home at 699 East 18th Street in the Fiske Terrace-Midwood Park Historic District of Brooklyn has over 4,900 square feet of interior space–more than enough room for family and friends on four floors. With a basement greenhouse and home office, a two-car garage and private driveway, a lovely back patio, and a gracious front porch, there’s room for everyone’s hobbies, too. The house, asking $2.25 million, is filled with well-preserved architectural details like high beamed and coffered ceilings, stained glass, and working gas fireplaces.

Take the tour

Photo by Korye Logan on Flickr

A lottery launched on Tuesday for 17 middle-income units at a new building in Brooklyn. Located at 188 Humboldt Street, the rental borders Williamsburg and Bushwick and sits just one block from the L train at Montrose Avenue. Qualifying New Yorkers earning 130 percent of the area median income can apply for the apartments, which range from a $2,176/month studio to a $2,758/month two-bedroom apartment.

Find out if you qualify

Photo via Joe Mabel / Wiki Commons

New Yorkers for Parks has released three new Open Space Index reports, a series of in-depth “neighborhood snapshots” of parks and open space in Staten Island’s Bay Street Corridor, Bushwick, and Long Island City. According to the reports, the Bay Street Corridor failed 11 of 14 open space goals, Bushwick failed 12 of 14, and Long Island City failed 11 of 14. The goals factor in characteristics including the total amount of open space, access, tree canopy, and overall maintenance. According to the City’s own standards, all of the neighborhoods lack sufficient open space and what does exist is often hard to get to or improperly maintained.

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