Map shows the storefronts studied in SoHo. Blue dots represent occupied stores; pink dots represent vacancies; yellow dots represent vacancies with construction or a store coming soon. Image Credit: NYC DCP

The causes of vacancies vary due to differences in local economies and other community characteristics. On August 8, 2019, the Department of City Planning released “Assessing Storefront Vacancy in NYC”, a report which examines retail patterns and storefront vacancies across 24 different neighborhood shopping corridors around the city. (more…)

Map of Citi Bike expansion shown in dark blue. Expansion underway is shown in red. Existing CitiBike service shown in light blue. Image Credit: Mayor’s Office.

The Citi Bike expansion will double the current service area by 35 square miles and triple the number of bikes to 40,000. On July 16, 2019, the de Blasio Administration announced Citi Bike’s expansion. Last November, Lyft entered into an agreement with the City to invest $100 million in Citi Bike, which will double the size of Citi Bike’s service area and triple the number of bikes in the program. The expansion will take place from 2019 to 2023 and will bring Citi Bike to all of Manhattan, the Bronx, and deeper into Brooklyn and Queens. (more…)

Five of the seven buildings designated as individual landmarks on June 11, 2019. Image Credit: Google Maps

Commissioners commented on the importance of communicating the benefits of landmarking to the public. On June 11, 2019, the Landmarks Preservation Commission voted to designate seven buildings as individual landmarks on Broadway south of Union Square. The buildings are located at 817 Broadway, 826 Broadway, 830 Broadway, 832 Broadway, 836 Broadway, 840 Broadway, and 841 Broadway. The seven buildings were constructed between 1876 and 1902. The buildings housed garment manufacturers, book publishers, and even a movie studio and reflected a time when Manhattan was continuing to grow north. (more…)

Map of proposed project site for the Bronx jail at 745 East 141st Street. Image Credit: NYC CPC

The four jails are set to replace Rikers island by 2027. On March 25, 2019, the City Planning Commission certified the City’s application for four borough-based jails as a part of the City’s plan to shut down Rikers Island. The four jails – in Manhattan, the Bronx, Queens, and Brooklyn – will have a total of 5,748 beds and a capacity of 5,000 inmates. The additional 748 beds will be used to account for taking occupied cells out of service for repairs, separating inmates based on gender or sentenced versus non-sentenced or other space needs. (more…)

From left to right: John Schoettler, Vice President for Global Real Estate at Amazon, Governor Andrew M. Cuomo, and Mayor Bill de Blasio at the November 13, 2018 Press Conference. Image Credit: Ed Reed/Mayoral Photography Office

The project will bring tens of thousands of new jobs, billions in tax revenue, and investment in infrastructure, City says. On November 13, 2018, Mayor Bill de Blasio and Governor Andrew M. Cuomo announced that Amazon has selected Long Island City, Queens for one of its two new corporate headquarters. The City has been steadily increasing investment into Long Island City, with more than $2.4 billion of planned infrastructure investments and a recently announced $180 million investment for new schools, open space, and transportation. Long Island City is located across the East River from Midtown Manhattan and the Upper East Side, at the western tip of Queens. (more…)