Major environmental groups oppose $52B plan to build storm surge gates in NY-NJ waterways "In September, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers published a report detailing its $52 billion proposal to protect New York City with the largest system of waterfront barriers in the region — and one of the largest infrastructure projects in the city’s history. The tentatively selected plan, named Alternative 3B, is part of the NY & NJ Harbor & Tributaries Focus Area Feasibility Study, or HATS, and it proposes building 12 enormous storm surge gates in New York and New Jersey waterways. It would also construct more than 41 miles of coastal barriers along the city’s shoreline, cutting through neighborhoods, parks and beaches." (Gothamist)
Going Up: MTA will start installing elevators at 15 more subway stations this year, 12 others to open in 2023 "The agency announced the new lifts at its monthly board meeting on Thursday, with contracts set to be awarded for projects at stations in all five boroughs. In all, contracts will be awarded for 29 new elevators." (amNY)
Midtown Owners Hedge on Costly Office-to-Home Conversions "Landlords need Albany action to turn Manhattan commercial buildings into apartments — and that’s just the start of their challenges." (The City)
Manhattan apartments are bigger now than a decade ago "Believe it or not, new apartments in Manhattan are getting bigger. Despite being notorious for its small, compact apartments, Manhattan rentals actually gained an average of 19 square feet since 2013, an increase of 3 percent, according to new data released this week by RentCafe. The borough is an outlier when looking at the rest of the country, where newly constructed units continue to shrink in size, and even compared to other parts of New York City. The average space of new rentals in Brooklyn and Queens decreased by seven percent over the last decade, costing renters roughly 45 square feet." (6sqft)
