959 First Avenue

Construction Wraps on 29-Story, 113-Unit Mixed-Use Tower at 959 First Avenue, Midtown East

7:00 am on September 6, 2016 By Reid Wilson

Construction has wrapped up on 959 First Avenue, a 29-story, 113-unit mixed-use tower under development between East 52nd and East 53rd Street, in Midtown East. When YIMBY last checked in on the project in early 2015, façade installation was still underway. The latest photos were posted to the YIMBY Forums by Tectonic. Dubbed the Sutton, it measures 194,201 square feet and rises 353 feet above street level. There will be 2,714 square feet of ground-floor retail space, followed by residential units above, averaging 1,440 square feet apiece. Ninety of the apartments will be condominiums ranging from studios to four-bedrooms, plus a few penthouses, the largest of which has seven bedrooms. The other 23 apartments (20 percent of the total) will be designated as affordable. Toll Brothers City Living is the developer. Incorporated Architecture & Design is the design architect and Goldstein, Hill & West Architects is the executive architect. Occupancy can probably be expected soon.

105 Corporate Park Drive

Five-Story, 421-Unit Residential Complex Approved at 105 Corporate Park Drive, Harrison

6:30 am on September 6, 2016 By Reid Wilson

The Harrison, N.Y., Town Board has approved plans to build two five-story residential buildings, with a total of 421 residential units, at 105 Corporate Park Drive. Harrison is in southern Westchester County. The residential units will be rental apartments, ranging from studios to two-bedrooms, of which 10 percent (42 units) will be designated as affordable. The complex will be accommodated by 752 parking spaces and a 5,400-square-foot restaurant. The 10.35-acre property is currently occupied by two three-story, 87,700-square-foot office buildings built during the 1970s. Both will be demolished, although the residential complex will take on a similar footprint. Normandy Real Estate Partners and Toll Brothers are the developers. Sullivan Architecture is behind the design. Construction is expected to start during the first half of 2017.

88-49 179th Place

Plans Approved for Masjid Al-Arapha’s Three-Story Mosque at 88-49 179th Place, Jamaica

6:00 am on September 6, 2016 By Reid Wilson

The Buildings Department has approved plans for Masjid Al-Arapha to build a three-story, 15,120-square-foot religious facility at 88-49 179th Place, located immeadiately east of downtown Jamaica. The project will measure 15,120 square feet and rise 35 feet in height. It will contain prayer areas on the ground and second floors, followed by classrooms for children ages three through 12 on the third floor. The cellar will contain a kitchen and a 22-car parking garage. Jamil M. Coppin’s Fresh Meadows-based architecture firm is the architect of record. The 80-foot-wide, 8,615-square-foot property is currently vacant. The Jamaica-179th Street stop on the F train is located a block away.

L Train Flooding Post-Sandy

Why This Weekend’s Weather Forecast is Bad News for the L Train’s Long-Term Prospects

4:00 pm on September 2, 2016 By Nikolai Fedak

New York City has long dealt with storms, but recently, things have been getting more turbulent. In 2011, Hurricane Irene almost flooded the subways; the city’s sigh of relief was quickly suffocated by Sandy only one year later, which wrecked much of the system. This past winter, while Delaware and southern New Jersey were again hit by record tides during Central Park’s heaviest-ever snowstorm, the city escaped relatively unscathed. But, on Sunday, New Yorkers may not be so lucky, as guidance from NOAA’s storm surge model shows a substantial storm surge into the city, which would approach the tipping point for flooding of underground infrastructure.

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