All articles by Devin Gannon

Biden proposes nationwide rent cap

Photo by Julie Ricard on Unsplash

July 17, 2024

Biden proposes nationwide rent cap

By Devin Gannon

President Joe Biden this week unveiled a proposal to cap rent at 5 percent annually for apartments owned by corporate landlords. The plan would apply to landlords who own more than 50 units in their portfolio, covering about 20 million units nationwide, roughly half of all rentals. The legislation requires congressional approval, including from the Republican-controlled House, to move forward.
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Policy

Rental at historic Crown Heights site opens lottery for 48 apartments, from $3,128/month

All renderings courtesy of Morris Adjmi Architects

July 16, 2024

Rental at historic Crown Heights site opens lottery for 48 apartments, from $3,128/month

By Devin Gannon

A lottery opened this week at a new luxury rental building on a historic site in Crown Heights. Designed by Morris Adjmi Architects, Mason Gray is a mixed-use development at 959 Sterling Place consisting of a seven-story brick building with 158 apartments. Landmarked as part of the Crown Heights Historic District, the property is home to a 19th-century Romanesque Revival complex currently occupied by the Hebron Seventh Day Adventist Church and School. Qualifying New Yorkers earning 130 percent of the area median income can apply for the apartments, priced at $3,128/month for studios, $3,345/month for one-bedrooms, and $4,000/month for two-bedrooms.
how to apply

Affordable Housing

NYC announces 18 free outdoor concerts in expanded ‘Rise Up’ summer series

Rise Up concert in 2022. Photo Credit: Ed Reed/Mayoral Photography Office on Flickr

July 15, 2024

NYC announces 18 free outdoor concerts in expanded ‘Rise Up’ summer series

By Devin Gannon

Summer in the city means lots of free outdoor music, from picnic performances in Bryant Park to shows in Prospect Park. Mayor Eric Adams is joining in on the fun by expanding "Rise Up NYC," an annual summer concert series hosted in all five boroughs. There will be 18 performances through the end of August, up from eight shows last year.
details here

Events & Things To Do

Colorful lanterns sparkle over Broadway in the Garment District

Photos courtesy of Alexandre Ayer /@DiversityPics for the Garment District Alliance

July 15, 2024

Colorful lanterns sparkle over Broadway in the Garment District

By Devin Gannon

A series of colorful lanterns are now sparkling above Broadway as part of a new public art installation in Midtown. The Garment District Alliance last week unveiled "New Start, New Hope," an exhibition featuring 135 colorful lanterns illuminating three plazas between 36th and 39th Streets. Created by local artist Xin Song, the installation adds brightness and a sense of calm to one of the city's busiest areas.
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Events & Things To Do

Kips Bay condo fits personal and professional under one roof, studios from $895K

Renderings courtesy of CORE Real Estate

July 12, 2024

Kips Bay condo fits personal and professional under one roof, studios from $895K

By Devin Gannon

A new condominium in Kips Bay combines the personal and professional under one roof. On the corner of Second Avenue and 29th Street, Hendrix House offers 60 residences and an amenity package that is extremely functional for the modern New Yorker. Not only is there a stunning co-working space and lobby with an adjacent courtyard for al-fresco work, but residences have carefully crafted home offices with custom furniture and shelving. Sales recently launched at Hendrix House, with studios priced from $895,000.
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New Developments

Tracks Bar is reopening in Penn Station

Renderings courtesy of Tracks/ Alpreda Architecture

July 11, 2024

Tracks Bar is reopening in Penn Station

By Devin Gannon

As Penn Station continues its much-needed makeover, a beloved mainstay from its past is returning. Tracks Raw Bar & Grill will reopen at the Long Island Rail Road Concourse in Penn Station, five years after its iconic underground location closed to make way for a new entrance to the station. Expected to open by the end of the year, Tracks will occupy a 3,150-square-foot space that will recreate the restaurant's original "train-themed" decor and celebrate the history of the Long Island Rail Road with vintage prints and murals.
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Aman New York penthouse sells for $135M

Photos courtesy of Aman New York

July 10, 2024

Aman New York penthouse sells for $135M

By Devin Gannon

A five-story penthouse at the Aman New York at 730 Fifth Avenue has sold for $135 million, marking New York City's most expensive sale of the year. As first reported by Bloomberg, the deal surpasses a $115 million penthouse at Central Park Tower that closed in June. The 12,500-square-foot sky mansion aptly sits in the actual crown of the 100-year-old Midtown Manhattan tower, known as the Crown Building for its gilded exterior. Opened in 2022, the Aman New York is an ultra-luxury hotel-condo with 83 hotel rooms and 22 residences. The Wall Street Journal on Thursday identified Vladislav Doronin, the billionaire and founder of OKO Group, the developer of the Aman, as the buyer of the record-breaking penthouse.
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Sunday service is back at these NYC libraries this weekend

The Stavros Niarchos Foundation Library in Manhattan will reopen on Sunday, July 14. Photo © John Bartelstone courtesy of the NYPL

July 9, 2024

Sunday service is back at these NYC libraries this weekend

By Devin Gannon

For the first time since late last year, Sunday service will return to some New York City public library branches this weekend. Mayor Eric Adams and the City Council last month agreed to a budget for fiscal year 2025 that restores $58.3 million in funding for the New York Public Library, Brooklyn Public Library, and Queens Public Library. The libraries will reinstate Sunday service at branches that previously offered it on a rolling basis starting July 14.
full list here

One High Line is complete: See inside Bjarke Ingels’ twisting Chelsea condo

All photos courtesy of Evan Joseph

July 5, 2024

One High Line is complete: See inside Bjarke Ingels’ twisting Chelsea condo

By Devin Gannon

After a foreclosure, a rebrand, and a sales relaunch, the condo project One High Line is officially complete. Designed by Bjarke Ingels Group (BIG), the residential building at 500 West 18th Street features two travertine towers that twist away from one another, reducing their bulk and creating a gap between them that allows for open High Line and Hudson River views. Following several bumps in the road, One High Line is finally finished; newly released images provide a look inside the project, including its 18,000-square-foot amenity space.
details here

MTA boosts weekend subway service to Rockaway Beach

Photo by Marc A. Hermann / MTA New York City Transit on Flickr

July 3, 2024

MTA boosts weekend subway service to Rockaway Beach

By Devin Gannon

Getting to the beach without a car will be a little easier this summer. Service will expand on the Rockaway Park Shuttle on weekends, allowing beachgoers to board any A train and get a transfer to Rockaway Beach, the Metropolitan Transportation Authority announced. On Saturdays and Sundays through Labor Day, the shuttle will also operate with 10 cars, doubling its normal capacity.
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Transit

Popular Articles

NYC opens 50 outdoor pools for summer

Astoria Pool in Queens. Photo: Michael Appleton/Mayoral Photography Office on Flickr

June 27, 2024

NYC opens 50 outdoor pools for summer

By Devin Gannon

School is out, pools are open, and summer is here. New York City opened 50 free outdoor public pools on Thursday, officially kicking off the swimming season. For Queens residents, summer is a little cooler this year as the city reopened Astoria Pool following a $19 million renovation that closed the pool, the five borough's largest, last year.
take a dip

Events & Things To Do

Macy’s July 4th fireworks: NYC to give out free tickets for front-row views of the show

Macy’s 4th of July Fireworks 2023- Photo by Kent Miller for Macy’s, Inc

June 25, 2024

Macy’s July 4th fireworks: NYC to give out free tickets for front-row views of the show

By Devin Gannon

The annual Macy's 4th of July Fireworks is set to dazzle New York City once again, with the spectacle taking place over the Hudson River for the first time in a decade. The Independence Day show's 48th edition will feature 60,000 shells and more than 30 colors, fired from five barges between West 14th Street and West 34th Street on the river. While there are plenty of viewing spots open to the public, Mayor Eric Adams this week announced the city will give away 10,000 free tickets for a front-row fireworks experience to be distributed on Wednesday on a first-come, first-serve basis.
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Events & Things To Do

Newark, NJ home featured in ‘The Sopranos’ can be yours for $580K

All photos courtesy of Christie’s International Real Estate Group

June 24, 2024

Newark, NJ home featured in ‘The Sopranos’ can be yours for $580K

By Devin Gannon

The New Jersey home of fictional mobster Tony Soprano's uncle is for sale. The center-hall Colonial at 380 Highland Avenue in Newark appeared in the HBO show "The Sopranos" as the home of Corrado John "Junior" Soprano, the boss of the DiMeo crime family. Asking $579,900, the four-bedroom property is located in the charming neighborhood of Forest Hill, a tree-lined suburban area north of downtown Newark.
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Distinctive Homes

NYC’s Russ & Daughters and Morgenstern’s team up for deli-style ice cream treats

Photo courtesy of Morgenstern’s

June 19, 2024

NYC’s Russ & Daughters and Morgenstern’s team up for deli-style ice cream treats

By Devin Gannon

A cool New York City collaboration was released this week just in time for the first heat wave of the summer. Century-old appetizing store Russ & Daughters is teaming up with another city favorite, Morgenstern's Finest Ice Cream, on a new collection of frozen treats sure to please New Yorkers. Available this Wednesday through the end of the summer, the ice cream treats are inspired by Russ & Daughters deli classics: bagels, halva, and babka.
sweet treats this way

Food & Dining

Rent to increase for NYC’s one million stabilized apartments for third year in a row

Photo courtesy of Maxim Pierre on Flickr

June 18, 2024

Rent to increase for NYC’s one million stabilized apartments for third year in a row

By Devin Gannon

Rent is going up for about one million regulated apartments in New York City. The Rent Guidelines Board on Monday approved rent hikes of 2.75 percent for one-year leases and 5.25 percent on two-year leases. The increase will affect the leases of about two million New Yorkers and marks the third year in a row that rents on stabilized apartments will increase.
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Policy

Central Park Tower penthouse closes for $115M

Image courtesy of Extell

June 17, 2024

Central Park Tower penthouse closes for $115M

By Devin Gannon

A penthouse at Central Park Tower closed for $115 million, becoming New York City's fourth priciest apartment sale on record. Taking up the 107th and 108th floors of the tallest tower in the Western Hemisphere, the duplex condo on Billionaires' Row was first listed for $175 million last March and entered contract early this year.
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Real Estate Trends

NYC transit advocates, officials consider legal action to resume congestion pricing

Pro-congestion pricing rally held outside of 1 Centre Street on June 12. Photo courtesy of New York City Comptroller on Flickr

June 13, 2024

NYC transit advocates, officials consider legal action to resume congestion pricing

By Devin Gannon

A coalition of legal experts and transit advocates is considering legal action to resume congestion pricing. New York City Comptroller Brad Lander on Wednesday announced plans to explore "all legal avenues" to restart the program, which Gov. Kathy Hochul shut down last week less than a month before it was scheduled to start. The coalition is made up of legal professionals and potential plaintiffs, including residents and business owners within the central business district, MTA board members, and New Yorkers with disabilities.
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What to know about the NYC broker fee bill

James Whelan, President of REBNY, during Wednesday’s rally at City Hall. Photo courtesy of REBNY

June 12, 2024

What to know about the NYC broker fee bill

By Devin Gannon

Broker fees are once again up for debate in the New York City Council. A seven-hour public hearing on Wednesday brought hundreds of tenant advocates and real estate professionals to City Hall over Intro 360, or the Fairness in Apartment Rental Expenses (FARE) Act. The legislation, sponsored by Council Member Chi A. Ossé, calls for shifting the payment of broker fees to the party who hired the broker, often the landlord or management company. Agents argue landlords would bake the fees into the monthly rent, threatening their livelihood and increasing the financial burden for renters.
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MTA to ‘shrink’ capital budget after congestion pricing halted

Views of Kings Highway on the Culver F line. Photo courtesy of Marc A. Hermann / MTA on Flickr

June 11, 2024

MTA to ‘shrink’ capital budget after congestion pricing halted

By Devin Gannon

The Metropolitan Transportation Authority will "shrink" and "reprioritize" its capital budget after Gov. Kathy Hochul paused the congestion pricing program last week that would have brought in $1 billion annually for infrastructure projects. On Monday, MTA Chief Executive Janno Lieber said the agency will reorganize the 2020-2024 Capital Program to prioritize basic repair work to ensure the "system doesn't fall apart." The MTA will also work on preserving federal grants that helped fund projects like extending the Second Avenue subway into Harlem and examine how the gap in the capital program will impact the operating budget.
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New York City officially lifts dancing ban

Couples jitterbug dancing in the 1930s. Photo courtesy of the Library of Congress Prints and Photographs division.

June 7, 2024

New York City officially lifts dancing ban

By Devin Gannon

New York City got its groove back. The City Council this week voted to end zoning regulations that ban dancing in nightlife establishments in many parts of the city. Although officials repealed the outdated Cabaret Law in 2017, zoning rules were not revised, leaving much of the Prohibition-era law in place at small bars and restaurants in 80 percent of the city. On Thursday, the Council passed Mayor Eric Adams' City of Yes for Economic Opportunity plan, which includes updates to zoning allowing dancing and live entertainment as of right in commercial establishments.
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Policy

The NYC transit projects affected by congestion pricing delay

Photo via Wikimedia

June 6, 2024

The NYC transit projects affected by congestion pricing delay

By Devin Gannon

With Gov. Kathy Hochul's last-minute decision to "indefinitely" pause the congestion pricing program, the MTA will lose out on an anticipated $15 billion in revenue. The governor's decision puts a huge gap in the agency's capital program, which planned to use proceeds from congestion pricing to make critical repairs and improvements to New York City's public transportation network. From making subway stations accessible and updating antiquated signaling to extending the Second Avenue Subway to East Harlem, several projects promised to improve the lives of millions of New Yorkers will now be delayed without dedicated funding.
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Derek Jeter finally finds a buyer for upstate New York ‘castle’

All photos courtesy of Stephen Dolinsky

June 5, 2024

Derek Jeter finally finds a buyer for upstate New York ‘castle’

By Devin Gannon

Former New York Yankee Derek Jeter has finally found a buyer for his unique compound in upstate New York. As first reported by Mansion Global, the 50,000-square-foot waterfront estate in Greenwood Lake, known as Tiedemann Castle, sold last week after several years on and off the market. Jeter purchased the property in 2003 and spent 15 years renovating the "castle" before listing it for $14.75 million in 2018. While the final price is not known since it hasn't closed yet, the home at 14 Lake Shore Road was most recently listed for $6.3 million.
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City landmarks Victorian atrium at The Beekman Hotel

Photo by James and Karla Murray exclusively for 6sqft

June 4, 2024

City landmarks Victorian atrium at The Beekman Hotel

By Devin Gannon

The nine-story Victorian atrium at the Beekman Hotel is now a New York City landmark. The Landmarks Preservation Commission on Tuesday voted to designate the central atrium at 5 Beekman Street in the Financial District as an interior landmark, recognizing both its stunning architecture and the restoration project that returned the space to its 19th-century glory. Built as part of the commercial building Temple Court, and now the centerpiece for the converted Beekman Hotel, the space consists of eight tiers of galleries topped by a pyramid-shaped skylight.
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The G train is partially shutting down for six weeks this summer. Here’s what you should know

G train leaving Smith-9th Streets. Photo credit: Mtattrain, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

May 31, 2024

The G train is partially shutting down for six weeks this summer. Here’s what you should know

By Devin Gannon

The G train will partially shut down for six weeks this summer while the MTA replaces a 1930s-era signal system. The agency this week revealed the planned service changes, which will kick off in three phases starting June 28 through September 3 and impact the entire 11.4-mile line. To make it easier for the 160,000 daily commuters who rely on the G train, MTA announced plans to run free shuttle buses no more than every four minutes during peak weekday hours and allow for free transfers at certain stations during the shutdown.
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Policy

Reach the beach: Vintage subway trains will ride to the Rockaways and Coney Island this summer

All photos courtesy of the New York Transit Museum.

May 30, 2024

Reach the beach: Vintage subway trains will ride to the Rockaways and Coney Island this summer

By Devin Gannon

Beach and boardwalk-bound New Yorkers can ride to the shore in vintage style this summer. The New York Transit Museum announced two "nostalgia rides" in July and August that will bring beachgoers to Coney Island and the Rockaways via R-19 train cars from the 1930s. Tickets, which cost $60 for adults, go on sale Friday, May 31.
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Events & Things To Do

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