One of Mayor Bloomberg’s last political salvos before he leaves office next year is the design competition for micro-units. This insidious pilot program will test the viability of hyper-population density by increasing the residential units in existing buildings by thin-slicing them into micro-units measuring a claustrophobic 300 square feet. The baffling question is why would anyone want MORE people to live in Manhattan?

The developers are pre-positioning themselves by digging under the legal foundation by circumventing those pesky zoning changes, height limitations and the local community board gauntlet, to re-purpose existing buildings into whatever the market demands. This pilot-program is the Trojan horse to legally overturn the 1987 law requiring a minimum of 400 square feet for residential units.

READ MORE

Even after The Deluge, they kept coming. Tourism in New York City has never been more robust after 9/11. Back in 2002, while some tourists canceled their visits, there were more than enough curiosity seekers to take their place. The truth is, when  the world focuses their attention on a single epic event taking place in a famous city like New York,  some of those people will want to make their next trip a pilgrimage.

Last year, fifty million tourists visited New York City, compared to 35 million in 2001. Economists will tell you that the weak dollar has made vacationing in America a relative bargain. But that doesn’t explain why tourism in the rest of the United States declined by 2% last year, while it was up 2.5% in New York City. Mayor Bloomberg, understandably, would like to take a lot of the credit, citing quality of life issues (the beautification of public spaces like the High Line, and park-like traffic islands throughout the City). The Mayor also credits his effective overseas marketing campaign, conducted by NYC & Company, the agency charged with promoting the City.

In 2006, he merged three separate marketing departments—NYC & Company, NYC Big Events, and NYC Marketing—to create one powerhouse promotional agency. (The Comptroller’s office is not so happy with NYC & Company right now, but that is a whole other story.) This March, NYC & Company announced that it had set a goal of steering over 55 million visitors to the Big Apple by 2015, with a laser-like on the 18- to 29-year-old youth market. Currently, the youth market makes up about 30% of the total, but most of that is domestic tourism, not foreign. The city plans to host many special events that would appeal to young people, and help them find affordable lodging and eateries.

READ MORE

I have received countless emails and phone calls regarding the problems development partners CPCR and Isaac Katan are having at the former Domino refinery, which was rezoned for up to 2,200 units of housing. CPCR and Katan purchased the site in 2004 for 55 million dollars.

This is a very complex story that is impossible to explain in one article, but in a nutshell, the developers were given a huge density bonus on the premise that they were going to build 660 units of affordable housing, even though there is no legal obligation for them to do so. Now, it seems that the main developer, CPCR, has defaulted on its loans and is having financial problems, and that CPCR has agreed to give its lender, Pacific Coast Capital, an 84 percent stake in the property in exchange for forgiving its debt. Also, the current partner, Isaac Katan, is suing CPCR. Katan claims that CPCR has mismanaged the project for eight years. Katan wants to block the sale of the site to Pacific Coast Capital. His lawsuit alleges “breach of fiduciary duty, breach of contract, breach of the implied covenant of good faith and fair dealing, negligent performance,” according to the court filing.

READ MORE

The Real Deal April 13, 2012 06:15PM By Adam Pincus

WG News + Arts reporter/columnist Phil DePaolo broke this story for WG in March 2011.   We’re proud of Phil because of the significant accomplishment it served for residents of our community.

READ MORE

Domino Falls Down (Architect’s Newspaper)

CPCR Donated over $100K to Local Supporters (Eastern District)

READ MORE