All articles by Devin Gannon

Astoria food hall opening this fall promises to showcase the diverse cuisines of Queens

Rendering courtesy of EJ Stevens Group

August 7, 2019

Astoria food hall opening this fall promises to showcase the diverse cuisines of Queens

By Devin Gannon

Last summer, a developer announced plans to convert a restaurant supply store and warehouse in Astoria into a food hall. Now, after some construction delays, the World Artisan Market is officially moving forward, as Eater NY first reported on Wednesday, with an expected opening date in the late fall. Developed by the EJ Stevens Group, the former warehouse at 34-39 31st Street will be converted into a retail space with 18,000-square-feet of storefronts which will offer a diverse mix of vendors, from Korean barbecue to a French-Scandinavian bakery.
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Food & Dining

Our 700sqft: See how two musicians (and their instruments) make it work in Greenpoint

August 7, 2019

Our 700sqft: See how two musicians (and their instruments) make it work in Greenpoint

By Devin Gannon

Our series “My sqft” checks out the homes of New Yorkers across all the boroughs. Our latest interior adventure brings us to the Greenpoint apartment of musician-couple Sara McDonald and Amit Peled. Want to see your home featured here? Get in touch! Growing up in a military family that moved almost every year, Sara McDonald tried to feel settled in each new city by furnishing her room with framed photos and special pillows. “I would always spend a ton of time organizing and decorating my room even though I knew it wasn’t permanent,” she told us. “I just wanted to feel at home where we lived.” In her Greenpoint apartment she shares with boyfriend Amit Peled, Sara has been able to do just that, styling her place exactly how she wants with Craigslist finds and unique mementos from abroad. Both musicians (they met at the School of Jazz at The New School), Sara and Amit needed space for their many instruments. Thankfully, Sara, who composes and arranges music for her big band NYChillharmonic and plays the French horn, and Amit, a guitarist, and member of a hard-core Klezmer band, can use their apartment’s second bedroom as a music studio. Their apartment boasts a vintage vibe, credited mainly to Sara’s resilient effort to find pieces she wants online. Nearly everything in the couple’s home cost them less than $200, with even the mahogany spinet piano picked up for free. “I always know exactly what I want, almost to a fault,” she said. Ahead, meet Sara and Amit and learn how they made this funky Brooklyn apartment their own.
See inside

New York’s first fleet of self-driving cars launches at the Brooklyn Navy Yard

Photo courtesy of Optimus Ride

August 6, 2019

New York’s first fleet of self-driving cars launches at the Brooklyn Navy Yard

By Devin Gannon

New York's first fleet of self-driving vehicles has officially landed in Brooklyn. Six autonomous vehicles will roll into the Brooklyn Navy Yard on Wednesday, shuttling passengers in a loop around the 300-acre industrial site for free. Optimus Ride, the Boston-based technology company behind the fleet, will run the autonomous shuttle between 7 a.m. and 10:30 p.m. on weekdays, between the NYC Ferry stop at Dock 72 and Cumberland Gate at Flushing Avenue.
Ride this way

Disney files plans for a 19-story headquarters in Hudson Square

304 Hudson Street via Google Street View

August 6, 2019

Disney files plans for a 19-story headquarters in Hudson Square

By Devin Gannon

The Walt Disney Company has tapped Skidmore Owings & Merrill to design its new Hudson Square headquarters, according to a pre-filing application filed last week with the Department of Buildings. As first reported by the Real Deal, the building will rise 19 stories and include "East" and "West" towers. Last July, the media company purchased the rights to develop the property at 4 Hudson Square from Trinity Church, which owns a large percentage of buildings in the neighborhood, for $650 million under a 99-year agreement.
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Real Estate Trends

Queens locals say Billie Holiday monument should be in historic Addisleigh Park, not Kew Gardens

Photo via Wikimedia

August 5, 2019

Queens locals say Billie Holiday monument should be in historic Addisleigh Park, not Kew Gardens

By Devin Gannon

Residents in southeast Queens are pushing the city to place a monument of jazz artist Billie Holiday in their neighborhood, instead of Kew Gardens, as the city proposed. In March, First lady Chirlane McCray announced plans to erect four statues of trailblazing women across the boroughs, including commissioning one of Holiday near Queens Borough Hall. But as Patch reported this week, locals want the monument to be in the Addisleigh Park Historic District, where Holiday, as well as many other prominent jazz musicians, lived in the late 1940s and '50s.
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City Living

De Blasio secured mortgages for his Park Slope homes from bank tied to dubious deal with city

A mortgage for the mayor’s home at 384 11th Street came from Wall Street Morgage Bankers

August 5, 2019

De Blasio secured mortgages for his Park Slope homes from bank tied to dubious deal with city

By Devin Gannon

The mortgages secured by Mayor Bill de Blasio for his two Park Slope homes came from a bank linked to a firm that received millions of dollars from the city in a controversial housing deal. The Daily News reported on Monday that the founder of the bank that gave the mortgages to de Blasio is Abraham Podolsky, the brother of Jay and Stuart Podolsky, whose firm sold 17 buildings to the city for $173 million earlier this year. Critics have questioned the deal with the Podolsky brothers, who are known for owning poorly maintained properties, and City Comptroller Scott Stringer called on City Hall to release the deal's appraisals.
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Policy

Demolition of debated vacant oil tanks in Williamsburg begins

Photo by James and Karla Murray exclusively for 6sqft

August 2, 2019

Demolition of debated vacant oil tanks in Williamsburg begins

By Devin Gannon

Ten decommissioned tanks located along the Williamsburg waterfront will get demolished by the city this week, quashing plans from organizers to transform the silos into public space. Over the last four years, a team of designers and park advocates, led by Karen Zabarsky and Stacey Anderson, has pushed for adaptive reuse of the vacant 50-foot tanks into possible performance space, greenhouses, and art galleries. But without enough support from public officials, the team's project, The Tanks at Bushwick Inlet Park, now comes to an end as the city begins razing the oil tanks.
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Architecture And Design

Camp for free under the stars in The Battery

Photo courtesy of the Battery Conservancy

August 1, 2019

Camp for free under the stars in The Battery

By Devin Gannon

It's your chance to have a free quintessential summer experience, albeit not typical a New York City one. The Battery Conservancy on Thursday will open a lottery for free tickets to camp at the historic 25-acre public park. As part of the Battery CampOut, families are provided with tents, campfire singalongs, s'mores, and a lightning bug show. But remember to bring your own sleeping bag.
Find out how to enter

Events & Things To Do

MTA board members are wealthier and whiter than straphangers

August 1, 2019

MTA board members are wealthier and whiter than straphangers

By Devin Gannon

The board of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority, which has the power to increase fares and approve service changes, looks nothing like the straphangers who use the transit system it oversees. A report released this week by the government watchdog group Reinvent Albany found MTA board members are richer, whiter, and more likely to live outside of New York City than riders.
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Real estate investors buy $1.2B worth of NYC market-rate rentals with plan to make them affordable

The River Crossing building in Harlem; Photo by CTC Creative

July 31, 2019

Real estate investors buy $1.2B worth of NYC market-rate rentals with plan to make them affordable

By Devin Gannon

A group of real estate investors is buying 2,800 New York City rental apartments for $1.2 billion. But instead of keeping with the industry's custom of converting affordable units into market-rate homes, L+M Development Partners and its partner Invesco Real Estate plan on returning a chunk of those units to long-term regulation. The venture involves the purchase of five former Mitchell-Lama buildings in Manhattan, with four in Harlem and one on Roosevelt Island.
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Popular Articles

NYC financed a record number of affordable homes for seniors and homeless New Yorkers this fiscal year

Via Creative Commons

July 31, 2019

NYC financed a record number of affordable homes for seniors and homeless New Yorkers this fiscal year

By Devin Gannon

New York City added a record number of supportive housing units and affordable homes for homeless New Yorkers and seniors this fiscal year, Mayor Bill de Blasio announced on Tuesday. While the total number of affordable units preserved or created is down to 25,299 this fiscal year from last year's 32,444, the city said it still expects to meet the mayor's goal of creating 300,000 affordable homes by 2026.
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Brooklyn Botanic Garden ramps up fight against proposed Crown Heights towers with new exhibit

Photo courtesy of the Brooklyn Botanic Garden

July 31, 2019

Brooklyn Botanic Garden ramps up fight against proposed Crown Heights towers with new exhibit

By Devin Gannon

The Brooklyn Botanic Garden's fight against two high-rise towers in Crown Heights continues this week with the opening of a new educational exhibit. The display is part of the garden's larger "Fight for Sunlight" campaign opposing a proposal from developers to amend the area's current zoning and build two 39-story towers across the street. The garden argues the proposed towers on Franklin Avenue would obstruct necessary light from shining on the garden's 23 greenhouses, nurseries, and growing spaces, putting rare plants at risk.
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Monument honoring 19th century investigative journalist Nellie Bly coming to Roosevelt Island

Sketch of the madhouse on Blackwell’s Island via NYPL; Photo of Nellie Bly via Wikimedia

July 30, 2019

Monument honoring 19th century investigative journalist Nellie Bly coming to Roosevelt Island

By Devin Gannon

An investigative journalist who exposed the horrible conditions of a New York City insane asylum will be honored with a memorial. In 1887, reporter Nellie Bly went undercover at the Blackwell's Island Insane Asylum, located on what is now Roosevelt Island, and documented the cruel treatment of women being held there. Her six-part investigative piece, "Ten Days in a Mad-House," led to major changes, including increased funding for the asylum and removal of abusive staff members. To recognize her achievements, a monument will be erected next year on Roosevelt Island.
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Trump’s labor relations board continues fight against Scabby the Rat

July 29, 2019

Trump’s labor relations board continues fight against Scabby the Rat

By Devin Gannon

The giant inflatable rodent set up by unions outside of New York City construction projects is getting challenged in court. An advice memo from the general counsel at the National Labor Relations Board says inflatables, including famed Scabby the Rat, should be illegal for unions to use in protest. As Gothamist reported, Peter Robb, the President Donald Trump-appointed general counsel for the NLRB, said the big balloons like Scabby are "coercive" and "unlawful."
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A weed dispensary is opening in Williamsburg

Via Google Street View

July 26, 2019

A weed dispensary is opening in Williamsburg

By Devin Gannon

Williamsburg is getting its first weed dispensary. According to the Commercial Observer, Remedy will open its first New York City location at the ground floor of the Pod Hotel on North 4th Street. Valley Agriceuticals, which manages the dispensary, is one of 10 companies licensed by the state to grow and sell marijuana.
More here

Policy

How much do you need to earn to afford a two-bedroom in NYC?

July 26, 2019

How much do you need to earn to afford a two-bedroom in NYC?

By Devin Gannon

Manhattan requires the second-highest income in the country to afford an average two-bedroom apartment. A new report from SmartAsset analyzed how much a household needs to make in order to afford rent in the 25 largest cities in the United States. In Manhattan, New Yorkers would need to earn an annual salary of at least $162,857 to afford the average two-bedroom rent in the borough, currently around $3,800 per month.
Dig into the data

Renderings revealed for Manhattan’s first public ‘beach’

Credit: James Corner Field Operations, courtesy of the Hudson River Park Trust

July 25, 2019

Renderings revealed for Manhattan’s first public ‘beach’

By Devin Gannon

The Hudson River Park Trust unveiled on Wednesday a preliminary concept for its plan to bring a public beach to Manhattan. The Meatpacking District site, known as the Gansevoort Peninsula, measures about 5.5 acres on the waterfront and formerly served as a parking lot for the city's sanitation department. The new park will feature a beach area with kayak access, a sports field, a salt marsh, and areas to picnic and lounge.
See the park

Architecture And Design

De Blasio to announce $58.4M bike safety plan after uptick in cyclist deaths

July 25, 2019

De Blasio to announce $58.4M bike safety plan after uptick in cyclist deaths

By Devin Gannon

Update 7/25/19: De Blasio unveiled on Thursday his "Green Wave" plan, which includes spending $58.4 million over the next five years on making city streets safer for bikers. In addition to adding more protected bike lanes and redesigning intersections, the plan calls for a media campaign on cyclist safety, as well as community engagement programs. Following a recent spike in cyclist deaths, Mayor Bill de Blasio will unveil on Thursday a $58.4 million plan to make streets safer. As first reported by the New York Times, the plan includes constructing more protected bike lanes, redesigning intersections, and hiring 80 new transportation workers over the next five years. The proposal comes after 17 cyclists were killed in New York City so far this year, seven more fatalities than all of 2018.
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First database in the country to track retail vacancies gets green light from NYC Council

July 25, 2019

First database in the country to track retail vacancies gets green light from NYC Council

By Devin Gannon

The New York City Council on Tuesday passed legislation that requires the city to establish a public database of commercial properties and vacancy rates across the five boroughs. Introduced by Council Member Helen Rosenthal, the "Storefront Tracker" bill aims to provide information on current vacancies and those small city businesses most at risk. The database, the first of its kind in the country, will list the occupancy status of retail spaces online.
Details this way

Policy

NYC Council approves pilot program for air-conditioned ‘pet harbors’ outside of Brooklyn shops

July 24, 2019

NYC Council approves pilot program for air-conditioned ‘pet harbors’ outside of Brooklyn shops

By Devin Gannon

Pets in Brooklyn may soon be able to wait more securely outside for their owners. The New York City Council on Tuesday approved a bill that asks the city to create a program for "pet harbors" on sidewalks next to commercial establishments. This will allow pet owners, for a fee, to leave animals in the climate-controlled, enclosed container, for no longer than an hour as they shop or get a cup of coffee.
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Policy

My 800sqft: See inside the memory-filled, minimalist Village pad of Museum Hack founder Nick Gray

Our series “My sqft” checks out the homes of New Yorkers across all the boroughs. Our latest interior adventure brings us to the Greenwich Village apartment of Museum Hack founder Nick Gray. Want to see your home featured here? Get in touch!

July 24, 2019

My 800sqft: See inside the memory-filled, minimalist Village pad of Museum Hack founder Nick Gray

By Devin Gannon

A few years ago, a date brought Nick Gray to the Metropolitan Museum of Art and showed him all of the pieces she really loved. Something clicked. “The passion was contagious,” Nick said. “I went back to the museum dozens of times, iPad in hand, doing a deep dive into the pieces I found most interesting.” As this became a serious hobby, Nick, who has no background in art or history, began inviting friends to join him at the Met to teach them fun facts about lesser-known works of art and artifacts. What started as a new obsession with museums, grew into Museum Hack, a million-dollar company that leads “renegade” small-group tours of museums in New York City and four other cities. Nick’s enthusiasm follows him into his Greenwich Village apartment, where its minimalist design comes packed with memories. On a recent tour of his apartment--which boasts super tall ceilings, a skylight, and a wood-burning fireplace--he eagerly showed us a wall covered with polaroids of friends, his blue velvet couch inspired by a piece of furniture at the Met, and a large photo of "the craziest party" he's ever thrown. Ahead, tour Nick's bright pad, take his advice for museum newbies and learn about what he has planned next (it involves guacamole).
Meet Nick and see inside his apartment

A new seven-acre park will open under the Kosciuszko Bridge in Greenpoint

Rendering of ‘K-flex 2’ courtesy of Public Work

July 23, 2019

A new seven-acre park will open under the Kosciuszko Bridge in Greenpoint

By Devin Gannon

Plans to build a new seven-acre public park under the Kosciuszko Bridge in Greenpoint are moving forward. Last month, the North Brooklyn Parks Alliance unveiled designs for "Under the K," a linear public space that will feature four distinct spaces and stretch to Newtown Creek. Designed by Toronto-based architecture firm Public Work, the new park will feature access to the waterfront, public art installations, performances, and areas for recreation on land currently vacant.
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Architecture And Design

Construction of affordable housing complex on former juvenile jail site in Hunts Point set to begin

Rendering courtesy of WXY Architecture + Urban Design and Body Lawson Associates

July 19, 2019

Construction of affordable housing complex on former juvenile jail site in Hunts Point set to begin

By Devin Gannon

The first phase of a project that will bring more than 700 units of affordable housing to the Bronx neighborhood of Hunts Point will get underway in the coming weeks, developers announced Tuesday. Dubbed the Peninsula, the mixed-use complex will rise on the site of the former Spofford Juvenile Detention Center, which closed in 2011 after the city recognized its awful conditions and treatment of children. The first phase, costing about $121.5 million, includes the construction of 183 affordable units by 2021.
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LPC approves Bjarke Ingels’ plan for a rooftop addition at a Brooklyn Heights landmark

Rendering via LPC

July 18, 2019

LPC approves Bjarke Ingels’ plan for a rooftop addition at a Brooklyn Heights landmark

By Devin Gannon

The Landmarks Preservation Commission on Tuesday approved plans from starchitect Bjarke Ingels to build a rooftop addition at a landmarked building in Brooklyn Heights. As part of a penthouse renovation of the 29th and 30th floors of the St. George Tower at 111 Hicks Street, Ingels would construct a fake water tower to hold a new elevator shaft, raise the roof deck, and add a pool. As first reported by Brownstoner, the Danish architect, whose firm is known for New York City projects like The Eleventh and the Spiral, presented his plan to the commission as a personal project. "I have a massive self-interest because I hope to make it my home," he said.
See the plans

Queens’ priciest condo ups asking price to $3.9M

Photo courtesy of Compass

July 17, 2019

Queens’ priciest condo ups asking price to $3.9M

By Devin Gannon

The most expensive condo in Queens just raised its asking price. The penthouse at 46-30 Center Boulevard in Long Island City made news last year when its price actually dropped from $4.25 million to $3.65 million during the so-called Amazon effect, a time when condo prices soared in the neighborhood as the tech giant prepared to move there. Sticking with its outlier trend, the penthouse is now listed for $3.988 million, despite Amazon pulling out of its planned headquarters in LIC earlier this year.
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