Most New Yorkers support homeless shelters in their neighborhood: poll

Some six in ten New Yorkers say they would actually support a shelter opening in their community

The city has faced fierce opposition over its plans to build 90 new shelters for the city's ballooning homeless population, but nearly six in ten New Yorkers say they would actually support a shelter opening in their neighborhood, according to a new poll.

The survey, conducted by homeless service group Win and market research company HarrisX, questioned 1,002 New Yorkers from all five boroughs on the city's homeless crisis; more than 63,000 New Yorkers—enough to fill Yankee Stadium and then some—are currently lacking housing. Of those polled, 92 percent say shelter space should be offered to all who need it and 59 percent said they would support a homeless shelter opening its doors in their community.

"New Yorkers don't agree on much, but the poll shows that New Yorkers believe we should do more to solve the problem of homelessness and they are willing to do their part, in their own neighborhoods," said Christine Quinn, former City Council speaker and current president and CEO of Win, in a statement.

Those surveyed also expressed overwhelming support for city-offered supportive services, including career counseling and help obtaining housing; aid in accessing subsidized child care for homeless and formerly homeless children; tax incentives for employers who train and hire homeless and those who once were; and rent vouchers to help those struggling to make ends meet stay in their homes.

Last year, 133,284 homeless men, women, and children slept in city shelters, according to city data. That figure has ballooned over recent years with the number of homeless New Yorkers sleeping each night in municipal shelters 74 percent higher than it was 10 years ago, and the number of single adults a staggering 150 percent higher compared to a decade ago, according to analysis by the Coalition for the Homeless.

To reduce those numbers, in February 2017 Mayor Bill de Blasio announced "Turning the Tide on Homelessness," an aggressive five-year plan to overhaul the city's shelter system. Under the plan, the city seeks to end the use of commercial hotels for shelter, shutter all privately-owned city shelter units—often referred to as cluster sites—and replace them with 90 new shelters equipped with supportive services. Homeless shelters announced for Washington Heights, Midtown, and Crown Heights drew fierce ire from locals.

Win's survey also pointed to the misconceptions New Yorkers often harbor when it comes to the homeless. While families with children represent over 70 percent of New York City's homeless population, 62 percent of those polled believe that the city's homeless are primarily single men and women. Some 65 percent also assumed that having a job is enough to stave off homelessness, but one in three homeless families have a working adult. The country's level of working poor—those who spend 27 weeks or more in a year either working or looking for work, but whose incomes fall below the federal poverty line—is came in at just shy of 10 million in 2016, according to U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data.

Even those who opposed shelters coming to their neighborhoods admit living near one "isn't as bad as we thought it would be," as Dion Ashman, a longtime Crown Heights resident, told Curbed in October. Ashman, who opposed a family shelter opening on Rogers Avenue and Crown Street, even helped bring a lawsuit on behalf of concerned neighbors to halt the project.

"The things that people were concerned about, the quality of life issues, those haven't really materialized," he told Curbed. The advisory board for that shelter, of which Ashman is a member, shifted to meeting every three months instead of monthly because there simply wasn't much to report within that window. "There wasn't really enough new material to report on at the end of every month," Ashman added.

Is NYC ready for the L train ‘slowdown’? Transit advocates weigh in

The short answer? Not really.

It's T-minus three days and counting until the MTA begins its long-planned repair of the Canarsie Tunnel, disrupting the lives of the roughly 225,000 commuters who use the L train on a daily basis.

L riders who spent the past few years bracing themselves for a full cessation of service between Brooklyn and Manhattan now have a new set of challenges to contend with. The plan that will be carried out, cooked up by a panel of engineers hired by Gov. Andrew Cuomo at the end of 2018, will not require the Canarsie Tunnel to be closed entirely. Instead, work can be done on one track at a time, meaning trains can still run during rush hour and at off-peak hours.

But even though the new method of repairing the tunnel won't necessitate a full shutdown—a fact that many praised when it was announced in January—that doesn't mean service on the L will be pleasant during the 15 to 20 months (a specific timetable has yet to be determined, per the MTA) repairs will be taking place. Many transit advocates believe there's a chance things will be just as bad—or worse—than they would have been during a full L train shutdown.

"We're less prepared now for this plan, that would seem to be less of a disruption, than we would have been for the full 15 month shutdown," says Joe Cutrufo, the communications director for Transportation Alternatives. "There was a really good mitigation plan for that. The mitigation plan for this partial shutdown is nowhere near as good."

To recap, on weekdays, L trains will run as usual during rush hour, but will have limited service at night. Starting at 8 p.m., service will start to slow down so work trains can move into position, and subways will run every 20 minutes—that's three L trains per hour—between 10 p.m. and 5 a.m. On weekends, that three-L-trains-per-hour schedule will be the norm. And as anyone whose ridden the L train on a weekend knows, trains can get crowded even outside of the rush hour commute.

"The problem is the weekend peak hour, our ridership is 8,000 riders per hour," explains Danny Pearlstein, the policy and communications director of Riders Alliance. "And with trains running every 20 minutes, the maximum that can be accommodated is 4,800 an hour. So that's 3,200 frustrated riders in a weekend peak hour every weekend for who knows how long."

The MTA has advised riders to anticipate crowding at subway stations in Manhattan and Brooklyn, most recently in a series of tweets about service options during the slowdown:

L trains will run every 10 minutes in Brooklyn between Rockaway Pkwy and Lorimer St. Every other L train will continue into Manhattan. In Manhattan and at Bedford Av, the L will arrive every ~20 minutes, but at certain times, it may be too crowded to board the first train. (2/8) pic.twitter.com/kStqMmctof

— NYCT Subway (@NYCTSubway) April 22, 2019

There are also plenty of alternative service options—more 7, G, and M trains, free transfers between stations, and special "Williamsburg Link" buses to shuttle riders to and from stations in that neighborhood. But whether or not riders use those, or decide to try and take their chances with the L, remains to be seen.

"I think before with the shutdown plan, that was going to be tough, too, but people had pretty clear choices about what the most direct route was going to be," says Ben Fried, communications director at TransitCenter. "And with this plan, it's less clear. I expect there to be really intense crowding at the stations on either side of the river."

If crowding becomes an issue, the MTA has not ruled out making some high-traffic stations, like First and Third avenues, exit-only to deal with overflow. But that could lead to additional problems: overcrowding on platforms; riders clamoring to get onto buses; frustrated commuters; and ultimately, more riders turning to other options, like ride-hailing apps, to get from place to place (which will, in turn, lead to more congestion on city streets).

"What we're looking at without an excellent public transit option above ground that's direct, fast, [and] reliable, we're looking at a mini L-pocalypse or L-mageddon on a weekly basis, if not more frequently," says Pearlstein.

Buses could serve that need for direct, fast, and reliable service through Manhattan, but as of this writing, it's unclear how they will fit into the larger spate of transit options during L repairs. One of the biggest issues cited by the advocates Curbed spoke with is the lack of clarity around the city's plan for buses along 14th Street. Originally, when a full shutdown was planned, the MTA and the New York City Department of Transportation floated the idea of a dedicated busway on 14th Street between Ninth and Third avenues. This would have allowed the various M14 routes (A and D) to move seamlessly along the thoroughfare, without interruption from private cars or other vehicles.

We're looking at a mini L-pocalypse or L-mageddon on a weekly basis, if not more frequently.

"This is official city policy, to be speeding up buses 25 percent and to reduce carbon emissions, and all that stuff justifies going ahead with the full busway," notes Fried. "We're talking about one of the most intensely-used surface transit routes in the city, if not the most intensely, even before a shutdown of the L train."

But it's unclear if a busway will actually end up happening; the city and the MTA have promised that they'll release bus plans sometime this week, and the clock is ticking. Plans are in the works to add a SBS line on 14th Street this summer, but even that won't do much to get people moving faster—on average, SBS lines move only slightly faster than local bus routes, according to an analysis by Comptroller Scott Stringer's office.

"There could have been a way to do this where I would be telling you right now, the DOT and the mayor, they forged ahead and they decided that better bus service was a priority even without the full shutdown," says Cutrufo. "I could be telling you that now, but I'm not, because they've been really kind of weak on making the 14th Street bus corridor work better. The fact that just regular old select bus service is coming, I don't see it being a dramatic improvement."

So what advice do these advocates have for riders who may soon find themselves in dire commuting straits? "I would say now's a good time to get comfortable biking on New York City streets if you're capable and courageous," Cutrufo says. (May is Bike Month in NYC, after all.) Even without pedal-assist Citi Bikes on the roads—they were recently removed due to safety concerns—biking is still fast and relatively attractive for those who are able to do so.

Fried, meanwhile, suggests commuters "get loud and agitate" if it becomes clear very quickly that the slowdown is turning into an L-pocalypse. "If things don't work out the way we're expecting with the substitute service, it's not too late to implement a better plan," he says. "These are inherently flexible modes that can be set up at relatively short notice. We've had very high-capacity, temporary bus lines set up to deal with natural disasters and after 9/11. The city and the MTA can mobilize quickly if things don't work the way they're supposed to."

Staten Island’s Bay Street rezoning approved by City Planning Commission

The Staten Island BP calls the rezoning a "boondoggle" while activists say it is "irresponsible"

A proposal to rezone a stretch of Staten Island's north shore passed the City Planning Commission (CPC) on Monday, despite simmering concerns that a spike in density will overburden the area's infrastructure and create housing that is unattainable for locals.

In an 8-to-3 vote, the commission approved the city-initiated rezoning that would bring a swell of new apartments, retail, and office space to a 14 block-span known as the Bay Street corridor, which runs through St. George, Tompkinsville, and Stapleton. The city estimates it will add 1,800 new apartments into the area—up to 30 percent would be set aside for below-market-rate units—to house some 6,500 residents on the sleepy corridor, which at the moment is zoned for mostly manufacturing uses.

During the vote, CPC chair Marisa Lago touted the proposal's vision for Staten Island's north shore. "I'm pleased that the Bay Street corridor rezoning is more than just a rezoning, it's a vision for a future community that provides new affordable housing options and allows residents to live, work, play, shop, dine, and enjoy the arts all within walking, biking, or public transit distance of their home," said Lago, noting that she's "confident" lingering concerns can be addressed in conversations leading up to the final City Council vote.

But the rezoning has faced opposition from locals and elected officials. Staten Island's Community Board 1 voted to reject the majority of the changes after a heated five-hour meeting where borough residents vented their concerns, chiefly that there must be a greater commitment to low-income housing, and the need for significant infrastructure investments.

"We need housing that is truly affordable, housing that will allow my family tree, which have lived on this island for decades, to stay here," said Laura Labetti, a nurse and a longtime Staten Islander, who weighed in during January's community board vote. "But if that's done without adding schools, making things accessible, really figuring out how to meet the peoples needs before the changes, then of course they'll be problems down the road."

The median rent for the St. George and Stapleton area has steadily climbed, data from the NYU Furman Center shows, with the typical rent for an apartment at $1,950/month in 2017—that's up from $1,868/month in 2016 and $1,250/month in 2010. School District 31 is slated for 1,701 new school seats by 2024, but a report by the Independent Budget Office says the borough would need more than double that to eliminate overcrowding. Some North Shore schools are packed hundreds past capacity. And locals have long-asked for expanded bus service.

In February, Staten Island Borough President Jimmy Oddo followed the community board's lead and largely opposed the rezoning, calling it a "boondoggle" that creates "entirely new neighborhoods with absolutely no foresight or consideration of infrastructure and community concerns."

"For five years, we have implored the de Blasio administration to focus on infrastructure first, before they dictated any zoning or rules changes that would allow a dramatic spike in housing density along the Bay Street Corridor and beyond," Oddo said in a statement. "At every turn our pleas for collaboration, discussion, analysis, and a willingness to address current and future needs have been delayed, deferred, and ultimately ignored."

In a statement, the Staten Island Housing Dignity Coalition—which is made up of community groups and churches on the north shore—said it is "deeply disappointed" that the CPC is advancing the rezoning.

"To be clear, we are not against much needed investment in this area, but we are against an irresponsible rezoning plan advanced by an administration that is ignoring the voices of Staten Islanders," the group said.

The Department of City Planning says it is "leading a larger coordinated effort with an interagency team" when it comes to transit upgrades. Improvements that are being actively studied include new traffic signals, pedestrian islands, and wider sidewalks and medians. A DCP spokesperson noted that the city has already invested $27 million toward the implementation of the North Shore Transportation Improvement Strategy, with $3.7 million to create public spaces around the Tompkinsville Station on the Staten Island Railway, and $500,000 for streetscape improvements such as lighting and benches. Department of Transportation officials say the agency is looking into a new Bus Rapid Transit line for the neighborhoods, a reconfiguration of the streets leading to the Cromwell Center, and other potential upgrades.

"These are initial investments with more to come as the proposal moves through ULURP. To ensure that the right strategies are implemented at the right time, DOT and DCP will commit to a Traffic Monitoring Program to track development over time," DCP said in a statement. "This will allow us to adjust the scope and timing of mitigation measures as we know more about the timing of new development and effects on roads, pedestrians ,and cyclists."

City Council member Debi Rose, whose vote in the council carries more heft as the local lawmaker, has her reservations about the plan and calls for significant improvements to transportation, schools, open space, and sewer upgrades.

"With those investments, this rezoning would be a good plan for the future of North Shore residents and small businesses," Rose said in a statement. "We move to continued negotiations in coming weeks that will be crucial for the future of this project. Thoughtful planning and a commitment to infrastructure will reap a successful rezoning."

Of the commissioners who voted against the rezoning, Alfred Cerullo, a former City Council member, questioned the wisdom of continued talks as the proposal heads into the final hurdles of the land use review process: review by the council ahead of a make-or-break vote.

"Aren't we the planners? Shouldn't we be analyzing these plans to ensure that these decision that shape neighborhoods make sense?" Cerullo said before casting his vote. "So how do we get this right? I'm just not sure it's like this."

First look at the TWA Hotel’s rooftop infinity pool with runway views

The 10,000-square-foot pool observation deck will overlook the Jamaica Bay and bustling JFK runways

The much-anticipated TWA Hotel at JFK Airport will open in May 15—and so will its rooftop infinity pool and observation deck.

The pool will have a 10,000-square-foot observation deck with views to the Jamaica Bay and one of JFK's biggest runways—including the Bay Runway—which once served as the backup landing strip for NASA's Space Shuttle, according to the developers.

The 512-room hotel, which revived Eero Saarinen's midcentury landmark, began taking reservations on February 14, with rooms starting at $249/night. Not planning a stay at the hotel anytime soon? Starting May 15, non-guests can make reservations to use the pool and hang out at the bar.

"Our rooftop pool provides a JFK runway view that rivals an air traffic controller's vantage point," Tyler Morse, CEO of MCR and MORSE Development, said in a statement. "There's simply no better place for plane-spotting and enjoying a cocktail, in the world."

Additional pool features include underwater seating and the possibility to become a "pool-cuzzi" in the winter, with temperatures up to 100 degrees. The pool bar will serve food and will be operated by Gerber Group, the company that manages The Campbell at Grand Central.

The TWA Flight Center closed in 2001 and has largely been hidden from public view ever since. MCR Development was awarded the contract in 2015 to bring the stunning building back to life.

In City Island, a Colonial-style house near the beach seeks $1.4M

This lovely blue house has stunning views to the Long Island Sound

This charming Colonial-style house on City Island, located at 626 King Avenue and overlooking the Long Island Sound, has just listed for $1.49 million—and it is here to remind you that it is possible to live within the five boroughs and by the beach.

Built in 1920, the 2,323-square-foot, two-story house has six bedrooms, three bathrooms, and glass doors that lead to a fenced yard and a porch. It also features a wood-burning fireplace and a space for an infinity pool.

Aside from the stunning beach views, the house is just a three minute walk from lively City Island Avenue (and all its seafood restaurants). The island itself is a close-knit community where "everyone knows each other," according to Max Krull, a longtime resident who spoke with Curbed last year. "I feel like I'm on vacation, even though I go to work," he said.

Recently renovated, the house has hardwood floors throughout, granite countertops, an eat-in kitchen with stainless steel appliances, high ceilings, and central A/C. Taxes for the property will be $10,873/month.

The house is located at 626 King Avenue and is listed by Louise DelGiudice of Century 21 Marciano.

Stately Clinton Hill landmark transforms into a shared co-living space

Common, a co-living startup, remade a historic townhouse into one of its shared homes

Co-living startup Common has expanded rapidly since launching its first shared home back in 2015: In addition to operating more than a dozen "homes" in New York City, the company has expanded to other major municipalities including Los Angeles, Washington D.C., and Seattle, with 27 buildings total in its portfolio.

Many of those buildings are retrofitted townhouses, with a few new builds here and there—including Common Baltic in Boerum Hill, which has both co-living units and market-rate rentals. The company has also expanded into family-friendly co-living with Kin, a collaboration with Tishman Speyer.

But its latest home, located on Grand Avenue in Clinton Hill (and known as Common Grand), was a different experience for the firm. It's part of the Clinton Hill Historic District, and marks the first time that the company has worked on a home that has landmark protections.

The house itself dates back to 1909, and is one of several on the block that was designed by the architecture firm of Kirby, Petit & Greene, best known as the firm behind Coney Island's Dreamland amusement park. It's not quite as opulent as some of the other homes in Clinton Hill; rather, it's a stately neo-Federal-style house, with a brick and limestone exterior and a front entrance framed by Doric columns.

Sophie Wilkinson, Common's head of design and construction, said that as soon as she saw that entrance, she was hooked. "We were on the same page about bringing it back to its former glory, rather than being like, How can we pull it down and modernize it," she says of working with the owner, Stuyvesant Group. "No, we want[ed] to make these original details sing."

According to Wilkinson, many of the home's original turn-of-the-century details—including dark millwork and a stunning marble fireplace—were well-preserved, despite the condition of their surroundings. "The original details inside hadn't been stripped in anyway, though it was so run-down, it was completely unlivable when we got there," she explains. But some of those didn't survive: A grand staircase that was removed because of accessibility issues, but some of its spindles were kept in the redesign of the space.

"When we initially saw this building we didn't have a plan for it, but we knew we had to buy it," Stuyvesant Group said in a statement. "We're extremely thankful that we did this deal with Common. It allowed us to fit this building into our current business model and do what we enjoy the most which is restoring and breathing years of life into these properties."

Elsewhere, the suites shared by residents have a more modern feel, with furnishings from Room & Board, CB2, and Studio McGee. The home can accommodate 23 beds, which are spread out across the home's five floors (although one of those is dedicated to a common space for all of the building's residents). There are also several shared spaces—kitchens, living rooms, and the like—that are open to residents, and a roof deck.

Rooms in Common Grand start at $1,600/month, and residents have access to free Wi-Fi, a laundry room, and other perks that aren't found in traditional rentals.

Pacific Park megaproject gains steam as construction begins on two new rentals

The next phase of the Pacific Park megaproject is moving forward

As Greenland Forest City Partners seeks to keep things moving at the long-in-the-works megaproject formerly known as Atlantic Yards, some progress is being made on the development.

After inking a deal last year with developers TF Cornerstone and the Brodsky Organization to build three sites within the Pacific Park complex, Greenland Forest City announced today that it'll also work with Brodsky on 18 Sixth Avenue, which will rise next to the Barclays Center at the intersection of Atlantic and Sixth avenues. The New York Post first reported on the deal.

Once completed in 2022, the building will have 859 rentals, 258 of which will be affordable, although the income bands for those units has not yet been determined. Perkins Eastman has been tapped to design the structure, which will rise 500 feet—the tallest in the complex—and have a school at its base.

As part of the deal brokered last year, Brodsky has also partnered with Greenland Forest City on the parcel formerly known as B15, at 664 Pacific Street. That building, another rental, will also have a school as well as more public space. Construction on both of those buildings is due to begin in the next few weeks.

Two other sites, to be developed by TF Cornerstone, will rise at 615 and 595 Dean Street; while the sale of those sites closed last year, work has yet to begin.