Policy

The board of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority, which has the power to increase fares and approve service changes, looks nothing like the straphangers who use the transit system it oversees. A report released this week by the government watchdog group Reinvent Albany found MTA board members are richer, whiter, and more likely to live outside of New York City than riders.
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After local condo board sues, judge rules that Central Park West bike lane can go forward

Via Public Domain

August 1, 2019

After local condo board sues, judge rules that Central Park West bike lane can go forward

Earlier this week, a group of Upper West Side residents from the Century Condominium filed a suit against the city for its plans to install a protected bike lane on Central Park West, attempting to cease its construction immediately. As 6sqft previously reported, the bike lane plan consists of installing a northbound protected lane from 59th Street to 110th Street–eliminating 400 parking spots in the process (another point of contention for the plaintiffs). But yesterday, Supreme Court Justice Lynn Kotler ruled against their request for a “temporary restraining order” and expressed skepticism over their claims that the bike lane would bring “immediate and irreparable harm to the neighborhood,” as Streetsblog reported. Work crews will continue putting in the bike lane—which doesn’t actually involve any construction, just painting street markings—until city lawyers and plaintiffs reconvene in court on August 20.
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Real estate investors buy $1.2B worth of NYC market-rate rentals with plan to make them affordable

The River Crossing building in Harlem; Photo by CTC Creative

July 31, 2019

Real estate investors buy $1.2B worth of NYC market-rate rentals with plan to make them affordable

A group of real estate investors is buying 2,800 New York City rental apartments for $1.2 billion. But instead of keeping with the industry's custom of converting affordable units into market-rate homes, L+M Development Partners and its partner Invesco Real Estate plan on returning a chunk of those units to long-term regulation. The venture involves the purchase of five former Mitchell-Lama buildings in Manhattan, with four in Harlem and one on Roosevelt Island.
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Image via Wiki Commons

July 31, 2019

Chelsea Hotel owners have sent nearly $60,000 to de Blasio in attempt to gain favor for construction

It’s been several years since Ira Drukier and Richard Born took over as owners of the historic Chelsea Hotel with plans to turn it into a luxury hotel. The rent-stabilized tenants who remain in the hotel even as it’s been turned into a construction zone have filed multiple complaints with the city, hitting the new owners with violations and a lawsuit. But The City has uncovered a link between those complaints and Drukier and Born’s donations to Mayor de Blasio’s political funds. Over the course of less than a year—from August 2018 to June—18 checks totaling $57,400 were sent to de Blasio’s presidential campaign from either the owners or people associated with them. The checks started coming soon after city building inspectors began responding to tenant complaints about hazardous living conditions.
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Policy

NYC financed a record number of affordable homes for seniors and homeless New Yorkers this fiscal year

Via Creative Commons

July 31, 2019

NYC financed a record number of affordable homes for seniors and homeless New Yorkers this fiscal year

New York City added a record number of supportive housing units and affordable homes for homeless New Yorkers and seniors this fiscal year, Mayor Bill de Blasio announced on Tuesday. While the total number of affordable units preserved or created is down to 25,299 this fiscal year from last year's 32,444, the city said it still expects to meet the mayor's goal of creating 300,000 affordable homes by 2026.
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Brooklyn Botanic Garden ramps up fight against proposed Crown Heights towers with new exhibit

Photo courtesy of the Brooklyn Botanic Garden

July 31, 2019

Brooklyn Botanic Garden ramps up fight against proposed Crown Heights towers with new exhibit

The Brooklyn Botanic Garden's fight against two high-rise towers in Crown Heights continues this week with the opening of a new educational exhibit. The display is part of the garden's larger "Fight for Sunlight" campaign opposing a proposal from developers to amend the area's current zoning and build two 39-story towers across the street. The garden argues the proposed towers on Franklin Avenue would obstruct necessary light from shining on the garden's 23 greenhouses, nurseries, and growing spaces, putting rare plants at risk.
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Ranking the city’s most dangerous intersections for NYC cyclists

Image via Flickr

July 29, 2019

Ranking the city’s most dangerous intersections for NYC cyclists

Just days after Mayor de Blasio unveiled a new plan to make the city’s streets safer for cyclists, another fatal accident occurred when a 30-year-old cyclist was struck near the intersection of Third Avenue and 36th Street in Sunset Park around 9 a.m. this morning. As Streetsblog reported, the incident brings the year’s death toll up to 18—nearly double what it was all of last year. Redesigning intersections is a component of De Blasio’s new $58 million initiative, which says it will ramp up NYPD enforcement at the 100 most crash-prone intersections and renovate 50 intersections. While the Department of Transportation hasn’t yet disclosed what those intersections will be, home-search platform Localize.city has created a list of the top ten most dangerous intersections for cyclists.
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Trump’s labor relations board continues fight against Scabby the Rat

Via Flickr

July 29, 2019

Trump’s labor relations board continues fight against Scabby the Rat

The giant inflatable rodent set up by unions outside of New York City construction projects is getting challenged in court. An advice memo from the general counsel at the National Labor Relations Board says inflatables, including famed Scabby the Rat, should be illegal for unions to use in protest. As Gothamist reported, Peter Robb, the President Donald Trump-appointed general counsel for the NLRB, said the big balloons like Scabby are "coercive" and "unlawful."
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A weed dispensary is opening in Williamsburg

Via Google Street View

July 26, 2019

A weed dispensary is opening in Williamsburg

Williamsburg is getting its first weed dispensary. According to the Commercial Observer, Remedy will open its first New York City location at the ground floor of the Pod Hotel on North 4th Street. Valley Agriceuticals, which manages the dispensary, is one of 10 companies licensed by the state to grow and sell marijuana.
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Policy

IKEA’s new Sonos collab includes wifi speakers disguised as lamps and shelves

Always on the cutting edge–as with this genius furniture for small spaces–IKEA is introducing SYMFONISK, a collaboration with Sonos that mixes great design with wifi-enabled sound. The all-new sound collection includes a luminous table lamp and a slender, minimalist bookshelf speaker; both are wifi speakers. Even better: The speakers can be used with the Sonos system and controlled through the company's app.
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De Blasio to announce $58.4M bike safety plan after uptick in cyclist deaths

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July 25, 2019

De Blasio to announce $58.4M bike safety plan after uptick in cyclist deaths

Update 7/25/19: De Blasio unveiled on Thursday his "Green Wave" plan, which includes spending $58.4 million over the next five years on making city streets safer for bikers. In addition to adding more protected bike lanes and redesigning intersections, the plan calls for a media campaign on cyclist safety, as well as community engagement programs. Following a recent spike in cyclist deaths, Mayor Bill de Blasio will unveil on Thursday a $58.4 million plan to make streets safer. As first reported by the New York Times, the plan includes constructing more protected bike lanes, redesigning intersections, and hiring 80 new transportation workers over the next five years. The proposal comes after 17 cyclists were killed in New York City so far this year, seven more fatalities than all of 2018.
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MTA board approves first transit reorganization plan in 50+ years

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July 25, 2019

MTA board approves first transit reorganization plan in 50+ years

On Wednesday the 17-member MTA board approved a transformational reorganization plan–the agency's first in its 51 years in existence–that follows a report by Alix Partners, a consulting firm hired to financially streamline and outline what MTA chairman Pat Foye called "likely to be the biggest capital plan in MTA history.” The report recommends means and methods for improving service, ending cost overruns and project delays and reducing waste and duplication, building on the Subway Action Plan, which, according to the MTA, has been successful so far.
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First database in the country to track retail vacancies gets green light from NYC Council

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July 25, 2019

First database in the country to track retail vacancies gets green light from NYC Council

The New York City Council on Tuesday passed legislation that requires the city to establish a public database of commercial properties and vacancy rates across the five boroughs. Introduced by Council Member Helen Rosenthal, the "Storefront Tracker" bill aims to provide information on current vacancies and those small city businesses most at risk. The database, the first of its kind in the country, will list the occupancy status of retail spaces online.
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Policy

NYC Council approves pilot program for air-conditioned ‘pet harbors’ outside of Brooklyn shops

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July 24, 2019

NYC Council approves pilot program for air-conditioned ‘pet harbors’ outside of Brooklyn shops

Pets in Brooklyn may soon be able to wait more securely outside for their owners. The New York City Council on Tuesday approved a bill that asks the city to create a program for "pet harbors" on sidewalks next to commercial establishments. This will allow pet owners, for a fee, to leave animals in the climate-controlled, enclosed container, for no longer than an hour as they shop or get a cup of coffee.
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Policy

MTA moves to create homelessness task force as outreach efforts come under scrutiny

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July 24, 2019

MTA moves to create homelessness task force as outreach efforts come under scrutiny

The Metropolitan Transportation Authority will launch a task force focused on addressing the New York City subway system's rising homeless population, which has risen by 23 percent so far this year. The task force is expected to assemble soon and will have 30 days to design a plan that will “measurably reduce homelessness and panhandlers on the subway” by the end of the year. The announcement comes on the heels of a newly published audit by State Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli which found that a contractor hired by the MTA to handle homeless outreach was inflating its work and actually turning away the needy, as AM New York reported.
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Settlement promises curb cuts will be installed or upgraded at every corner in NYC

Image via Disability Rights Advocates

July 24, 2019

Settlement promises curb cuts will be installed or upgraded at every corner in NYC

A settlement in Manhattan Federal Court yesterday has established a plan to improve sidewalk accessibility throughout New York by making all 162,000 street corners in the city fully accessible within 15 years. Judge George B. Daniels mandated a comprehensive citywide survey to identify which corners need curb cuts installed or upgraded, which must be completed by October. This marks an important step toward making the city's streets easier to access and safer for the disabled community—and all New Yorkers.
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To protect their Empire State Building views, these Chelsea loft owners forked over $11M for air rights

Image via Google Maps shows 206 West 17th Street in 2016. Now, the handful of single and four-story buildings has been replaced by a short, glassy retail space.

July 22, 2019

To protect their Empire State Building views, these Chelsea loft owners forked over $11M for air rights

Air rights can be bought by whoever values them the most. In most scenarios, that ends up being a developer, but that’s not always the case. The New York Times recently reported on a rather unusual deal made in 2016 when a group of Chelsea loft owners refused to let a proposed condominium tower obstruct their natural light and Empire State Building views. Instead, they came together and made a substantial offer to buy the air rights themselves: $11 million.
How much is a view worth?

First NYCHA federal oversight report recommends using drones to help with building inspections

Via Wikimedia

July 19, 2019

First NYCHA federal oversight report recommends using drones to help with building inspections

Independent federal monitoring of the New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA) began this year, and the first resulting quarterly analysis is expected to be released as early as Monday, POLITICO reports. The quarterly analysis will provide a summary of progress made to date in addressing issues that have long plagued the public housing authority such as lead paint, mold, broken heating systems and shabby kitchens and bathrooms. According to sources familiar with its content, the report also contains the unexpected suggestion of using drones to inspect building rooftops and facades.
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LPC approves Bjarke Ingels’ plan for a rooftop addition at a Brooklyn Heights landmark

Rendering via LPC

July 18, 2019

LPC approves Bjarke Ingels’ plan for a rooftop addition at a Brooklyn Heights landmark

The Landmarks Preservation Commission on Tuesday approved plans from starchitect Bjarke Ingels to build a rooftop addition at a landmarked building in Brooklyn Heights. As part of a penthouse renovation of the 29th and 30th floors of the St. George Tower at 111 Hicks Street, Ingels would construct a fake water tower to hold a new elevator shaft, raise the roof deck, and add a pool. As first reported by Brownstoner, the Danish architect, whose firm is known for New York City projects like The Eleventh and the Spiral, presented his plan to the commission as a personal project. "I have a massive self-interest because I hope to make it my home," he said.
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July 18, 2019

New court ruling may mean more delays for Lower East Side’s Two Bridges megaproject

A recent ruling by a panel of state appellate judges may add more delays–at the very least–to the rise of JDS Development Group's proposed addition to the multi-tower Two Bridges development on the Lower East Side/Chinatown waterfront, The City reports. The ruling states that the property's long-term leaseholder, Little Cherry LLC, which has 25 years left on their lease at the currently-vacant 235 Cherry Street, must have a say in how the property’s development rights are used. The developer plans to stack a 1,000-foot, 100-story waterfront apartment tower on top of and cantilevered over the Two Bridges Senior Apartments and one-story retail space–and they need the Cherry Street property's development rights to move forward.
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NY real estate groups file lawsuit challenging new rent laws, calling them ‘unconstitutional’

Via Creative Commons

July 16, 2019

NY real estate groups file lawsuit challenging new rent laws, calling them ‘unconstitutional’

A group of real estate groups and individual property owners filed a lawsuit Monday, challenging newly passed laws that strengthen rent and tenant protections in New York City. Last month, Democratic officials in Albany passed a landmark package of bills that close loopholes that have allowed landlords to increase rents and deregulate stabilized apartments. The lawsuit, filed by the Rent Stabilization Association (RSA), the Community Housing Improvement Program (CHIP), and seven individual property owners, claims that the laws, as well as the entire rent regulation system, violate the 14th and Fifth Amendments of the U.S. Constitution, as reported by The Real Deal.
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Newly uncovered report finds ties between city’s affordable housing policy and segregation

Image via Wiki Commons

July 16, 2019

Newly uncovered report finds ties between city’s affordable housing policy and segregation

Following years of efforts to keep a report about segregation in the city’s affordable housing lottery system under wraps, a federal court ruling finally led to the report’s release on Monday. As the New York Times first reported, the findings, written by Queens College sociology professor Andrew A. Beveridge, found unequivocal racial disparities at every stage of the process and in every community district where a majority of residents are of one race or ethnicity.
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City presents new design for its East Side Coastal Resiliency Project following community feedback

Preliminary design for Corlears Hook Bridge Landing

July 15, 2019

City presents new design for its East Side Coastal Resiliency Project following community feedback

The city unveiled last week an updated design for its plan to protect an area stretching from the Lower East Side to East 25th Street from flooding. The Department of Design and Construction (DDC) presented on Thursday its preliminary design for the East Side Coastal Resiliency Project (ESCR) to Community Board 3, as Curbed NY reported. In response to concerns from residents about the closure of East River Park during the construction period, the city's updated design incorporates community suggestions, including a new amphitheater and an outdoor fitness area.
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New consulting firm report suggests the MTA cut costs by merging 40 groups into six departments

Image via Flickr.

July 15, 2019

New consulting firm report suggests the MTA cut costs by merging 40 groups into six departments