Policy

January 18, 2016

Loophole Allows Developers to Build ‘Skyscrapers on Stilts’ to Give Residents Ocean Views

There has been plenty of heated discussion over the city’s latest supertall towers such as 432 Park Avenue, 111 West 57th Street, and 225 West 57th Street; they block light, alter the skyline and cast long shadows, for example. To add fuel to the fire, Crain’s reports today on a recent discovery in developers’ attempts to construct the tallest towers possible–with views above 700 feet that not only stretch south over Manhattan, but reach to the open Atlantic Ocean 14 miles in the distance. Currently, regulations govern how many square feet of livable space can be built on a development plot, which limits the height to which residential towers can rise. But rather than squandering those square feet on lower, less-in-demand floors, developers are vertically expanding the mechanical spaces used in their buildings–which don't count toward the square footage allotment. This allows them to start their apartments higher up, essentially "putting a skyscraper on stilts."
Start higher, build taller

Lower Income Residents of Extell’s ‘Poor Door’ Building Find Glaring Disparities

Image via One Riverside Park

January 18, 2016

Lower Income Residents of Extell’s ‘Poor Door’ Building Find Glaring Disparities

By Michelle Cohen

After receiving 88,000 applications for 55 affordable apartments last February, the residents chosen from among them have been moving in to the rental side of the 33-story luxury building at Extell Development's 50 Riverside Boulevard in Lincoln Square. The lower-income/luxury split sparked the heated “poor door” controversy due to the significant amenity differences and efforts to physically separate the two parts of the building (the rental, low-income portion of the building actually has a separate address of 40 Riverside Boulevard). Now, according to the Post, low-income tenants have been discovering that the differences are indeed notable.
A lavish lobby and a forbidden courtyard

January 18, 2016

Mapping the Greenhouse Gas Emissions of NYC Buildings

By Dana Schulz

In November, 6sqft shared a study that showed luxury buildings in NYC were among the worst offenders for driving climate change. The report from Climate Works for All stated that "a mere two percent of the city’s one million buildings use 45% of all of the city’s energy." Widening the scope, a new map from Brooklyn web developer Jill Hubley (who also created this fun map of NYC street trees species) color codes the greenhouse gas emissions of all city lots with single properties over 50,000 square feet and lots with multiple properties over 100,000 square feet–those that are required to follow benchmarking laws for energy and water consumption under Mayor de Blasio's plan to cut such emissions 30 percent by 2030. What the interactive map shows is that NYCHA properties have some of the highest amounts of emissions, as do large complexes like Stuy Town and big institutions such as Pace University and the Time Warner Center. The area clustered below Central Park is also a hotbed for emissions. But it's comforting to see that the majority of the map reads teal (lower emissions) instead of brown (higher emissions), and some of the best-faring locales include NYU, Battery Park City, Pratt Institute, and the Brooklyn Navy Yard.
More info ahead

Policy

The Federal Government Will Start Databasing Secret Buyers of NYC Luxury Real Estate

The Time Warner Center, one of NYC’s most notorious buildings for secret foreign investment

January 13, 2016

The Federal Government Will Start Databasing Secret Buyers of NYC Luxury Real Estate

By Dana Schulz

For the first time ever, the U.S. federal government will start identifying and tracking secret buyers of high-end real estate, requiring those making all-cash transactions or hiding behind an LLC to disclose their names for entry into a law enforcement database. The regulation is kicking off in Manhattan and Miami-Dade County, two hotbeds of foreign investment, according to the New York Times. "The initiative is part of a broader federal effort to increase the focus on money laundering in real estate. Treasury and federal law enforcement officials said they were putting greater resources into investigating luxury real estate sales that involve shell companies like limited liability companies, often known as L.L.C.s; partnerships; and other entities," the paper explains.
More details ahead

January 11, 2016

Governor Cuomo to Transform the Subway With Free Wi-Fi, USB Chargers, and Mobile Payment

By Dana Schulz

Is there anything in NYC that Governor Cuomo does like? He started his crusade to overhaul our infrastructure back in July when he revealed renderings for a $4 billion update to LaGuardia Airport. But this past week he pulled out all the stops, starting with a $3 billion redevelopment of Penn Station, a $1 billion expansion of the Javits Center, and now, a massive undertaking to "modernize and fundamentally transform" the MTA and the subway. Curbed reports that the Governor's latest plan includes expediting the addition of more countdown clocks, adding contactless payment by 2018, equipping all stations with Wi-Fi by the end of this year and cell phone service by the end of 2017, and outfitting both subways and buses with USB chargers.
More details right this way

January 5, 2016

The City’s First Wi-Fi Kiosks Unveiled Today!

By Diane Pham

As Crain's first reported, the first of the city's upcoming 7,500 LinkNYC Wi-Fi kiosks have officially rolled out today. Two new "links" (as they'll be called), have sprouted up along Third Avenue in the East Village, one at the corner of East 15th Street and the other at East 17th Street. Each kiosk measures 9.5 feet tall and will be equipped with a gigabit-speed Wi-Fi connection with a 150-foot range, charging stations, a touch-screen that provides maps and info about city services, and a speaker phone that will let users make domestic calls—and all for free! The kiosks are meant to replace NYC's 6,000 now-defunct pay phones.
more info on what's to come here

Should the City Impose a ‘Window Tax’ for Billionaires’ Row Central Park Views?

Google Earth rendering from CityRealty showing some of the supertalls around the south end of Central Park

December 31, 2015

Should the City Impose a ‘Window Tax’ for Billionaires’ Row Central Park Views?

By Dana Schulz

"The builders are charging up to $100 million for apartments that offer helicopter views of lush foliage, jagged skylines, soothing rivers and angelic clouds. They lure the superrich, many with suspect foreign assets, to sky-high mansions. They enrich themselves by exploiting weak zoning rules to pour hideous implants into Manhattan cavities." All of this, says Max Frankel, who was the executive editor of The Times from 1986 to 1994 and lives half a block from Central Park, may need some consequences. And he wonders if this should come in the form of a "user fee," where residents of these Billionaires' Row towers would have to pay a monthly "window tax" based on how high in a given tower their unit is located. And according to his "back-of-the-envelope calculations," this could bring in roughly $1 million a year per building for the city to use on public projects like street work, parks, education, and affordable housing.
More details ahead

December 29, 2015

The Much-Anticipated Ecocapsule Micro-Home Is Now Available for Pre-Order

By Rebecca Paul

Excitement and anticipation over the innovative eco-friendly, pod-like micro-home dubbed Ecocapsule started back in May when they were first introduced to the public. The units are designed by Nice Architects and are totally off-grid, powered by solar and wind energy. They're finally available for preorder, and as one of the most efficient and adaptable housing solutions out there, we can't wait to see them in use.
Find out more right this way

December 23, 2015

Bio-Inspired HEAVN Caffeine Lamp Will Boost Your Attention Levels Like Coffee

By Rebecca Paul

It's been estimated that roughly 70 percent of working people spend more than six hours a day basking in the artificial light of a computer screen. Research has concluded that overstimulation by artificial light can have negative consequences on your health as bad as metabolic problems, insomnia, depression, concentration disorders, headaches, fatigue and increased stress. This unfortunate reality for today's working population was the inspiration for the development of HEAVN Caffeine, an innovative office light designed to mimic the therapeutic frequencies of natural light. The light is said to not only make you more productive by optimizing your biorhythms—"it boosts your attention levels with the push of a button, just like a strong espresso," says its designers—but it will also help you stay healthier.
FInd out more here

December 18, 2015

Mass Transit Commuters in NY Will Save Hundreds Thanks to New Federal Bill

By Dana Schulz

Work for a business with 20 or more employees? Soon you can kiss that $116/month Metrocard allotment goodbye. This week's federal spending and tax-cut agreement will likely put into effect a permanent law that almost doubles the pre-tax earnings that New York mass-transit commuters can spend on fares, thereby saving them hundreds of dollars a year. As Crain's reports, "The provision nearly doubles the maximum amount of pre-tax income they can use to pay transit fares. Currently $130 a month, the limit will be raised to match the amount that people who drive to work can spend in untaxed earnings on parking fees—$255 per month in 2016." Plus, if Congress passes the bill as expected, the amount will continue to rise with the cost of living.
Find out more right here

Get a Look at the South Village’s Upcoming Boutique Condo, 54 MacDougal Street

By Ondel Hylton

Excavation is nearly complete at 54 MacDougal Street, a ground-up, six-story condominium being developed by Valyrian Capital and Ajax Partners. Up until 2013, a humble three-story townhouse stood at the 2,500-square-foot lot for nearly 200 years, dating its creation to around 1820 when it was built on land formerly owned by Aaron Burr. The building lot is within a once working-class and immigrant neighborhood referred to by some as the South Village. Unlike large swaths of Greenwich Village to the north and cast iron sections of Soho to the west, the motley mixture of low-rise, pre-war buildings for years lacked landmark protections. Since 2006, the Greenwich Village Society for Historic Preservation (GVSHP) has urged the city's Landmarks Preservation Commission to designate a 35-block stretch of the neighborhood as an historic district, making it the city’s first tenement-based landmarked district. To date, two of the three phases of the district have been designated.
More details ahead

December 15, 2015

NYC Municipal ID Card Holders Will Get Even More Free Stuff in 2016

By Diane Pham

If you're one of the 670,000 people who took the time to apply for a NY municipal ID last year, give yourself a pat on the back and rejoice, because your industrious spirit will be rewarded for yet another year. Mayor Bill de Blasio and Speaker Melissa Mark-Viverito announced yesterday that card holders will continue to benefit from free access and discounts to 33 cultural institutions and a slew of New York services through 2016. On top of that, seven top tier names have joined the ID benefits roster, including The Guggenheim, the New Museum, the MoMA, the Metropolitan Opera, the Museum of Chinese in America, BRIC Arts Media and the Pregones Theater. Yay, free stuff!
find out what else was added and how to apply if you haven't already

December 10, 2015

Affordable Housing Coalition Proposes $4B NY State Budget to Address Housing Crisis

By Dana Schulz

According to a press release put out today, an affordable housing coalition of ten groups has proposed a five-year, $4 billion capital plan to address the housing crisis in New York. As Governor Cuomo and the state legislature begin the 2016 legislative session, the group hopes that the plan, proposed for 2017-2021, can combat the fact that "more than half of statewide renters pay over 30 percent of income on housing costs, and more than 80,000 people are homeless across the state." Specific to the city, the plan wants to close the NYCHA funding gap and increase senior housing.
More details this way

December 9, 2015

The Penn Station Atlas Wants to Make the Awful Space Less Confusing

By Dana Schulz

"The concept behind this project is simple but powerful: a user-centric atlas of a complex space – a unique set of maps designed to help anyone easily find the best way to their destination in Penn Station." Designer John Schettino realized that even though he traveled through Penn Station every day, he'd still find himself lost in the labyrinth that has become one of New Yorkers' most loathed destinations. So he studied maps of the underground station and observed how people interacted with the space to create the New York Penn Station Atlas. The project uses 2D and 3D models that make up a set of maps to show general layout, key locations, and routes for getting from one point to another. Schettino, with a boost from the Municipal Art Society, hopes all these resources will become available for electronic devices at no cost.
Plenty more details this way

December 9, 2015

Landmarks Approves Collegiate School Redevelopment: 66 Condos and Garden Planned

By Ondel Hylton

The development team involved in the rehabilitation and redevelopment of the Collegiate School academic buildings adjacent to West End Collegiate Church announced yesterday that their two-building scheme has been unanimously approved by the Landmarks Preservation Commission. Situated in the West End Collegiate Historic District on the Upper West Side, the residential development at 260 West 78th Street and 378 West End Avenue is being developed by the Collegiate Churches of New York and designed by Rick Cook of COOKFOX Architects. Funds generated by the development will be used to support the Collegiate Church's charitable and housing programs, as well as maintain its landmarked Dutch-Flemish Renaissance Revival campus.
READ MORE

November 18, 2015

Luxury Buildings Help Drive Climate Change, Says New Study

By Dana Schulz

"Elite Emissions: How the Homes of the Wealthiest New Yorkers Help Drive Climate Change" is a new report from Climate Works for All, a project of advocacy group ALIGN. As 6sqft has previously reported, New York City is expected to be hotter, rainier, and severely underwater in the future, and this new study points to luxury buildings as one of the main culprits. As first explained by Curbed, "The group looked at the Forbes Billionaire List, then Business Insider's 20 Most Expensive Buildings in New York City list, and cross-referenced this information with the city's Energy Benchmarking data." They then drew up a list of the top ten offenders, all of which received an F for energy efficiency. Leading the pack is 838 Fifth Avenue, followed by 101 Warren Street, Trump Park Avenue, and Trump Tower, respectively.
More details and the full list

VIDEOS: Jeremiah Moss’ Shuttered Storefronts and Alicia Glen’s Opposition to Retail Rent Control

Courtesy of James and Karla Murray authors/photographers of “Store Front: The Disappearing Face of New York“

November 17, 2015

VIDEOS: Jeremiah Moss’ Shuttered Storefronts and Alicia Glen’s Opposition to Retail Rent Control

By Emrys Fitzgerald

“The evidence of disease is everywhere,” claims Jeremiah Moss. No, he’s not talking about New Yorkers’ health; this is something he believes is even more merciless: hyper-gentrification. Moss, the pseudonymic chief editor behind the "bitterly nostalgic" blog Jeremiah’s Vanishing New York and the founder of the anti-gentrification movement #SaveNYC, and James and Karla Murray, authors and photographers of "Store Front: The Disappearing Face of New York" submitted a short film to last month's Municipal Arts Society Summit 2015. The ten-minute clip opens with a sinister assertion that “the soul of New York is dying,” and plays as a visual obituary of the small businesses we have lost over the past two decades. Shortly after Jeremiah's melancholic melodrama, Deputy Mayor Alicia Glen was asked whether New York should adopt commercial rent control policies. Unconvinced this is an applicable solution, she instead emphasized that a "healthy and vibrant mix of businesses" is important and "bad" businesses must be allowed to fail. Nor is Glen convinced of the plight of the mom and pop, calling it a Manhattan-centric argument. While she acknowledges certain neighborhoods are changing rapidly, she says independent businesses are thriving in other boroughs.
Watch Jeremiah's video and hear more of Glen's argument

November 13, 2015

Wieland Vogel’s Chandelier Expands From 20 to 80 Inches in the Blink of an Eye

By Ana Lisa Alperovich

In a city where hundreds of interesting happenings occur each week, some days, you just want to make magic happen from the comfort of your own home. If you live alone, or just happen to hold an impromptu party once in a while, have a look at this incredible expanding design. Created by Dutch designer Wieland Vogel, "Aureool a.k.a Halo" is a brilliant chandelier that contracts and expands with a simple flick of the hand.
Learn more about this clever design

INTERVIEW: Lowline Creator James Ramsey Discusses the Challenges of Building an Underground Park

James Ramsey (right) with co-founder Dan Barasch (left)

October 26, 2015

INTERVIEW: Lowline Creator James Ramsey Discusses the Challenges of Building an Underground Park

By Diane Pham

The hottest destination in the Lower East Side is not a bar, but rather a cutting edge installation hidden inside a vacant warehouse at 140 Essex Street. Just over a week ago, partners James Ramsey and Dan Barasch launched the Lowline Lab, a high-tech, miniaturized precursor to the city’s first underground park. James is the co-founder (alongside Dan) of the park, which will occupy a 40,000-square-foot abandoned trolley terminal below Delancey Street; and creator of the technology that will fill it—a remote skylight system that redirects light underground thorough a maze of optic tubes and diffuses it over a canopy to produce a subterranean environment where plants can grow and flourish (phew!). 6sqft recently took a private tour of the Lowline Lab alongside James, and he gave us some insight into the science, as well how he and Dan are approaching the challenges that come with bringing a park below ground to life. We of course asked all those questions you've been wondering about, like: Who's paying for this whole thing? And what about the rats?
Read our interview with James here

October 26, 2015

Turn Your Old iPhone Into an Elegant Desktop Lamp

By Ana Lisa Alperovich

Industrial designer Ivan Zhurba came out with a brilliant idea to tackle the planned obsolescence of iPhones. His "iPhone Lamp" is an elegant luminaire for the desk or bedside table that gives new use to Apple's retired smart phones. The lamp follows the tech giant's sleek, clean lines, so you don't have to worry whether it'll fit in with your interior; just throw it into a modern upstate home or a teensy Upper West Side studio and enjoy the light.
Learn more about this brilliant hacked lamp

October 26, 2015

Atlantic Yards’ B2 Tower Employing Anti-Nausea Technology From NASA

By Dana Schulz

"A new technology, designed to tame forces that could separate an astronaut’s eyeball from her retina, may also keep the one percent from throwing up," says The Real Deal. They're talking about a fluid harmonic disruptor, a device used during space takeoffs to protect astronauts from violent vibrations, which will be employed by structural engineering firm Thornton Tomasetti at Forest City Ratner’s B2 BKLYN, the 32-story modular tower at Pacific Park that could definitely succumb to queasy-making swaying and vibrations. The firm will put six water-filled pipes on the roof of the building, making up 0.5 percent of its total mass; then the disruptor will alter how the fluid, and therefore the building, reacts to wind and other vibrations.
More details ahead

October 14, 2015

Tell NYC Officials What Neighborhood Improvements You Want to See Using the ‘Idea Collection Map’

By Diane Pham

There's a lot to complain about in New York, but few of us have the opportunity to make our voices heard. As such, the New York City Council has created the Idea Collection Map, a handy map tool that allows you to suggest improvements you'd like to see in your neighborhood, and anywhere else, right from your computer screen.
How to send in your suggestions here

October 12, 2015

Landmarks Gets Started on 25-Year Backlog; A Manhattan Studio Asking Less Than $1,000/Month

By Dana Schulz

After withdrawing its plan to de-calendar 95 historic sites that had been on backlog for 25 years, the Landmarks Preservation Commission has begun public hearings for these places. [WSJ] A new report shows that NYCHA residents see little benefit from gentrification in their neighborhoods. [NYDN] The 1920s Green Point Savings Bank in Prospect Heights will be […]

October 12, 2015

State and City Finally Agree on Funding Plan for the Debt-Ridden MTA

By Dana Schulz

After months of squabbling over who's responsible for funding repairs and expansions of NYC's transit system, Governor Cuomo and Mayor de Blasio reached an agreement on Saturday to keep the MTA's $26.1 billion, five-year capital plan on track. The state will put in $8.3 billion and the city $2.5 billion (much more than de Blasio's original $657 million planned contribution). However, Cuomo was clear that their commitment won't come from increasing taxes and that he's confident the money can be found in the existing state budget. The city, too, said it would not raise taxes, but rather take $1.9 billion from city funds and the rest from sources that could include development rights or rezoning. The agreement still leaves the MTA $700 million short of its total, but the agency hopes to close the gap by finding "further efficiencies."
READ MORE

October 7, 2015

Inspired by Dumpster Living, Kasita Is the Micro-Apartment You Can Take Anywhere

By Rebecca Paul

Jeff Wilson's new design, Kasita, is a radical approach to apartment living. Now like never before you can literally move your entire apartment from one city to the next with the push of a button. The design of the tech-packed home was inspired by Wilson's radical experiment in apartment living when he spent the better part of a year living in a converted dumpster. The alternative lifestyle was supposed to provide commentary on the excessiveness of the typical single-family house, but it did far more than that.
More about Kasita Here

Policy

Loophole Allows Developers to Build ‘Skyscrapers on Stilts’ to Give Residents Ocean Views

Lower Income Residents of Extell’s ‘Poor Door’ Building Find Glaring Disparities

Mapping the Greenhouse Gas Emissions of NYC Buildings

The Federal Government Will Start Databasing Secret Buyers of NYC Luxury Real Estate

Governor Cuomo to Transform the Subway With Free Wi-Fi, USB Chargers, and Mobile Payment

The City’s First Wi-Fi Kiosks Unveiled Today!

Should the City Impose a ‘Window Tax’ for Billionaires’ Row Central Park Views?

The Much-Anticipated Ecocapsule Micro-Home Is Now Available for Pre-Order

Bio-Inspired HEAVN Caffeine Lamp Will Boost Your Attention Levels Like Coffee

Mass Transit Commuters in NY Will Save Hundreds Thanks to New Federal Bill

Get a Look at the South Village’s Upcoming Boutique Condo, 54 MacDougal Street

NYC Municipal ID Card Holders Will Get Even More Free Stuff in 2016

Affordable Housing Coalition Proposes $4B NY State Budget to Address Housing Crisis

The Penn Station Atlas Wants to Make the Awful Space Less Confusing

Landmarks Approves Collegiate School Redevelopment: 66 Condos and Garden Planned

World's highest duplex lists for $128M at Central Park Tower

Luxury Buildings Help Drive Climate Change, Says New Study

VIDEOS: Jeremiah Moss’ Shuttered Storefronts and Alicia Glen’s Opposition to Retail Rent Control

Wieland Vogel’s Chandelier Expands From 20 to 80 Inches in the Blink of an Eye

INTERVIEW: Lowline Creator James Ramsey Discusses the Challenges of Building an Underground Park

Turn Your Old iPhone Into an Elegant Desktop Lamp

Atlantic Yards’ B2 Tower Employing Anti-Nausea Technology From NASA

Tell NYC Officials What Neighborhood Improvements You Want to See Using the ‘Idea Collection Map’

Landmarks Gets Started on 25-Year Backlog; A Manhattan Studio Asking Less Than $1,000/Month

State and City Finally Agree on Funding Plan for the Debt-Ridden MTA

Inspired by Dumpster Living, Kasita Is the Micro-Apartment You Can Take Anywhere

144 Vanderbilt Avenue in Clinton Hill

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