Steven Roth, the CEO of Vornado, said that new construction was “almost impossible” because of tight lending, while remote work was hurting the office market.
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From left: 2-10 54th Avenue in Long Island City, 355 Exterior Street in the Bronx and a rendering of 145 Wolcott Street (Google Maps, Arquitectonica, iStock)
Construction activity in New York City declined for the fourth straight year in 2020, according to a new report from the Real Estate Board of New York although activity picked up in the last quarter with several big new projects.
Just 1,760 new building plans were filed in 2020, the lowest number the city has seen since 2012, representing a nearly 10 percent decline from 2019’s total. The total square footage of 42.67 million, down 28 percent year-over-year, was also the lowest figure in that time span. The number of multiple dwelling units declined 18 percent to 27,402.
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From left: BSA chairwoman Margery Perlmutter, developer Alexandros Washburn, New York City Council member Carlos Menchaca and a rendering of the project (Photos via the City of New York, LinkedIn and Arquitectonica)
Developers can’t go through Carlos Menchaca, but they can go around him.
The Brooklyn City Council member last year killed a major rezoning in his district and tried to stop one in someone else’s. Now, a builder is steering a $200 million Red Hook project to an agency where Menchaca has no vote.
The proposal for 145 Wolcott Street includes 210 apartments 61 of them affordable in a manufacturing zone, so it needs either new zoning from the City Council or a variance from the Board of Standards and Appeals.