Policy

March 19, 2024

NYC launches first-ever tenant protection cabinet

New York City now has a government agency dedicated to protecting tenants. Mayor Eric Adams last week launched the city’s first-ever Tenant Protection Cabinet (TPC), a new multi-agency team that will create policies and long-term strategies to ensure safer, more equitable housing conditions for all New Yorkers. Deputy Mayor Maria Torres-Springer and NYC Executive Director of Housing Leila Bozorg will co-chair the cabinet.
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Policy

Most NYC libraries would only open five days a week under mayor’s budget cuts, officials say

A rally of library supporters at City Hall on March 12. Photo courtesy of NYPL

March 13, 2024

Most NYC libraries would only open five days a week under mayor’s budget cuts, officials say

By Aaron Ginsburg

Most New York City public libraries would only be able to open five days a week if the latest budget proposed by Mayor Eric Adams is approved, library officials warned this week. The presidents of the city’s three public library systems testified at a City Council budget hearing on Tuesday on the detrimental effects the proposed $58.3 million in budget cuts could have on library service. If the mayor's budget for the next fiscal year is approved, most city libraries will cut hours to just five days a week, marking the first time in nearly a decade that libraries will not be open six days at every branch.
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Policy

March 12, 2024

NYC secures arrest warrant for city’s ‘worst landlord’

By Aaron Ginsburg

New York City’s most negligent landlord may soon find himself behind bars. The city’s Department of Housing Preservation and Development (HPD) on Monday secured a warrant of arrest and commitment to civil jail for Daniel Ohebshalom, a notorious landlord whose track record of 3,293 open violations earned him the number one spot on the 2023 “Worst Landlord List.” The warrant orders Ohebshalom to be detained in civil jail for up to 60 days unless he complies with a court order to fix nearly 700 violations at his properties at 705 and 709 170th Street in Washington Heights.
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Policy

NYC officials seek $2 billion for permanent affordable housing

Image courtesy of Nelson Ndongala on Unsplash

March 11, 2024

NYC officials seek $2 billion for permanent affordable housing

By Aaron Ginsburg

A group of progressive New York City officials on Monday launched a campaign advocating for permanent affordable housing. Members of the City Council's Progressive Caucus announced the "Homes Now, Homes for Generations" campaign, calling for $2 billion in capital funding over four years to support two Department of Housing Preservation and Development (HPD) programs that expand multi-family homeownership and preserve rent-stabilized apartments, as first reported by Politico.
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Midtown South rezoning plan could create 4,000 new homes

Photo © 6sqft

March 8, 2024

Midtown South rezoning plan could create 4,000 new homes

By Aaron Ginsburg

The city released new details for its plan to create thousands of new homes in a predominantly commercial area of Midtown. The Department of City Planning on Friday released the Midtown South draft zoning plan, which details a 42-block rezoning to allow for high-density, mixed-use districts with 4,000 new homes, up to 1,110 of which would be income-restricted. The zoning changes would permit new housing in areas previously designated solely for commercial and manufacturing uses.
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NYC opens applications for new outdoor dining program, unveils modular sheds

Photo by Eden, Janine and Jim on Flickr

March 7, 2024

NYC opens applications for new outdoor dining program, unveils modular sheds

By Aaron Ginsburg

Say hello to the future of outdoor dining in New York City. Mayor Eric Adams on Tuesday launched the application process for restaurants to take part in Dining Out NYC, the city’s permanent outdoor dining program, and unveiled prototypes of the allowable roadway dining sheds. Designed by WXY architecture + urban design and fabricated by SITU, the customizable prototypes are made of materials from a standard kit, which makes it easier for restaurants to abide by the program’s new guidelines.
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Hochul deploys National Guard and state police to check bags, patrol NYC subway

Image courtesy of Marc A. Hermann / MTA on Flickr

March 6, 2024

Hochul deploys National Guard and state police to check bags, patrol NYC subway

By Aaron Ginsburg

Gov. Kathy Hochul on Wednesday said she would deploy roughly 1,000 National Guard and New York State Police members to patrol the New York City subway system and help officers check bags for weapons. The additional personnel, which includes 750 National Guard members and 250 members of the state police and MTA police department, are meant to make riders feel safe following several recent high-profile assaults in the transit system.
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NYC proposes revamped Second Avenue with ‘offset’ bus lane and wider bike lane

Photo by Eden, Janine and Jim on Flickr

March 6, 2024

NYC proposes revamped Second Avenue with ‘offset’ bus lane and wider bike lane

By Aaron Ginsburg

New York City wants to redesign a three-mile portion of Second Avenue to improve bus service and make it safer for cyclists. During a presentation to Manhattan Community Board 6 on Monday, the city’s Department of Transportation revealed a proposal to revamp the avenue from East 59th Street to Houston Street with a new "offset" bus lane in the center of the street, to allow for buses to maneuver around commercial curbside loading and unloading. The plan also includes widening bike lanes from six to eight feet, and even 10 feet at some sections.
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120-year-old Carnegie library in the Bronx is now a city landmark

NYPL’s Tremont Branch. Photo courtesy of NYC Landmarks Preservation Commission

March 5, 2024

120-year-old Carnegie library in the Bronx is now a city landmark

By Aaron Ginsburg

A Bronx public library that has served as a vital community space for more than a century is New York City's newest landmark. The Landmarks Preservation Commission (LPC) on Tuesday voted to designate the New York Public Library's Tremont Branch as an individual landmark. Constructed in 1905, the library at 1866 Washington Avenue was financed by philanthropist Andrew Carnegie and designed by acclaimed firm Carrère and Hastings, the architects behind the library's iconic main branch at 42nd Street and 5th Avenue. The library is regarded for its significance as a critical space for the neighborhood, in addition to its architectural importance, according to the LPC.
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First public e-bike charging station opens in the East Village

All photos courtesy of NYC DOT

March 4, 2024

First public e-bike charging station opens in the East Village

By Aaron Ginsburg

New York City's first public, outdoor e-bike battery charging station opened last week as part of a six-month pilot program to test safer technologies for delivery workers and provide an alternative to charging bikes inside. The first of five to open in the coming weeks, the new station is located at Cooper Square in the East Village. The infrastructure includes a battery-swapping cabinet to swap out dead batteries for fully charged ones and a secure charging rack where workers can lock up their bikes and charge them while parked. The city said 100 delivery workers will initially participate in the pilot program and provide feedback on the charging hubs.
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Murphy proposes new tax on wealthy corporations to fund NJ Transit

By Aaron Ginsburg

Gov. Phil Murphy has a plan to raise taxes on New Jersey's wealthiest corporations to help NJ Transit meet its roughly $900 million budget deficit. During his annual budget address on Tuesday, the governor unveiled the "Corporate Transit Fee," a new tax on Garden State corporations with net taxable incomes of more than $10 million per year. The proposal raises the corporate tax rate from 9 percent to 11.5 percent for qualifying businesses to create a dedicated funding source for the cash-strapped NJ Transit.
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MTA reveals congestion pricing exemptions for people with disabilities

Image courtesy of Strolicfurlan on Flickr

February 27, 2024

MTA reveals congestion pricing exemptions for people with disabilities

By Aaron Ginsburg

The Metropolitan Transportation Authority on Monday announced two plans to provide people with disabilities exemptions from the new congestion pricing toll, which could take effect as early as June. The Individual Disability Exemption Plan (IDEP) allows New Yorkers with disabilities to register one vehicle to be exempt from the Central Business District (CBD) tolling program. The second program, the Organizational Disability Exemption Plan (ODEP), permits organizations transporting people with disabilities, such as Access-A-Ride, to apply for the exemption.
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Stunning nine-story atrium at The Beekman Hotel is up for landmark status

Photo by James and Karla Murray exclusively for 6sqft

February 27, 2024

Stunning nine-story atrium at The Beekman Hotel is up for landmark status

By Devin Gannon

Once part of New York City architectural lore, the nine-story Victorian atrium at The Beekman Hotel may soon be formally recognized. The Landmarks Preservation Commission on Tuesday voted to calendar the central atrium of 5 Beekman Street for consideration as an interior landmark. Built as part of the 19th-century commercial building Temple Court, the space consists of eight tiers of galleries topped by a cast-iron pyramid-shaped skylight. For decades, the atrium was walled in and off-limits to the public, until work began in 2014 to restore and transform the historic building into a hotel. Now a decade after the project began, the stunning atrium, restored to its former glory and the centerpiece of the luxury Beekman Hotel, is up for landmark status.
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New York lawmakers renew push for bird-safe building bills following death of Flaco

Photo by Jörg Schubert on Flickr

February 26, 2024

New York lawmakers renew push for bird-safe building bills following death of Flaco

By Aaron Ginsburg

Following the death of Flaco, a beloved Eurasian eagle owl who escaped from the Central Park Zoo and delighted New Yorkers over the last year, the city's bird strike problem has once again come under the spotlight. Flaco died on Friday after colliding with a building on the Upper West Side, according to the zoo. State Sen. Brad Hoylman-Sigal and Assembly Member Anna Kelles on Monday renewed a push for their legislation addressing bird safety, including bills to require state buildings to implement bird-friendly designs and mandate non-essential outdoor lighting be turned off overnight.
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Policy

Westfield sued over plans to ditch Fulton Center

Image courtesy of Lerone Pieters on Unsplash

February 22, 2024

Westfield sued over plans to ditch Fulton Center

By Aaron Ginsburg

A plan from the Westfield Corporation to exit its 20-year retail lease at Fulton Center early is being met with a lawsuit from the New York City Transit Authority. As first reported by Bloomberg, the NYCTA sued Westfield after the mall operator announced it wanted to terminate its lease 10 years in. The suit, which aims to keep Westfield as the mall's operator, claims the transit agency would suffer major financial losses that could impact commuters if Westfield pulled out of the lease.
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5,000 NYCHA apartments are sitting vacant, new report finds

Drew Hamilton Houses in Harlem. Photo by Jim.henderson on Wikimedia

February 22, 2024

5,000 NYCHA apartments are sitting vacant, new report finds

By Aaron Ginsburg

Despite the city's current housing and homelessness crisis, about 5,000 public housing apartments are sitting vacant. According to a report published Wednesday by Bart Schwartz, the federal monitor overseeing the New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA), a special team assembled by the agency to expedite turning over vacant apartments has actually slowed down the process, leaving apartments in need of repairs empty for months, as The City reported. The number of empty NYCHA apartments has increased from just about 490 in 2021 to nearly 5,000 as of last month, even though roughly 240,000 New Yorkers are on the waitlist for an apartment.
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Mayor Adams sued over failure to enact housing voucher laws

Photo by Bex Walton on Flickr

February 21, 2024

Mayor Adams sued over failure to enact housing voucher laws

By Aaron Ginsburg

The New York City Council on Wednesday filed a motion to join a class-action lawsuit against Mayor Eric Adams for failing to comply with new laws regarding housing vouchers that should have taken effect on January 9. The Legal Aid Society filed the suit last week on behalf of four plaintiffs who are unable to access housing vouchers they are entitled to under laws passed by the City Council last year, according to Gothamist.
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MTA installing LED lights in every NYC subway station

Image courtesy of Marc A. Hermann / MTA on Flickr

February 21, 2024

MTA installing LED lights in every NYC subway station

By Aaron Ginsburg

Bright LED lights will be installed in every New York City subway station in a new effort to make the system safer for commuters, the Metropolitan Transportation Authority announced this week. The project includes replacing all 150,000 fluorescent lights across the city's subway system with LED lighting by the middle of 2026. Officials say the lights will enhance safety on the subway by brightening every platform and mezzanine and improving the visibility of the 15,000 security cameras found throughout the transit system.
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Rendering of Freedom Plaza courtesy of Negativ

February 14, 2024

Bjarke Ingels unveils design for Freedom Plaza casino development next to the U.N.

By Devin Gannon

As the state's process for choosing a site for a New York City gaming facility continues to slowly move forward, new renderings released this week offer a closer look at one proposed casino in Manhattan. Renowned architecture firm Bjarke Ingels Group (BIG) on Monday unveiled new images of Freedom Plaza, a mixed-use development with apartments, a hotel, a museum, a 4.77-acre public park, and an underground casino just south of the United Nations.
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Crown Heights townhouse seized from slumlords available for $678K through lottery

Photos courtesy of NYC Housing Preservation and Development

February 12, 2024

Crown Heights townhouse seized from slumlords available for $678K through lottery

By Aaron Ginsburg

A Crown Heights townhouse owned by an infamous slumlord duo and seized by the city is for sale. The home at 1214 Dean Street was turned over in 2022 after a $2.25 million settlement between the city and the previous owners, who tried to illegally evict tenants during the pandemic and ran an illegal hotel. Following a restoration, the property is now accepting applications as part of the city's affordable housing lottery system. First-time homebuyers with at least a four-person household earning 110 percent of the area median income can apply to buy the home, which is listed at $678,000.
HOW TO APPLY

NYC rental vacancy rate drops to 1.4%, lowest in 50+ years

Photo by Goh Rhy Yan on Unsplash

February 9, 2024

NYC rental vacancy rate drops to 1.4%, lowest in 50+ years

By Aaron Ginsburg

New York City's net rental vacancy rate has dropped to a mere 1.4 percent, the lowest rate on record. According to a survey released by the Department of Housing Preservation and Development on Thursday, the city had a little over 33,000 vacant rental apartments available between January and mid-June of 2023 citywide, out of a total stock of 2,357,000 units. Despite adding 60,000 units since 2021, the demand for housing in all five boroughs is outpacing the construction of new homes.
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NYC real estate developer arrested in $86M+ fraud scheme

Photo courtesy of Nicole Franzen

February 8, 2024

NYC real estate developer arrested in $86M+ fraud scheme

By Aaron Ginsburg

The former executive of a luxury New York City development firm has been arrested for his connection to an $86 million fraud scheme. Nir Meir, the former managing director of HFZ Capital, was taken into custody on Monday along with other high-ranking industry officials, for stealing money from investors, subcontractors, and the city of New York, according to the indictment. Prosecutors claim Meir, who managed the firm's largest projects, specifically The XI (now One High Line), directed more than $253 million of the project's funding to LLCs controlled by HFZ despite being legally required to use the money for the development.
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New York lawmakers propose new state agency to build affordable ‘social housing’

Photo courtesy of edwardhblake on Flickr

February 7, 2024

New York lawmakers propose new state agency to build affordable ‘social housing’

By Aaron Ginsburg

New York lawmakers want to create a new publicly-funded agency to address the state's ongoing affordable housing crisis. State Sen. Cordell Cleare and Assembly Member Emily Gallagher on Tuesday introduced a bill proposing the creation of the Social Housing Development Authority (SHDA), a new agency that would use state money to finance the creation of permanently affordable, 100 percent union-built housing, instead of relying on private developers. According to City Limits, SHDA would create "social housing," a term used to describe developments typically owned by public entities, non-profits, or the residents themselves.
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NYCHA LaGuardia Houses; Photo via Wikimedia

February 6, 2024

70 NYCHA workers charged with bribery and extortion

By Aaron Ginsburg

Dozens of current and former employees of the New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA) were charged on Tuesday with bribery and extortion offenses. As many as 70 superintendents and assistant superintendents at nearly 100 NYCHA buildings allegedly demanded over $2 million in bribery money from contractors collectively in exchange for $13 million in work, according to charges unsealed by the United States Attorney's Office for the Southern District of New York. According to U.S. Attorney Damian Williams, the action marks the largest single-day bribery takedown in the history of the Justice Department. Williams said 66 of the 70 defendants were arrested this morning.
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