All articles by Devin Gannon

New York City ranked the 57th most family-friendly city in the U.S.

Families in Central Park’s Sheep Meadow, photo courtesy of ep_jhu on Flickr

September 5, 2017

New York City ranked the 57th most family-friendly city in the U.S.

By Devin Gannon

As the average cost of childcare grows across the United States, raising a family can be difficult anywhere, which is why personal finance website WalletHub analyzed the country's 150 most populated cities and ranked them in terms of family friendliness, based on key metrics like safety, education, and housing affordability. While it comes as no surprise that NYC ranks nearly last for affordability and the median family salary, it ties with Chicago for first place with the highest number of playgrounds per capita and most family-fun attractions. Overall, New York City ranked 57 out of 150.
What cities scored the highest?

City Living

Not-so-hellish repairs at Penn Station finish ahead of schedule

Amtrak workers setting concrete on track 10 at Penn Station, image via Amtrak

September 1, 2017

Not-so-hellish repairs at Penn Station finish ahead of schedule

By Devin Gannon

Amtrak announced on Thursday that the eight weeks of infrastructure repairs at Penn Station predicted to be the “summer of hell” by Governor Cuomo, have officially ended ahead of the scheduled Monday deadline (h/t WNYC). Following a series of train derailments and system failures, Amtrak began repairing and replacing tracks in July. Over 360 workers installed six football fields worth of track and 176 yards of concrete this summer, according to Amtrak. While regular transit operations at Penn Station will resume Sept. 5, more repair work will continue through June 2018, with most of the work taking place on the weekends.
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Transit

Apply for 22 energy-efficient apartments at a passive house in the Bronx from $865/month

Rendering of 3365 Third Avenue courtesy of Curtis+Ginsberg Architects

August 31, 2017

Apply for 22 energy-efficient apartments at a passive house in the Bronx from $865/month

By Devin Gannon

Applications are currently being accepted for 22 affordable apartments at 3365 Third Avenue in the Bronx neighborhood of Morrisania. Developed by Bronx Pro Group and designed by Curtis+Ginsberg Architects, the project meets the passive house standard by featuring energy-efficient measures such as fiberglass triple-pane windows, LED lighting, and low-flow water fixtures -- all of which will result in energy reduction savings as high as high as nearly 90 percent. Qualifying New Yorkers earning 60 or 100 percent of the area median income can apply for the units, ranging from $865/month studios to$1,969/month four-bedrooms.
Find out if you qualify

Affordable Housing

Apply for 12 affordable apartments in Bed-Stuy, from $1,230/ month

27 Albany Avenue rendering via Loci Architecture

August 30, 2017

Apply for 12 affordable apartments in Bed-Stuy, from $1,230/ month

By Devin Gannon

Applications are currently being accepted for 12 affordable apartments at 27 Albany Avenue in the Brooklyn neighborhood of Bedford-Stuyvesant. Located on the bustling corner of Fulton Street, the building rises 10 stories with 50 residences. Amenities include on-site parking, a virtual doorman, package room, fitness center, communal terraces and a lounge. New Yorkers earning 80 percent of the area median income can apply for five one-bedrooms for $1,230 per month and seven two-bedrooms for $1,486 per month.
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Affordable Housing

City workers missed over 17,000 hours of work due to subway delays this year

Photo courtesy of Roman Kruglov’s Flickr

August 30, 2017

City workers missed over 17,000 hours of work due to subway delays this year

By Devin Gannon

New Yorkers employed by the city have missed 17,143 hours of work because of transit delays and malfunctions, according to the Daily News. A new analysis by the Independent Budget Office (IBO), shows that city workers are on track to miss nearly 26,000 hours of work for the entire year, an increase of almost 30 percent from previous years. The report found the incident that caused the most city workers to be late happened in January when city workers lost a total of 1,075 hours after water spilled onto the tracks at West 4th Street-Washington Square station.
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For $1.85M, live in Mark Twain’s former Connecticut farmhouse

August 29, 2017

For $1.85M, live in Mark Twain’s former Connecticut farmhouse

By Devin Gannon

Known as “Jean’s Farm,” the 18-acre Connecticut property that literary great Mark Twain bought for his daughter in 1909, is for sale for $1.85 million. Located in Redding, the estate at 325 Redding Road includes a farmhouse built in 1787, an antique barn and a studio. While it has been recently renovated, the sprawling estate maintains its rustic charms (h/t TODAY.com). Residents of the five-bedroom, three and a half bathroom home have access to lots of open space and greenery, as well as a heated gunite pool.
See the sprawling estate

New Queens-to-Manhattan NYC Ferry route launches today

August 29, 2017

New Queens-to-Manhattan NYC Ferry route launches today

By Devin Gannon

The Astoria route of the NYC Ferry officially launched today, the fourth route introduced by the city this year. The service stops in Astoria, Roosevelt Island, Long Island City, East 34th Street and Wall Street, the complete trip totaling 47 minutes. While the ferries have been popular with commuters, two extra boats were added and fleets under construction were redesigned to be larger in June, concerns about recreational boaters coexisting without colliding into ferries have grown. As the New York Times reported, one free kayaking class won’t run their program until deciding it’s safe enough to do so.
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Transit

‘Citymapper’ app translates confusing MTA alerts into easy-to-read alternative directions

Graphic via Citymapper

August 28, 2017

‘Citymapper’ app translates confusing MTA alerts into easy-to-read alternative directions

By Devin Gannon

With subway disruptions and delays becoming a part of daily life in New York City, even lifelong New Yorkers sometimes have trouble finding alternative routes when their F train switches to a different line. Thankfully, there’s now an app that aims to make commuting in NYC a little less confusing. Citymapper, a transportation software start-up based in the UK, uses artificial intelligence to recommend new routes in response to MTA alert statuses. As CityLab reported, the app’s “bot” reads the complicated message from the authority and uses the relevant information to offer a clearer route change to avoid the problem.
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The ‘summer of hell’ at Penn Station will finish on time, Amtrak says

Photo via Kev Harb via Flickr

August 25, 2017

The ‘summer of hell’ at Penn Station will finish on time, Amtrak says

By Devin Gannon

The emergency Penn Station repairs that began in July will be completed on time with regular operating service resuming on Sept. 5, Amtrak announced Thursday. After delays and a few train derailments, Amtrak closed 21 tracks at Penn earlier this summer. Nearly seven weeks of the eight scheduled weeks of repair work for this “summer of hell” have been completed thus far.
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Popular Articles

Congressman introduces bill that would offer tax credits to rent-burdened Americans

Photos via Wikimedia (l) and Pixbay (r)

August 25, 2017

Congressman introduces bill that would offer tax credits to rent-burdened Americans

By Devin Gannon

Rep. Joeseph Crowley announced federal legislation this week that aims to create two refundable tax credits for low- and middle-income renters. For rental households across the U.S. with incomes of $125,000 or less, the Rent Relief Act would provide them with one of two tax credits, if the bill becomes law. According to the Democratic congressman, who represents part of the Bronx and Queens in New York’s 14th congressional district, roughly 111 million Americans live in rental housing, with about two-thirds of all households in New York City currently renting, twice the national average.
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$2B redevelopment of Times Square’s Palace Theater gets new renderings

Rendering of the Palace Theatre entrance via Maefield Development

August 24, 2017

$2B redevelopment of Times Square’s Palace Theater gets new renderings

By Devin Gannon

Two years since the plan’s approval by the LPC, the redevelopment of the historic Palace Theatre at 1568 Broadway is nearly ready to take off. The theater will be raised 29 feet above its current level, making room for 70,000 square feet of new retail and entertainment space. With help earlier this month from L&L Holding Company, who became an equity and development partner, the ambitious project continues to progress; as CityRealty discovered, new renderings show the theater enveloped by an expanded Doubletree Guest Suites hotel, a new glass facade, and a sweeping LED screen at its podium. And though the gilded Beaux-Arts interiors will be preserved (they're interior landmarks), some preservationists have expressed concerns that moving the actual structure is a bit too aggressive.
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New renderings of South Bronx passive house feature vegetated roof deck and solar shading

Rendering of 425 Grand Concourse, courtesy of Dattner Architects

August 24, 2017

New renderings of South Bronx passive house feature vegetated roof deck and solar shading

By Devin Gannon

Adding to the passive house development push happening in New York City, Dattner Architects released new renderings of their energy-saving project at 425 Grand Concourse in the South Bronx’s Mott Haven neighborhood. Formerly the site of the Gothic-style P.S. 31, the mixed-use and mixed-income development will sit at the corner of Grand Concourse and East 144th Street. According to CityRealty, when it opens in 2020, this project will be the tallest in Mott Haven and the largest development of its kind in the country (though East Harlem's massive Sendero Verde complex will steal the title soon after). The highly-insulated building features a vegetated roof deck, solar shading, solar panels, cogen power generation, and an energy recovery system.
See the design

Cuomo calls de Blasio’s millionaires tax plan ‘dead on arrival’

Photo © Governor Andrew Cuomo/Flickr

August 23, 2017

Cuomo calls de Blasio’s millionaires tax plan ‘dead on arrival’

By Devin Gannon

As the dilemmas of New York City's subway system continue, so does the public feud between Governor Cuomo and Mayor de Blasio. Cuomo on Tuesday called de Blasio’s plan for the wealthiest New Yorkers to fund the MTA’s emergency action plan “dead on arrival” because of Republican opposition in Albany. As the Daily News reported, Cuomo’s remarks come just a day after de Blasio said he does not "believe in" congestion pricing, an idea the governor said he will be pushing for in January.
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Zaha Hadid’s futuristic 520 West 28th Street gets rental listings, from $15,000/month

520 West 28th Street via Zaha Hadid Architects

August 22, 2017

Zaha Hadid’s futuristic 520 West 28th Street gets rental listings, from $15,000/month

By Devin Gannon

Just last month, closings began on Zaha Hadid’s 520 West 28th Street, a structure 6sqft crowned as Building of the Year in 2016. Now, rental apartments at the luxury residential building have officially hit the market (h/t Curbed NY). The late architect’s signature curved and organic architectural style is complemented with interiors like a marble-clad kitchen island, glass walls and energy-efficient lighting. In total, the building has 39 units, with three currently on the rental market: Units No. 31, No. 17 and No. 18. The three units range from $15,000 per month to $22,500 per month.
Take a peek inside

To avoid the PATH, will Hoboken commuters pay for pricey ferry service?

NY Waterway Ferry via Wikimedia

August 22, 2017

To avoid the PATH, will Hoboken commuters pay for pricey ferry service?

By Devin Gannon

As 6sqft reported in April, NY Waterway launched an additional ferry route running from Hoboken to Midtown Manhattan in response to a train derailment and delays at Penn Station. And since Amtrak closed a few tracks for repairs, more commuters have opted to take the scenic ferry as an alternative. While the eight-minute ride was normally only available during transit crisis, it will become a permanent transit option on Sept. 5. And although the ferry is perhaps a quicker and more scenic alternative, it comes with a steep price of $274.50 per month, according to the Wall Street Journal.
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Transit

90 apartments up for grabs at Extell’s 555Ten in Hudson Yards from $613/month

August 22, 2017

90 apartments up for grabs at Extell’s 555Ten in Hudson Yards from $613/month

By Devin Gannon

Applications are currently being accepted for the second phase of affordable apartments at 555 Tenth Avenue and 41st Street in booming Hudson Yards on Manhttan's West Side. Extell Development’s luxurious 610-foot-tall, the mixed-use tower includes 56 stories and spans 725,000 square feet. The amenities seem endless, with residential access to the building’s 24-hour fitness center with a yoga studio, indoor pool, outdoor rooftop pool, outdoor landscaped space, a bowling alley and a putting green. New Yorkers earning 40 and 120 percent of the area median income can apply for units ranging from $613 per month studios to $2,875 three-bedrooms.
Find out if you qualify

Affordable Housing

EVENT: Attend free movie screenings at Central Park and Marcus Garvey Park this week

Photo of the Central Park Conservancy Film Festival via Shinya Suzuki’s Flickr

August 21, 2017

EVENT: Attend free movie screenings at Central Park and Marcus Garvey Park this week

By Devin Gannon

Celebrate the end of summer with the 2017 Central Park Conservancy Film Festival, which kicks off Monday night with the showing of the 2014 remake of “Annie.” In addition to Central Park screenings, the film festival will include free outdoor screenings in Harlem’s Marcus Garvey Park and Jacob Riis Park in the Rockaways. This year’s lineup features movies filmed in New York, including “The Wiz,” The Great Gatsby,” and “The Godfather.” All of the movie screenings are free to attend and tickets are not necessary.
More details here

Events & Things To Do

Loss of affordability at Coney Island’s Trump Village highlights issues with the city’s Mitchell-Lama program

Photo of Trump Village West via Trump 4 West

August 21, 2017

Loss of affordability at Coney Island’s Trump Village highlights issues with the city’s Mitchell-Lama program

By Devin Gannon

Built by Donald Trump’s father, Fred, in 1964, Trump Village in Coney Island features seven 23-story towers with 3,700 co-op and rental apartments. To pay for the $70 million project, which would total $564 million today, Fred Trump used Mitchell-Lama, a government program that granted financial incentives in exchange for setting aside affordable housing. The typical rental contract lasts 20 years, and after that, landlords can opt-out of the program. As Crain’s reported, Trump Village became one of the first co-ops to exit the Mitchell-Lama program in 2007, letting residents sell their apartments for whatever the market allowed. Owners of 38,000 Mitchell-Lama apartments, representing 28% of the program's housing, have left in the past 20 years. But as the value of these apartments, which were once affordable, keeps rising, New Yorkers looking for affordable housing there, and other former Mitchell-Lama apartments, may be out of luck.
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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’

By Devin Gannon

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.
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Events & Things To Do

Watch The Shed, an 8-million-pound structure, glide effortlessly alongside the High Line

August 18, 2017

Watch The Shed, an 8-million-pound structure, glide effortlessly alongside the High Line

By Devin Gannon

The Shed courtesy of Diller Scofidio +Renfro, via The New York Times Construction of The Shed, a six-level flexible structure that can adapt to different art forms and technologies, continues to progress where the High Line meets Hudson Yards. While the building, an independent non-profit cultural organization, has an expected opening date of 2019, the massive eight-million-pound structure can now slide along the High Line for five minutes on a half-dozen exposed steel wheels that measure six-feet in diameter (h/t NY Times). The Shed, designed by Diller Scofidio + Renfro, in collaboration with Rockwell Group, features a movable shell on rails that sits over the fixed base of the building, allowing for it to change size depending on the type of event.
See the Shed slide

Apply for 43 new affordable units in Highbridge, from $558/month

Photo by Shinya Suzuki / Flickr

August 17, 2017

Apply for 43 new affordable units in Highbridge, from $558/month

By Devin Gannon

Applications are now being accepted for 43 newly constructed units at the Excelsior II, an affordable housing building in the Highbridge section of the Bronx. Designed by SLCE Architects, the building at 120-126 West 169th Street rises nine stories and features 60 units. New Yorkers earning 40, 50 and 60 percent of the area median income can apply for units ranging from $558 per month one-bedrooms to a $1,065 per month two-bedrooms.
Find out if you qualify

Affordable Housing

De Blasio and Cuomo announce plans to eradicate ‘symbols of hate’ in New York

Image via Alisdare Hickson/flickr

August 17, 2017

De Blasio and Cuomo announce plans to eradicate ‘symbols of hate’ in New York

By Devin Gannon

After a violent weekend led by white supremacist groups in Charlottesville, Virginia, New York officials have announced plans to review and remove controversial public structures. Mayor de Blasio said on Wednesday the city will conduct a 90-day review of “all symbols of hate on city property,” by putting together a panel of experts and community leaders who will make recommendations for items to take down (h/t NY Post). On Wednesday, Governor Cuomo called upon the United States Army to reconsider its decision to keep the street names that honor Robert E. Lee and Stonewall Jackson, two Confederate leaders, at Fort Hamilton. Cuomo also announced the removal of the busts of Lee and Jackson from CUNY’s Hall of Fame for Great Americans in the Bronx.
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108 affordable apartments up for grabs in Downtown Brooklyn’s 33 Bond Street, from $613/month

Rendering via TF Cornerstone

August 17, 2017

108 affordable apartments up for grabs in Downtown Brooklyn’s 33 Bond Street, from $613/month

By Devin Gannon

Applications are currently being accepted for the second phase of affordable apartments at 33 Bond Street, a building nestled among the bustling neighborhoods of Downtown Brooklyn, Boerum Hill and Cobble Hill. The 25-story building sits just one or two blocks from all major subway lines and is within walking distance to Fort Greene Park and the Barclays Center. New Yorkers earning 40 and 120 percent of the area median income can apply for units ranging from a $613 per month studio to a $2,519 per month two-bedroom.
Find out if you qualify

Affordable Housing

On this day in 1974, the Ramones played their first gig at CBGB in the East Village

The Ramones outside of CBGB, photo via CBGB

August 16, 2017

On this day in 1974, the Ramones played their first gig at CBGB in the East Village

By Devin Gannon

On August 16, 1974, four men dressed in leather motorcycle jackets and Converse high-tops hit the stage at CBGB, an iconic East Village dive bar, for the very first time. After this debut performance, the Ramones, who hailed from Forest Hills, Queens, became the first regulars at CBGB, a spot known for the cutting edge punk rock musicians that played there, like Talking Heads, Patti Smith and Blondie. In the year 1974 alone, the Ramones played there over 70 times.
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History

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