Search Results for: bay ridge

Gov. Andrew Cuomo on Thursday announced a plan to create a 407-acre state park on Jamaica Bay in Brooklyn, which would be the largest state park in New York City. As a part of the $1.4 billion "Vital Brooklyn" initiative, the park would add much-needed green space in the Central Brooklyn neighborhood, an area the governor has described as a "park desert." Formerly the site of two landfills, the open space will be converted into parkland with opportunities for biking, hiking, fishing, kayaking, as well as educational facilities and an amphitheater.
See renderings of the park here

Architecture And Design

December 20, 2017

Interactive map shows how NYC’s waterways have evolved over the years

This map will delight any NYC geography buffs out there: The Changing Shoreline of New York City uses historical maps from the New York Public Library’s digital collection to explore how Manhattan has managed its waterways to expand its small city footprint. Created by Laura Blaszczak during her internship with NYPL, it's an interactive map that highlights waterfront locales around the city. Zoom in, and you can peruse historical maps and photographs that show how our rivers, creeks, brooks, and bays have been managed or built over. There's even an opacity control, so you can directly compare the historical map with the modern map and see how much Manhattan's landscape has changed.
Check it out

December 11, 2017

Last day to vote for 6sqft’s 2017 Building of the Year!

By Hannah Frishberg and Anjie Cho

This year was all about new development redefining the New York City skyline. Construction moved along at a rapid pace, whether it be the topping out of Richard Meier's tower at 685 First Avenue or foundational work kicking off at Brooklyn's first supertall 9 Dekalb. In the next several years we'll see these buildings open and show off apartments at sky-high prices, but for now, we get to enjoy the construction process on some of the most notable new architecture to come to New York. We’ve narrowed down a list of 12 news-making residential structures for the year. Which do you think deserves 6sqft’s title of 2017 Building of the Year? To have your say, polls for our third annual competition will be open up until midnight on Monday, December 11th and we will announce the winner on Tuesday, December 12th.
VOTE HERE! And learn more about the choices.

New Developments

A holistic holiday gift guide of NYC experiences

Photo via Matthew Henry/Burst

December 5, 2017

A holistic holiday gift guide of NYC experiences

The catharsis of shopping and gift giving does not come without monetary guilt, but in a city as commercially diverse as New York, it's possible to spend locally and come away with products bringing long-term relaxation and mental balance. No one wants to give or receive a gift that feels empty of emotional value and purpose. Here are some ideas for purposeful products and experiences that can be bought within the five boroughs for friends and family (or yourself!) this holiday season.
Check out our top picks

November 27, 2017

$975K Park Slope railroad apartment still manages to charm with pre-war details

The railroad apartment--a classic layout across New York City--isn't everybody's cup of tea. Not everyone wants to bypass a hallway to walk through a series of directly connected rooms, but in the case of this Park Slope co-op, each room is especially charming. The floor-through railroad occupies the third floor of 719 Carroll Street, a brick townhouse that's been converted into a small eight-unit cooperative. At 80 feet long, the apartment is lined with prewar details that include a bay window, decorative fireplace, and some exposed brick. It last sold in 2009 for $625,000 before hitting the market at $975,000.
Do the walk-through

Distinctive Homes

October 2, 2017

A 1934 engineer’s plan fills in the Hudson River for traffic and housing

In mid-20th century America–particularly in New York City–a roaring economy emboldened by our ascendant international stature filled many a scholar of public infrastructure with eagerness to execute grand ideas. This proposal to drain the East River to alleviate traffic congestion, for example. Another ambitious but unrealized plan–one that would make it a lot easier to get to New Jersey–was championed in 1934 by one Norman Sper, "noted publicist and engineering scholar," as detailed in Modern Mechanix magazine. In order to address New York City’s traffic and housing problems, Sper proposed that if we were to "plug up the Hudson river at both ends of Manhattan,” and dam and fill the resulting space, the ten square miles gained would provide land to build thousands of additional buildings, as well as to add streets and twice the number of avenues to alleviate an increasingly menacing gridlock.
So how much would it cost?

Tri-State Trail proposal would connect New York, New Jersey and Connecticut with 1,650 miles of trails

Pochuck Creek, photo via Pixabay

September 15, 2017

Tri-State Trail proposal would connect New York, New Jersey and Connecticut with 1,650 miles of trails

The NY-NJ-CT region features hundreds of parks and landscapes, from the Catskills and Pinelands to the beaches of Jersey and Long Island. Despite all of this open space, these recreational spots are disjointed from each other and from the communities that would use them. To better connect the parks to one another and to residents, the Regional Plan Association (RPA) has released a new proposal that calls for a Tri-State Trail network, linking 1,650 miles of biking, hiking, and walking trails in the greater New York region. The trail network would put over 8 million of the area’s residents within a half-mile of a trail, increasing access by 25 percent. It would put over 80 percent of today’s residents, or roughly 18.6 million, within just two miles of a trail.
Find out more

September 13, 2017

This renovated Park Slope co-op, asking $995K, has its own Instagram account

If there was a contest for most popular apartments in New York City, this one would be in the running as the winner. Apartment #3L at the Park Slope co-op 749 Union Street has been profiled in Lonny and Architectural Digest. It has its own Instagram account. And it was designed by Dan Mazzarini, the former director of store design at Ralph Lauren who went on to open his own design firm, BHDM. Envisioned as a black-and-white bachelor pad with a sleek, modern kitchen, the apartment is now looking for its next owner at an ask of $995,000.
Read more about the reno

September 6, 2017

100 free things to do in New York City

Despite being one of the most expensive cities to live in, New York City offers many free activities, events, and attractions all year round, letting you pinch pennies when the rent check is due. From free lectures at the Met to free group meditation classes, there are tons of activities that don't cost a dime. To help New York visitors and natives alike, we've put together a guide of the 100 best wallet-friendly things to do in the Big Apple.
More this way

Take a free tour of City Island, Bronx with the ‘land ferry’

City Island Diner, courtesy of cisc1970 via photopin

August 18, 2017

Take a free tour of City Island, Bronx with the ‘land ferry’

A small town in the northeastern part of the Bronx, City Island sits about 1.5 miles long by half of a mile wide. While its quaint nautical-vibe seems out of place in New York City, City Island is very much a part of the Bronx’s history. Thanks to the City Island Chamber of Commerce, New Yorkers who want to learn about the island can ride the “land ferry,” or a decorated minibus, on the island for a free tour of the neighborhood’s artistic and musical sites, as amNY reported. The blue painted bus with wood paneling picks up riders, from April to December, at the end of the No. 6 train in Pelham Bay Park on the first Friday of every month.
Find out more

Events & Things To Do

Taxi map shows where New Yorkers take cabs and how they pay for them

Images: Esri Taxi Cab Terrain map

August 15, 2017

Taxi map shows where New Yorkers take cabs and how they pay for them

Looked at from any distance, New York City may appear to be a honking sea of cars and taxis, with the latter making the biggest visual impact (and probably doing the most honking). Thanks to GIS gurus Esri via Maps Mania, we have a snapshot–an aggregate vision, if you will–of a year of life in the Big Apple made up of the city's taxi journeys. The Taxi Cab Terrain map allows you to zoom in and find out about the many millions of rides that start and end in the New York City and New Jersey metro areas based on data from the NYC Taxi & Limousine Commission. Mapping yellow cab travel data covering July 2015 to June 2016, the map shows how different NYC boroughs use taxis and how they pay for their rides. Esri's John Nelson then takes a look at socioeconomic data to look for influences that might impact how different neighborhoods use and pay for cab rides.
More from the map, this way

Cuomo to offer a congestion pricing plan to fund transit repairs

Photo via Lucas Klappas on Flickr

August 14, 2017

Cuomo to offer a congestion pricing plan to fund transit repairs

With New York City’s subway system currently in a state of emergency, public officials and advocates have been developing ways to pay for its urgent repairs. According to the New York Times, Governor Cuomo is planning to release a congestion pricing plan as a way to provide a dedicated source of funding for the transit system, as well as a way to reduce traffic on some of the country’s busiest streets. Ten years ago, Mayor Bloomberg pushed for a similar plan, charging drivers $8 to enter the most congested parts of Manhattan during peak commuting hours, but the legislation faced resistance and was never brought to a vote.
Find out more

July 20, 2017

Governor Cuomo will invest $5.6B to transform the LIRR

With the renovations at Penn Station just getting underway, the state released a plan on Wednesday to invest $5.6 billion in renovating 39 Long Island Rail Road stations. This includes the reconstruction of the system’s tracks, switches and signals. According to Governor Cuomo, the project, part of his encompassing $100 billion infrastructure plan, would increase rider capacity by more than 80 percent.
Find out more

East Hampton’s ‘Driftwood House’ employs traditional Japanese charred wood techniques

Image © MB Architecture

July 19, 2017

East Hampton’s ‘Driftwood House’ employs traditional Japanese charred wood techniques

By Dana Schulz

On a half-acre lot perched 18 feet above Gardiner's Bay in East Hampton sits a unique site, shielded by neighboring waterfront homes on its east and west sides, but completely open in front to the bay. With these two extremes as their inspiration, MB Architecture designed the Driftwood House, using both reclaimed wood from the property's previous home and charred cypress prepared using the traditional Japanese Shou-Sugi-Ban technique. The result is a sustainable residence that "[weaves] the line of the horizon through its spaces, slowly unveiling the views, with glimpses through layers and framed transparencies."
See the whole house

June 6, 2017

‘Today’ show host Savannah Guthrie lists Tribeca loft for $6M

By Annie Doge

"Today" show co-anchor Savannah Guthrie and husband Michael Feldman, a political consultant, have put their Tribeca apartment on the market at an asking price of $5.995 million. As LLYNC learned, Feldman bought the three-bedroom apartment in 2012 for $3.8 million. The 2,691-square-foot condominium was designed by BKSK Architects and boasts five floor-to-ceiling windows as well as a 200-square-foot storage unit.
See inside

May 22, 2017

Three tiny beach cabins are up for rent on NY Harbor this summer

If smelly subway platforms and sweaty tourist hordes start to loom large this summer, there might be cabin for two on the shores of New York Harbor with your name on it. Gateway National Recreation Area–which includes Fort Tilden, Jacob Riis Park, Floyd Bennett Field, Great Kills Park, Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge, and Canarsie Pier–and Getaway, a company that provides pop-up camping houses, are placing three tiny cabins along NYC's harbor shore to provide a place to spend a quiet summer night in a national park, reports Gothamist.
Check it out

Getting Away

April 21, 2017

For one week only, get an up-close view of Staten Island’s proposed aerial gondola

While the city continues to develop ways to quicken commutes between Manhattan and the outer boroughs (like the soon-to-be-launched NYC Ferry), the Staten Island Economic Development Corporation (SIEDC) has taken matters into their own hands and created an idea for an aerial gondola. Similar to the East River Skyway proposal, which would transport passengers across the East River to ease the inconvenience of the impending L train shutdown, the gondola would take commuters in the sky from the borough to Bayonne, NJ where they'd connect to the Hudson-Bergen Light Rail and ultimately the PATH. As WYNC learned, starting this week and for seven days only, the gondola will be touring Staten Island on the back of a flatbed truck to boost support from officials to fund the project.
Find out more

April 4, 2017

The 10 best neighborhoods for New York City artists

Like most things in New York, creative communities come and ago as new development and rising rents force artists to move on to the next best, or cheaper neighborhood. While 6sqft found 'hoods like the Upper East Side, Harlem and Long Island City to be the best places for artists a few years back, we've updated our top-10 list to reflect the changing times. Ahead you'll find some areas you may expect--Sunset Park and Bushwick, for example, along with more up-and-coming artsy enclaves like Newark, Washington Heights, and the South Bronx.
The full list right this way

March 17, 2017

FREE RENT: This week’s roundup of NYC’s rental concessions

By Ondel Hylton

Sutton Place High Rise Re-Introduced as Oriana Launches Leasing with Two Months Free [link] Downtown Rentals at 90W in the Financial District Offer Up to 2 Months Free [link] Spring 2017 Leasing Announced for DUMBO’s 181 Front Street, Website Launches with New Photos [link] LIC Rental ‘The Independent’ Offers Two Months Free with 14-Month Lease […]

Real Estate Trends

March 13, 2017

Modern-spotting: The lost Eichlers of Rockland County, New York

Yes, there are Eichler homes in New York! They are sometimes called "lost Eichlers," as most of noted mid-20th-century developer Joseph Eichler's homes exist in Northern and, to a lesser degree, Southern California. Three custom-built Eichler houses were constructed (and still stand) in the Rockland County, New York community of Chestnut Ridge, just north of Eichler's hometown of New York City. Joseph L. Eichler, whose modernist tract homes can be found throughout the Bay Area in Northern California as well as the Greater Los Angeles area, was one of the most celebrated residential homebuilders of the mid-20th century. His homes are enthusiastically “collected” by modern design buffs, and their renovations appear on the covers of design and home decor magazines like Dwell and Metropolitan Home.
Find out how a tiny East Coast enclave continues to enjoy the Eichler lifestyle

February 17, 2017

Port Authority approves $32.2B capital plan, will include new bus terminal and airport upgrades

By Dana Schulz

The Port Authority Board of Commissioners yesterday approved a $32.2 billion, 10-year capital plan--the agency's largest ever. The major allocations include: $3.5 billion to begin the planning and construction of a new Port Authority Bus Terminal; $10 billion towards improving trans-Hudson commuting, including a $1.5 billion Goethals Bridge replacement, completion of the $1.6 billion Bayonne Bridge rebuilding, and a $2 billion rehab of the George Washington Bridge; $11.6 billion in major airport upgrades, which factors in $4 billion for the new LaGuardia Terminal B, a plan to extend the PATH train from Newark Penn Station to the Newark Airport, and the beginning of Cuomo's JFK overhaul; and $2.7 billion towards the Gateway rail tunnel project.
More details ahead

February 17, 2017

1924 cliffside Riverdale castle-cottage has magical river views, a Broadway pedigree and a $2.6M ask

In case you need another reason to love New York City, this singular gem of a seven-unit apartment building perched on a wild cliff overlooking the Palisades where the Harlem River meets the mighty Hudson just hit the market. Built in 1924 as a co-operative by a super-literary lawyer/developer who also happened to be the first editor-in-chief of the Harvard Law Review, the Villa Rosa Bonheur at 2395 Palisade Avenue in Riverdale, the Bronx, is one of three; her sister buildings go by Villa Charlotte Brontë and Villa Victoria. Their creator, John J. McKelvey, was looking beyond the bottom line when he built what would be the first apartment buildings in the Bronx. Ms. Rosa is now on the market for a mere $2.595 million. There's more: Her current owners are the family of the late "Beatlemania" creator Robert Rabinowitz.
Get a closer look

February 6, 2017

As New York City grows, so does its garbage