All articles by Devin Gannon

October 25, 2021

80-foot-tall sculpture and new public plaza unveiled on Jersey City’s waterfront

A massive sculptural portrait was unveiled on the Jersey City waterfront this week, along with a new public plaza. Created by Barcelona-based artist Jaume Plensa, Water's Soul is a monumental 80-foot-tall sculpture depicting a young person in contemplation. The new permanent artwork sits on the Hudson River in Newport, the master-planned, mixed-use community developed by the LeFrak Organization and Simon Property Group.
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October 22, 2021

For $10.5M, a 19th-century carriage house in Greenwich Village’s historic Washington Mews

A former carriage house located on one of New York City's most special blocks hit the market this week. Located between Fifth Avenue and University Place in Greenwich Village, Washington Mews is a private cobblestone street, lined with two-story carriage houses. The three-bedroom property at 64 Washington Mews, which dates to the 1840s, has been renovated, but maintains "the integrity of its rich past," according to the listing. It's asking $10,475,000.
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October 22, 2021

NYC’s newest observation deck Summit One Vanderbilt officially opens

Midtown's tallest office tower opened its observation deck this week, adding to the city's ever-growing list of sky-high, for-sale spectacles. Designed by Snøhetta, One Vanderbilt's Summit stretches across floors 91 through 93 at the 1,401-foot-tall tower and offers incredible views across a 65,000-square-foot multi-level entertainment venue about 1,000 feet in the air. Tickets start at $39 for general admission and climb to $83 for evening admission that comes with a cocktail.
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October 21, 2021

For $4.5M, live in NYC’s real-life Arconia condo seen on Hulu’s ‘Only Murders in the Building’

You can live in the real-life Upper West Side condo building that stars as the fictional Arconia in Hulu's mystery-comedy series Only Murders in the Building. Starring Martin Short, Steve Martin, and Selena Gomez, the show was filmed at The Belnord, a grand pre-war residence located at 225 West 86th Street. A renovated three-bedroom at the building just hit the market for $4,495,000.
Take a look
October 21, 2021

Lottery opens for 138 mixed-income units a block from the Coney Island boardwalk, from $558/month

Here's a chance to live a block from Coney Island's beloved beach and boardwalk of  at a discount. A housing lottery launched this week for 138 affordable apartments at a new complex on Surf Avenue and West 20th Street in the Brooklyn neighborhood. Dubbed Raven Hall, the development has on-site laundry, a community center, a fitness center, and a rooftop terrace with ocean views. New Yorkers earning 40, 50, 60, and 100 percent of the area median income can apply for the units, priced from $558/month studios to $2,229/month three-bedrooms.
Find out if you qualify
October 20, 2021

Target opens new store on the Upper East Side

Target has expanded its New York City footprint once again. A new store opened on the Upper East Side this week a year after the company announced the new Manhattan location. Located at 150 East 86th Street, the 55,000-square-foot store is Target's 12th store in the borough and its 11th "small-format" location, which offers convenient on-the-go options and pick-up service.
Details here
October 20, 2021

New York City mandates vaccines for all city employees

New York City workers must be vaccinated by the end of the month or be placed on unpaid leave, Mayor Bill de Blasio announced on Tuesday. The new vaccination mandate eliminates the option for testing and applies to the entire municipal workforce of 160,500 workers, including all police officers and firefighters. About 46,000 unvaccinated city workers need to get at least their first dose by Friday, October 29, or risk losing their paycheck.
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October 19, 2021

Thomas Jefferson statue will be removed from NYC Council chambers but new location undecided

A 7-foot-tall statue of Thomas Jefferson will be removed from the New York City Council's legislative chambers after residing there for nearly 100 years. The city's Public Design Commission voted on Monday to take down the statue from the chambers but did not decide where it should be relocated. Calls to remove the statue of Jefferson, who owned more than 600 slaves, first came about two decades ago but intensified in recent years as more attention was paid to memorials and monuments honoring racists and racist symbols.
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October 19, 2021

36 mixed-income apartments available in the East Village, from $857/month

A housing lottery opened this week for 36 apartments at a new East Village rental.  Located at 302 East 2nd Street, the 14-story building, called "East Village Homes," was developed by Asian Americans for Equality (AAFE), a nonprofit that serves low-income immigrant communities across the city. New Yorkers earning 50, 80, and 140 percent of the area median income can apply for the apartments, which range from $857/month one-bedrooms to $2,774/month two-bedrooms.
Find out if you qualify
October 19, 2021

Former Cuomo aide Melissa DeRosa lists her Brooklyn Heights duplex for $2.6M

Former Gov. Andrew Cuomo's top aide Melissa DeRosa is selling her Brooklyn Heights duplex two months after leaving her job with the state. Located on the fourth floor of 22 Pierrepont Street, the three-bedroom home is asking $2.59 million. DeRosa jointly owns the apartment with her husband Matthew Wing, but, as the New York Post first reported, the couple recently split.
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October 18, 2021

NYC subway ridership topped 3.2 million riders in one day for the first time since Covid

For the first time since the start of the pandemic, the New York City subway saw over 3.2 million riders in one day. Gov. Kathy Hochul and the Metropolitan Transportation Authority on Friday announced 3,236,904 customers rode the subway on October 14, passing the previous record made a week prior by 50,000 customers. The record set last week still remains far below pre-pandemic levels; average weekday ridership regularly exceeded 5.5 million trips before Covid.
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October 18, 2021

For $7.5M, a family-friendly Brooklyn brownstone on a park block

A recently renovated brownstone located on a park block with eight bedrooms, four baths, and private outdoor space? This home checks all of the boxes. Asking $7.49 million, the townhouse at 541 1st Street in Park Slope was professionally designed and furnished, with attention paid to not only preserving historic details but also complementing them with modern upgrades. In addition to the designer-curated interiors, the home boasts a charming rear garden and a parlor-level deck.
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October 15, 2021

Sales launch at curvy Olympia Dumbo, to be tallest and priciest condo in the neighborhood

The curvy, twisting tower rising in Dumbo launched sales this week, with condos starting at $1.75 million. Developed by Fortis Property Group and designed by Hill West Architects, Olympia Dumbo contains 76 residences ranging from one- to five-bedroom apartments. According to a spokesperson for the project, the building's top-floor penthouses, which will list for $16 million and $15.5 million, could become the neighborhood's most expensive condos ever sold if they sell at the asking prices.
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October 15, 2021

This $7.25M loft in a star-studded Tribeca building is both beautiful and livable

A classic Tribeca loft is available at a building known for its A-list residents. The three-bedroom, two-and-a-half-bath apartment at 155 Franklin Street, a condo Taylor Swift, Orlando Bloom, Aziz Ansari, and others have all called home, is on the market for $7.25 million. Not only does the home boast designer-curated interiors, but the space is super livable, thanks to the flow of the living area and the addition of a home office and closet space.
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October 14, 2021

NYC’s historic Five Points neighborhood is officially recognized with street co-naming

The intersection that formed the notorious Five Points neighborhood in Manhattan will now be officially part of New York City's street grid. The city has installed a sign at Baxter and Worth Streets in Lower Manhattan, marking the exact location of the original Five Points, a notorious 19th-century slum that was home to a diverse group of immigrants. Before this year's street co-naming, there was no official marker at the site to honor the historic spot, considered to be one of the country's first "melting pots." But a successful effort spearheaded by Lloyd Trufelman, who is a tour guide with the Municipal Art Society of New York, along with groups like the New York Adventure Club and the Historic Districts Council led to the street co-naming, symbolizing the return of Five Points to the city 125 years later. Ahead, hear from Trufelman about his campaign to recognize the legendary neighborhood and learn how to sign up for his upcoming walking tour.
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October 14, 2021

Lottery opens for 69 affordable apartments next to Jamaica’s Rufus King Park, from $1,599/month

A housing lottery opened this week for 69 apartments designated for New Yorkers earning 80 percent of the area median income. Located at 153-19 Jamaica Avenue in Jamaica, Queens, the newly constructed 19-story building sits across from the historic Rufus King Park and is also just one block from the subway. Available apartments include 37 studios priced at $1,599/month and 32 one-bedrooms for $1,708/month.
Find out if you qualify
October 13, 2021

An architect’s glass-walled hilltop Hudson Valley home asks $5.9M

An architect's Hudson Valley home with soaring ceilings, glass walls, and multiple terraces can be yours for $5.9 million. Designed by a Westchester-based architect, the unique property at 18 Bramblebush Road in Croton-on-Hudson is perched atop a hillside and boasts a glass facade, allowing for uninterrupted river and mountain views.
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October 13, 2021

Brooklyn Public Library opens new branch under the Manhattan Bridge in Dumbo

At the Brooklyn Public Library's newest branch, reading comes with a view. The library opened the Adams Street Library in Dumbo this week, marking the first new library built in the borough in nearly 40 years and the first branch to open in the neighborhood. Bordering Brooklyn Bridge Park and tucked underneath the Manhattan Bridge, the library has 15-foot windows that face the East River and lower Manhattan skyline.
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October 12, 2021

NYC’s open streets program falls short of 100-mile promise, report says

In the summer of 2020, Mayor Bill de Blasio announced the city would close 100 miles of streets to cars for use by pedestrians, a policy formed in response to the pandemic and the need for safe, socially distanced outdoor space. Over a year later, just over 24 miles of Open Streets are currently active, according to a report released this week by the advocacy group Transportation Alternatives (TA).
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October 12, 2021

This $1.9M Upper West Side brownstone co-op has a soaking tub and sunny private garden

While this Upper West Side co-op is just a few blocks from Central Park, the apartment at 136 West 70th Street comes with its own slice of green space. Asking $1,895,000, the two-bedroom home takes up three floors of a pre-war brownstone, with even more space found in the spacious landscaped backyard. The sunny south-facing garden measures 700 square feet and features lots of plantings and plenty of space to entertain.
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October 11, 2021

80-unit affordable building for seniors opens in East New York

Photo: James Shanks Photography An affordable housing building for seniors opened in East New York last week, one of the final pieces of a long-awaited development project. Located at 516 Schroeders Avenue, the building is the sixth phase of the Nehemiah Spring Creek development, which includes the transformation of 45-acres of undeveloped wetlands and landfills into mixed-use, mixed-income Brooklyn community.
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October 11, 2021

Apply for 227 affordable apartments at new Far Rockaway complex, from $535/month

Applications are now being accepted for 227 affordable apartments across two buildings in Downtown Far Rockaway in Queens. The new complex, dubbed RadRoc, consists of two 10-story mixed-use structures, a steel and plank building at 19-38 Cornaga Avenue and a modular construction building at 10-18 Beach 20th Street. Qualifying New Yorkers earning between 40 and 80 percent of the area median income can apply for the units, ranging from $535/month studios to $2,059/month three-bedrooms.
Find out if you qualify
October 8, 2021

Plant pro The Sill opens new shop in the heart of Williamsburg

Williamsburg residents will soon be able to fill their stylish pads with plants to match. The Sill, the popular direct-to-consumer houseplant company, opened its second location in Brooklyn this week. Located in the heart of the neighborhood at 190 Berry Street, the store is full of the company's best-selling items, from potted succulents and cacti to tropical plants and ferns.
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October 7, 2021

See Jean-Georges’ new dining destination opening at NYC’s former Fulton Fish Market

Ahead of next year's opening of the huge foodie destination from world-renowned Chef Jean-Georges Vongerichten in the South Street Seaport, we're getting a first look at the 53,000-square-foot space. Several restaurants and bars, fast-casual concepts, and a sprawling central market will open at the Tin Building, a restored early 20th-century waterfront structure that once housed the iconic Fulton Fish Market.
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October 7, 2021

600-unit final tower of Journal Squared complex breaks ground in Jersey City

The final tower of a massive three-building luxury complex in Journal Square broke ground this week, which will eventually add hundreds of apartments to Jersey City's burgeoning residential neighborhood. Dubbed Journal Squared, the development at the intersection of Pavonia and Summit Avenues includes three high-rise rentals, two of which have already opened. This week local officials joined Kushner Real Estate (KRE) Group and National Real Estate Advisors to celebrate the completed leasing of the 704-unit second phase tower and break ground on the third and last tower, a 60-story structure with 600 residences.
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