All articles by Devin Gannon

Construction kicks off for Handel Architects’ mixed-use tower at Essex Crossing

Rendering via Moso Studio

April 10, 2018

Construction kicks off for Handel Architects’ mixed-use tower at Essex Crossing

Construction of Handel Architects' mixed-use tower planned for the Lower East Side's Essex Crossing development has officially begun. Located at 180 Broome Street, the tower sits at the Manhattan entrance to the Williamsburg Bridge, the structure which influenced the oversized concrete frames in the building's design. The tower includes 263 apartments, retail at street level, office space on levels two through five and a section of the massive marketplace below ground, the Market Line. According to CityRealty, the start of construction at 180 Broome makes it the sixth site to begin building in the nine-site complex.
Take a peek

REVEALED: Jeanne Gang’s 51-story condo next to Downtown Brooklyn Macy’s

Rendering via Tishman Speyer

April 9, 2018

REVEALED: Jeanne Gang’s 51-story condo next to Downtown Brooklyn Macy’s

By Devin Gannon

Tishman Speyer released on Monday the first renderings for its new luxury residential tower in Downtown Brooklyn, 11 Hoyt. Designed collaboratively between Hill West Architects and Jeanne Gang's architecture firm, Studio Gang, the 51-story, 480-unit condominium project will offer a variety of apartment layouts, with more than 190 different floor plans. The tower's rippling exterior seems to borrow elements used in two of Gang's Chicago projects, the Aqua Tower and the Vista Tower, which is currently under construction. The project will rise next to the Macy's on Fulton Street, which is currently undergoing renovations by Tishman Speyer, who are also planning a 10-story office tower on top of the store. Sales will launch at the tower this summer, but interested buyers can now check out the building's newly launched teaser site.
See them here

Trump once lobbied against legislation that required sprinklers in NYC high-rises

Via Krystal T’s Flickr

April 9, 2018

Trump once lobbied against legislation that required sprinklers in NYC high-rises

By Devin Gannon

Following back-to-back fatal fires in 1998 at two New York City buildings that lacked working sprinklers, public officials advocated for new regulations requiring sprinklers in all buildings. Mayor Rudy Giuliani's administration that year pushed for legislation to address the lack of sprinklers in high-rise towers. But real estate developers, including President Donald Trump, fought against the proposals, citing the high expense of retrofitting existing buildings with them, as the Washington Post reported. After fierce lobbying from developers, including Trump who personally called a dozen council members, the city enacted a law in 1999 that would require sprinklers in new construction but not existing buildings, exempting the president's Trump Tower. On Saturday, a fire ripped through a 50th-floor apartment at Trump Tower, killing a 67-year-old art dealer. Sprinklers were never installed at the Fifth Avenue property.
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Uncategorized

Vornado says it reached a deal with Kushner Cos. to sell 666 Fifth Avenue stake

Google Street View of 666 Fifth Avenue

April 9, 2018

Vornado says it reached a deal with Kushner Cos. to sell 666 Fifth Avenue stake

By Devin Gannon

Update 4/9/18: Vornado announced on Friday that it reached a "handshake" deal to sell its stake at 666 Fifth Avenue back to the Kushner Cos, according to the New York Times. It remains unclear if the Kushners have found a new partner. Steven Roth, chairman of Vornado, in the filing, said the payment would cover the company's investment: "The existing loan will be repaid including payment to us of the portion of the debt we hold." Kushner Cos. said this week it is in talks to buy the remaining 49.5 percent stake in 666 Fifth Avenue from Vornado Realty Trust, furthering the drama at the 41-story Midtown Manhattan office building, according to the Wall Street Journal. The tower has remained one of Kushner Cos. most financially troubled projects. In addition to its debt and high rates of vacancy, the building has been mired in controversy, mostly due to Jared Kushner's role as a senior adviser and son-in-law to President Donald Trump. While Jared divested in the property to avoid conflicts of interest, investors have been reluctant from entering a deal with Kushner Cos.
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Policy

Travel uptown on a WWI-era subway to mark the 100th anniversary of Woodlawn station

Via NY Transit Museum

April 6, 2018

Travel uptown on a WWI-era subway to mark the 100th anniversary of Woodlawn station

By Devin Gannon

Before the Woodlawn station opened a century ago, the surrounding area of Norwood in the Bronx was mostly rural with lots of farmland. While residential development began with the opening of the Woodlawn Cemetery, the neighborhood's transformation really took off when the subway was extended to reach this part of the city. To celebrate the 100th anniversary of the first train pulling into the northern terminal of the IRT Jerome Avenue Line, the New York Transit Museum is giving guests the chance to travel on World War I-era cars to relive this important part of subway history.
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An eco-conscious pavilion made of scaffolding and moss could bloom in Times Square

Rendering via Sam Biroscak/ Design Pavilion 2018

April 6, 2018

An eco-conscious pavilion made of scaffolding and moss could bloom in Times Square

By Devin Gannon

New York City has 280 miles of scaffolding, totaling more than 7,700 sidewalk sheds in front of 7,752 buildings. Described as pervasive eyesores and sunlight-blockers, scaffolding has an unflattering reputation in the city. Artist Sam Biroscak is looking to change the public perception of these sidewalk sheds, by highlighting it as an "under-appreciated" urban element in his conceptual design. Dubbed Mossgrove, Biroscak's project would create an architectural pavilion in Times Square made of two materials seen as nuisances: moss and scaffolding. The proposal calls for the installation be built during NYCxDESIGN, a nine-day event featuring interactive installations and talks. The theme of this year's Design Pavilion will be "From This Day Forward" (h/t Untapped Cities).
See the design

April 5, 2018

Snag an affordable one-bedroom in Greenpoint for $1,020/month

By Devin Gannon

Photo via CityRealty A newly constructed, 14-unit rental in Greenpoint has launched a lottery for three affordable one-bedroom apartments. The ground-up building is located at 977 Manhattan Avenue, between India and Huron Streets, and is an investment property, with the entire building listed for $14.25 million. Qualifying New Yorkers earning 60 percent of the area median income can apply for the $1,020/month one-bedroom apartments.
Find out if you qualify

Affordable Housing

Apply for 35 middle-income units near Pratt Institute in Clinton Hill, from $2,030/month

Rendering via Aufgang Architects

April 5, 2018

Apply for 35 middle-income units near Pratt Institute in Clinton Hill, from $2,030/month

By Devin Gannon

A newly constructed Clinton Hill building is now accepting applications for 35 middle-income units. Located at 325 Lafayette Avenue, the building sits around the corner from the Pratt Institute, Classon Playground and a plethora of restaurants and bars. The eight-story rental, designed by Aufgang Architects, features a brick facade with metal panels. Qualifying New Yorkers earning 130 percent of the area median income can apply for units ranging from a $2,030/month studio to a $2,581/month two-bedroom.
Find out if you qualify

Affordable Housing

Future of de Blasio’s $2.5B BQX streetcar at risk

Photo courtesy of Friends of the BQX

April 4, 2018

Future of de Blasio’s $2.5B BQX streetcar at risk

By Devin Gannon

With the unveiling of its inaugural prototype last fall, things were looking up for the Brooklyn Queens Connector (BQX) streetcar, a proposed light-rail trolley that would run 16-miles along the East River between the two boroughs. The Friends of the BQX even held an event to show off the ultra-sleek, 46-foot long prototype car. However, studies into the project's construction feasibility, as well as its ability to pay for itself, are still underway, according to the Daily News. At an event at NYU, Deputy Mayor Alicia Glen said the administration is still determining the project's ability to be self-funding.
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$165M sale of South Bronx waterfront site is the borough’s priciest development deal ever

An original rendering of 2401 Third Avenue via Hill West Architects

April 4, 2018

$165M sale of South Bronx waterfront site is the borough’s priciest development deal ever

By Devin Gannon

Somerset Partners and Chetrit Group have sold their massive South Bronx waterfront site to Brookfield Properties for $165 million, the priciest transaction for a development in the Bronx on record. As the New York Post reported, the project includes two sites on either side of the Third Avenue Bridge. At 2401 Third Avenue, original plans called for a 25-story standalone tower and a 25-story and 16-story building rising from an eight-story base. Developers also planned to bring three 24-story buildings and a 22-story building on top of a six - and seven-story base at the second site at 101 Lincoln Avenue.
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MTA sued over L train shutdown plan to transform 14th Street into an all-bus corridor

By Devin Gannon

The Metropolitan Transportation Authority released late last year its mitigation plan for the 15-month shutdown of the L train, set to begin in April of next year, calling for an all-bus, no-car corridor on 14th Street between Third and Ninth Avenues. The city says the MTA will have to run 70 buses every hour across the Williamsburg Bridge in order to accommodate the projected 84,000 daily bus riders. According to the New York Times, this would make 14th Street the busiest bus route in the country. In response, a coalition of Lower Manhattan neighborhood groups on Tuesday filed a federal lawsuit against the MTA and the city's Department of Transportation in attempt to stop repairs of the L train, claiming the agencies failed to conduct an environmental review before releasing its plan.
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A ‘small format’ Target will open on the Upper East Side next year

Rendering via Target

April 3, 2018

A ‘small format’ Target will open on the Upper East Side next year

By Devin Gannon

Retail giant Target announced on Tuesday that it will bring three new Target stores to New York City, further expanding its footprint in the Big Apple. The new stores, planned for the Upper East Side, Astoria and Staten Island, will be "small format," tailored to the needs of shoppers in urban areas (h/t NBC). In a statement, Mark Schindele, a senior vice president of Target's properties, said: "All three of these new stores will offer the best of Target in that borough, yet curate the assortment to meet the needs and preferences of the nearby community."
More details here

New Developments

Bjarke Ingels’ Nomad office tower reveals itself and nearly doubles in height

Rendering via BIG Architects

April 3, 2018

Bjarke Ingels’ Nomad office tower reveals itself and nearly doubles in height

By Devin Gannon

Despite switching architects from Moshe Safdie to Bjarke Ingels of BIG Architects in September, HFZ Capital Group is still on track with its office tower planned for 3 West 29th Street. New renderings obtained by YIMBY reveal a much taller building than filed in September, which called for 33 or 34 stories. The designs are showing a roughly 60-story tower, officially dubbed "29th and 5th," planned for the Nomad neighborhood, with a footprint of potentially 600,000 square feet.
Take a look

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

By Devin Gannon

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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April 2, 2018

Live in a loft above the Red Hook Fairway for $7K/month

By Devin Gannon

It boasts spectacular views of the Statue of Liberty and Manhattan skyline. It features original Civil War-era wood beams and natural oak flooring. But the best attribute of the two-and-a-half bedroom apartment available to rent at 275 Conover Street might very well be the Fairway Market located on the ground floor of the building. Found in the historic Red Hook Stores building, a 1860s-era warehouse with renovated loft apartments, the pad is asking $7,000 per month (grocery bill not included). As Brick Underground learned, that's roughly two and a half times the median rent for a two-bedroom in the Brooklyn neighborhood.
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Distinctive Homes

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

By Devin Gannon

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.
More details here

March 30, 2018

Celebrate Prospect Park’s opening weekend with an 1860s-style ballgame, a scavenger hunt and more

By Devin Gannon

Image by Elizabeth Keegin Colley for the Prospect Park Alliance Spring has officially sprung. And what better way to welcome the season than celebrating with a weekend full of activities at Prospect Park? To kick off the park's opening weekend on April 7th and 8th, the Prospect Park Alliance will bring events like free yoga, a baseball parade and 1860s exhibition baseball game, a fair, history tour and much more. Although most events are free, a few require advance reservation and some cost a couple of bucks. Ahead, check out the full schedule of events.
More details here

Events & Things To Do

Lottery launches for 124 middle-income units in East Harlem, from $822/month

Rendering via MAP Architects

March 29, 2018

Lottery launches for 124 middle-income units in East Harlem, from $822/month

By Devin Gannon

A brand new East Harlem mixed-use development, known as Acacia Gardens, now has 124 middle- income apartments up for grabs. The 12-story brick building at 411 East 120th Street, the site of a former parking lot, includes over 180,000 square feet of residential space. Qualifying New Yorkers earning 60 and 100 percent of the area median income can apply for units ranging from an $822/month studio to a $1,706/month three-bedroom.
Find out if you qualify

Affordable Housing

New renderings for Tishman Speyer’s 10-story office tower above Downtown Brooklyn Macy’s

Via Tishman Speyer/ The Wheeler building site

March 29, 2018

New renderings for Tishman Speyer’s 10-story office tower above Downtown Brooklyn Macy’s

By Devin Gannon

Tishman Speyer last April unveiled plans to revamp the Macy's building at 422 Fulton Street in Downtown Brooklyn by building a 10-story office tower on top of it. Now, new renderings have been released this week of the building, known as the Wheeler, highlighting the design's fusion of 19th century and Art Deco architecture. A 256-foot tall glassy addition to the historic department store will add over 840,000 square feet of commercial space, according to YIMBY.
See the renderings

New Developments

When the Bronx Bombers were the Highlanders: A brief history of the Yankees

The Highlanders play a game at Hilltop Park in 1912, photo via The Library of Congress

March 29, 2018

When the Bronx Bombers were the Highlanders: A brief history of the Yankees

By Devin Gannon

Not unlike their current powerhouse lineup, the most dominant team in American sports got off to quite a rocky start. Not only did the New York Highlanders, now known as the Yankees, have a losing record for many years, but the team’s first home field was also a mess: it was located near a swamp, the outfield had no grass, and the ballpark sat mostly unfinished. In just six weeks, 500 men hastily built the stadium on Broadway and 168th Street in Washington Heights, known as Hilltop Park, in time for the Highlanders' first home game on April 30, 1903. Due to the unsavory, rock-filled conditions, the last big league game at Hilltop Park was played in October of 1912. Following its closure, the Highlanders changed their name to the Yankees in 1913, moved to the Bronx, and went on to become one of the most successful sports teams in the world.
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History

‘Atlantic Chestnut’ development will bring over 1,100 fully-affordable units to East New York

Rendering via Dattner Architects

March 29, 2018

‘Atlantic Chestnut’ development will bring over 1,100 fully-affordable units to East New York

By Devin Gannon

A mixed-use development will bring 1,165 fully-affordable units to the Brooklyn neighborhood of East New York, an evolving community in need of new and preserved housing. Dattner Architects released this week new renderings of the development, dubbed Atlantic Chestnut after the two streets it will face (h/t CityRealty). The complex, which will include three 14-story buildings, sits on 4.5 acres and measures over a million square feet. The three buildings will be completed in successive phases, with the first scheduled to wrap up in 2020, the second in 2021 and the third in 2022.
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Time Out is bringing a food hall to the Dumbo waterfront this year

Via Time Out Market

March 29, 2018

Time Out is bringing a food hall to the Dumbo waterfront this year

By Devin Gannon

Time Out Group, the British company that writes up everyone's favorite freebie magazine Time Out New York, announced on Wednesday that it will open a massive food hall in Brooklyn this year. Set to open between October and December, the 21,000-square-foot Time Out Market New York will be located in the Empire Stores at 55 Water Street in Dumbo. According to the company, the food market will feature a group of 20 restaurants hand-selected by the magazine's editors, three bars and a performance stage.
Dig in

March 28, 2018

Live across from the historic Woodlawn Cemetery in the Bronx, from $519/month

By Devin Gannon

Applications are now being accepted for 122 newly constructed, mixed-income apartments at Webster Commons D, one out of five buildings located at 3620 Webster Avenue. The development, which sits across from the sprawling Woodlawn Cemetery in the Bronx, was designed by Aufgang Architects and was chosen as the 2016 Project of the Year by the New York Association for Affordable Housing. Qualifying New Yorkers earning 40, 50, 100, and 110 percent of the area median income can apply for units ranging from a $519/month studio to a $1,965/month three-bedroom.
Find out if you qualify

Affordable Housing

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

By Devin Gannon

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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