L-pocalpse

Off the Grid, On the Bridge and Out of the Chamber — The Hook-up (5/18)

Posted by Lucie Levine |

Williamsburg Bridge (photo: Julia Moak)

Happy Friday, Greenpoint! For some of our neighbors, this has been a tough week. On Sunday, 500 Greenpoint residents lost their heat and hot water when National Grid cut service due to a water-damaged gas line.

But, Greenpoint isn’t entirely without modern conveniences, and a kickstarter campaign launched on Thursday wants to up the ante. The project calls for a floating pedestrian bridge connecting Greenpoint and Long Island City. 

Speaking of Bridges, it became clear at Wednesday’s L-pocalypse Town Hall in Williamsburg that the Williamsburg Bridge can only handle 3 extra trains per hour over the current schedule, certainly not enough to meet the demands of ousted L riders.  Continue reading →

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NYU is in the Pencil Factory, The BQX isn’t in the Budget, and NYC blames Airbnb for Rising Rent — the Hook-up (5/11)

Posted by Lucie Levine |

BQXRendering_Greenpointers_Cadkin
Not Today, BQX

Happy Friday, Greenpoint! Say hello to our newest neighbor: NYU School of Medicine. NYU has signed a 15-year lease for nearly 17,000sqft of space at 74 Kent Street, and will open a physical therapy and imaging center.

While we will be getting NYU, we won’t be getting BQX. Mayor de Blasio did not include the project in his budget for the next fiscal year, and the city’s Economic Development Corporation also declined allocate funds for the Gentrification Express.

Speaking of big budget items, the former Greenpoint Mechanics and Traders Bank at 144 Franklin Street is on the market for $6.5 Million.

If that sounds steep, the city hopes you’ll blame Airbnb. A study from the city Comptroller finds that airbnb listings have driven rents in Greenpoint up about $100/month. The Comptroller also blames the company for rent increases and homelessness across the city, a very steep charge to level against New Yorkers who share their homes on the platform because rent is so high in the first place.  Continue reading →

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The L train is Clobbering Rents and Riders are Clobbering Each Other — The Hook-up (3/30)

Posted by Lucie Levine |

kent street greenpoint brooklyn
We know Greenpoint is Gorgeous. Could rents be dropping thanks to L-pocalpse?

Welcome to the Hook-up. We all know the MTA is a diva. But this time it’s not (all) about the L-pocalypse. In fact, this week, MTA honcho Andy Byford was crowing about a different set of repairs. His goal is to update the subway’s pre-war signal system, and he suggests he can get it done in 10-15 years! To put that in perspective, other estimates peg the time frame at 40 years. How will he do it? Suspending a lot of weekend service.

But anyway, back to L-pocalypse. If there’s any silver lining within the impending doom that is the L-train shutdown, it might be that rents have already begun to fall in North Brooklyn ahead of the closure. 

Presumably, those still renting in North BK will be sanguine about the shutdown, and go about their lives as best they can. But not everyone was so serene on the subway this week. In fact, a 25 year-old man punched a 5-year-old in the face on the G train on Monday, and checked himself into Jacobi Medical Center. Police cannot question or arrest him until he is released.  Continue reading →

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