Urban Planning

Christine Quinn Wants to Save the Streets From Themselves

Between 2009 and 2011, approximately 450 people died crossing the street in New York City. Whether to reckless driving, not looking both ways, or sheer confusion, the city lost 450 residents. And that's not counting bicycle fatalities. Needless to say, like subway deaths, it's become a problem that ... More >>

South Street Seaport to Complete its Evolution Into High End Mall, Leave All Dirty Traces of History Behind

On March 20th, City Council Members Margaret Chin and Christine Quinn encouraged everyone to celebrate a "victory" in the ULURP (Uniform Land Use Review Procedure) rezoning of the area surrounding Pier 17 and the former Fulton Fish Market. Dallas-based Howard Hughes Corporation, the mall developer t ... More >>

Gut Renovation Whines at Williamsburg's Newer Residents

Just Because It's My Brooklyn Doesn't Mean It Can't Be Yours

On Saturday afternoon, Rerun Theater at Rebar was full. It seemed only fitting that even the name of the place is a do-over, its chairs the back seats from old minivans--and not just because Rerun is a venue for post-film festival movies that don't yet have distributors. Today the theater was screen ... More >>

Jay's First Concert at Barclays, a Movie Opposed to Barclays, And a People Not So Divided

A couple hundred people sat quietly on wet astro-turf watching a movie in a dark park about a man and his community's fight to keep an arena out of their neighborhood. A few blocks over, thousands of people waited eagerly under shimmering lights to see Brooklyn's favorite rapper baptize that arena ... More >>

'The Jazz Gallery's Home Run Benefit Concert'

City Elaborates on Mayor Michael Bloomberg's Midtown Knock 'Em Down Plan

Yesterday, the Voice wrote on reports that Mayor Mike wants to speed up rezoning schemes near Grand Central Terminal, so that out-of-date, short buildings can be replaced with modern towers. The Mayor's idea would run from East 39th Street to East 59th Street, between Third and Fifth Avenues -- and ... More >>

Freddy's Bar to Reopen February 4 in New Fifth Avenue Location

Freddy's Bar/facebookFreddy's II team.​Freddy's Bar, which closed last year to make room for the multibillion-dollar Atlantic Yards project, is reopening in its new location February 4. The new Freddy's, at 627 Fifth Avenue in Brooklyn, is already lining up acts, including Les Sans Culottes, B ... More >>

SING OUT, COMMISSIONER!

It’s Robert Moses: the Musical

Bike Share Program Getting Attention -- But Will It Work?

​Ryan Rzepecki is dashing in between sponsorship meetings when he tells the Voice on the phone that all this media attention over his new start-up SoBi (Social Bicycles) is a blessing and a curse. He hasn't stopped getting e-mails from bicyclists, hipsters, urban planners from as far away as H ... More >>

Freddy's Fight Comes to an End: The Bar Will Close May 1st, BUT Will Relocate to New Space This Summer

So long, original Freddy's. Hello, Freddy's Next Bar.​Following a fake eviction notice from its landlord last month, Freddy's Backroom & Bar is now really and truly being kicked out of its Dean Street space at the end of the month. Freddy's will open its doors in Prospect Heights for the last ... More >>

Yonkers Pol Sandy Annabi Charged With Corruption in Ratner (Atlantic Yards) Project

Yonkers pol Sandy Annabi, accused of corruption.Yonkers Democratic pol Sandy Annabi and two others were charged today with conspiracy, bribery, and extortion in connection with the startling reversal in 2006 of Annabi's opposition to a Forest City Ratner project in Westchester County. Forest City ... More >>

Council Approves Broadway Triangle Rezoning

Much has been made of the city council's recent triple override of Mayor Bloomberg: They've answered his vetoes with second votes overruling him on the Kingsbridge Armory mall, the five-minute parking grace, and an expansion of clergy parking privileges. But yesterday they gave him the Broadway Tri ... More >>

Anticipating Atlantic Yards Eviction, Freddy's Bar Wraps Itself in Chains

Photos by Lisanne McTernan. The locals at Freddy's Backroom -- a cozy Prospect Heights bar with a rabble-rousing clientele -- could be found getting sloshed at an especially early hour on Sunday. At high noon, and with the assistance of a group of mildly drunken onlookers, manager Donald O'Finn wa ... More >>

As Atlantic Yards Gets Pricier, How Much Red Ink Can Ratner Absorb?

​Uberdeveloper-turned-Nets-owner Bruce Ratner better have some good meds, because this is rapidly shaping up to be a month of rapid mood swings for him and his Atlantic Yards project. While Tuesday's granting of a desperately needed investment-grade rating for the Nets arena bonds must have be ... More >>

Atlantic Yards "Cloud" Lifted, But Fog Remains: What About the Bonds?

So is the long-heralded arrival of Atlantic Yards finally at hand, or what? According to the front page of today's Times (echoed on its sports page), the answer is yes: Following yesterday's appeals court ruling, which dismissed challenges to the state seizing private land for the Nets-arena-and-oth ... More >>

Kelo outcome shows Atlantic Yards risk

The outcome of New York's embattled eminent domain development projects is called into question by the economic development project which made them possible. The Pfizer research facility at the center of the Kelo v. New London Supreme Court decision is closing, taking over 1,400 jobs with it. The 5 ... More >>

3rd Atlantic Yards Design Emitted

​ Today developer Bruce Ratner unveiled a third design for his stalled Atlantic Yards project. (The first had been done by architecture superstar Frank Gehry; when it was scrapped for "value engineering" reasons, Ratner engaged Ellerbe Becket, who delivered a Pee-Wee's Playhouse set; SHoP Arc ... More >>

Groups Sues Planners to Stop Sunset Park Rezoning

​Our ever-busy city planners are eager to rezone Sunset Park. To hear them tell it, the rezoning is benign, aiming "to preserve neighborhood character and scale by placing height limits throughout the area, allowing for new development where appropriate at a height and scale that is in keeping ... More >>

Live! Coney Island Council Vote!

​ Photo (cc) MapDork. Against all odds, there's actually working (sort of) WiFi in the city council chamber, so I'm going to attempt to liveblog today's final vote on the city's Coney Island rezoning plan. The council's land use committee gave its preliminary blessing last week, so the last ... More >>

Atlantic Yards Scales Back; Gehry's Playhouse Gives Way to "Airplane Hangar"

Ratner's Atlantic Yards project continues to shrink. Now architect Frank Gehry's ambitious $1 billion vision for the sports-'n'-more complex has been dumped in favor of a $800 million sports-'n'-less plan. The New York Times quotes officials who say the new rendering, out of architects Ellerbe Becke ... More >>

City Grabs More Willets Point Land; Now Has About 65%

Opponents of the Willets Point land-grab -- by which the city is acquiring as much of the Iron Triangle out by Citi Field as possible, in preparation for bold new civic improvement plans -- are on the ropes, and the city keeps gaining. The New York City Economic Development Corp announces that it ... More >>

Coney Island of the Mind: Big Thinkers Consider Coney, Offer Depressing Ideas

Congressman Charlie Rangel Gets a Rival

Craig Schley, an activist and former male model, capitalizes on anti-Rangel feeling

Night Trip: Train Yards to Marcus Garvey Park to Urban Gravestones

What Does it Take To Turn NYC Bike Friendly?

Supreme Court Declines to Hear Atlantic Yards Challenge

Mermaids of the World, Unite! Tomorrow's the Time on Coney Island

Design Competition Seeks to Make Red Hook Bike-Friendly

Chinatown Residents Fight Gentrification

Locals Fear City Will Destroy Coney Island In Order To Save It

Willets Point Redevelopment Hits Potholes

Formal Opposition: Protesters Dress Down Brooklyn Museum Over Bruce Ratner Honor

Atlantic Yards Opponents Look With Hope to Gov. Paterson

Who's Buried in Atlantic Yards?

A resistance movement drowning its sorrows during a pub quiz in Red Hook

Bloomberg's Coney Gambit Leaves Thor Up Sitt Creek

Bloomberg Unveils Coney Redevelopment Plan

Labor Day Pains

Will this be the winter of Coney's discontent?

Will City Land Swap Make Coney Squabble Vanish?

Atlantic Yards Lite?

'Times' to Commoners: Go Elsewhere

Don't soil our publicly subsidized new HQ with your riff-raff

'Discovering' Williamsburg

Working-class residents are the ones forced out to seek new frontiers

Music

Ratner Rules

Brooklyn Nets Plan Spares Developer Shaya Boymelgreen's Project

The Waiting Game

Loft Dwellers Hope to Hold Out Until a City Policy Kicks In

One-Bedroom Co-Op In 1898 Tenement

East Jerusalem Exiles

The Ground Shifts in Sheikh Jarrah