The Hotel Builder also owned the Village Voice. — PerryR on Tribeca Then & Now: Part 2

Gross. Boycott!!! — TG on Worst Pop-Up Restaurant Idea Ever

What big babies. Throwing eggs from the higher floors. Get over it people. Who don't like noise and people move. Let's try and have a little prospective here. You are some of the lucky ones and boo hoo something you can't immediately control and change to make you feel better. — TG on Seen & Heard: Progress at Two Park Place Restaurants

Ah, so it was a nursery until the late 90's? Thanks guys for your insights! — Chris Horoschak on Tribeca Then & Now: Part 2

Fearless leader... funny... — Rohin on Seen & Heard: 30-Story Building Coming to Greenwich Street

At the very least they should create a separate pedestrian walkway barricaded off from the rest of the street traffic. Dangerous and very frustrating as one realizes that literally nothing has moved on that "site" in the past 6 months — Rohin on Seen & Heard: 30-Story Building Coming to Greenwich Street

No, this is not high density on a square footage basis. As a basis for comparison, the Zoning Resolution purposely set lower limits of 1,000 - 1,200 square feet for dwelling units converted from lofts under the Loft Law (where there is more than one loft per floor), to avoid landlords further sub-dividing dwelling units into studio apartments. — James on First Look at the 42-Story Building Planned for Broadway

Well, in the sense that more floors on the same plot equals higher density. So, yeah, but I share your concern about this design. — David G. Imber on First Look at the 42-Story Building Planned for Broadway

My thoughts exactly. — K on Worst Pop-Up Restaurant Idea Ever

Agreed that automobile traffic at certain times and in certain areas is absurd, but the Bloomberg plan for congestion pricing had one particular aspect that was particularly Bloombergian, and prevented me from supporting it. It would have required residents of lower Manhattan who wanted to leave the island through midtown, for example going upstate, to pay a fee in both directions. That means that a person of modest means in our neighborhood, say, renting a Zipcar for a pleasant drive in the country, would have to shell out an extra $32 or so. Though to people of means that's negligible, it seems like an unfair burden to residents of the island. — David G. Imber on In the News: Au Cheval Confirmed for Cortlandt Alley

www.nydailynews.com/opinion/leaving-n-y-senate-article-1.3394774 Why I’m leaving the N.Y. Senate "[...] I believed in state government’s potential. "I still do. But over the years I have seen it thwarted by a sliver of heavily invested special interests. In the state Senate, for example, Democrats have repeatedly been denied control of the chamber by cynical political deals, despite winning an electoral majority — including in 2016. "And the status quo has proven extraordinarily durable: It barely shuddered when the leaders of both legislative chambers were convicted of corruption. [...] "Of course, while New York is a particularly seedy example, ours is not the only state where a combination of political dealmaking, big money and public distraction have allowed corruption to fester. Once considered laboratories of democracy, too many states have become petri dishes of corruption; rather than increase economic opportunity, they serve the most opportunistic. [...] "There are no easy answers, but I believe stronger candidates, a sharpened approach and better policies at the state level can help turn the tide nationally. In the coming months, along with entrepreneur Adam Pritzker and Jeffrey Sachs of Columbia University, I will launch a national effort focused on addressing this crisis — joining others already doing important work toward 2018 and beyond. "It is not possible to devote myself to this goal and serve my constituents at the level they deserve. For this reason, I am announcing my resignation from the state Senate. My decision will not impact the partisan balance of the chamber. The 26th District is safely Democratic, and I am stepping aside with enough time to ensure it will be filled on election day this November. And I will remain committed to doing all I can to support an empowered Democratic majority." — James on State Senator Daniel Squadron Has Resigned

buy a small bag, light one up, see what you are actually putting in your system. — Cheetos are good fire starter. on Worst Pop-Up Restaurant Idea Ever

Translation: I'm going to go get paid as an operative. Too bad, wouldn't have minded seeing him run for Mayor. — Jeff on State Senator Daniel Squadron Has Resigned

I certainly agree one of the good ones. But I don't think its disappointing given what he plans to work on. — Jmh on State Senator Daniel Squadron Has Resigned

The barricaded sidewalks create a major pedestrian hazard. When attempting to cross Greenwich from the south west corner, there is no way to see whether are cars are coming down the street without stepping way into the middle of the road and putting yourself directly in harms way if a car happens to be coming. — Lisa on Seen & Heard: 30-Story Building Coming to Greenwich Street

The current Greenwich Street DOT permits all expire on 8/16/17. Maybe our fearless City Councilmember could do something like get answers to your questions, if she cared to. M022017137A20 MN 01 01 BARONE MANAGMENT, LLC GREENWICH STREET DESBROSSES STREET WATTS STREET 5/19/2017 8/16/2017 11:59:59 PM 02 BUILDING OPERATION PERMIT OCCUPANCY OF SIDEWALK AS STIPULATED M022017137A24 MN 01 01 BARONE MANAGMENT, LLC GREENWICH STREET DESBROSSES STREET WATTS STREET 5/19/2017 8/16/2017 11:59:59 PM 02 BUILDING OPERATION PERMIT PLACE EQUIPMENT OTHER THAN CRANE OR SHOV M022017137A25 MN 01 01 BARONE MANAGMENT, LLC GREENWICH STREET DESBROSSES STREET WATTS STREET 5/19/2017 8/16/2017 11:59:59 PM 02 BUILDING OPERATION PERMIT OCCUPANCY OF ROADWAY AS STIPULATED M022017137A27 MN 01 01 BARONE MANAGMENT, LLC GREENWICH STREET DESBROSSES STREET WATTS STREET 5/19/2017 8/16/2017 11:59:59 PM 02 BUILDING OPERATION PERMIT TEMP. CONST. SIGNS/MARKINGS M022017137A28 MN 01 01 BARONE MANAGMENT, LLC GREENWICH STREET DESBROSSES STREET WATTS STREET 5/19/2017 8/16/2017 11:59:59 PM 02 BUILDING OPERATION PERMIT PLACE EQUIPMENT OTHER THAN CRANE OR SHOV http://a841-dotweb01.nyc.gov/permit/permit/web_permits/PermitSearchForm.asp — James on Seen & Heard: 30-Story Building Coming to Greenwich Street

That One Manhattan Square is definitely enormous. Curious to how many people with $1.5-5 million dollars plus $2-5k a month in HOA and taxes would want to live in a building with that many units. Plenty I would imagine. — ian on Seen & Heard: New Eyelash Salon

The problem is many of the handicap accessible entrances/exits are still under construction. The absurd delays have caused these key components of the Oculus/Mall from opening, among the R/W trains and 1 train connection. That should be freaking done already too! — Anthony on In the News: De Blasio Wants a Subway Tax on the Rich

Yes to congestion pricing. The auto traffic in the city is out of hand. Use the income to subsidize infrastructure and public transit works. — Marcus on In the News: Au Cheval Confirmed for Cortlandt Alley

nypost.com/2017/07/27/whats-really-behind-the-mtas-money-woes/ "So what is the MTA spending its money on? "The biggest culprit in skyrocketing costs is employee benefits. Consider that in 1985, retirement and health benefits for New York City Transit personnel cost $1.2 billion in today’s dollars. Today, they cost nearly $3.1 billion annually. "At the MTA as a whole, in 2005, such costs constituted 23 percent of employee spending, costing $2.5 billion in today’s dollars. Today, they constitute 30 percent, costing $4.5 billion. "This increase in benefit costs alone consumes all the additional revenue that the MTA takes in from the payroll tax the Legislature implemented in 2009. Should the Legislature enact a new tax, ever-increasing benefits likely will consume that, too. "To be clear: This isn’t the unions’ fault. It’s MTA management — prodded by successive governors, including Cuomo — that has allowed costs to soar, by promising too much. The MTA owes nearly $19 billion in health care promises to future retirees — and has set just $300 million aside. "Money that goes to employee benefits is money that can’t go to capital investment. So the MTA must borrow — another huge cost. "In the early ’80s, the MTA had virtually no debt. Today, it owes nearly $40 billion — and Cuomo wants it to borrow another $10 billion over just five years. "Debt payments will cost the MTA $2.6 billion this year. And the MTA’s legacy of debt from past capital investment programs consumes today’s revenues even as some of the infrastructure funded with that debt has expended its useful life. 1980s-era buses are long gone — but the MTA still owes money for them." — James on In the News: De Blasio Wants a Subway Tax on the Rich

What do you expect for a mere $4 billion? — James on In the News: De Blasio Wants a Subway Tax on the Rich

The Crain's article is a jumble of issues. The law mentioned, RPAPL 881, allows developers and owners to sue the neighbors for a license if they can show necessity to enter for reasons of providing temporary protection (NYC Building Code Chapter 33) or gaining temporary access to perform repairs or construction on their own property (such as fixing a leaking wall on a lot line or for Local Law 11 repairs). The key word is temporary. Courts readily grant licenses for necessary safety repairs to existing buildings with little compensation, as a matter of good public policy. Developers are little concerned with their neighbors' safety in my experience; some have recently done tremendous damage to neighbors as the overheated market draws in amateurs looking to get in and get out as quickly as possible. Many developers fail to get licenses in Court when they fail to show necessity and other legally required items, such as approved plans by Department of Buildings. Further, if the developers are disturbing their neighbor in pursuit of their development profits, the neighbor never asked for the disturbance and deserves to be made whole. Lastly, underpinning is a permanent encroachment and not a temporary trespass. The courts in NY have repeatedly ruled that a neighbor can not be compelled to let a neighboring developer underpin. If the developer does not want to pay, and some neighbors don't want underpinning at any price, the developer can design an alternative foundation and weigh the relative advantages in added cost and time. -------- FYI - The law (RPAPL 881): When an owner or lessee seeks to make improvements or repairs to real property so situated that such improvements or repairs cannot be made by the owner or lessee without entering the premises of an adjoining owner or his lessee, and permission so to enter has been refused, the owner or lessee seeking to make such improvements or repairs may commence a special proceeding for a license so to enter pursuant to article four of the civil practice law and rules.  The petition and affidavits, if any, shall state the facts making such entry necessary and the date or dates on which entry is sought.  Such license shall be granted by the court in an appropriate case upon such terms as justice requires.  The licensee shall be liable to the adjoining owner or his lessee for actual damages occurring as a result of the entry. ------ — James on In the News: Au Cheval Confirmed for Cortlandt Alley

I am so confused; it is not the 1st of April. — Andrea on Worst Pop-Up Restaurant Idea Ever

Drybar (including the one in Tribeca) has not accepted cash as of April. What sucks is that the stylists (of course) prefer to receive tips in cash but the salon does not have any cash on hand for change. So I assume a lot of customers end up tipping by credit card which isn't great for the stylists. (If you don't have change, you can go to Starbucks next door. They're very nice about breaking a bill as long as you're willing to wait for someone who uses cash so that they can open the register. LOL!) — StrollerlessTribecaHottie on Another Restaurant No Longer Accepts Cash

DeBlasio should push for the MTA to have transparent books so we can see where the money is really going before proposing a tax on NYC residents. — Anon on In the News: De Blasio Wants a Subway Tax on the Rich