Policy

Congestion pricing is dead in the water again. But New York City’s traffic and subway problems continue to get worse while the population and Cuomo and De Blasio’s battles continue to grow. Something has to give. With that in mind, the question remains, if congestion pricing ever happens, what is the relationship between congestion pricing […]

Cuomo declares state of emergency for NYCHA, creates independent monitor to oversee authority

Photo of Queensbridge Houses via Wikimedia

April 3, 2018

Cuomo declares state of emergency for NYCHA, creates independent monitor to oversee authority

Citing hazardous conditions like lead paint and mold, Gov. Andrew Cuomo on Monday declared a state of emergency for the New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA). He also ordered an independent monitor be appointed within 60 days to expedite repairs and upgrades. An investigation by the state's Health Department revealed this week that in the last month alone, at least one severe condition that poses a health risk has been found inside 83 percent of 255 apartments checked, including peeling paint, mold, evidence of rodent and insect infestation and missing smoke and carbon monoxide detectors. The monitor will also oversee how NYCHA spends the $250 million the state allocated in its budget signed this weekend, according to the New York Times.
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Everything you need to know about cryptocurrency and real estate

NYC skyline via Pexels; Bitcoin via Pexels

April 2, 2018

Everything you need to know about cryptocurrency and real estate

NYC skyline via Pexels; Bitcoin via Pexels Just when you think you understand the world of cryptos, all you understand is how little you know. And when you do actually master a topic, it will change. Which is why to get you started, we've put together a 101 guide to cryptocurrencies and real estate transactions. From the technology behind digital currencies such as Bitcoin to their risks, the real estate market is ripe for potential when it comes to this burgeoning market.
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De Blasio agrees to fund half of the MTA’s $836M emergency subway rescue plan

Image © 6sqft

April 2, 2018

De Blasio agrees to fund half of the MTA’s $836M emergency subway rescue plan

After months of refusal, Mayor Bill de Blasio said on Saturday the city will pay for half of the emergency rescue plan for the subway, which was announced by the Metropolitan Transportation Authority in July. The mayor's decision to fork over $418 million for subway repairs came after the state lawmakers passed on Friday Gov. Andrew Cuomo's $168.3 billion budget. The approved budget includes giving the state power to take funding from the city if it did not pay for its share, as the Daily News reported. The state has already paid its half of the $836 emergency plan, aimed at repairing, upgrading and stabilizing the beleaguered transit system.
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De Blasio is considering a vacancy tax for landlords who leave their storefronts empty

Photo via Dan Nguyen/Flickr

April 2, 2018

De Blasio is considering a vacancy tax for landlords who leave their storefronts empty

In the "it's about time" department, the New York Post reports that Mayor Bill de Blasio is considering a tax that would discourage retail landlords from letting their properties sit vacant, depriving potential local businesses of opportunity while giving the middle finger to neighborhood morale. Addressing the rising number of vacant storefronts in just about every neighborhood in the city, the mayor said Friday on WNYC that he would like to see a penalty in place for landlords who leave storefronts sitting unoccupied, presumably waiting for big-ticket tenants who have yet to materialize.
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Governor Cuomo looking to give the state control of Penn Station area

Photo outside Penn Station via Maciek Lulko/Flickr

March 29, 2018

Governor Cuomo looking to give the state control of Penn Station area

Less than one week before the state's deadline to adopt its budget, Governor Andrew Cuomo proposed the “New York Pennsylvania Station Area Redevelopment Project,” a state-controlled development area around Penn Station. In the constant one-upmanship between Cuomo and Mayor Bill de Blasio, this would give Cuomo control over one of Manhattan’s top name-brand landmarks, according to a draft proposal acquired by Politico.
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Over the next three years, city will spend over $1B to house homeless New Yorkers in hotels

Photo via Public Domain

March 28, 2018

Over the next three years, city will spend over $1B to house homeless New Yorkers in hotels

Officials on Tuesday said the city will spend $384 million annually over the next three years to house homeless New Yorkers in commercial hotels, despite promises to phase out the once emergency-only measure. The costs, which will total more than $1 billion, will also include creating supportive services for families, as well as amenities hotel rooms lack, like refrigerators and microwaves, according to the New York Post. Department of Homeless Services told City Council members at a hearing Tuesday that the three-year contract is temporary, but needed as the city continues to open new shelters that will eventually replace cluster sites and other underperforming shelters.
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New pilot safety program gives cyclists the green light to follow pedestrian signals

Image: Wikimedia

March 28, 2018

New pilot safety program gives cyclists the green light to follow pedestrian signals

On Tuesday, New York City Department of Transportation (DOT) officials announced a new pilot program that allows bicyclists to follow pedestrian head-start signals at 50 intersections throughout Manhattan, Brooklyn and Queens, AM New York reports. The signals at those intersections have a range of 7 to 11 seconds–known as leading pedestrian intervals (LPI)–before drivers can proceed through the intersections or make turns through crosswalks. Now bike riders can follow these pedestrian signals instead of traffic lights (legally, that is), giving cyclists the safety benefits of added visibility that pedestrians have at those intersections.
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Investor group may create its own cryptocurrency to fund purchase of the Plaza

Photo via Wally Gobetz/Flickr

March 28, 2018

Investor group may create its own cryptocurrency to fund purchase of the Plaza

Photo via Wally Gobetz/Flickr Cryptocurrencies make the wild west look tame. Yet despite their volatility, they’re becoming more of a presence in NYC real estate. Five days ago, when we reported on the first Bitcoin closings in Manhattan, the value of Bitcoin was $8,592. It is currently $7,999. According to a CNBC report, Chimera, a group of foreign investors interested in buying the Plaza Hotel, is considering offering partial payment for the transaction in a new cryptocurrency. Chimera has proposed the creation of the “Plaza Token,” an asset-backed securitized token, to raise more than $375 million. They are being advised about this initial coin offering by a company called Securitize. “This would give cryptocurrency investors the chance to diversify into luxury real estate and receive certain concessions inside the Plaza Hotel,” CNBC reports.
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Three historic East Harlem buildings designated as New York City landmarks

The city's Landmarks Preservation Commission (LPC) on Tuesday officially designated three East Harlem buildings as individual landmarks, marking them as some of the neighborhood's most culturally significant structures. The landmarks include a former 19th-century meatpacking house and two former public schools. The LPC chair, Meenakshi Srinivasan, said the buildings were designated for their architectural and cultural significance. "They embody East Harlem's unique development history and recognize the civic institutions and businesses that helped shape the lives of the neighborhood's immigrant groups," Srinivasan said in a statement.
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Policy

Downtown’s historic glass sidewalks may become a lost relic

Vault lights in Soho, via WooJin Chung for 6sqft

March 27, 2018

Downtown’s historic glass sidewalks may become a lost relic

By Dana Schulz

Last week, 6sqft outlined the Landmarks Preservation Commission's series of new proposed rules, which "calls for more oversight by LPC staff but less time for public review" in proposals for alterations to historic buildings. But these rule changes extend further than buildings--right down to the sidewalks. As Treehugger first pointed out, one of the LPC's new rules pertains to the removal of vault lights--historic sidewalks made from small circular glass bulbs that are seen throughout Soho and Tribeca. As 6sqft previously explained, "the unique street coverings are remnants from the neighborhood's industrial past when they provided light to the basement factories below before electricity was introduced."
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Approved spending bill includes funding for Gateway project, but on Trump’s terms

The path for a future Hudson River tunnel is being preserved at Hudson Yards, photo via Amtrak

March 26, 2018

Approved spending bill includes funding for Gateway project, but on Trump’s terms

Update 3/26/18: While Congress on Thursday approved the $1.3 trillion spending bill, the package does not include direct funding for the Gateway tunnel project. Instead, the bill provides $650 million for Amtrak's Northeast Corridor and allocates over $2 billion in available grants for which the Gateway Program Development Corp. can apply. President Donald Trump, who threatened to veto the spending bill if funding for Gateway was included, and his administration will remain in control of Gateway's funding fate. The Department of Transportation (DOT) said in a statement that the bill "removes preferential treatment for the New York and New Jersey Gateway projects." And DOT board members, appointed by the president, review all federal grants to Amtrak, as Bloomberg reported. After months of back-and-forth negotiations among politicians, the Gateway tunnel project might get another chance at survival. The project, which would construct a new rail tunnel under the Hudson River and repair an existing one, could potentially receive up to $541 million in a tentative $1.3 trillion spending bill drafted by Congress on Wednesday, according to the New York Times. Although the bill does not mention Gateway by name, provides way less than the $900 million planners sought for the project, and has been opposed by both President Donald Trump and Speaker Paul Ryan, the tentative spending bill has made supporters more hopeful about the project's future. The bill will go to a vote in the House on Thursday, followed by the Senate.
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March 23, 2018

Overhaul of Landmarks rules faces criticism from preservation groups

Photo via CityRealty Earlier this year, the Landmarks Preservation Commission (LPC) unveiled a series of new proposed rules, which the group says will streamline the application process and improve transparency. One of the proposed changes, which calls for more oversight by LPC staff but less time for public review, has some preservation groups criticizing the commission. Preservationists worry this new rule change would not take into account public opinion, as it limits the opportunity for testimony and comment on the application.
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Policy

March 23, 2018

Jerome Avenue rezoning and Peninsula complex to bring thousands of affordable units to the Bronx

Rendering of the Peninsula by BLA + WXY The New York City Council on Thursday unanimously approved the rezoning of 92-blocks along Jerome Avenue in the Bronx, bounded by East 165th Street to the south and 184th Street to the north. As the fourth neighborhood rezoning of Mayor Bill de Blasio's administration, the city plans to construct about 4,600 new apartments, adding to the mayor's goal of bringing 300,000 units of housing to the city by 2026. The council has set aside $189 million in capital investment for workforce development, open space, parks and two new schools (h/t City Limits). A plan to bring even more affordable housing to the Bronx got the green light on Thursday after the Council approved The Peninsula, a $300 million plan to redevelop the former Spofford Juvenile Detention Center as a mixed-use development.
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Despite declining service, MTA will most likely raise fares in 2019

Image via Ged Carroll’s Flickr

March 22, 2018

Despite declining service, MTA will most likely raise fares in 2019

Without another option to bring in revenue to the cash-strapped Metropolitan Transportation Authority, straphangers will most likely have to pay higher fares next year. The fare hike would be the sixth since 2009 when the state legislature approved a financial rescue plan that included increasing fares every other year. While funding for the financially-troubled authority continues to be negotiated among lawmakers before the state's budget deadline next month, MTA Chairman Joe Lhota told the Daily News he did not see a scenario where the fares could remain the same.
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Kushner Companies filed false documents about their rent-regulated tenants in NYC

170-174 East Second Street, where Kushner filed false permits, photo via Google Maps

March 19, 2018

Kushner Companies filed false documents about their rent-regulated tenants in NYC

By Emily Nonko

Update 3/22/18: The Daily News reports that the Department of Buildings is investigating more than 12 properties where Kushner Companies is said to have filed false paperwork in relation to rent-regulated tenants. Kushner Cos. has denied the allegations and said yesterday they are the victims of "politically motivated attacks." Controversies continue to pile up for Kushner Companies, the Manhattan development firm led by Jared Kushner until he left last year for the White House. Besides the major financial troubles of their office tower 666 Fifth Avenue, the firm was caught routinely filing false paperwork with the city, "declaring it had zero rent-regulated tenants in dozens of buildings it owned across the city when, in fact, it had hundreds," according to the AP. Housing Rights Initiative, a New York tenants’ rights watchdog, compiled the work permit application documents. Aaron Carr, the founder, called the act "bare-faced greed," adding that "the fact that the company was falsifying all these applications with the government shows a sordid attempt to avert accountability and get a rapid return on its investment."
It happened at least 80 times

Coney Island boardwalk likely to be landmarked

Image: Shinya Suzuki via Flickr

March 16, 2018

Coney Island boardwalk likely to be landmarked

Image: Shinya Suzuki via Flickr After repeatedly declining to protect the celebrated walkway–even as its wooden planks become increasingly replaced with concrete and plastic as a result of Superstorm Sandy repairs–the city's Landmarks Preservation Commission (LPC) has agreed to add the historic Coney Island Boardwalk to the agency's list of properties to consider for protected status, according to remarks made at a LPC hearing Thursday, Crain's reports. LPC chair Meenakshi Srinivasan said the boardwalk–its official name is the Riegelmann Boardwalk–could be protected as early as this spring or summer.
It could happen in time for summer

Policy

Paul Ryan warns NY and NJ that Trump won’t fund Gateway Tunnel project

Tunnel photo via The Gateway Program Development Corporation; Paul Ryan photo via Gage Skidmore/Flickr

March 15, 2018

Paul Ryan warns NY and NJ that Trump won’t fund Gateway Tunnel project

By Dana Schulz

Amtrak and New Jersey Transit's Northeast Corridor--that which connects the state to Manhattan via the Hudson River tunnels--creates more than $50 billion in economic activity annually. And the region as a whole is home to 30 percent of all U.S. jobs, amounting to $3 trillion a year for the economy. But despite Donald Trump's eagerness to both stimulate the economy and bring jobs back from overseas, he seems unphased by the dire need to construct a new rail tunnel to replace those built in 1910 that suffered major damage during Hurricane Sandy. According to Politico, in a meeting yesterday with New York and New Jersey Republicans, Speaker Paul Ryan made it clear that he will not include the $30 billion Gateway Tunnel project in the upcoming $1 trillion+ omnibus spending package if it means Trump will veto the bill, claiming that the President can't stop talking about his opposition to what's largely considered the most important infrastructure project in the nation.
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March 15, 2018

In anticipation of a Landmarks overhaul, maps lay out the commission’s applications and decisions

By Emily Nonko

This January, the Landmarks Preservation Commission released a series of amendments that would overhaul how the commission reviews certain applications--with the idea to cut down the time it takes to approve routine applications. And later this month, on Tuesday, March 27th, the Commission will hold a public hearing on how these changes would affect the city's landmark process. In advance of the meeting, the Municipal Art Society of New York created a pair of interactive maps to better inform New Yorkers on the LPC's process. One map, the Commission Review Map, shows what type of alterations have been permitted or denied by the full LPC commission. The other, the Staff Review Map, shows what type of alterations have been permitted by the LPC staff or withdrawn by the applicant. As MAS puts it, "We hope these maps help bring to light how the LPC fulfills its 'purpose of safeguarding the buildings and places that represent New York City’s cultural, social, economic, political, and architectural history' through regulation."
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Policy

NYC’s homeless shelter population would make it the 10th largest city in the state

Via Pexels

March 14, 2018

NYC’s homeless shelter population would make it the 10th largest city in the state

By Dana Schulz

Earlier this year, Mayor de Blasio was criticized for failing to open 10 of the 20 homeless shelters his administration pledged for 2017, with "delays in the permit process, time-consuming negotiations with nonprofits that run the shelters, and backlash from the community and public officials" to blame. The push came from the fact that NYC has the largest homeless population in the U.S., climbing near 78,000. All of this coupled together, the situation is now looking even more dire, as the Coalition for the Homeless' annual State of the Homeless Report finds that a record high number of New Yorkers make up the city's nightly homeless shelter population. This number, 63,495 (which includes 23,600 children), would make that group the 10th largest city in the state, notes the Daily News.
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Policy

MTA hit with federal lawsuit over lack of wheelchair accessibility

Elevator at the Lincoln Center subway station, via Wiki Commons

March 14, 2018

MTA hit with federal lawsuit over lack of wheelchair accessibility

The MTA has found itself on the wrong end of a lawsuit by the feds for failing to make its subway stations wheelchair-accessible. On Tuesday, U.S. Attorney Geoffrey Berman joined a lawsuit accusing the agency of not adding assistance for disabled riders when renovating stations, the New York Post reports. The suit began in 2016 when a civic agency in the Bronx accused the MTA of violating the Americans with Disabilities Act by not creating wheelchair access at the Middletown Road station. The suit should come as no surprise; as 6sqft previously reported, fewer than 1/4 of New York City's subway stations are fully wheelchair-accessible–only 117 out of 472. In fact, NYC ranks the least accessible out of the country’s ten largest metro systems–all of LA’s 93 stations and DC’s 91, for example, are fully accessible.
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This map shows you the vacant lots in NYC that were sold by the city for $1

Image via onedollarlots.org

March 12, 2018

This map shows you the vacant lots in NYC that were sold by the city for $1

If you live in New York City, and you're hoping to own–or trying to buy–property, you might not want to hear about vacant lots being given away for $1. But this is really a thing: An interesting little map courtesy of the One Dollar Lots project by 596 acres shows us where in New York City, according to Untapped Cities, city-owned lots of land have been sold to developers for $1 since the current mayor took office in January 2014. These $1 deals often happen as token transactions as part of a development incentive for prospective buyers, who will eventually need to prove they possess plans and the means to carry out their vision.
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Policy

March 12, 2018

MTA $1M Genius Transit Challenge winners suggest faster trains and robot workers to fix subway hell

The Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) has announced the winners of the agency's MTA Genius Transit Challenge; eight winners will split a $1 million prize for their ideas and concepts on how to upgrade the city's creaky and complaint-riddled subway system. The contest is part of an effort to bring the subway's capacity and reliability up to speed. The challenge is a joint venture between the MTA and Partnership for New York City. The challenge received over 400 submissions from around the world.
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Amid HUD delays, city launches ‘Where We Live NYC’ process to fight segregation and unequal access

Image: NYC HPD

March 9, 2018

Amid HUD delays, city launches ‘Where We Live NYC’ process to fight segregation and unequal access