All articles by Devin Gannon

De Blasio administration falls short of pledge to open 20 homeless shelters in 2017

Photo via Wikimedia

January 23, 2018

De Blasio administration falls short of pledge to open 20 homeless shelters in 2017

By Devin Gannon

In 2017, Mayor Bill de Blasio's administration opened just 10 out of the 20 shelters planned for New York City under an initiative aimed at curbing the city's growing homelessness crisis. Last February, the city unveiled its "Turning the Tide on Homelessness" plan that included opening 90 shelters over five years, with about 20 shelters each in 2017 and 2018. But, according to the New York Times, the city fell short of its target last year, opening just half the number of shelters planned due to delays in the permit process, time-consuming negotiations with nonprofits that run the shelters and backlash from the community and public officials. Under de Blasio, the homeless population has grown. When the mayor took office in 2014, about 68,000 New Yorkers were without homes. Today, roughly 77,000 people are considered homeless in NYC, with 3,900 on the street, the largest homeless population in the U.S.
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WeWork will open its office spaces to graduate students seeking online degrees

Photo via pixabay

January 22, 2018

WeWork will open its office spaces to graduate students seeking online degrees

By Devin Gannon

The co-working company WeWork made headlines in November for announcing its plan to open a private elementary school in New York City designed for "conscious entrepreneurship." Now, the company has an idea to appeal to a slightly older market: graduate students. According to Bloomberg, WeWork will partner with 2U Inc., an online education provider, to give students seeking an online graduate degree access to any of the co-working offices, with the ability to rent conference rooms for study groups and enjoy the fast WiFi.
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Policy

Cuomo says New York will pay $65K per day to keep Statue of Liberty open during shutdown

Photo of the Statue of Liberty courtesy of the NPS

January 22, 2018

Cuomo says New York will pay $65K per day to keep Statue of Liberty open during shutdown

By Devin Gannon

Gov. Andrew Cuomo on Sunday said the state of New York will pay $65,000 per day to reopen the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island during the ongoing federal government shutdown, which forced the park to close over the weekend. Cuomo said the state made an agreement with the Department of the Interior, which oversees the National Park Service, to keep New York Harbor's landmark open. The government closed midnight on Saturday after Republican and Democrats in Congress failed to pass an appropriations bill. "The Statue of Liberty is a symbol of freedom and opportunity for all, and it is a gross injustice that this administration's dysfunction caused it to shut down," Cuomo said. "When this administration tries to deport immigrants, when they close down the Statue of Liberty, they are attacking who we are."
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Policy

Here is what might temporarily close in New York City if the government shuts down

Federal Hall, photo courtesy of Wikimedia

January 19, 2018

Here is what might temporarily close in New York City if the government shuts down

By Devin Gannon

If you're an out-of-towner planning a classic, tourist-attraction-filled trip to New York City soon, you may want to rethink your visit. The U.S. government might be headed toward a shutdown, with its funding set to expire by midnight Friday. Although it's not totally clear yet what will be affected in NYC, the last government shutdown in 2013, which lasted 16 days, temporarily closed national parks and a few federally-funded museums citywide. While there's a chance the national parks and museums might choose to stay open, ahead find which ones might be affected in the event of a government shutdown.
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Under proposed congestion plan, driving a car into Manhattan will cost $11.52

Photo courtesy of Davide Gabino’s Flickr

January 19, 2018

Under proposed congestion plan, driving a car into Manhattan will cost $11.52

By Devin Gannon

Drivers entering the busiest areas of Manhattan might soon be required to pay $11.52 per trip under a congestion pricing plan expected to be released by Gov. Andrew Cuomo on Friday. According to the New York Times, the proposal comes from an advisory panel "Fix NYC," a group assembled by the governor to explore ways to reduce congestion and also fund the city's strapped-for-cash transit system. Under the proposal, trucks would pay $25.34 and taxis would see a surcharge of $2 to $5 per ride if entering the "pricing zone," which would run south of 60th Street. Cuomo first introduced the idea of a congestion pricing plan to fund the MTA's transit repairs in August, after declaring the subway in a state of emergency earlier that summer.
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New York City’s first crosstown bike lanes proposed for Midtown

Photo via Wikimedia

January 18, 2018

New York City’s first crosstown bike lanes proposed for Midtown

By Devin Gannon

Crosstown protected bike lanes may finally come to Manhattan's Midtown neighborhood, the first of its kind in New York City. The city's Department of Transportation presented on Wednesday a series of proposals to create bike lanes that stretch from the East River to the Hudson River, traveling east to west instead of north to south. The first two protected lanes are proposed to run east on 26th Street and west on 29th Street, where an existing lane will be replaced. Officials are also looking to add a lane moving west on 55th Street and east on 52nd Street. DOT's move to add more protected bike lanes in Midtown comes after the city experienced an increase in the number of cyclist deaths in 2017, despite it being the safest year on record for traffic fatalities.
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New York City, Newark officially contenders for Amazon’s HQ2

Photo courtesy of Robert Scoble’s Flickr

January 18, 2018

New York City, Newark officially contenders for Amazon’s HQ2

By Devin Gannon

Amazon announced on Thursday it narrowed its list of potential cities for its second headquarters to 20, with New York City and Newark as candidates. The tech giant said it received 238 proposals, evaluating each based on the criteria outlined in their RFP and then selecting cities to move on to the next phase. The 20 chosen cities will now work with Amazon to provide any additional information needed, with the company expected to make a decision in 2018 about where its HQ2 will land.
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Policy

City to open homeless shelter adjacent to One57 on Billionaires’ Row

Image © 6sqft

January 18, 2018

City to open homeless shelter adjacent to One57 on Billionaires’ Row

By Devin Gannon

Mayor Bill de Blasio plans to open a new homeless shelter for 150 single adult men on Manhattan's Billionaires' Row, part of the city's initiative to open 90 new shelters over the next five years. According to the New York Post, a former hotel at 158 West 58th Street, the Park Savoy, will be converted into the shelter and open in March. The Central Park South building sits behind One57, a supertall known for the city's most expensive residential sale ever: a penthouse that sold for $100 million in 2015.
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Policy

Lottery opens for 140 affordable units at Greenpoint’s tallest tower, from $613/month

Renderings of The Greenpoint courtesy of Neoscape

January 17, 2018

Lottery opens for 140 affordable units at Greenpoint’s tallest tower, from $613/month

By Devin Gannon

Applications are now being accepted for 140 affordable units at The Greenpoint, the neighborhood's first skyscraper and current tallest building. The 40-story residential building, located on the Brooklyn waterfront at 23 India Street, boasts amenities like a bike room, sports court, children's playroom, outdoor entertainment space, fitness center, a public promenade and more. Qualifying New Yorkers earning 40 and 60 percent of the area median income can apply for affordable apartments ranging from a $613/month studio to a $1,230/month two-bedroom.
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Affordable Housing

South Bronx complex with 1,045 housing units and nation’s first Hip-Hop museum gets new rendering

Rendering of Bronx Point courtesy of S9 Architecture

January 17, 2018

South Bronx complex with 1,045 housing units and nation’s first Hip-Hop museum gets new rendering

By Devin Gannon

A new rendering of Bronx Point, a mixed-use development planned for the South Bronx waterfront, has been unveiled, providing a closer look at L+M Development Partner and Type A Projects' plan to bring over 1,000 units of housing, a food hall and the country's first brick-and-mortar museum designated to Hip-Hop to the neighborhood. As YIMBY reported, the housing will be delivered in two phases, with the first bringing 600 units of permanent affordable public housing by 2022. The second phase is expected to wrap up about three years after the first. Designed by S9 Architecture, the complex will include a new waterfront esplanade, state-of-the-art multiplex theater, flashy outdoor performance area and educational spaces.
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Popular Articles

Cuomo’s proposed MTA budget requires more funding from New York City

Photo of Cuomo via the governor’s Flickr

January 17, 2018

Cuomo’s proposed MTA budget requires more funding from New York City

By Devin Gannon

Gov. Andrew Cuomo unveiled on Tuesday his proposed $168 billion FY 2019 executive budget, aimed mostly at raising revenue and protecting New York taxpayers from future federal cuts with a possible restructuring of the state's tax code. “Washington hit a button and launched an economic missile and it says ‘New York’ on it, and it’s headed our way,” Cuomo said. “You know what my recommendation is? Get out of the way.” While the governor's budget clearly targets President Trump and his administration, it appears to impose more financial responsibility on Mayor Bill de Blasio as well, according to Politico New York. The budget includes three provisions that require the city to increase their funding of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority, including making City Hall pay half of the authority's $836 million emergency action plan. So far, de Blasio has refused to provide any additional funds to the MTA.
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Could legalizing marijuana be the state’s solution to fixing the NYC subway?

Photo via Dan Phiffer’s Flickr

January 16, 2018

Could legalizing marijuana be the state’s solution to fixing the NYC subway?

By Devin Gannon

Gov. Andrew Cuomo plans to present the state legislature this week with ways to fund the financially troubled Metropolitan Transportation Authority. On Tuesday, he released his $168 billion budget proposal for the fiscal year 2019, which includes a proposal for charging vehicles for driving in the busiest areas of Manhattan during peak hours, with the money raised going to mass transit. According to the Daily News, a Republican gubernatorial candidate has a different idea. Joel Giambra, a former Erie County executive who announced his bid for governor last week, said he wants to legalize marijuana to fund the city's desperately-needed transit repairs.
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Travel along the historic trails of Lower Manhattan with this interactive map

Courtesy of the Skyscraper Museum

January 16, 2018

Travel along the historic trails of Lower Manhattan with this interactive map

By Devin Gannon

The Skyscraper Museum has released a new interactive web project and digital archive called Heritage Trails New York, which revives a landmark history project from 1997. Heritage Trails focuses on the historic blocks of Lower Manhattan, from the Battery to the African Burial Ground and Foley Square, stretching from the Hudson River to the South Street Seaport. The updated map expands on the original, which was designed by architect Richard D. Kaplan, by letting users more easily follow along with the dotted path via smartphone or computer.
Explore the map here

History

New York City secured 24,500 affordable housing units last year, setting new record

Photo courtesy of Ed Reed/Mayoral Photography Office

January 16, 2018

New York City secured 24,500 affordable housing units last year, setting new record

By Devin Gannon

Mayor Bill de Blasio on Tuesday announced another record-breaking affordable housing milestone: the city financed more than 24,500 affordable homes in 2017, the highest number in nearly three decades. Over the past four years, the de Blasio administration has created or preserved more than 87,500 affordable housing units, on pace to meet the city's goal of 300,000 units by 2026. Under "Housing New York 2.0," which the mayor unveiled in October, 25,000 affordable apartments will be secured each year until 2021. About half of the homes are set aside for individuals making $33,400 annually or $43,000 annually for a family of three.
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After funding lawsuit against Pier55 offshore park, Durst joins board of Hudson River Park Trust

Rendering via Pier55, Inc

January 16, 2018

After funding lawsuit against Pier55 offshore park, Durst joins board of Hudson River Park Trust

By Devin Gannon

Manhattan Borough President Gale Brewer appointed Douglas Durst on Friday to the board of the Hudson River Park Trust, a group he has frequently criticized over their proposed Pier55 project. Durst admitted last year to funding a lawsuit to stop the trust's plan for an off-shore park on the Hudson River. While billionaire businessman Barry Diller, who is funding the $250 million project, halted construction in September, the plan was restored a month later, with pressure and financial help from Gov. Andrew Cuomo. Brewer told Crain's that Durst didn't volunteer, she asked him to join the board. "I think he loves the park," she said.
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Historic photos document Martin Luther King Jr.’s connection to NYC

Dr. Benjamin Spock, Dr. King and Monsignor Rice of Pittsburgh march in the Solidarity Day Parade at the United Nations building (April 15, 1967);Photo by Benedict J. Fernadez, courtesy of MCNY

January 12, 2018

Historic photos document Martin Luther King Jr.’s connection to NYC

By Devin Gannon

The Museum of the City of New York on Saturday will launch King in New York, a photo exhibition that explores the relationship between Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and New York City. The collection, which commemorates the 50th anniversary of King's death, provides a look into the iconic civil rights leader's time spent in the city, starting in the 1950s and continuing through the aftermath of his assassination in 1986. New York, as the country's media capital, allowed MLK to broadcast his words and messages to both local and global audiences, hold national press conferences and speak to influential advocacy and political groups. He gave sermons at the Riverside Church in Morningside Heights and marched to the United Nations in protest against the Vietnam war. Following his death, thousands of New Yorkers marched in Harlem and Midtown to a Central Park concert to mourn together and the city named parks, playgrounds and streets in his honor. King in New York will be on view from Saturday, Jan. 13 to June 1, 2018.
Explore MLK's New York City connection

City decides to keep controversial statue of Christopher Columbus

Photo via Creative Commons

January 12, 2018

City decides to keep controversial statue of Christopher Columbus

By Devin Gannon

Mayor Bill de Blasio announced on Thursday plans to keep the contentious Christopher Columbus memorial at Columbus Circle, following a 90-day review of the city's monuments and markets by a mayoral advisory commission. Although the statue will stay put at its Upper West Side location, the city plans to add new historical markers to explain the history of Columbus and also commission a new monument to honor Indigenous peoples. The statue of Theodore Roosevelt in front of the American Museum of Natural History and the plaque memorializing Henri Philippe Pétain in Lower Manhattan will also not be removed or relocated, but more information and context will be added to them.
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Policy

Five chances to live near the New York Botanical Garden from $1,450/month

Photo courtesy of New York Botanical Garden

January 11, 2018

Five chances to live near the New York Botanical Garden from $1,450/month

By Devin Gannon

A Bronxdale building located near the Bronx Zoo and the New York Botanical Garden is now accepting applications for five middle-income apartments. Qualifying New Yorkers earning 130 percent of the area median income can apply for $1,450/month one-bedrooms, as well as $1,800/month and $1,900/month two-bedrooms. Located near the 2 and 5 trains, the commute from the rental at 2547 Cruger Avenue to Midtown Manhattan is just under an hour.
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Affordable Housing

In heated legal battle, condo board says it has the right to remove Trump’s name

Trump Place Apartments courtesy of Nick Normal’s Flickr

January 11, 2018

In heated legal battle, condo board says it has the right to remove Trump’s name

By Devin Gannon

While never especially popular in his hometown, President Donald Trump's approval in New York City dropped even more so after his election. His unpopularity among New Yorkers has taken a toll on his real estate empire: both average sales price and the average price per square footage at the 11 Trump-branded condos fell below the average in this area for the first time ever. And some residents living in condos that bear the president's name have started petitions to remove Trump from the building's exterior. At one 48-story luxury building on the Upper West Side, residents are debating whether or not to remove his name. The condo board at 200 Riverside Boulevard, or "Trump Place," now potentially faces a lawsuit from DJT Holdings, a company owned by Trump, for seeking to remove the name, the New York Post reported.
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Policy

Live in a one-bedroom off of East Harlem’s bustling 116th Street for $2,270/month

Photo of East Harlem’s 116th Street via Wikimedia

January 10, 2018

Live in a one-bedroom off of East Harlem’s bustling 116th Street for $2,270/month

By Devin Gannon

A brand new residential building at 245 East 115th Street in Manhattan's East Harlem neighborhood is currently accepting applications for four middle-income one-bedroom apartments. The eight-story building sits just one block from 116th Street, the business hub of Spanish Harlem that features lots of restaurants and shops. Qualifying New Yorkers earning 130 percent of the area median income can apply for the one-bedroom apartments for $2,270/month.
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Affordable Housing

Thomas Heatherwick designs two bubbled condo towers for Related’s High Line-straddling site

Proposed rendering of 515 West 18th Street via Related Companies

January 10, 2018

Thomas Heatherwick designs two bubbled condo towers for Related’s High Line-straddling site

By Devin Gannon

Thomas Heatherwick plans to bring more eccentricity to Manhattan's west side with two condo towers covered in a bubbled facade and bisected by the High Line, as CityRealty reported on Wednesday. The straddling pair at 515 West 18th Street, currently known as the Hudson Residences in conjunction with another Robert A.M. Stern-designed tower planned for West 22nd Street, will contain 181 condos split between a 10-floor east tower and a 22-floor west tower. The development spans 425,000 square feet and will include 17,000 square feet of retail and gallery space, as well as 175 parking spots.
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To save Nolita’s Elizabeth Street Garden, a nonprofit wants to take ownership from the city

Sketch of Elizabeth Street Garden’s Site A courtesy of Ella Barnes/ESG

January 9, 2018

To save Nolita’s Elizabeth Street Garden, a nonprofit wants to take ownership from the city

By Devin Gannon

A nonprofit with a mission to protect and preserve the Elizabeth Street Garden in Nolita released on Tuesday a plan to designate the park as a Community Land Trust (CLT), meaning it would no longer require funding from the city. The group, aptly named Elizabeth Street Garden (ESG), unveiled renderings of what the park could look like as a CLT, including a new composting station, solar panels, a volunteer work shed and more. The proposal from ESG comes after the city announced last month plans to demolish the garden to make way for an affordable senior housing development.
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Replacement of Harlem icon Lenox Lounge to be a decidedly less jazzy commercial building

New rendering of 288 Lenox Avenue via Gambino + La Porta Architecture; Lenox Lounge photo via Ciro Miguel’s Flickr

January 9, 2018

Replacement of Harlem icon Lenox Lounge to be a decidedly less jazzy commercial building

By Devin Gannon

The proposed replacement of the Lenox Lounge, a Harlem Renaissance club that once featured jazz greats like Billie Holiday, Miles Davis and John Coltrane, is nothing to sing about. Designed by Gambino + La Porta Architecture, a rendering of the commercial building at 288 Lenox Avenue between 124th and 125th Streets reveals a non-descript four-story building, as CityRealty reported. While the space is rumored to bring Harlem's first Sephora, a tenant for the retail space on the ground floor has not been confirmed. There will be offices located on the second through fourth floors.
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New Developments

New York to be first major city with flood maps based on climate change factors

A Howard Beach home after Hurricane Sandy, photo courtesy of Pamela Andrade’s Flickr

January 8, 2018

New York to be first major city with flood maps based on climate change factors

By Devin Gannon

For the first time since 1983, the Federal Emergency Mangement Agency is redrawing New York's flood maps, taking into account the consequences of climate change like rising sea levels and stronger storms. With hundreds of miles of coastline and a growing number of developments sprouting along its waterfront, New York has more residents living in high-risk flood zones than any other city in the United States, according to the New York Times. FEMA's new map, while still years away from completion, could have a profound effect on the city's future developments and zoning regulations. It could place more residents and buildings in high-risk flood zones, requiring pricey flood insurance as well as tougher building codes and restrictions on new developments.
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Policy

During two weeks of brutal cold, city received over 21,000 heat and hot water complaints

Photo courtesy of Roman Kruglov’s Flickr

January 8, 2018

During two weeks of brutal cold, city received over 21,000 heat and hot water complaints

By Devin Gannon

During a two week period of super cold weather, including a considerable snowstorm, New York City received nearly 22,000 heat and hot water complaints from renters. According to the Daily News, many of those calls came from residents living in New York City Housing Apartments. On Sunday, Mayor Bill de Blasio said a lack of federal funding and upkeep is to blame for the defective boilers found at NYCHA apartments. “A lot of the buildings are 50 years old, 60 years old, 70 years old — they have not gotten the kind of upkeep they needed for decades,” the mayor told John Catsimatidis on his radio show.
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Policy

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