6sqft | NYC local news, events, and apartments

On a perfect narrow Heights mews lined with similar houses, this turn-of-the-century carriage house at 4 Hunts Lane is in mint condition, including a garage for your carriage (or car). Inside, bright white walls and mid-century modern design join maximum comfort in a mint-condition renovation designed with an eye towards maximum comfort, light and privacy. The home is currently configured as a three-bedroom home with a large artist’s studio/guest space in the cellar. Asking $6.5 million, this little carriage house has a lot more going on than the average "condo alternative," starting with private parking.
Take the tour

Distinctive Homes

Delayed pedestrian bridge in Battery Park City will finally open this fall

Rendering by WXY architecture + urban design

May 30, 2019

Delayed pedestrian bridge in Battery Park City will finally open this fall

A new pedestrian bridge in Lower Manhattan will open this fall, more than ten years after it was proposed, the city announced Wednesday. The 230-foot West Thames Street Pedestrian Bridge replaces the Rector Street Bridge, a temporary structure built after two bridges in the area were destroyed during the terrorist attacks on 9/11. Designed by engineer Thornton Tomassetti and WXY architecture + urban design, the $45 million bridge crosses West Street and connects Battery Park City with the Financial District.
Find out more

Architecture And Design

Extended Rockaway shuttle and LIRR service will make getting to the beach easier this summer

Image via Flickr

May 30, 2019

Extended Rockaway shuttle and LIRR service will make getting to the beach easier this summer

The MTA is aiming to make your summer a bit sweeter with a few special train services that will help you get to the beach faster. Extended service on the Rockaway shuttle and extra LIRR service to South Fork have already kicked in, while the popular LIRR $1 Summer Saturdays program will begin this Saturday, June 1st.
More info

May 30, 2019

See inside Central Park’s revamped SummerStage venue

This summer marks the 33rd SummerStage to take place in Central Park, but this year, NYC's largest, free outdoor performing arts festival has a completely revamped and reconceptualized venue to the tune of $5.5 million. The event, hosted by the City Parks Foundation, is comprised of 100 performances in 17 neighborhood parks throughout the city, but the flagship venue in Central Park is certainly the headliner. After 20 years, the 5,500-person space has a new stage with 20 percent more capacity and updated technology, along with a new circulation pattern meant to enhance the guest experience, new member and VIP viewing platforms, new concession areas, and more.
Go behind the scenes before the venue opens this weekend

Architecture And Design

NYC Council votes to close mechanical void loophole

Rendering of 50 West 66th Street; courtesy of Binyan Studios/ Snøhetta

May 30, 2019

NYC Council votes to close mechanical void loophole

The New York City Council on Wednesday voted to close a zoning loophole that has allowed developers to fill multiple floors of a tower with mechanical equipment without counting the floors as part of the building. The so-called mechanical void loophole enabled taller residential towers, and therefore higher, more expensive units, without actually creating more housing. The amendment approved by the Council will count mechanical voids taller than 25 feet as zoning floor area, as Crain's reported.
More here

Policy

Photo by Laurian Ghinitoiu.

May 30, 2019

See new views of OMA’s first NYC building, with ‘prismatic’ details

The new L-shaped residential building at 121 East 22nd Street represents Rem Koolhaas's architecture firm OMA's first ground-up Manhattan project; developers Toll Brothers City Living have released new photos of the eye-catching structure on the border between the Gramercy and Madison Square Park neighborhoods, highlighting its unique design. The new condominium residence is comprised of two blocks that straddle an existing tower, the 11-story School of the Future, constructed in 1915. The building's north tower has two interlocking planes that meet to form a distinct, three-dimensional corner. The 13-story south tower features an "undulating grid of punched windows" overlooking 22nd Street.
More views this way

May 30, 2019

Cozy Upper West Side two-bedroom with lots of built-ins seeks $749K

This cozy Upper West Side two-bedroom stands out with multiple custom built-ins and proximity to both Riverside and Central Parks. It also benefits from two more unusual perks: The co-op at 242 West 104th Street runs a small lending library from the basement, and residents can also be part of the West 104th Street Association, which provides private block security and hosts an annual block party in addition to numerous other community events. It's now listed for $749,000 after last selling in 2014 for $637,000.
Peek inside

Distinctive Homes

May 29, 2019

Help marine scientists catch, count, and release hundreds of fish in NYC this weekend

It's time to seine. This weekend, marine scientists dispatch to waterfront sites across New York City, Westchester, and New Jersey as part of the annual "Great Fish Count." Alongside top scientists, attendees will be able to cast a net and help catch, count, identify, and then release some of the fish found in the Harbor and Hudson River. Volunteers are welcome to attend any of the 18 seining events happening on Saturday.
More here

Events & Things To Do

Distinctive Homes

This $6.4M Chelsea condo is like having a library, cafe, and office in a three-bedroom loft

For $1.3M, easy living with a view in a Brooklyn high-rise condo

This $5M three-family Crown Heights townhouse is a modern triplex with two rental apartments

$2M mid-century modern home in Westchester has 21st-century energy efficiency and zero carbon footprint

Hamptons oceanfront estate owned by late diamond dealer lists for $45M

Rare historic Greenwich Village 'Renwick Row' brownstone with intact details asks $12.5M

Steve Madden's former Trump Palace pad lists for $11.5M

Filmmaker John Sayles' former Hoboken townhouse lists for $2.5M

Asking $2.8M, this two-family Bed-Stuy townhouse looks like a good place to spend a sunny afternoon

For $1.85M, this Chelsea co-op is a work of art

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From George Washington to war bonds: The revolutionary history of Fraunces Tavern

Sons of the Revolution in the State of New York outside 54 Pearl Street on opening day. Taken from Broad Street facing east. 1907. From the archives at Fraunces Tavern Museum. Courtesy of the Fraunces Tavern Museum

May 29, 2019

From George Washington to war bonds: The revolutionary history of Fraunces Tavern

By Lucie Levine

Fraunces Tavern is breaking out the champagne this year to celebrate its 300th birthday. Called "the oldest standing structure in Manhattan," the building you see today at the corner of Broad and Pearl Streets owes much to 20th-century reconstruction and restoration, but the site has a storied and stately past. In fact, any toasts delivered to mark the Tavern's tri-centennial will have to stack up against George Washington's farewell toast to his officers, delivered in the Tavern's Long Room, on December 4, 1783. Named for Samuel Fraunces, the patriot, spy, steward, and gourmand, who turned the old De Lancey Mansion at 54 Pearl Street into 18th century New York’s hottest watering hole, Fraunces Tavern connects New York’s proud immigrant history with its Dutch past, Revolutionary glory, maritime heritage, and continuous culinary prowess. Dive into the building’s unparalleled past and discover secrets and statesmen, murder and merriment – all served up alongside oysters as big as your face.
Learn the whole history

History

After a successful pilot program, city’s first shared e-moped service expands its fleet in Brooklyn and Queens

Images courtesy of Revel

May 29, 2019

After a successful pilot program, city’s first shared e-moped service expands its fleet in Brooklyn and Queens

After launching last summer with an initial fleet of 68 mopeds, Brooklyn-based tech startup Revel has released 1,000 new electric mopeds throughout Brooklyn and Queens today. The new models will replace the old ones and expand the service area from only Bushwick, Williamsburg, and Greenpoint to more than 20 neighborhoods, including Astoria, Red Hook (where Revel has also opened a new 10,000-square-foot warehouse), Crown Heights, and Bed-Stuy. Since launching their pilot program last July—the first of its kind in New York City—there have been 34,000 Revel e-moped rides with 4,000 riders using the mopeds.
More info

Staten Island’s New York Wheel may get its turn after all

Image credit: S9 Architecture / Perkins Eastman

May 29, 2019

Staten Island’s New York Wheel may get its turn after all

The fabled and forsaken New York Wheel, Staten Island's ill-fated answer to the Eiffel Tower, may be getting yet another chance. Last October it was announced that the 630-foot would-be world’s tallest Ferris wheel, anchoring the borough’s North Shore, was a no-go, mired in years of court battles and pay disputes. Now, NY1 reports, plans for a scaled-down version of the wheel may be back on the table. The city's Economic Development Corporation (EDC), who set the original wheel idea in motion, is meeting with a new developer about the possibility of a smaller wheel.
Find out more

New Developments

May 29, 2019

For $8.9M, a glamorous Murray Hill townhouse once owned by Liza Minnelli

Once the home of several prominent figures—including Liza Minnelli—this elegant Second Empire-style townhouse at 115 East 38th Street in Murray Hill is seeking its new owner for $8.85 million. Steeped in history and landmarked in the Murray Hill Historic District, the gorgeous 1865 brownstone facade (which was painted in the mid-twentieth century) has remained remarkably intact, while the interior has received a modern renovation. Spanning across six floors and roughly 6,615 square-feet, the residence boasts five bedrooms, six and a half bathrooms, an elevator, six working fireplaces, a garden, a roof terrace, and views of the Chrysler and Empire State Buildings.
More photos here

Historic African American burial ground in Elmhurst hits the market for $13.8M

47-11 90th Street via Google Maps

May 29, 2019

Historic African American burial ground in Elmhurst hits the market for $13.8M

A plot of land in Queens that contains a historic burial ground is selling for $13.8 million. As first reported by Patch, the lot at 47-11 90th Street in Elmhurst was home to the United African Society of Newtown, founded in 1828 as one of the first freed African American communities in the area, and its cemetery. In a brochure, real estate firm Cushman & Wakefield markets the land as "92,000 buildable square feet for residential development," but makes no mention of the historic burial ground underneath.
Get the details

Listing photos by Russ Ross, courtesy of Corcoran

May 29, 2019

Asking $1.5M, this bright three-bedroom co-op in Brooklyn Heights overlooks an enchanting courtyard

The spacious and cheerful ground-floor apartment at 65 Montague Street--on a Brooklyn Heights block lined with elegant apartment buildings--is as classic as they come. The pre-war co-op, asking $1.495 million, overlooks a lovely landscaped courtyard and has been renovated to suit every whim of modern life.
Have a look around

Distinctive Homes

A new food pop-up at Chelsea Market will provide temporary rent-free space for culinary entrepreneurs

Image via Flickr cc

May 28, 2019

A new food pop-up at Chelsea Market will provide temporary rent-free space for culinary entrepreneurs

The East Harlem-based culinary nonprofit Hot Bread Kitchen has opened a new pop-up space in Chelsea Market that will host a rotating cast of alums from its incubator program, which provides training and low-cost kitchen rental facilities to culinary entrepreneurs. Up first is Gorsha, a fast-casual Ethiopian restaurant from Hiyaw Gebreyohannes, which will take residence in the space through October 31st. As the WSJ first reported, this reflects a new trend among food halls who are offering rent-free spaces to food startups in exchange for fresh flavors and ideas.
More info

Food & Dining

Tightrope-walking Wallenda siblings will travel 25 stories above Times Square

Nik Wallenda on the tightrope at Canada’s Wonderland in 2009; via Flickr

May 28, 2019

Tightrope-walking Wallenda siblings will travel 25 stories above Times Square

A brother and sister tightrope walking duo will attempt to travel 25 stories above Times Square next month. Nik and Lijana Wallenda will balance 1,300 feet on a tightrope between One Times Square and Two Times Square on June 23, ABC announced Thursday. The television network will broadcast the "never-before-attempted" daredevil stunt live during a two-hour special.
Get the details

Events & Things To Do

May 28, 2019

A renovated Federal-era West Village home with a solarium seeks $5.1M

Part of the Greenwich Village Historic District, the Federal-style rowhouse at 41 Barrow Street was originally built in 1828 as a "two and one-half storied wood building with [a] brick front in Flemish bond, steeply pitched roof and dormer window," according to the 1969 LPC designation. For all the historic charm it oozes from the outside, the interior has undergone a thorough renovation that kept many of the original details—wide-plank wood floors, two of the three original fireplace mantels, exposed wood beams—while gaining some modern upgrades. Of these, a solarium built on the parlor floor is the highlight, bringing plenty of light into the home and better flow to a somewhat tricky layout. The historic West Village property is now on the market for a cool $5,100,000.
Take the tour!

Amazon is shopping for office space in Manhattan’s new west side towers

Retail disruptor Amazon has reportedly been looking at over 100,000 square feet of office space in the new One Manhattan West tower and supertall-to-be Two Manhattan West. According to the New York Post, the company is looking for “at least 100,000 square feet or much more” in the glassy skyscrapers that are part of a rapidly rising West Side development hot spot. When the Post asked Mayor de Blasio about the news, he told the paper that if Amazon moves forward with the plans, "they’re going to have to do it on their own."
Unlike Queens, Manhattan will hardly notice

New Developments

My 1,200sqft: Finger painting pioneer Iris Scott shows off her bright Bed-Stuy studio

Our series “

May 28, 2019

My 1,200sqft: Finger painting pioneer Iris Scott shows off her bright Bed-Stuy studio

My sqft” checks out the homes of New Yorkers across all the boroughs. Our latest interior adventure brings us to artist Iris Scott's Bed-Stuy loft. Want to see your home featured here? Get in touch! Nearly ten years ago, while living in Taiwan, artist Iris Scott didn’t feel like washing her blue-stained paint brushes. Instead, she used her finger to finish the piece and, to her surprise, discovered that this childhood arts and crafts project works really well on her own oil paintings. She searched online to see if any artists out there were already dedicated to finger painting and found no one. “I was like, it’s my purpose!” she told 6sqft during a recent tour of her Bed-Stuy studio. Iris, who grew up on a farm outside of Seattle, started posting photos and videos of her vibrant animal and nature-centric artwork on Facebook and instantly received feedback from what she calls a "virtual crit group." She began selling her paintings online and because her Taiwan apartment was just $100 per month, was able to immediately work full time as a finger painter. Iris, credited with starting the Instinctualist movement, calls her career trajectory a “magical path.” “I’ve always wanted what I have and I’ve always felt what I have is more than I expected I could have.” Now, a decade later, Iris has her first big solo exhibition in New York City, a Ritual in Pairing, at Filo Sofi Art’s pop up space at the High Line Nine, which closes June 6. Ahead, see inside Iris's sun-drenched corner loft in Brooklyn and learn about her 20-piece solo show, her fierce love of animals, and why she finds it flattering when children like her paintings.
Meet Iris and tour her studio

Rendering by Darc Studio.

May 28, 2019

For a girls’ school in Crown Heights, ODA upends the traditional school building

In designing a Crown Heights girls' school seeking an addition to their current campus, design and architecture firm ODA New York challenged the traditional American school building model, taking the future of urban density into account. The resulting design introduces a sixth facade, giving the structure a new set of faces to apply materials and create openings.
More views of the cool new-school design

Architecture And Design

A previous rendering; via EDC

May 24, 2019

City revives Downtown Brooklyn’s Willoughby Square Park project

Downtown Brooklyn is finally getting a park that was promised to the neighborhood more than 15 years ago. The city's Economic Development Corporation announced on Friday it will take over construction of the green space at Willoughby Square. In January, the city abandoned the plan to add a new park on top of a high-tech parking facility because of the developer's inability to secure financing. But, as first reported by Crain's, the EDC said the agency's capital division will take on the work itself, without a private developer or the underground automated parking lot originally proposed. The city estimates the park will open sometime in 2022.
Find out more

Architecture And Design

Listing images by Rise Media, courtesy of Compass

May 24, 2019

This $1.1M duplex is on the main floor of an old Soho police precinct

Listing images by Rise Media, courtesy of Compass One of a lovely row of classic buildings at the crossroads of the Village and Soho, 196 Sixth Avenue, built in 1893, is a former police precinct with gorgeous tall arched windows overlooking newly-renovated Father Fagan Park. This loft-style one-bedroom duplex co-op, asking $1.1 million, comprises part of the building's main floor–which explains the soaring 14-foot ceilings–and the ground floor below.
See more, this way

Distinctive Homes

Plans to renovate and expand Port Authority Bus Terminal may soon move forward

Image via Wikimedia

May 24, 2019

Plans to renovate and expand Port Authority Bus Terminal may soon move forward

As 6sqft previously reported, in 2017 plans to address the overcrowded Port Authority Bus Terminal–the world's busiest–became focused on renovating the existing midtown Manhattan building rather than relocating it a block to the west. Despite constant squabbles, the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, which operates the bus terminal, agreed on a timeline, and a study was undertaken to determine costs and a schedule. Options included building a terminal for intercity buses underneath the Jacob K. Javits center, which itself has undergone major renovations. Now, as Politico reports, the two-state organization is moving forward with plans to replace the overtaxed terminal, with a focus on three options as outlined in an unreleased “scoping document.”
Options, this way

May 24, 2019

Diane Keaton’s former San Remo apartment returns for a discounted $14.5M

By Annie Doge

Diane Keaton's very first NYC apartment was this full-floor co-op in one of the San Remo's iconic towers. She bought the Upper West Side pad in the late '70s after gaining fame in Woody Allen's "Annie Hall." At the time, Mary Tyler Moore was living in the other tower, and rumor has it that Warren Beatty found this quite convenient since he was dating both actresses at the same time. In more recent years, the apartment was home to the late Gordon McLeod, the former head of digital publications at Dow Jones. He sold the home to investment banker Larry Slaughter and his wife Constance in 2012 for $13.5 million. They first listed the residence in March 2018 for $17.5 million, but have now re-listed it for a discounted $14.5 million.
See the rest

Asian food hall and performance space could come to Flushing’s Sky View Parc

Google Street View of the mall and Sky View Parc

May 23, 2019

Asian food hall and performance space could come to Flushing’s Sky View Parc

According to The Real Deal, developer Blackstone will be opening an upscale food hall at Flushing's Shops at Skyview, a large shopping mall with big-box stores such as Target, BJ's, and Nordstrom Rack that's part of the larger Sky View Parc luxury condo development. In addition to plans for "chef-driven" and "fast-cash" food offerings, performance spaces and nightlife events are also in the works. And according to the group who will be curating the food hall, it's taking inspiration from San Francisco's popular Chinese marketplace.
More details ahead

Food & Dining

As city spends $3.2B on homeless services, shelter population remains flat

Via CC

May 23, 2019

As city spends $3.2B on homeless services, shelter population remains flat

Snag the Greenest Seat in Town: Gufram's 1972 Pratone Chair is Shaped Like a Patch of Grass

The population of New Yorkers living in homeless shelters has remained flat for the first time in a decade, officials said on Wednesday. During a City Council budget hearing, Steven Banks, the commissioner of the Department of Social Services, said the city has finally "broken the trajectory" and started to reverse the trend of uninterrupted shelter growth. "We would have more than 70,000 people in shelter today if it wasn't for prevention and housing investments," Banks said, as reported by the New York Post. The number of New Yorkers living in shelters has hovered around 60,000 daily for the last two years.
Find out more

Affordable Housing

THE 6SQFT SHOP

The 6 best furniture rental companies in NYC

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Everything you need to know about using a guarantor in NYC

15 quintessential NYC gifts for the New Yorker in your life

Raising chickens in NYC: Laws, tips, and everything else you need to know

Everything you need to know about affordable housing: applying, getting in, and staying put

10 best plants for apartment dwellers

50 places to shop locally in NYC for that perfect gift

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Google’s Chelsea takeover continues as it picks up another property in the neighborhood

The building at 450 West 15th Street is connected to Chelsea Market via a bridge; photo via Wikimedia

May 23, 2019

Google’s Chelsea takeover continues as it picks up another property in the neighborhood

Google on Wednesday picked up a 325,000-square-foot building in Chelsea, adding to its ever-growing footprint in the Manhattan neighborhood. According to the Financial Times, the company bought the building at 450 West 15th Street from Jamestown Properties for $600 million. In addition to its headquarters at 111 Eighth Avenue, Google owns the apartment buildings across the street and the Chelsea Market building, which it bought last year for $2.5 billion. And the company will serve as the primary tenant at Pier 57, a mixed-use development on the Hudson River.
Get the details

Real Estate Trends

Listing photos by VHT, courtesy of The Corcoran Group

May 23, 2019

$5.3M Upper West Side townhouse has a wealth of possibilities in its 18 rooms

Listing photos by VHT, courtesy of The Corcoran Group The four-story, five-family townhouse at 135 West 78th street could compete with any of its neighbors for the title of the prettiest house on an elegant brownstone-lined Upper West Side block. Inside, the 20-foot-wide home is currently configured as five units including an owner’s duplex, a top-floor two-bedroom market-rate flat, and three one-bedroom rent-stabilized units. In addition to living in a large, characterful duplex with a glass-walled garden view and receiving income from the variety of rental apartments, the new owner has the future option of conversion to a 4,500-square-foot single-family home when units become vacant.
Get a peek at some of those 18 rooms

Distinctive Homes

NYC bans plastic–but not hot dogs–as Wegmans and Whole Foods take the lead

Image: Michael Kowalczyk via Flickr

May 22, 2019

NYC bans plastic–but not hot dogs–as Wegmans and Whole Foods take the lead

As local politicians scramble to change decades of waste and bad habits, businesses are often in a better position to have an impact on the planet, and some are eager to oblige. Whole Foods just announced they'd be ending the use of plastic straws in their juice bars and cafes and packaging rotisserie chickens in bags instead of plastic cartons, the New York Post reports. And grocery megachain Wegmans says they'll be bagging single-use plastic bags by the end of this year, ahead of a statewide ban. Recently Mayor Bill De Blasio weighed in with NYC's own Green New Deal; the mayor announced in April that the city has passed an executive order intended to mobilize resources to combat climate change. In addition to addressing the more obvious plastic, the plan includes the phasing-out of processed meat purchased by government-run facilities like hospitals and schools–but not street vendors, restaurants or stores.
Hot dogs are safe, for now

Policy

Image by furtwangl / Flickr

May 22, 2019

Raising chickens in NYC: Laws, tips, and everything else you need to know

By Cait Etherington

6sqft’s ongoing series Apartment Living 101 is aimed at helping New Yorkers navigate the challenges of creating a happy home in the big city. This week, we cover everything you need to consider when raising chickens in the city. In a city where simply finding a balcony large enough for a pot of basil can be a challenge, one may be surprised to discover that chicken coops can be found across all five boroughs. Chickens were once primarily kept by older city residents, including many who come from places in the world where a backyard supply of fresh eggs is taken for granted. More recently, everyone from Park Slope housewives to Bushwick hipsters appears to be embracing the backyard chicken craze.
More on Raising City Chickens

May 22, 2019

For $675K, this West Village studio is the perfect introduction to pre-war charm

Living in a classic pre-war co-op in the West Village--one built by Bing & Bing nonetheless--is something of a dream for NYC history and real estate buffs. But if you're not in the million-dollar price bracket, this charming $675,000 studio at 2 Horatio Street is the perfect place to start. At 450-square-feet, the home has been recently renovated to include a separate sleeping alcove and large closet, as well as a modern kitchen and bathroom. And let's not forget about those quintessential views of lovely West 13th Street and Greenwich Avenue.
READ MORE

Distinctive Homes

May 22, 2019

This $5.3M classic six offers plenty to look at inside and out–and a key to Gramercy Park

This classic six co-op in the venerable 60 Gramercy Park North goes beyond just prewar charm. Designer decor by Starrett Ringbom is eye-popping, eclectic and fun, while providing a contrast for the home's lovely architectural details. The high floor home, asking $5.295 million, comes with park views and a coveted key to Manhattan's only private park.
See more, this way

Distinctive Homes

Street food competition Vendy Awards will host its final event this fall

Via Flickr

May 22, 2019

Street food competition Vendy Awards will host its final event this fall

The annual competition celebrating New York City street vendors will end this fall after 15 years. The last Vendy Awards ever will be held on Governors Island on September 21, providing one last chance to enjoy one of the city's greatest food events. The competition, organized by the Street Vendor Project at the Urban Justice Center, launched with just four vendors in 2005. It has since grown to feature vendors from across the city, serving nearly two thousand hungry foodies annually, and becoming a career launch pad for vendors.
Learn more

Everything you need to know about getting around NYC this Memorial Day Weekend

Via Flickr cc

May 22, 2019

Everything you need to know about getting around NYC this Memorial Day Weekend

By 6sqft

If you're hitting the road this Memorial Day Weekend, best not to leave the city between 4:45 and 6:45pm on Thursday, as AAA predicts that car traffic in NYC will be twice as heavy during this time. If you're depending on the LIRR or Metro-North, the MTA will be adding extra trains, and there will be free Q70 bus service to/from LaGuardia until Friday evening. As an extra treat, most weekend subway disruptions will extend into Monday, but the good news is that there are no additional changes on the 1, 7, A, C, G, F, M, and W lines.
Get all the info here

Transit

City Council Speaker Corey Johnson’s new bill is a ‘roadmap to breaking the car culture’

Via City Council Speaker Corey Johnson

May 21, 2019

City Council Speaker Corey Johnson’s new bill is a ‘roadmap to breaking the car culture’

City Council Speaker Corey Johnson's comprehensive "complete streets" bill arrives just three months after he proposed a five-year plan to make New Yorkers who take mass transit, walk and bike a priority over motor vehicle drivers. Johnson plans to introduce legislation next week that would require city officials to build 150 miles of dedicated bus lanes and 250 miles of protected bike lanes within a five year period, Streetsblog reports. Johnson said, “I want to completely revolutionize how we share our street space, and that’s what this bill does. This is a roadmap to breaking the car culture in a thoughtful, comprehensive way.”
Find out more

24 weed-eating goats have arrived in Riverside Park

Photo © 6sqft

May 21, 2019

24 weed-eating goats have arrived in Riverside Park

This morning, hundreds of local residents, news outlets, and local school children packed into Riverside Park at 120th Street to see a herd of 24 goats released into the park. The spectacle kicked off the Riverside Park Conservancy's GOaTHAM, an initiative to use "retired" goats from a local farm to help clear out a surge of invasive species from a hard-to-access area of the park. From today until August 30th, the team of goats will be noshing on poison ivy, bittersweet, wineberry, and more.
Watch the hungry goats in action

Events & Things To Do

Williamsburg’s tallest tower tops out at Domino Sugar Factory development

Photo by Max Touhey

May 21, 2019

Williamsburg’s tallest tower tops out at Domino Sugar Factory development

Williamsburg officially has a new tallest tower. One South First, formerly 260 Kent Avenue, topped out this week at the Domino Sugar Factory redevelopment along the waterfront. Designed by COOKFOX Architects, the 435-foot-tall tower features two interlocking buildings with white precast concrete facades inspired by the molecular pattern and forms of sugar crystals, a reference to the former factory site.
Domino details here

May 21, 2019

Rockefeller Center developer reveals new Art Deco views of its first residential tower in Nomad

In March, Rockefeller Group, the famous developers behind their eponymous Rockefeller Center, announced that they'd be building their first residential project in their 90-year history. Dubbed Rose Hill for the historic area that once occupied today's Nomad, the 600-foot tower at 30 East 29th Street is a uniquely modern interpretation of the Art Deco style. Now we have an even better look at this striking bronze facade, as well as the expansive amenity spaces and luxury condo interiors. The new views coincide with sales launching; prices will start at $1.195 million for a studio.
More details and renderings this way

May 21, 2019

This $7M Tribeca loft was a famous recording studio in a former life

This massive six-bedroom loft in the American Thread Building at 260 West Broadway spans 3,800 square feet with 45 feet of frontage facing Tribeca Park; the converted and designer-renovated condominium's $7 million price reflects not only its massive size, rare arched windows and covetable loft bones, but likely also its culturally significant famous past: Built in 1894, the space was once home to Duplex Sound, the studio where world-renowned musicians including Frank Sinatra, Tony Bennett, Aretha Franklin, Earth, Wind & Fire and jazz saxophonist Paul Desmond once recorded tracks.
Tour the loft

May 21, 2019

New Jersey’s long-stalled American Dream mega-mall is delayed again

The opening of the mega-mall next to Met Life Stadium in New Jersey is delayed again, the developer announced on Monday. American Dream, a huge three-million-square-foot venue with an indoor ski slope, water park, amusement rides, and ice rink, will open this fall instead of the spring, as originally promised. But what's a few more months? The project has been in the works for more than 16 years, plagued by financial and legal problems.
More here

New Developments

The best things to do this Memorial Day weekend in NYC

Image: United States Marine Corps Official Page via photopin cc

May 21, 2019

The best things to do this Memorial Day weekend in NYC

The weather has finally gotten the memo, the city's beaches, parks, and urban islands are open for the season and you’ve got a day off. There’s no need to get complicated; just head for the nearest beach with a picnic for two, attend an outdoor concert, find a BBQ bash or a rooftop rave–or celebrate the day with a parade. What you do with the long weekend is up to you, of course, but you'll find some ideas below to get you started.
a bounty of events, this way

Events & Things To Do

May 20, 2019

Audible opens new offices at a restored historic cathedral in Newark

Audible, the audiobook company owned by Amazon, opened new offices on Friday in a restored historic cathedral in Newark. The company, which has been located in New Jersey's largest city since 2007, restored an 80,000-square-foot 1913 church and modernized it with open workspace, a four-lane bowling alley, and cafes. Dubbed the Innovation Cathedral, the new offices on Washington Street will hold 400 employees.
See the space

In Fort Greene, nation’s largest LGBT senior development will open affordable housing lottery

Rendering courtesy of Marvel Architects

May 20, 2019

In Fort Greene, nation’s largest LGBT senior development will open affordable housing lottery

At 112 Edwards Street in Fort Greene, a completely new type of affordable housing is set to launch a lottery for 108 low-income units. The Ingersoll Senior Residences was built as part of the city's controversial plan to lease NYCHA land to private developers in order to build and maintain more affordable housing. Thanks to a partnership between BFC Partners and SAGE, Advocacy & Services for LGBT Elders, the building is the nation's largest LGBT-friendly elder housing project and the first in New York City. When the lottery opens on May 29th, individuals or couples who have at least one member age 62 or older can apply for studios and one-bedrooms for which they'll pay 30 percent of their income, which can range from $0 to $42,700.
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Affordable Housing

Sarah Jessica Parker lends star power to the fight against New York City public library funding cuts

Image via publicdomainpictures.net

May 20, 2019

Sarah Jessica Parker lends star power to the fight against New York City public library funding cuts

A majority of New Yorkers–95 percent–said in an online survey that Mayor Bill de Blasio‘s proposed $11 million funding cut to public libraries would hurt the city's communities, according to the Daily News; scaled-back hours and reduced programs like free after-school options for teens would curtail staffing and hiring across all five boroughs. Now, actress Sarah Jessica Parker is adding her celebrity firepower to help rescue the city’s libraries with an online campaign, the New York Post reports.
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Bergen Brooklyn

323 Bergen Street

Boerum Hill

World-class design rooted in Brooklyn charm

studios starting at $825,000
1 beds starting at $1,200,000
2 beds starting at $1,925,000
3 beds starting at $3,050,000
4 beds starting at $6,000,000

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Mapping the lesbian bars and clubs of NYC’s past

“Addresses Project” map via Gwen Shockey

May 20, 2019

Mapping the lesbian bars and clubs of NYC’s past

Following the closure of Woodside's Bum Bum Bar in March, only three lesbian bars remain in New York City. To preserve the history of these significate sites, local artist Gwen Shockey has spent five years tracking locations of former lesbian and queer clubs (h/t Daily News). Through an interactive map, Shockey has mapped more than two hundred addresses of venues that once hosted events for lesbians, relying mostly on word-of-mouth storytelling.
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MTA proposes full-fare MetroCards for NYC students

Photo via Flickr cc

May 20, 2019

MTA proposes full-fare MetroCards for NYC students

"This is a common-sense policy that makes it easier for kids to get to school and does away with needless complexities that have existed for too long," said NYC Transit President Andy Byford in response to the MTA's proposal to replace half-price student MetroCards will full-fare options for students. The MTA Board is expected to vote on the proposal on Wednesday, which would grant K-12 students who live at least a half mile from their school three-trip, full-fare student MetroCards.
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May 20, 2019

This $6M Park Slope mansion is as stunning inside as it is outside, from finished basement to green roof

Just around the corner from Prospect Park at 60 Montgomery Place, this historic two-family head-turner of a townhouse is in good company, but four stories of preserved and perfectly renovated interiors and a few surprises set it apart from its elegant Park Slope neighbors. In addition to a finished basement, plaster walls, central air and a private garden, this distinctive home, asking $5.995 million, is crowned by a green roof with park views.
Tour the many floors of this gorgeous home

Distinctive Homes

May 17, 2019

A gut renovation turned this Williamsburg condo into a hip $3M loft