Studios at the SHoP-designed, 1,066-foot building start at just under $1 million, while a nice penthouse will cost you $6 million—a perfect vantage point for you to do that weird hand thing that the filthy rich like to do.
For lesser gods, there are market-rate rentals, which range from $3,750/month for a studio to three-bedroom apartments at $11,825/month. Their view may not be as nice, but everyone below will still look like ants—ants you can crush.
Mortals who beat the odds might be able to live in the 120 "affordable" units that Barad-dûr—I mean, the Brooklyn Tower—was required to offer, because the developers received a 421-a tax exemption from the state.
Back in 2016, when JDS Development took the tax break to build the tower, there were no clear guidelines for how deeply affordable these apartments needed to be (the City could have pushed for more, but didn't). The developer just had to set aside apartments for people making 130 percent of the area median income and below (up to $138,840 for two people), and then they could decide their "affordability"—how much of the "below" they included.
Ah, well then. We've reached out to JDS Development to see why they chose to focus on New Yorkers earning six figures. We're guessing it has something to do with squeezing as much profit as humanly possible out of Mordor on DeKalb.
The 421-a tax break exemption the Brooklyn Tower received, which mandated these affordable apartments, expired last year, meaning no new buildings that begin construction right now qualify for the millions in tax breaks. Governor Kathy Hochul wants to revive it as part of the now-stalled state budget talks, possibly with a lower maximum AMI—but affordable housing advocates want it gone completely. It's not hard to see why.
A fire started by an e-bike battery killed two people in Astoria. Fire officials say the battery was not compatible with the charger it was being used with.
At the same time, according to a press release, Uber has started a trade-in program for its delivery workers to get them safer bikes. One thing Uber can also do? Stop fighting pay raises for their drivers (and also give them safe bikes).
And finally, just a reminder that Blank Street is no longer your least favorite coffee chain:
Blank Street, the coffee shop you love to hate, is surprisingly chill about the low-key and extremely successful union drive by its workers. @k80way for @HellGateNY on how the workers decided to unionize now, while things are going good.