Amazon is deepening its roots in Queens, more than two months after zapping its HQ2 plans in Long Island City — stirring opponents to declare they’re not done fighting yet. Three miles away in Woodside, Terreno Realty Corporation obtained Department of Buildings approval Monday to proceed with $5.6 million in construction at a warehouse where […]
Economy
Posted inShelters
Judge Tosses Challenge to ‘Billionaires’ Row’ Homeless Shelter
A long-delayed homeless shelter planned near “Billionaires’ Row” got a nod of approval Monday from a judge who ruled against opponents. The embattled facility for 140 homeless men, located at the former Park Savoy Hotel on West 58th Street — one of Manhattan’s priciest blocks — has been stalled since neighbors sued to stop the […]
Posted inEconomy
Food Delivery Workers Try to Shift E-Bike Fines to Bosses
The NYPD ignores its own rules when officers slap fines of up to $500 on workers who use illegal electric bikes to make food deliveries, a lawsuit charges. The Legal Aid Society, in a suit set to be filed Monday in Manhattan Supreme Court, contends the bosses at the top of the food chain should […]
Posted inQueens
With Amazon Gone, Queens Building’s Owners May Boot Local Library Branch
Two months after Amazon — the world’s largest bookseller — announced it was bailing on a lease in Queens’ tallest skyscraper, a local library branch in the same building could be facing its final chapter. The lease for the Queens Public Library’s One Court Square branch, an economically sized 3,200 square-foot library on the ground […]
Posted inFerries
Double Duty: How an Overseer of NYC Ferry Became an Investor
In early 2018, the company that runs the city’s ferry system scored a major investment from a deep-pocketed firm. Onboard that deal was Mark Patricof, a member of the board of directors that governs the New York City Economic Development Corp. (EDC) — the quasi-public authority that oversees and helps fund the NYC Ferry system, […]
Posted inFerries
Stringer Fires Another Torpedo at EDC’s Embattled Ships
Questioning the integrity of the selection process behind the city’s ferry program, Comptroller Scott Stringer again on Tuesday sent back an $82 million plan to buy new boats. THE CITY reported last week that the Economic Development Corporation judged a bid from ferry operator Hornblower Cruises to be cheaper than a competing offer from three […]
Posted inPeople
Developers Donate Big to Queens DA Candidate Who Vows Construction Crackdown
When Queens Borough President Melinda Katz announced her candidacy for district attorney in December, she sought to stand out as an advocate for workers injured or ripped off on the job – especially on construction sites. “Developers and construction companies will be held accountable if they fail to follow the law and keep their workers […]
Posted inMTA
‘Imminent’ Domain: Uncertain Second Ave. Subway Plans Put Locals on Edge
Additional reporting by Claudia Irizarry Aponte People in East Harlem know there’s a new train coming – eventually. They know about the train stops planned on Second Avenue at 106th and 116th streets, with another at 125th Street and Lexington. But what many residents are just starting to realize is that preliminary MTA plans to […]
Posted inFerries
Comptroller: Put NYC Ferries in DOT Hands
The agency that runs the Staten Island Ferry should consider taking the helm of the city’s new ferry system “as soon as possible,” City Comptroller Scott Stringer said Wednesday in the wake of THE CITY’s report on the high price paid for boats. Taxpayers are on the hook for as much as $369 million worth […]
Posted inFerries
City Hall’s $369 Million Riverboat Gamble on Ferries
The boats for Mayor Bill de Blasio’s signature ferry program could soak taxpayers for up to $369 million — a cost that might have been avoided under another operator, which offered to use its own vessels, bidding documents show. In 2016, the New York City Economic Development Corporation announced it had picked San Francisco-based Hornblower […]