Workers replace track on the L line in April 2015. Photo by Patrick Cashin via the MTA Flickr

Can Public-Private Partnerships Fill Holes in the MTA’s Budget?

10:00 pm on September 4, 2015 By Rebecca Baird-Remba

The Citizens Budget Commission released a report earlier this week that predicted the MTA wouldn’t be able to fully repair all 467 of its subway stations until 2067, with suggestions on how the transit authority could finance repairs faster. The group suggested raising money through public-private partnerships, which can be incredibly effective. But when they’re negotiated poorly, these partnerships can cost cities and states millions.

Read More
59-35 Menahan Street

Three Stories, Six Residential Units Coming To 59-35 Menahan Street, Ridgewood

4:00 pm on September 4, 2015 By Reid Wilson

Property owner Vincent Cangialosi has filed applications for two three-story, multi-family residential buildings at 59-35 Menahan Street, in Ridgewood, eight blocks north of the M train’s Forest Avenue stop. A smaller six-unit building had been filed in January, but those plans now appear outdated. The latest filings call for six residential units — three in each building — spread across a total of 13,630 square feet, for very spacious units averaging 2,270 square feet. Salvatore Prainito’s Astoria-based Prainito Design Group is the applicant of record, and the site’s two-story home was filed for demolition earlier this month.

1071 57th Street

Three-Story, Three-Unit Condo Project Planned At 1071 57th Street, Borough Park

3:00 pm on September 4, 2015 By Reid Wilson

Property owner Esther Hoffman has filed applications for a three-story, three-unit residential building at 1071 57th Street, in western Borough Park, four blocks from the D train’s 55th Street stop. The building will measure 7,020 square feet in total, which means units will average a spacious 2,340 square feet, indicative of condos. Midwood-based Asher Hershkowitz is the architect of record, and the existing home — which sold for $1,125,000 in March — must first be demolished.

90-04 Metropolitan Avenue

Single-Story, 4,500 Square-Foot Retail Building Filed At 90-04 Metropolitan Avenue, Glendale

2:00 pm on September 4, 2015 By Reid Wilson

Long Island-based Vander Veer Management has filed applications for a small single-story, 20-foot tall commercial-retail building at 90-04 Metropolitan Avenue, on the corner of Woodhaven Boulevard, where Forest Hills, Rego Park, Middle Village and Glendale meet. The building will measure 4,468 square feet, and there will be two retail spaces, per the Schedule A. SBLM Architects is designing, and demolition permits were filed earlier this year to remove the old gas station.

490 Van Buren Street

Four-Story, Eight-Unit Residential Building Planned At 490 Van Buren Street, Bedford-Stuyvesant

12:30 pm on September 4, 2015 By Reid Wilson

Williamsburg-based Urban View Realty has filed applications for a four-story, eight-unit residential building at 490 Van Buren Street, in Bedford-Stuyvesant near the Bushwick border, two blocks from the J train’s Kosciuszko Street stop. The building will measure 6,000 square feet, and at two per floor, units will average 750 square feet apiece. Woody Chen’s Elmhurst-based Infocus Design & Planning is the applicant of record, and an existing two-story house must first be demolished.