All articles by Devin Gannon

Barry Diller’s $250M offshore Pier 55 park dubbed ‘Little Island’

Rendering courtesy of Little Island

November 13, 2019

Barry Diller’s $250M offshore Pier 55 park dubbed ‘Little Island’

By Devin Gannon

The offshore park currently under construction in the Hudson River has been officially christened "Little Island," the Diller-von Furstenberg Family Foundation announced Wednesday. The Pier 55 project, which is being funded by billionaire Barry Diller and overseen by the Hudson River Park Trust, includes over two acres of public green space across a wave-shaped structure near West 13th Street in the Meatpacking District. First proposed in 2014 for $35 million, Little Island is expected to cost $250 million and open in the spring of 2021.
Get the details

Architecture And Design

Staten Island officials revive call for the borough to secede NYC

Photo by InSapphoWeTrust on Flickr

November 13, 2019

Staten Island officials revive call for the borough to secede NYC

By Devin Gannon

Staten Island officials this week said they will push forward plans for the borough to leave New York City, reviving a fight partially won over 25 years ago. As first reported by the Staten Island Advance, Republican Council Members Joe Borelli and Steven Matteo, who represent the borough, plan to introduce two pieces of legislation that would create a committee to determine the logistics and costs of the secession, as well as a commission a study to look at the feasibility of designating county governments within the city. In 1993, Staten Island residents voted to leave the Big Apple, but the measure never went further after failing to pass in Albany.
Sayonara, Staten Island?

Policy

$52M supportive housing complex with health-focused amenities opens in the South Bronx

Rendering by Peter L. Woll Architect, P.C; Courtesy of Community Access

November 13, 2019

$52M supportive housing complex with health-focused amenities opens in the South Bronx

By Devin Gannon

An affordable housing complex with health and wellness perks officially opened in the South Bronx on Tuesday, after breaking ground more than two years ago. The $52 million building at 111 East 172nd Street in the neighborhood of Mount Eden contains 126 apartments, with 60 of them set aside for those living with mental illness. The units are affordable for households earning 60 percent of the area median income.
More here

Affordable Housing

Norah Jones is selling her 19th-century Cobble Hill townhouse for $8M

Photo by Christian Harder for Nest Seekers International

November 12, 2019

Norah Jones is selling her 19th-century Cobble Hill townhouse for $8M

By Devin Gannon

Grammy Award winner Norah Jones has listed her four-story townhouse in Cobble Hill for $8 million, the Wall Street Journal reported Monday. The Brooklyn home sits 25 feet wide at 166 Amity Street and contains five bedrooms, three bathrooms, and a backyard with a disappearing heated pool and hot tub. The singer-songwriter first picked up the 19th-century pad in 2009 for $4.9 million. Unfortunately, the vintage Krakauer piano found by the back door is not included in the sale.
Take the tour

Zagat New York City restaurant guide returns to print after three years

Photo by Emily Schindler for Zagat

November 12, 2019

Zagat New York City restaurant guide returns to print after three years

By Devin Gannon

The iconic pocket-sized guide to New York City restaurants has released its first print edition since 2016. Zagat's 2020 New York City Restaurants guidebook, available on Tuesday, includes more than 1,400 new reviews and a compilation of reports from the past 40 years of the beloved "burgundy bibles." Google purchased Zagat, which first launched in 1980, from its founders in 2011, expanded its digital presence over the next seven years, and then sold it last year to The Infatuation, which plans to rebuild the guide's online platform.
More here

Food & Dining

See inside Domino Sugar Factory site’s first commercial building

Image by Two Trees Management

November 8, 2019

See inside Domino Sugar Factory site’s first commercial building

By Devin Gannon

The first commercial building at the Domino Sugar Factory site in Williamsburg officially launched leasing this week. Ten Grand Street sits within the 45-story mixed-use tower One South First, which opened in September with 330 rental units. Designed by COOKFOX Architects and developed by Two Trees Management, the towers interlock, a sustainable component that allows extra heat from the office building to be preserved and reused at the residential property. Offering tenants between 5,000 and 6,000-square-foot floor plates and floor-to-ceiling windows, Ten Grand boasts sweeping views of Manhattan, faces the six-acre Domino Park, and will be home to several Brooklyn-based retailers, including Roberta's and Other Half Brewing.
Take the tour

Brooklyn official to introduce commercial rent control bill next week

Photo by Jason Tester on Flickr

November 7, 2019

Brooklyn official to introduce commercial rent control bill next week

By Devin Gannon

With rents on the rise and the e-commerce industry showing no signs of slowing, the livelihood of small businesses in New York City remains under threat. Council Member Stephen Levin, who represents parts of Brooklyn, hopes to address the high rate of retail vacancies across the city with legislation to regulate commercial rents, as Gothamist first reported. "It's a complex problem," Levin, who will introduce a bill to the City Council next week, told the website. "We think it's time to introduce this into the conversation."
More details here

10 events in NYC that celebrate Native American Heritage Month

November 7, 2019

10 events in NYC that celebrate Native American Heritage Month

By Devin Gannon

It’s impossible to truly know the history of New York City without understanding the experience of the Native Americans who first inhabited the five boroughs long before Dutch settlers arrived. In November, we celebrate Native American Heritage Month as both a way to learn about the culture and contributions of indigenous people and to reacquaint ourselves with the often distorted history surrounding Thanksgiving. From live performances from Ojibwe artist Kelsey Pyro to enjoying a Lenape Harvest in the city's largest concentration of forest, these events, festivals, and exhibits help New Yorkers understand just how significantly Native Americans shaped our city.
See the full list

Events & Things To Do

This holiday season, you can book a toy-filled FAO Schwarz hotel suite for $3,000/night

Photo courtesy of Conrad New York Midtown

November 6, 2019

This holiday season, you can book a toy-filled FAO Schwarz hotel suite for $3,000/night

By Devin Gannon

A new hotel in Midtown is offering the ultimate New York City holiday experience. Conrad New York Midtown has partnered with iconic toy store FAO Schwarz to bring a 1,800-square-foot one-bedroom suite full of toys, including 10-foot stuffed animals, train sets, and of course, the famous dance-on piano. The playful stay does not come cheap; the holiday suite package starts at $3,000 per night.
How to book

Events & Things To Do

Plan to expand Hudson River Park at Pier 76 tow pound site moves forward

Photo by Beyond My Ken on Wikimedia

November 6, 2019

Plan to expand Hudson River Park at Pier 76 tow pound site moves forward

By Devin Gannon

The waterfront park on Manhattan's West Side is set to grow again. City officials are in talks with the New York Police Department to relocate a tow pound at Pier 76 to make way for a new section of Hudson River Park. THE CITY reported on Wednesday that while nothing has been approved yet for the site, which sits adjacent to the Javits Center, officials last month presented a preliminary proposal to Manhattan Community Board 4, signaling the beginning of the long-awaited plan to incorporate the pier into the park.
More here

Policy

Popular Articles

Starbucks opens its first pickup-only store in Midtown

Photo by Eric Soltan for Starbucks

November 5, 2019

Starbucks opens its first pickup-only store in Midtown

By Devin Gannon

Last year, Starbucks opened a massive roastery in Chelsea with two coffee bars, a cocktail bar, and a bakery, inviting java drinkers to stay awhile. On Tuesday, the company will offer a different option for on-the-go customers in Manhattan with a new store that primarily accepts to-go orders from the Starbucks mobile app. Located in Penn Plaza at 242 West 34th Street above the busy transit hub, the Starbucks "pickup" store is the first of its kind.
More here

Uncategorized

Cap on street vendor permits would be nixed under proposed state law

Photo by Anton on Unsplash

November 5, 2019

Cap on street vendor permits would be nixed under proposed state law

By Devin Gannon

A state lawmaker wants to allow more street vendors to legally set up shop across New York by lifting the cap on the number of permits issued statewide. The legislation put forth by State Sen. Jessica Ramos, who represents parts of Queens, would let municipalities decide where sidewalk vendors could operate. "The idea is to decriminalize street vending and do away with caps so that every vendor goes through the appropriate inspections," Ramos told Gothamist.
Learn about it

Policy

Affordable housing complex at former Bronx juvenile jail site breaks ground

Rendering by BLA and WXY

November 5, 2019

Affordable housing complex at former Bronx juvenile jail site breaks ground

By Devin Gannon

The city on Monday broke ground on a five-acre mixed-use project that will bring more than 700 affordable apartments, open space, and manufacturing space to the Bronx. The Hunts Point complex, called the Penninsula, will sit at the site of the former Spofford Juvenile Detention Center, which closed in 2011 following reports of cruel conditions. Construction will now kick off on the project's first phase and includes space for industrial and light manufacturing businesses and 183 deeply affordable housing units.
Get the details

Barneys’ Madison Avenue flagship to stay open as a temporary pop-up

Photo by Jim.henderson on Wikimedia

November 4, 2019

Barneys’ Madison Avenue flagship to stay open as a temporary pop-up

By Devin Gannon

Barneys New York was officially sold for roughly $270 million on Friday after filing for bankruptcy just three months prior. The new owners of the luxury retailer, Authentic Brands Group and B. Riley Financial Inc., will license the Barneys name to other companies and likely close most of its locations across the country. But the store's beloved flagship location at 660 Madison Avenue will stay open for at least the next year, according to the Real Deal.
Learn more

Real Estate Trends

Apply for 52 mixed-income units near Lehman College in the Bronx, from $736/month

Photo by Tdorante10 on Wikimedia

November 4, 2019

Apply for 52 mixed-income units near Lehman College in the Bronx, from $736/month

By Devin Gannon

A housing lottery launched this week for 52 mixed-income units in the Bronx neighborhood of Bedford Park. Located at 16 East 204th Street, the building, dubbed "Villa Gardens," sits just east of Jerome Park Reservoir and the 37-acre campus of Lehman College. Qualifying New Yorkers earning 60, 90, and 100 percent of area median income can apply for the apartments, ranging from $736/month studios to $2,066/month three-bedrooms.
Find out if you qualify

Affordable Housing

De Blasio resists plan to pedestrianize Rockefeller Center during upcoming holiday season

Photo by Shinya Suzuki / Flickr

November 1, 2019

De Blasio resists plan to pedestrianize Rockefeller Center during upcoming holiday season

By Devin Gannon

For years, residents and community leaders have called on the city to add pedestrian space near Rockefeller Center to make conditions safer for the hundreds of thousands of people who visit the area during the holiday season to see the tree and store windows. This week, the Department of Transportation privately issued a pilot plan to address the major crowds by increasing pedestrian space on Fifth Avenue between East 48th and East 51st Streets. But Mayor Bill de Blasio quashed the plan before it was officially released, claiming "it was not signed off on by City Hall."
Details here

Learn about 16th-century Native American culture with a paddling tour of the Bronx River

Photo by Elena Gaillard on Wikimedia

October 31, 2019

Learn about 16th-century Native American culture with a paddling tour of the Bronx River

By Devin Gannon

To celebrate Native American Heritage Month, New Yorkers can take a free paddling tour of the Bronx River this weekend while learning about the experiences of 16th-century indigenous communities. Hosted by the Bronx River Alliance and Moskehtu Consulting, the event takes visitors on a 30-minute canoe paddle through the Mitshubishi River Walk in the Bronx Zoo and explores the life and culture of Native Americans with a living village.
How to sign up

Designs revealed for Phillips auction house’s new home in 432 Park Avenue’s white cube base

Rendering by studioMDA

October 30, 2019

Designs revealed for Phillips auction house’s new home in 432 Park Avenue’s white cube base

By Devin Gannon

British auction house Phillips will move its headquarters into the white cube base of the supertall at 432 Park Avenue next year. As first reported by the New York Post, architecture firm studioMDA has been tapped to design the 55,000-square-foot auction house and will replace the ground floor the existing space with a sunken mezzanine. The new Billionaires' Row spot will open in the summer of 2020.
More here

Architecture And Design

City has repaired just two of 35 NYCHA developments damaged by Hurricane Sandy

Red Hook after Sandy; Photo by Michael Fleshman on Flickr

October 30, 2019

City has repaired just two of 35 NYCHA developments damaged by Hurricane Sandy

By Devin Gannon

Seven years after Hurricane Sandy hit New York City, a majority of the city's public housing developments damaged by the storm have not been repaired. Of the 35 NYCHA complexes wrecked in 2012, totaling roughly 200 buildings, upgrades have been completed at just two of them, THE CITY reported Tuesday. The slow recovery at sites in Red Hook, Coney Island and the Lower East Side stems from a lack of federal funding and shady contracts.
Details here

See inside SHoP’s slender supertall at 111 West 57th Street

The living room of the 43rd-floor unit; Photo by Peter Murdock

October 29, 2019

See inside SHoP’s slender supertall at 111 West 57th Street

By Devin Gannon

The skinny skyscraper perfectly positioned over Central Park has officially topped out at 1,428 feet, becoming the world's second tallest residential building. Designed by SHoP Architects, 111 West 57th Street's super-slender frame allows each of the 46 full-floor and duplex condos to feel like a penthouse. In addition to the Billionaires' Row tower reaching its pinnacle height at 91 stories, new images released Tuesday provide a first look inside the residences, with 360-degree views of Manhattan and bold interiors conceived by Studio Sofield.
See inside the supertall

New Developments

Ahead of proposed rezoning, Gowanus gains five individual landmarks

Photos courtesy of LPC

October 29, 2019

Ahead of proposed rezoning, Gowanus gains five individual landmarks

By Devin Gannon

The city's Landmarks Preservation Commission on Tuesday designated five properties in Gowanus as individual landmarks ahead of the neighborhood's impending rezoning. The buildings are architecturally significant examples of Brooklyn's industrial past with relationships to the Canal, according to the commission. "These buildings stand out in the neighborhood as tangible reminders of the rich history of the neighborhood and the Gowanus Canal," LPC Chair Sarah Carroll said. "They are all inherently connected to the manufacturing industries and institutions that developed around the canal in the late-19th and early-20th century."
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Policy

Upper West Side favorite Boat Basin Cafe has permanently closed

Photo by WalkingGeek on Flickr

October 24, 2019

Upper West Side favorite Boat Basin Cafe has permanently closed

By Devin Gannon

Another beloved New York City establishment has shuttered. The Boat Basin Cafe, a laid-back waterfront restaurant at the 79th Street marina, will not reopen for the season next year, Gothamist reported on Wednesday. The Upper West Side hangout announced its permanent departure in a Facebook post, citing a "local construction project" as the reason for the closure.
Another favorite gone

Food & Dining

400 bus stops in the Bronx to be cut as part of major network redesign

Photo by Adam Moreira on Wikimedia

October 23, 2019

400 bus stops in the Bronx to be cut as part of major network redesign

By Devin Gannon

Four hundred local bus stops in the Bronx will be cut as part of a major system redesign, the Metropolitan Transportation Authority announced Tuesday. The large reduction is an attempt to speed up travel times by moving bus stops further apart, from an average of 882 feet to 1,092 feet between them. The new plan also brings two new local routes and an express route to the borough, providing commuters better peak-hour service between north Bronx and Midtown.
Details here

Trump Organization removes president’s name from Central Park ice rinks

Photo by subherwal on Flickr

October 23, 2019

Trump Organization removes president’s name from Central Park ice rinks

By Devin Gannon

As New York City's many ice skating rinks start to open this month for the season, two Central Park arenas will debut a slightly updated look. The Trump Organization has removed President Donald Trump's name from Wollman Rink and Lasker Rink, marking the first time the business has voluntarily distanced itself from its owner, according to the Washington Post. City officials told the newspaper that the president's company informed them about the plan to remove the signage this past summer but provided no reason behind the change.
More here

Real Estate Trends

City launches campaign to educate tenants on new rent reform laws

October 22, 2019

City launches campaign to educate tenants on new rent reform laws

By Devin Gannon

In June, New York state lawmakers passed landmark legislation to strengthen rent and tenant protections. Hoping to clear up any ambiguity over the new laws, Mayor Bill de Blasio is launching an ad campaign and new website to help renters understand their rights as well as hold landlords responsible. Starting Monday, ads will be displayed across subway stations, bus stops, local newspapers, small businesses, and Link kiosks until Dec. 15.
Learn more here

Policy

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