Homeowners on the city’s shores have had just about enough of being washed out. With the two-year anniversary of Sandy approaching later this month, only a small percentage of the homes that applied for rebuilding have seen construction begin. With Build it Back generally considered a failed response to the […]
Month: October 2014
With condo prices in the sky, young bankers rent instead
As city real estate prices soar, Wall Street’s woes are behind one overlooked aspect of the rental rise: uncertain young bankers renting apartments rather than buying. Finance workers have long driven the real estate market in New York. Before the financial crisis, that took the form of big condo and […]
Aqueduct developers will have to pitch better transit to soccer stadium
It seems wherever Major League Soccer wants to build a stadium in New York, there’s a problem. In Flushing Meadows-Corona Park, there were issues with removing a big chunk of the park. There were problems with a landlord in the Bronx. And, if approved, the league will have to grapple […]
Charter School Rally Calls Attention To Failing Public Schools
Charter schools are keeping the pressure on Mayor de Blasio concerning their future and impact on New York City kids. Two weeks ago, Families for Excellent Schools hosted a rally that gathered about 10,000 charter school supporters according to crowd-controlling police officers. It called for city officials to address the issue […]
Employers That Don’t Pay Might Never Have to
Alfredo Alegria worked six-day weeks for 2000 Homes Inc., a company that buys houses in disrepair, then renovates and flips them for a profit. Alfredo earned $120/day carrying, drilling and installing 40 pound sheetrock walls and flooring. One day, at the end of Alfredo’s shift, his boss told him he […]
Next Top Makers Represent Innovation in New York Manufacturing
Do-it-yourself and local manufacturing continues to innovate the New York City industrial sector while the industry experiences modest growth and stabilization after decades of steep declines. The six fellows of New York’s Next Top Makers incubator program announced last week exemplify what people in the maker movement see as the […]
The change in demographics of minimum wage workers ignites the fight for change
The smell of fast food and greasy shirts is no longer an experience secluded to teenagers as the face of cashiers, disgruntled retail workers, and the pimply-faced teenager sweating over a fast food grill has changed. The amount of teenagers working on minimum wage has been reduced by more than […]
Construction Boom Gives Unions Upper Hand at Astoria Cove
On Monday, the City Planning Commission approved the rezoning of Astoria Cove, booting it to the city council. The development stands to set the bar for Mayor Bill de Blasio’s affordable housing policy in terms of how many affordable units are created, but also whether or not the city will require union labor for […]
R train reopens under budget, under schedule and under prepared
The subway is in good service … until, maybe, another storm hits. While the MTA has poured millions into rebuilding the transit system after Sandy, there are few guarantees that the time-effective work over the last two years will make the city’s tunnels more resilient than before. Should another storm […]
Airbnb’s Not the Only One with Skin in the Home Sharing Game
Airbnb, the poster child of the sharing economy, is bearing the brunt of a media campaign launched by housing advocates, legislators and hoteliers. The ShareBetter coalition says Airbnb violates local illegal hotel laws and put down 3 million dollars on a marketing campaign to make sure that New Yorkers know. […]