Eggs

Photo: Fred Conrad (via NYT)

A stunning image of the (almost complete) digester eggs at Newtown Creek WPCP. Designed by Polshek Partnership, this is probably the pinnacle of contemporary design in Greenpoint.

July?

05/05/2008 | Comment

The good news/bad news on the water taxi keeps rolling in.

The latest good news (via this press release) is that the City Council is funding a new water taxi service between Far Rockaway and Lower Manhattan, with service starting May 12. On the North Brooklyn front, the City has secured federal funds to build new docking facilities in Northside Williamsburg and Greenpoint as part of expanded water taxi service on the East River. And, the City is ponying up $1.25 million to construct a new launch facility at Schaefer Landing.

The bad news? Well, service on the East River (Schaefer and Long Island City) won’t resume until July (you may recall that it was supposed to resume in May, er June). And the expanded service (which I presume will include a landing at the Edge and Northside Piers) won’t start up for another two years. Presumably between now and then the new residents in the Northside waterfront district will find a way to squeeze on the L train. When its running.

Actually, there is even more good news (really) in the press release. First, the MTA is studying how to connect bus service to the ferry landings, and second, EDC is working with the Real Estate Board to find “ways for impacted developers to support the East River ferry service” (I think both of these are very good ideas). Further, with the help of federal funding, a water taxi stop will be added to Roosevelt Island.

Issues of local timing (and false promises) aside, this package of funding and service expansions is good news for the long-term viability of ferry service in New York City. By subsidizing the expansion of service, the city (and feds) will hopefully create a critical mass of ridership that will sustain commuter ferry service on something more than a seasonal basis. Hopefully too, this will result in the critical mass necessary to make fares more affordable to more New Yorkers (under the current plans, the Rockaway Service will be capped at $6 each way – only a dollar more than the 10 minute trip from Schaefer Landing to Lower Manhattan). Hopefully, too, these subsidies will be enough to keep New York Water Taxi afloat – but their ability to run an efficient and successful business remains a big question mark in all of this.

Engine 212 ≠ Luxury Condos

05/03/2008 | 1 Comment

Engine 212

Photo: jUSTINYC

This piece of news slipped quietly under the radar. According to the Brooklyn Eagle, NYC’s Economic Development Corporation has awarded the former Engine 212 site to the People’s Firehouse and NAG. The groups will invest an “estimated $1.3 million in the redevelopment of the Wythe Avenue site into the Northside Town Hall Community Center and Cultural Center to provide a permanent home for both organizations”.

PFI and NAG were always the leading contenders to take over 212 (ironic, in that they both fought the closing of the firehouse so fiercely). Still, its great news that this neighborhood institution will continue to serve the neighborhood, and that two worthy local non-profits will soon have new homes. Thanks to all the pols who made it happen.

Microsoft Store?

The Williamsburgh Savings Bank (the one on Flatbush, not ours) may soon be home to the world’s first Microsoft Store. [Insert joke here.] That, at least, according to the new broker for the landmarked space. Its not clear if this is actual news or just an attempt by a broker to get Apple’s competitive juices flowing.

But really, a Microsoft store? A 33,000 square foot Microsoft store? In a landmark interior? In a building with no street-level retail presence? For $2 million a year in rent? With your only store in the world on Flatbush and Atlantic? I’m no fan of Microsoft, but even I don’t think they’re that dumb.

This space would make a great Apple store. But Apple already has three other stores in the city, in very high traffic areas. Apple also has the goods to sell – once you get past Zunes and XBoxes, what’s left? The Vista Bar?

Parking Tickets

David Yassky is pushing a bill that would extend most-favored-parker status for some large businesses in the city. As I understand it, businesses that agree to give up their right to contest tickets are given a break on the total fines of the tickets they are issued. Yassky says this bill makes it a little bit easier for businesses making deliveries to do business in the city. Opponents say the law increases traffic and congestion and gives large businesses preferential treatment.

As part of the congestion pricing plan, I thought that parking fines for commercial vehicles should be reduced in the city. This would have offset the cost of entering the congestion zone for commercial vehicles, and, combined with the benefits of less congestion, would have addressed much of the “working class” objection to Blomberg’s plan.

A New Isetta?

Via Wired, news that BMW looking to reintroduce its Isetta as a zero-emissions electric car. The original Isetta (seen at Wired ) was a three-wheeled ugly duckling that fit into the era of other classic post-war Eurocars (2CV, Morris Mini, 500, et al). Unlike the new Mini Cooper, the new Isetta concept (seen in the Autocar link, above) pales in comparison (the 500 has been in more or less continuous production, for better and worse).

Also intriguing: BMW is considering using this as the base for a “range of city cars”, including internal combustion models based on its motorcycle engines.

Art on the Pier

This one’s a little stale, but via the Real Estate, an article on the artist behind the sculpture that is to go on the pier at Northside Piers.

Lollipop, Lollipop

Whether or not it was Landmark worthy, I sure do miss the old 2 Columbus Circle. In photos at least, its replacement is nothing to get excited about, and its reuse of the lollipop structure leaves me scratching my head. The old building had a dignity that I find lacking here – it would have been better to just tear it down (there are, as a friend of mine likes to say, worse things you can do to a building than to tear it down).

Fiscal Responsibility

The Times likes Bloomberg’s latest budget, and rightly so. Unlike his predecessor, this Mayor is not leaving his successor with a fiasco. The proposed budget attempts to live within the means of the City, which is sure to upset many in the short term but benefit the city in the long term.

One reason that I have always liked Bloomberg was his willingness to put forward a draconian budget in his first year. It was necessary, given the recession at the time (in retrospect a mild one) and the economic fallout and uncertainty following 11 September. That year of budgetary pain (along with a string of external factors) helped to put the City in the position to enjoy five years or so of healthy budget growth.

Contrast the Bloomberg approach with that of the national Republican party (remember Bush’s trifecta?), and the notion of Republican fiscal responsibility is quickly exposed for the joke it is.

Bird Blog

Apropos of the Grand Street retail renaissance I discussed a week or two ago, Brownstoner has started a new renovation blog. This one covers the owners of Bird, who have rented a 2,500 space at 203 Grand Street. So now everyone can follow along as the latest Grand Street success story takes shape.