NYCHA tenants react to settlement
How do NYCHA tenants feel about a federal monitor stepping in to oversee management?
Long Island development controversy
Residents of Syosset, Long Island, packed a public hearing on Tuesday. Most of them oppose a proposed mega-development called Syosset Park. The development would encompass about 93 acres, some of which are a former Superfund site and also a landfill. The development would include condos, townhouses, retail, entertainment, restaurants, office space, two hotels, and a 30-acre park. The park would be over the former landfill.
Public housing rent increases?
The more than 400,000 New York City residents who live in public housing could soon see a federally mandated rent increase that many say they can't afford. Under a proposal by the U.S. Secretary of Housing and Urban Development Ben Carson, public housing residents would be required to pay 35 percent of their gross income in rent, up from the current requirement of 30 percent of adjusted income.
NYC rents fall
If you rent a home in New York City, you already know we have some of the highest rents in the country. Now, finally, some promising news: rents are starting to come down a little, according to a report by appraiser Miller Samuel Inc. and brokerage firm Douglas Elliman Real Estate.
NYCHA state of emergency
New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo signed a state of emergency to end the bureaucratic gridlock that has stalled urgent health and safety repairs in public housing managed by the New York City Housing Authority. He pledged more than half a billion dollars set firm deadlines for results.
Housing priorities in NYC
Ask New Yorkers and they'll tell you that our city is expensive. Housing costs are high. And sometimes it feels like everything is going up but your paycheck. With that in mind, StreetEasy.com surveyed 1,000 New Yorkers across all five boroughs to get an idea of what people were thinking in terms of their real estate priorities, plans, and preferences.
Jared Kushner's real estate controversies
The nonprofit group Housing Rights Initiative and City Council Member Ritchie Torres are accusing Jared Kushner's real estate company of using a scheme to drive tenants out of their rent-stabilized apartments so they could make more money on the buildings. They allege that over a four-year period Kushner Companies lied to the city Buildings Department about the number of rent-stabilized apartments in 34 of its buildings. Kushner Companies reportedly filed more than 80 false work permit applications with the city, which is against the law, with the goal of driving out tenants with nonstop construction.
NYC housing trends
You could call 2018 the Year of the Renter in New York City. StreetEasy senior economist Grant Long says rents have been skyrocketing since the end of the financial crisis and finally cooled off last year, putting renters in the driver's seat in 2018. He advises anyone signing a lease this year to ask for a month or two off the front-end.
NYCHA maintenance problems
Life got better Tuesday for the residents of the Farragut Houses in Brooklyn. They have been without heat since last week's snowstorm. The New York City Housing Authority said that heat has been restored. But the Brooklyn borough president said NYCHA needs to update its methods.
Veterans move into new home
Five formerly homeless veterans now have a place they can call home in Brooklyn. They moved into a Stanley Commons, a six-building complex in East New York, thanks to a program from the city's Department of Veterans' Services in collaboration with other city agencies, the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, and the complex itself.
Revitalizing downtown White Plains
The White Plains Mall was built in the early 1970s in downtown White Plains, New York. As the area transforms, time is ticking for the almost vacant mall. That is why the owner of the property, WP Mall Realty, has proposed tearing down the mall and building a mixed-use development.
Long Island City development boom
Whichever way you turn in Long Island City, avoiding the sight of construction is nearly impossible. Rockrose Development is building a 2,500-unit residential development but is also making sure to bring lots of retail to the neighborhood, too. Another huge project is coming to 44th Drive near the East River. The city's Economic Development Corporation is building more than 1,000 apartments, a new school, offices, and a manufacturing space.
Lawsuit against Kushner Companies
Some tenants in Brooklyn are suing a business once run by Jared Kushner, the president's son-in law and close adviser. The lawsuit claims that Kushner Companies failed to provide rent-stabilized leases to tenants as required at a beautiful building in Brooklyn Heights.
NYC official pressures banks on bad landlords
New York City official is shining a spotlight on the banks behind some notorious landlords and hopes to use those banks to force the landlords to fix up their buildings. Public Advocate Letitia James has a so-called worst landlords list. Now she is going after the banks that fund those worst landlords.
NYC 12 X 12 social experiment
Christina Horsten and Felix Zeltner feel right at home in the St. George section of Staten Island -- at least for the next few days. It is one of 12 neighborhoods the couple and their 2-year-old daughter have lived in over the past 12 months as part of a sort of social experiment to experience the vastly different sights, sounds, flavors and personalities that New York City has to offer.
Newark riots 50 years later
On July 12, 50 years ago, no Black Lives Matter movement existed. No one chanted, "Hands up, don't shoot." But the same racial tensions that exist today were even more of a reality. So when police arrested and beat a black cab driver, calls for a peaceful protest were ignored and the city of Newark, New Jersey, was forever changed.
Long Island zombie homes
Construction is underway on some bank-foreclosed properties in Central Islip. The Suffolk County Landbank acquired the homes, which will be gutted and renovated. The landbank works with nonprofit organizations to combat neglected homes and rebuild neighborhoods.
Broken promise on parkland?
When the new Yankee Stadium was built along with new parking lots and garages, some parks were eliminated. As part of the deal with the Yankees, the city rebuilt part of the parkland that was lost with Macombs Dam Park and Mill Pond Park. However, the city was supposed to extend Mill Pond Park into a vacant area, but now that may not happen. Some are calling this a broken promise.
Affordable housing crisis
Affordable housing is a pressing need in New York City. Crown Heights in Brooklyn is one example of where the fight for affordable housing is being waged. The neighborhood is also home to one of the largest groups of displaced residents and is featured prominently in the city's plan for 90 new homeless shelters.
Anger over Brooklyn development plan
Some people are upset over a proposed Crown Heights project.