Posts

Added to the List: Front & York, DUMBO

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I’ve added Front & York to my Condos/Co-ops With Outdoor Pools list on Google Maps . Check it out! This is one of the biggest new residential developments in DUMBO — a full-block project at 85 Jay Street , designed by Morris Adjmi Architects . It manages to look both new and contextual, with warehouse-style brickwork, grid windows, and metal detailing that fit right into the neighborhood’s industrial streetscape. Inside, the apartments are as polished as you’d expect: high ceilings, chevron-patterned oak floors, Gaggenau appliances, marble baths, and big divided-light windows overlooking the Brooklyn Bridge or skyline. Most of the finishes lean warm and understated — it’s luxury, but not flashy. The amenities are what put this place over the top. There’s a Life Time fitness club built into the base of the complex, co-working spaces, a wine room, children’s play areas, and a private half-acre park landscaped by Michael Van Valkenburgh Associates . And yes — an  outdoor ro...

When “Affordable” Means Out of Reach: Ruby Square and the Theater of NYC Housing

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A new housing lottery is underway for Ruby Square, a 12-story development in Jamaica, Queens. Designed by Perkins Eastman and developed by BRP Companies, it includes 614 units, of which 185 are slated as “affordable” under the city’s Housing Connect program. But when you dig into the numbers—especially what people actually make in New York—the term “affordable” begins to look like a bait-and-switch.

NYC Landlords Cry Foul Over Tenant Protections, But the Real Story Is Slumlord Behavior

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Since the passage of the Housing Stability and Tenant Protection Act (HSTPA), landlords and politicians have been crying about lost profits, burdensome regulations, and supposed threats to the market. The narrative is always the same: they claim they can’t afford to maintain buildings anymore, that the new laws are “punishing” owners, and that the city will collapse if they can’t raise rents to whatever level they choose.

ICE Agents Smash Car Window, Point Guns at Colorado Family with Newborn

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A horrifying incident in Colorado has exacerbated issues with the tactics ICE agents are using during arrests. Video footage captured last week shows ICE agents boxing in a car carrying 33-year-old Jose Aguilera, his partner Maya England, and their 1-month-old baby. Agents drew their guns, shouted commands, and ultimately shattered the driver’s side window while the infant sat in the back seat.

The 2025 NYC Mayoral Race: A Working-Class Viewpoint

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New York City’s 2025 mayoral contest pits three wildly different visions against each other – and the lives of working families are at stake. On one side is Zohran Mamdani , a young Democratic Socialist and state legislator who made affordability his rallying cry. On another is Andrew Cuomo , the ex-governor now running as an independent, courting moderate voters with a centrist platform and promises of pragmatism.

The Trump Name: How Much of New York’s Skyline Still Carries It — and Why Lots of Buildings Don’t Want It Anymore

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  Donald Trump’s name used to be shorthand for brass-and-glass Manhattan swagger. Today it’s become, for a surprising number of owners and residents, a headache they’d rather be rid of. The Trump Organization still has a visible presence in New York real estate, but the gilded lettering that once announced “Trump” on dozens of buildings has been peeled off, painted over, hidden, or quietly rebranded across the city.

The Pierre’s $2B Drama and the Rare World of Co-ops Selling the Whole Building

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The Pierre is back in the headlines, and not for its famous parties or hotel suites. This time it’s the residents of the legendary co-op tower on Fifth Avenue who are in open revolt. The reason? A plan to sell the entire building for a jaw-dropping $2 billion . According to The Real Deal , billionaire Howard Lutnick—who owns the penthouse and a big chunk of the co-op shares—has been pushing the idea.

KPF’s Proposal for 515 Seventh Avenue

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The Garment District is continuing its slow but steady transformation, with a planned tower at 515 Seventh Avenue designed by Kohn Pedersen Fox. The proposal, currently under review, envisions a 36- to 38-story structure that could serve either as a dedicated office building or as a hybrid of office floors and hotel use.

New York’s Addiction to Building Big

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New York has always built tall, but in the last decade it hasn’t just gone vertical — it has gone super-sized. While most American cities have scaled down, focusing on mixed-use developments or more modest office projects, New York keeps producing mega-towers of two to three million square feet. The result is landscape filled with spaces for corporate giants that few companies can realistically fill.

The State of the Luxury Watch Industry in 2024

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The luxury watch industry continues to thrive, blending heritage craftsmanship with modern marketing power. Two recent datasets — global rankings from 2017 to 2024 and estimated 2024 market turnover figures — provide a clear picture of where brands stand and how they’ve adapted to shifting consumer demand.

NYC New Construction Report 2024: Permit Activity Slows, But Projects Grow Larger

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In 2024, New York City logged 2,744 building permit applications, totaling over 71 million square feet of new space and nearly 53,000 planned housing and hotel units. This represents a decline from 2023, when more than 4,300 permits were filed.  Permit activity peaked in January but stayed under 300 per month afterward, marking a cooldown from the late-2023 surge.

Sylvester Stallone’s Palm Beach Home and the Florida Migration Trend

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When Sylvester Stallone and Jennifer Flavin purchased their Palm Beach estate in 2020 and later undertook a large-scale redesign, they joined a growing number of high-profile buyers reshaping Florida’s luxury housing market. Their move highlights several ongoing trends in South Florida real estate.

Skyscrapers Reborn: Inside New York’s Office-to-Residential Conversions

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In the wake of the pandemic, a surge of empty offices in Manhattan has triggered a wave of conversions into apartments. City data shows that by early 2025, some 44 projects were under way or planned, potentially creating about 17,400 new homes (mostly studios and one-bedrooms) from surplus office space.

NYC Affordable Housing Lotteries: New Developments

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Looking for affordable housing in NYC? The city’s Housing Connect portal is your go-to platform for applying—to both new and upcoming lotteries. Here are several standout developments and some of their amenities and features.

NYC’s Current Affordable Housing State: A Borough-by-Borough Overview

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New York City’s housing lottery system continuously opens new affordable apartments across all five boroughs. Recent lotteries show wide variation in income targets and rents by neighborhood. In Manhattan, for example, new developments offer middle-income units (up to 130% of area median income, or AMI) alongside low-income senior housing.

NYC Rental Trends: 6-Month Shifts in Price and Affordability Across the Boroughs

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New York City’s rental market has always been a bellwether of broader economic conditions, but the past six months have been especially dynamic. Rising interest rates, shifting demand, and an ongoing struggle with affordability have pushed rents up in some neighborhoods while softening prices in others.

Apartment Spotlight: Getting Real with Alma in Hell's Kitchen - 2-BR / 2-Bath: $5,600/mo

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Let's talk brass tacks about this new two-bedroom, two-bathroom unit at Alma in Hell's Kitchen. It's fresh, it's new, and it's got some modern touches, but let's be realistic about what you're getting.

How U.S. Tariffs Are Reshaping the Global Watch Industry

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The luxury watch world has long revolved around Switzerland, with iconic brands dominating the high-end market and the U.S. serving as one of their most important destinations. But in 2025, sweeping U.S. tariffs on imports have shaken the foundations of the industry.

Living the Dream: The History, Prestige, and Present of NYC Co-ops

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For more than a century, New York City’s co-op apartments have defined the way its most powerful and privileged residents live. From their Gilded Age origins as an alternative to townhouses, to their rise as bastions of exclusivity where celebrities and moguls were famously turned away, co-ops have been as much about social status as shelter.

The Breuer Building: From Avant-Garde Museum to Auction House Icon

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Located at 945 Madison Avenue, the Breuer Building is one of Manhattan’s most iconic and polarizing examples of modern architecture. With its looming concrete form and signature inverted ziggurat shape, it has long been a conversation starter—whether celebrated as a Brutalist masterpiece or dismissed as a cold, alien presence on the Upper East Side.