How Much to Tip Your Building Staff: 2015 Edition - Curbed NY

Early December may be when building staffers prefer to get their tips, but for the last-minute gift givers: we're here for you. Every year the question comes up: How much should I tip my building staff? This handy annual guide, based on a memo sent out by Two Trees Management back in 2005, should help you dole out the dollars (original here, and years' worth of Curbed tipping advice over here). But what worked for Two Trees' staff and tenants a decade ago won't necessarily work for the rest of New York today. Brick Underground always provides a comprehensive guide, offering a general tip range for different types of building staff. Should that tip range seem too broad and uncertain still, Curbed reader and mathematician Spencer Greenberg made a tool that really helps tenants hone in what they should be gifting this giving season.

Brick Underground's general tip range remains the same as it has been the last few years:

Super, resident manager: $75 -$175 on average (broad range: $50 - $500) Doorman, concierge: $25-$150 on average (broad range: $10 - $1,000) Porter, handyman: $20 - $30 on average (broad range: $10 - $75) Garage attendant: $25 - $75 on average (broad range $15-$100)

Every year, Brick Underground also conducts a poll asking New Yorkers how much they tip. Nearly 1,500 people answered in 2014, and here are a few takeaways from the results: · two percent of owners in doorman buildings tipped nothing. · 16 percent of owners in non-doorman buildings also tipped nothing. · 34 percent of renters in non-doorman buildings tipped nothing as well. · Only two percent of renters in doorman buildings tipped nothing, while the lion's share—25 percent—tipped less than $250. · 45 percent of renters in non-doorman buildings tipped less than $250, a precipitous drop from 2013's polling numbers when 23 percent of renters in non-doorman buildings tipped more than $2,500, which BU thought could be "a testament to the Airbnb sharing economy where renters rely on supers to turn a blind eye and/or [lend] a helping hand." Could the drop be the city's agenda against Airbnb catching up?

This year's poll is ongoing, but as was the case with last year, owners and renters are maintaining a tighter grip on their cash. So far: · 20 percent of owners in doorman buildings tipped between $250 and $500. One percent tipped nothing. · 64 percent of owners in non-doorman buildings tipped less than $250. 12 percent tipped nothing. · 48 percent of renters in non-doorman buildings tipped less than $250. 24 percent tipped nothing. · 26 percent of renters in doorman building tipped less than $250. 24 percent tipped between $250 and $500, and two percent tipped nothing. · 12 percent of renters in doorman buildings tipped more than $2,500, making them the most generous tippers of the bunch.

Source: How Much to Tip Your Building Staff: 2015 Edition - The Tipping Point - Curbed NY

Wishing You All A Great Holiday Season & Happy New Year! - The Hoffman Team

7 Things You Need to Know About Manhattan's Resi. Market - TheRealDeal

Clockwise from top left: One57, rendering of One Riverside Park, 834 Fifth Avenue and the Schumacher at 36 Bleecker

By the time the ball drops on Dec. 31, roughly $24 billion worth of Manhattan residential real estate will have traded hands, according to CityRealty.

In a year-end report, CityRealty said the median sale price is projected to hit a record $1.1 million in 2015, up from $970,000 in 2014. The average was no bargain either — at a record $1.9 million.

The 16-page report — with projections based on closed sales as of Nov. 30 — is full of fun facts about record prices, priciest neighborhoods and toniest buildings. We sifted through the data to give you these seven key ideas.

1. Condos were no bargain

The median condo sale reached a record $1.6 million, up from $1.5 million in 2014. Thirty-four percent of condo sales were Downtown, accounting for $4.2 billion in sales.

2. Buyers took their time

The number of units traded – 12,700 – was lower than last year’s 12,900. Co-ops saw 7,200 sales valued at $10 billion. Condos saw 5,500 sales valued at $14 billion.

3. At long last, the new condos were ready…

New condo closings will jump more than 60 percent to 1,340 in 2015, according to CityRealty’s projection, compared to 836 in 2014. But the average price of new units dropped to $3.9 million from $4.8 million in 2014.

(Credit: CityRealty)

4. The luxury market showed its softer side There were 190 sales over $10 million in 2015, down by 11 percent from 214 sales in that price range in 2014. But properties between $4 million and $10 million were booming, with $10.7 billion total sales compared to $10 billion last year.

5. Noho: where prices shot up the most

The neighborhood’s average price per foot shot up 27 to $2,583, a steeper jump than any other neighborhood. That’s largely because of Stillman Development’s Schumacher project, a 20-unit development at 36 Bleecker Street.

6. Even the priciest pad was only $91M

Last year, a buyer paid $100.5 million for a penthouse at Extell Development’s One57. The building took the year’s priciest sale this year, too, with hedge fund manager Bill Ackman’s purchase of a $91.5 million pad. Billionaire Len Blavatnick set a new co-op record at 834 Fifth Avenue, where he paid $77.5 million. (That deal was also the second-priciest sale of the year.

7. And in the building match-up, One57 wins again Not surprisingly, One57 had $564.9 million in aggregate sales in 2015 the most of any building, followed by One Riverside Park with $315.9 million in sales. Fun fact: One57 had just 26 sales to One Riverside Park’s 122 transactions.

- See more at: http://therealdeal.com/blog/2015/12/17/manhattan-median-prices-crossed-1m-for-the-first-time-in-2015-report/#sthash.evoQQyJ6.dpuf

Source: NYC Apartment Sales | NYC Condo Prices

Four Bold New Designs for New York City's Ubiquitous Sidewalk Sheds - Curbed NY

[All photos via New York Building Congress]

Could the city's current design for construction sidewalk sheds become a thing of the past? That's what the New York Building Congress is hoping for: Over the summer, the organization launched a competition asking architects and designers to submit proposals for more "aesthetically pleasing" sidewalk sheds. Today, the four winners of the contest were revealed, along with renderings for their proposed designs.

First up is the design above (↑), called SCAFFOLDWING, byGannett Fleming Engineers and Architects. It hinges on a translucent polycarbonate "wing" that would extend over the sidewalk, but be pitched at such an angle to allow light to soar in, and rainwater to drain off properly.

↑ Francis Cauffman came up with the Side+Ways+Shed, which barely looks like a sidewalk shed at all; the traditional posts are replaced with ones that are set back on the sidewalk and lit with LEDs. The idea is to "enliven the streetscape and provide visual cues to pedestrians."

↑ Gensler's design, the G-Shed, doesn't look too different from the typical sidewalk shed—though it's definitely not as ugly—but it's different in one key way. The posts would be modular, which, according to the architects, would "allow for seamless adaptation with existing systems, eliminating complicated bracing while creating an inviting arcade" which would help both pedestrians and businesses affected by the shed's placement.

↑ The final design is called UrbanArbor, from PBDW Architects and Anastos Engineering Associates. As the name suggests, it's meant to "evoke the experience of walking down a tree-lined boulevard," with diagonal braces offering both structural support and the feeling of wandering under a thicket of tree branches. It would also use translucent polycarbonate parapets to allow natural light to flow through to the sidewalk.

Even if the Department of Buildings gets on board with these designs, there's another hurdle to clear before you'd see these on the streets: the developers. A previous competition held by the DOB in 2010 brought forth the Urban Umbrella, but developershaven't used the steel-and-plastic contraption because it's more expensive to implement than traditional sidewalk sheds. The NYBC's contest sought "practical, cost-effective off-the-shelf designs," according to a statement, but when developers are involved, who knows what cost-effective really means. Still, the designs are nice to think about—who wouldn't want the city's streets to look just a bit prettier?

New Renderings of One Vanderbilt, Midtown's Future Tallest Office Tower - 6sqft

 1 VANDERBILT AVENUE, NEW YORK, NY, UNITED STATES

The digital production studio Visualhouse has posted on their website our first motion video look at SL Green’s 63-story office tower known as One Vanderbilt. Hailed to forever change the face of Midtown East and reinvigorate the business district, the $1 billion-plus, 1.6-million-square-foot tower was unanimously approved by the City Council this past summer, thus granting SL Green the green light to begin construction of the supertower immediately.

Visualhouse’s newly released film and renderings provide us with a clearer picture of how the building’s full-block base will meet the street, and also remind us just how gargantuan the tower will be. According to the tower’s architects Kohn Pedersen Fox (KPF), the tower will rise 1,501 feet to its spire, making it the third tallest building in the city upon completion. However, unlike the pencil-thin supertalls underway around Central Park, the project will throw up a substantial amount of bulk into the air.

The new nighttime depictions show the office floors will be topped by a sizable illuminated crown that is sure to join the Chrysler and Empire State Building as nighttime skyline fixtures.

Demolition of the pre-war buildings at the site is expected to last until the second quarter of 2016, and excavation/ foundation work is slated to end by 2017. TD Bank is already lined up to occupy 200,000 square feet of space in the building and will also provide a flagship retail branch at the base.

Source: New Renderings & Video of One Vanderbilt, Midtown's Future Tallest Office Tower | 6sqft

Developers Swapping Penthouses For Top Floor Amenities - The Real Deal

From left: Renderings of 626 First Avenue in Murray Hill (credit: JDS Development) and the One Thousand Museum in Miami (credit: One Thousand Museum)

A luxury Manhattan penthouse is one of the world’s great status symbols, but some developers are forgoing whole-floor units at the top of their buildings and instead creating shared amenities spaces for all residents.

JDS Development’s two-towered rental building at 626 First Avenue in Murray Hill will offer tenants access to a rooftop deck and an infinity pool, a fitness center and a spa on the top floor of its East tower.

The project, set to be completed in 2017, will be composed of two “dancing” towers – one 40 stories and the other 49 stores – leaning into one another, with a sky bridge connecting them. SHoP Architects is designing the project. Studio apartments there will start at around $2,800, the Wall Street Journal reported.

In July of last year, JDS secured a $390 million loan from Cornerstone Real Estate Advisors, a division of Massachusetts Mutual Life Insurance Co. JDS bought the property from Sheldon Solow for $172.1 million in 2013.

The Zaha Hadid-designed One Thousand Museum in Miami will also feature a “public penthouse space” with a sunbathing terrace, a bar, a private dining room, and a theatre, according to the developer Louis Birdman. [WSJ] – Ariel Stulberg

- See more at: http://therealdeal.com/blog/2015/12/04/developers-swapping-penthouses-for-top-floor-amenities/#sthash.UCM4D5Ab.dpuf

Source: NYC Penthouse | 626 First Avenue | JDS Development

You Can Now Pay to ‘Park’ Your Pup - New York Post

Eric Abis pictured with his pouch "Bernie" outside Fort Greene General Store at 218 Dekalb avenue using a "Dog Parker." Photo: Paul Martinka A Brooklyn woman is launching a pay-by-the-minute network of sidewalk dog kennels that allow owners to safely park their pooches while running errands. The kennels are locked by radio signals, monitored by Web cams and temperature controlled. ADVERTISING Chelsea Brownridge said she got the idea for the “dog parker” containers after she had to leave her pup, Winston, at home while she took a long summer walk to Prospect Park because the trip included a stop for breakfast with friends. Photo: Paul Martinka Photo: Paul Martinka Dog Parker outside Fort Greene General StorePhoto: Paul Martinka “I ran into this problem dozens of times,” said the 31-year-old former nonprofit worker, who doesn’t feel safe tying Winston up outdoors. “It was a bummer because it was a nice day and he wasn’t going to be able to go outside.” Two models are being tested on Dekalb Avenue in Fort Greene as part a private pilot program. They’ll be joined by eight more come mid-December, with a total of 100 available in the late spring. At that point, the kennel network will be run through an app that charges members 20 cents per minute or $12 for an hour. Membership is $25 per year, and users will be able to call dibs on a kennel 15 minutes ahead of time. Currently, locks are used to secure the white doghouses to a storefront. In the future, they will be bolted to the ground. The two Dekalb Avenue prototypes are already drawing interest. “You get a range of responses, from, ‘Wow, great,’ to, ‘Seriously?’ to, ‘Do they have one for kids?’ ” said Keith Goldberg, 50, who owns Baguetteaboutit, a coffee shop and bakery where one is parked. “We’ve had a couple of people use it in the past couple of weeks . . . I’m just happy to have another service I can offer my customers.” Brownridge said she has been working with City Hall’s new animal advocate to get proper permissions, but most stores own the three to five feet of sidewalk in front of their shops, so it’s largely their cooperation that she needs. The second prototype is outside Adrianna Spence’s Fort Greene General Store several blocks away. “Some businesses can’t allow you to bring in dogs, and some dogs you can’t really bring into stores,” said Spence, a dog owner. “So if it’s cold out or you have a dog that might get stolen, this is a better option than just tying them up outside.” Source: You can now pay to ‘park’ your pup | New York Post

Robert A.M. Stern To Design 'Opulent' Sony Building Condos - Curbed NY

The long-awaited conversion of Philip Johnson's Sony Building at 550 Madison Avenue is finally making some progress. The project—called, somewhat blandly, 550 Madison—launched a teaser site last night, which has few details beyond some architectural information and the team behind it (which includes Chetrit Group, which bought the building for $1.1 billion in 2013), but we've got the scoop on plans for the iconic Midtown building—which includes an assist from Robert A.M. Stern. As previously reported, the conversion of Johnson's building will include pricey condos—but the current plan differs from what we previously knew about the building. Instead of 96 units, the residential portion of the building will have 113 condos designed by none other than Robert A.M. Stern Architects. They'll occupy floors 21 through 43 of the building. (A spokesperson has yet to confirm if the pricing and floorplans that were previously revealed for the building are still accurate, but we'll update with that info when we can.) There will also be a hotel portion, which will be operated by Oetker Collection, the hospitality group responsible for Hotel du Cap-Eden-Roc in France; the "New York masterpiece" (that's the tagline for the hotel, not the official name) will be a 170-key hotel will have 60 fancy suites, along with predictably over-the-top amenities like a 25-meter pool, a spa, and an upscale restaurant. Those amenities will also be available to the ultra-wealthy residents of the building's condos. And finally, there will be luxury retail on the ground floor. So there you have it: Midtown is getting another pricey hotel-condo hybrid, in the vein of buildings like One57 (which has a Park Hyatt hotel on its lower floors). Though construction has yet to begin on 550 Madison, it's expected to open in early 2018. Source: Robert A.M. Stern To Design 'Opulent' Sony Building Condos - Coming Attractions - Curbed NY

Behold, the Interiors of Extell's 80-Story Lower East Side Condo - Curbed NY

Extell's Lower East Side tower dubbed One Manhattan Square, now on the rise alongside the base of the Manhattan Bridge, hasn't made many friends in the neighborhood. Maybe that's why the developer chose to launch sales of the $1-$3 million condos abroad before availing them to the states. Whatever the case may be, The Low Down got its hands on some of the overseas marketing materials which now bring a first, very comprehensive look inside the 850-foot building. In addition to first renderings of the 80-story tower's apartments, which will be designed by Meyer Davis, the materials also show off the building's surrounding gardens and the remainder of its 100,000 square feet of amenities, which are as over-the-top as they promised to be.

The master bathrooms will be finished in ocean blue travertine stone slab and mosaic tiles.

Buyers will be able to choose between two finish packages designed by Meyer Davis. The "dark" choice, pictured here, includes custom stained oak, Caesarstone countertops, Mountain White Striato stone bartop, and five-inch wide dark stained oak flooring.

The "light" package, pictured here, includes custom-painted oak cabinetry, Caesarstone countertops, a polished statuary stone bar top, and five-inch wide light stained oak flooring.

Landscape architecture firm West 8 designed an outdoor space that includes gardens, a treehouse, fire pits, and courtyards.

The building will also have an outdoor kitchen and dining areas for grilling and entertaining.

A very idyllic look at the building's fire pits.

Per the development's promotional pamphlet, "The gardens at One Manhattan Square incorporate influences from around the world and offer peaceful enclaves for closeness and serenity."

An overhead look at the building's landscaped outdoor space.

An entrance on Cherry Street will lead the building's private motor court.

The building will have a 24-hour doorman and concierge.

A view of the lobby.

The "culinary lounge" will have a demonstration kitchen.

Of course One Manhattan Square has a fully-stocked cellar bar designed by Meyer Davis Studio Inc.

A 70-seat movie and performance theater will be rentable for private events, performances, and viewings.

The building's amenities are "designed for the whole day and the whole family," the pamphlet reads. So of course there will be pool.

And bowling.

The children's playroom is somehow the least flashy of the building's amenities.

The building will have a multi-level gym that will include a cardio room (pictured), golf simulator, swimming pools, and squash courts.

Not to mention a basketball court.

The multi-level gym will also have a relaxation area.

Here's a look at how apartments on some of the building's lower floors will break down.

A full look at the pamphlet via The Low Down, this way.

Source: Behold, the Interiors of Extell's 80-Story Lower East Side Condo - Rendering Reveals - Curbed NY

NYC Tiny Apartments Are HERE! - Curbed NY

Floor plans for the city's first micro-unit development, Carmel Place have been unveiled, Buzz Buzz Home reports, along with a series of new images of the interiors of the micro dwellings.

The floor plans of eight units have been listed so far and range in price from$2,650 per month for a 265 square foot studio to $3,150 per month for a 355 square foot studio. Residents will start moving in as early as February 2016.

The development features a total of 55 apartments. Almost 40 percent of those are affordable. Eight apartments have been set aside for veterans. The project, located at 335 East 27th Street is being developed by Monadnock Developmentand has been designed by nArchitects. The building also comes equipped with a ton of cushy services.

Source: See the Tiny Floorplans For Carmel Place's Micro-Units - Microdwellings - Curbed NY

Most Expensive Condo Buildings In NYC - Curbed NY

New York’s most expensive new condominium buildings get plenty of attention, but it’s nonetheless easy to forget just how expensive they, as a group, are (at least in the eyes of their developers). Just 12 buildings are projected to sell out for a total of $20 billion dollars, 44 percent of the total projected sellout of all 200 condo projects currently being built in Manhattan, according to a chart produced by CityRealty. (The analysis included planned and completed new condos where less than 50 percent of the units have closed, which is why One57 didn’t make the cut.) The heaviest hitters are also among the most famous: CIM Group and Macklowe Properties’ 432 Park Avenue, which projects a total sellout of $3.1 billion; Vornado Realty Trust’s 220 Central Park South, with a total projected sellout of $3 billion; and Hines’ 53 West 53rd Street, the MoMA Expansion Tower, with a total projected sellout of $2.2 billion. Though, buildings often fall short of the projected total sellout. It’s a good thing developers think they’ll hit such high revenues, because their costs are reportedly sky high as well. Earlier this month, The Real Deal reported that Vornado was spending $5,000 per foot to build the Robert A.M. Stern-designed 220 CPS. [CityRealty] – Ariel Stulberg Source: Most Expensive Condo Building NYC | Condo Development NYC

The d'Orsay Will Bring 21 Luxury Condos To West 14th Street - Curbed NY

Developer Adellco has finally revealed its plans for the West 14th Street site it purchased for $27.65 million in April 2014. It should come as no surprise that the site between Seventh and Eighth avenues will give rise to condos, but what is surprising is that the developer has tapped notable French architect and interior designer Jacques Garcia, whose work includes the Nomad Hotel and the Decorative Arts Galleries at The Louvre, to design the building's interiors. The project will be Garcia's first multifamily residential building in the city. Goldstein Hill & West is designing the 11-story building, which will go by the name The d'Orsay. The d'Orsay will have 21 one- to four-bedroom residences starting from $1.675 million, as per the building's newly-launched teaser site. Building amenities will include a drawing room, gym, spa with a plunge pool, rooftop garden, full-time concierge, as well as bicycle storage and private storage rooms available for purchase. Although only one official render for the project is out there to-date (↑), a fencepost rendering of the building surfaced in September. It hints that some of the building's condos will also come with private outdoor space. Sales will launch in January 2016 with Mary Ellen Cashman of Stribling Marketing Associates. Closings are anticipated at the end of 2016. Construction at the site is ongoing. Source: The d'Orsay Will Bring 21 Luxury Condos To West 14th Street - Development Watch - Curbed NY

St. John's Terminal Redevelopment Gets First Renderings - Curbed NY

The redevelopment of the St. John's Terminal site could bring over 1,500residential units, many of them affordable, to the West Village, and the first images of what that project could look like are finally out, The Villager reports. Local residents aren't too thrilled about the proposed development, which entails razing the existing 1 million-square-foot St. John's Terminal building and erecting a 1.7 million-square-foot multi-building project, despite the benefits the developers say it would offer the community. For the time being, the plan is conceptual; it still needs to pass through a uniform land use review procedure (ULURP) before getting the go-ahead.

In a community meeting held this month, project architect COOKFOX presented designs for the Atlas Capital Group- and Westbrook Partners-developed project. The development's highlights include 500 units of affordable housing, of which 175 units are just for seniors. A little number crunching turns back that, at that rate, one-third of the projects apartments will be affordable, which is well above what's par for the course.

Here's how the plan breaks down: The tallest residential building proposed for the site, at 430 feet tall, will be fully market rate and sit at the northern end of the development. The 175-unit senior housing building will also be in this area, as will 40,000 square feet of retail—the developers suggest bringing in a Trader Joe's. There's also an additional 105,000 square feet of basement space for a big box-type store, as per the developer's suggestions. The middle section of development will include a smaller residential building with almost equal market rate and affordable apartments spread throughout, and a small garden adjacent to this building would connect it to the another fully market-rate residential building. The southern portion of the development will hold a set of mews and a350-room hotel.

The plan also includes publicly accessible park space. When St. John's Terminal was still in use, platforms connected it to the elevated railway track that now makes up the High Line. Under COOKFOX's plan, those platforms will be converted into mini elevated park space, much like the High Line.

If the plan moves forward, the developers will pay $100 million to the city to purchase Pier 40's air rights for the redevelopment of the terminal. In turn, those funds can be pumped back into the crumbling pier, which is in urgent need of repair.

Neighborhood residents are so up-in-arms because they believe the development does not address the burden it will add to the limited amount ofschools in the area, the fact that they need more medical facilities, and how the flood protection mechanism for this development might endanger the homes of other residents in the area.

"The tallest building in this plan is equal to the Trump Soho," Andrew Berman, the director of the Greenwich Village Society for Historic Preservation, told The Villager. "The overall project is equal to six Trump Sohos."

If the proposed development does not pass the ULURP process, the developers may move ahead with an as-of-right development, which wouldn't allow for the residential buildings the developer is looking to add.

At the community meeting, the developers assured that this will be the first of several discussions with the community in terms of designs and proposals before the project moves forward.

Source: St. John's Terminal Redevelopment Gets First Renderings - Hudson River Park Watch - Curbed NY

Mapping All 1.1 Billion NYC Taxi Trips Since 2009 - 6sqft

Mapping All 1.1 Billion NYC Taxi Trips Since 2009

POSTED ON THU, NOVEMBER 19, 2015BY DANA SCHULZIN CITYLIVING, MAPS, TRANSPORTATION

That’s 183,333,333 trips a year; 15,277,777 a month; and roughly 510,000 a day. And it likely took software developer Todd W. Schneider a long time to put all of that data into this stunning map of taxi pickups and drop offs over the past six years. Green boro taxis are represented in their signature color and traditional yellow cabs in white, with brighter areas representing more taxi activity. As Gothamist first noted, “Yellow cab pickups are concentrated south of Central Park in Manhattan, while drop offs spread north and east into Brooklyn, Queens and the Bronx; drop off and pickup activity snakes like a glowworm from Manhattan to the airports: along the Van Wyck Expressway to JFK, and by 278 and 495 to La Guardia.”

Using the TLC’s public data, Schneider also created charts and maps that show taxi travel compared with uber rides; weekend destinations of bridge-and-tunnelers; a late-night taxi index; how weather affects taxi trips; weekday drop-offs at Goldman Sachs and Citigroup; airport traffic; cash versus credit card payments; and the dramatic increase in North Williamsburg taxi activity.

Above is a GIF showing the transformation of North Williamsburg taxi activity from 2011 (when the green cabs were introduced) to 2014, the area with the largest increase in taxi pickups. 72 percent of these pickups occurred late night, and we can see some of the specific spots where this is most prevalent, such as the Wythe Hotel, Output nightclub, and Verboten nightclub.

It’s also interesting to look at where those from neighboring locales go on the weekend. Though the first map above shows taxi pickups originating at Penn Station, most passengers are not going very far, ending up in the Meatpacking District, Chelsea, and Midtown. Not surprisingly, Murray Hill is the number one drop off spot, often known as the heart of the bridge and tunnel crowd.

“We’ve already covered the hipsters of Williamsburg and the B&Ts of Murray Hill, why not see what the taxi data can tell us about investment bankers, yet another of New York’s distinctive subcultures?” asks Schneider. As his graphs show, Goldman Sachs employees’ average drop off time is 7:59 a.m.; Citigroup is 7:51 a.m. Those taking taxis to these offices mostly get picked up in the West Village, Chelsea/Flatiron/Union Square, and Soho/Tribeca (in that order).

“I’m certainly not the first person to use the public taxi data to make maps, but I hadn’t previously seen a map that includes the entire dataset of pickups and drop offs since 2009 for both yellow and green taxis,” says Todd W. Schneider. To see the rest of his maps and charts, visit the project page HERE >>

[Via Gothamist]

Source: Mapping All 1.1 Billion NYC Taxi Trips Since 2009 | 6sqft

New Glassy Skyscraper in Midtown East Will Look Like It’s Being Pulled Apart - TheRealDeal

A new Midtown East tower will look like it’s being pulled apart: The floors will be vertically separated and supported by smooth, white beams, like ligaments stretching between the floors. Or, like chewing gum suspended between the sidewalk and a shoe.

The latest renderings of 303 East 44th Street show a slender glass tower whose floors are separated by 16-foot gaps and supported by elegantly sculpted concrete beams. The effect is that the building looks like it is being slowly stretched, as if the floors were glued together or stuck together with gum, said the building’s architect, Eran Chen, founder of ODA New York. Recognizing this might not be the most flattering comparison, Chen said the beams are sculptures that capture movement and express the tower’s identity as a residential building.

“It really expresses this dramatic act of separating what we used to see as a monolithic tower into a series of smaller pieces,” said Chen. “We’re used to seeing New York City towers as monolithic, huge testaments of corporate power. The minute it becomes residential, it doesn’t have the same scale and it shouldn’t express the same thing.”

Rendering of 303 East 44th Street

The gaps between the floors create private outdoor gardens for 11 units, starting on the 23rd floor of the 41-floor building. Earlier renderings of the project didn’t include the beams, since the floors were supported by the building’s core, achieving a series of “floating gardens.” Such a structure proved too expensive, Chen said, so the beams were added to instead create “sculptured gardens.” The beams also serve to protect the gardens against wind. Five of the gardens are each split by two units, each apartment featuring 1,000 square feet of space, according to Juan Urrutia, a spokesperson at ODA. The penthouse has access to the sixth garden, which has 2,000 square feet of space.

It’s a design that falls in line with many of ODA’s buildings, which often feature a sort of purposeful dissection: Geometric voids carved into the structures to create personal — often outdoor — spaces. The component is clearly seen in a number of ODA’s resi designs — including 100 Norfolk Street, 15 Renwick Street, 275 Fourth Avenue and 510 Driggs Avenue — where outdoor terraces spring from the building’s chiseled negative space. Even the architecture firm’s website plays with this theme: Its loading cursor moves like a self-aware Tetris piece.

The concept at 303 East 44th is among a number of unconventional projects sprouting in Midtown East. SHoP’s “dancing towers” at 626 First Avenue, developed by JDS Development, consist of two bent buildings with copper facades that are connected by a skybridge. SL Green’s One Vanderbilt, designed by Kohn Pedersen Fox’s, will be the first building in the neighborhood to surpass the Chrysler Building’s height. Famously, the design of Macklowe Properties’ and CIM Group’s 432 Park Avenue was inspired by a trash basket.

Benjamin Stavrach, director of leasing and property management at Triangle Assets, the building’s developer, said construction will likely begin in either April or May. Triangle bought the site in 2008 for $10.1 million.

Rendering of terrace up close (inset: Eran Chen)

Though the ODA’s design will turns heads, Chen doesn’t think it will be out of sync with its neighbors, which include the United Nations and the Chrysler Building. He said the building’s design is “contextual,” in that it embodies its purpose as a residential building. The gaps not only provide outdoor space, but they also lessen the wind load impacting the building, something that other skinny skyscrapers accomplish with unused gaps throughout. Chen also said that private gardens will soon be an expected amenity.

“There’s going to be a time in New York City where living without a substantial outdoor space is just going to be unacceptable. It’s going to be like living in the suburbs without a backyard,” Chen said. “All these towers that don’t have them are going to lose their value.”

Unlike some other high-end buildings, there’s a certain honesty innate in 303 East’s segmented design, Chen said.

“You always look at this kind of tower and think they’re occupied by really rich people, and you say to yourself ‘How many people actually live here?’ There’s no way to know, but here you can really count them,” he joked. “Don’t you think it’s great? Literally you can sit down and say, there’s [11] bastards that actually have the gardens that I don’t have.”

- See more at: http://therealdeal.com/blog/2015/11/11/a-new-glassy-skyscraper-in-midtown-east-will-look-like-its-being-pulled-apart/#sthash.mJI6bqs5.dpuf

Renderings of 303 East 44th Street show a slender glass tower whose floors are separated by 16-foot gaps and supported by elegantly sculpted concrete beams.

Source: 303 East 44th Street | Eran Chen | Architecture Design NYC

As Desire for Pricey Apartments Wane, Developers Split Full-Floor Condos at 432 Park Ave. Into Two - Crain's

The developers of 432 Park Ave. have split full-floor apartments at the 1,396-foot tall tower in half in a move that may signal a slowdown in sales for $50 million-plus apartments. With several other high-profile condo projects underway, sales at 432 Park Ave. have been closely watched as a bellwether for the super high-end segment of the city’s residential real estate market. There is some concern that there aren't enough buyers who can afford apartments priced in the tens of millions of dollars—an increasingly common figure for the latest crop of ultra-luxury condos.

In what could be a concerning sign for upcoming projects, 432 Park Ave.'s developers, CIM and Harry Macklowe, have cut five full-floor apartments on floors 91-95 of the tower into two: sized 4,400 square feet and 3,600 square feet. The smaller units have asking prices of $40.25 million and $39.75 million, respectively. The move comes as the sale of the palatial pads have slowed.

That's far bit less than the asking price for full-floor units. One full-floor apartment remains available at the property—an 8,000 square-foot unit on the 88th floor. The developers are asking $76.5 million for that apartment.

Richard Wallgren, an executive vice president at Macklowe Properties who is leading sales and marketing at 432 Park Ave., said the decision was made on a bet there will be more buyers willing to bite at that price point.

So far, more than 70% of 432 Park’s 106 units are in contract to be sold, with prices ranging from $7 million for a handful of one-bedrooms all the way up to $95 million for the spire’s 8,000-square-foot penthouse, which sits on the 96th floor. Closings for the apartments will begin either by the end of the month or in December depending on when the developers receive a temporary certificate of occupancy from the city.

Both the penthouse and the building’s one-bedrooms are among the collection of apartments of varying sizes in the tower that are in contract and scheduled to begin closing. The closings for the existing units in contract will likely run though the end of January. The building, which has been under construction since 2011, is set to be completed in mid-2016. The sales figures have made the $1 billion project a success, Wallgren said.

In a recent interview on the tower’s 38th floor, in an unsold 4,000-square-foot model apartment built to showcase the finishes that buyers can opt to request  the developers install, Wallgren shared with Crain's more information on the type of buyers the project has attracted. Wallgren estimated the average age of buyers to be about 55 and said several will use their apartment as their primary address and will even raise families there.

About 65% are American and within that group about half are New Yorkers, he said. The other half are from California and there is one buyer from Chicago. The remaining 35% of buyers are foreigners from a host of countries, including Turkey, Saudi Arabia, China, Russia, Greece and Brazil.

“We have local New Yorkers that will raise toddlers here and young children who go to private schools on the Upper East Side,” Wallgren said.

Even though a completed apartment sale will trigger deed filings cataloged by the city, it will still be difficult for the general public to determine the actual identity of buyers because most tend to purchase their units using limited liability companies.

“Because our prices start at $17 million, nearly everyone is well known,” Wallgren said, referencing the cheapest still-available unit at 432 Park. “They own banks and telephone companies and conglomerates that control trillions of dollars of assets.”

Several of the buyers are also purchasing units for their hired help. In fact, staff suites at 432 Park Ave. have sold so briskly that CIM and Macklowe converted an additional floor, the 34th, into  studio-sized apartments. That floor will join 28 and 29, which have already been reserved for the suites.

“We have had people buy multiple staff suites because they travel with a cook, or a driver, or an assistant,” Wallgren said.

There Are More Exclusive Rentals Over $15K Than Under $2K - The Real Deal

From the November issue: When headlines center on chateaus-in- the-sky luxury real estate, the lower-end rental market often falls out of focus. The Real Deal analyzed On-Line Residential exclusive listings data as of Oct. 8 and found that there were fewer rental listings priced under $2,000 in Manhattan than there were in the extra-expensive $15,000-a-month-and-up bracket. But that lower bracket isn’t completely endangered, said Keller Williams NYC salesperson David Berman. “I think you’re always going to see some of that kind of stock available,” said Berman, citing rent stabilization as a key factor in that sector keeping its piece of the pie. Furthermore, an analysis of Street Easy data revealed that the Upper East Side had the highest inventory of rental apartments of any type for $2,000 a month or under. “The Upper East Side offers more value because it has more turnover,” said Kevin Daly, an agent at Prince Real Estate. The neighborhood best known as the fortress of the wealthy also holds a relatively large number of comparatively affordable apartments, usually occupied by young people who stay fewer than three years, Daly said. You’ll still have to hunt for these units: An MNS report found that studios there had an average rent of $2,748 in buildings with doormen and $2,150 in buildings without. - See more at: http://therealdeal.com/blog/2015/11/05/scorecard-there-are-more-rentals-over-15000-than-under-2000/#sthash.UD4hhDEt.dpuf

Source: Residential Market Reports | Upper East Side | Lowest Rent

First Look at Downtown Brooklyn's 1,000-Foot Supertall Tower - Curbed NY

The rising Brooklyn skyline is about to get one edifice that leaves the rest in its shadow, at least figuratively. JDS Development Group's planned 1,000-foot mixed-use tower at 340 Flatbush Avenue Extension in Downtown Brooklyn finally has a first rendering courtesy of New York YIMBY that shows off a shiny and slender supertall. The rendering should be taken with a grain of salt, though—it isn't often, if ever, that the first look at a skyline-changing tower represents what will actually rise. In any case, YIMBY reports that the SHoP-designed tower will stand 90 stories and be composed of 550 residential units and 140,000 square feet of commercial space. The tower will include the integration of the landmarked Dime Savings Bank, but just how that will work out has yet to be seen. YIMBY also reports that Junior's Most Fabulous Cheesecake and Desserts, which shares a block with the development site, will also be razed in the process. This seems unlikely, though, given the restaurant's full-blown rejection of a $45 million cash offer late last year for the site. No demolition permits are on file with the city for the beloved cheesecake destination. [UPDATE: A rep for the project has confirmed that JDS doesn't own the property Junior's sits on. The restaurant will continue on its merry way dishing up cheesecake.] Curbed has reached out for a comment from JDS. Stay tuned. [UPDATE: JDS has declined to comment.] —With writing from Evan Bindelglass.

Source: First Look at Downtown Brooklyn's 1,000-Foot Supertall Tower - Development Watch - Curbed NY

Condo Takes Shape On Central Park's Last Undeveloped Corner - Curbed NY

[All photos via 6sqft]

Circa Central Park is quickly taking shape at the corner of Central Park West and 110th Street, where Harlem meets the Upper West Side. Images taken by6sqft reveal that almost half the 11-story, 51-condo building now stands at the site. The forthcoming semi-circular glass structure, which sits on the northwest corner of Central Park, is designed by FXFOWLE. Developer Artimus Construction have remained pretty mum on the project, even as it nears its sales launch and passes milestones like the unveiling of its teaser site. When complete, the building will have one-to five-bedroom apartments which will start at just under $1 million.

Construction work at the site was delayed by a long remediation process owing to the site's former life as a gas station, according to 6sqft. Artimus purchased the property in 2013 for $25 million after going through a selection process for a designer with the state's Economic Development Corporation . The developers will create space for local dance group Millenium Dance Company on the ground floor; 20 percent of the building's 51 apartments are earmarked as affordable. · Construction Update: FXFowle's Circle-Hugging Harlem Condominium Rises Over Central Park [6sqft]

Source: Condo Takes Shape On Central Park's Last Undeveloped Corner - Construction Watch - Curbed NY

Is the S&P 500 a Better Investment Than Manhattan Condos? - The Real Deal

While Manhattan luxury condos have gained a reputation as a preferred store of wealth for super-rich investors the world over, those well-off Russian oligarchs and Chinese industrialists may have been better off investing in a boring old index fund instead. Real estate analysts at CityRealty, curious how the top end of the city’s condo market fared against less glamorous investments, recently compiled the average price per square foot across a collection of 100 prominent Manhattan condo buildings. They found that the value of those condos rose 55 percent in the past decade, from an average of $1,530 per square foot in 2005 to $2,371 per square foot this year. While that was good for a compound annual growth rate of 4.5 percent, it was no match for the S&P 500 – which had a 5.4 percent annual growth rate over the same period, according to Bloomberg. Still, that doesn’t mean the likes of Bill Ackman and Ken Griffin should have bought index funds instead; as Bloomberg notes, the analysis makes for an interesting but imperfect comparison. There’s no simple way, for example, to by and sell shares in the collection of 100 buildings analyzed by CityRealty, and the condo data is based on a limited number of transactions that have skewed higher thanks to the trend toward increasingly expensive apartments. And then there’s the fact that, if you buy a $100 million apartment as an investment, you’re also able to live in it. That helps. Meanwhile, none other than Donald Trump recently fell victim to a similar analysis by the Washington Post. [Bloomberg] – Rey Mashayekhi Source: NYC Luxury Condos | S&P 500 | CityRealty