As New York City rapidly recovers from the COVID-19 pandemic, public focus has returned to the city's long chronic issues of housing affordability, economic development, and climate change. With rising sea levels a paramount concern for decades to come, Mayor de Blasio and the Trust for Governors Island announced Monday that they will kick-off a worldwide competition to establish a Climate Solutions Center on Governors Island in New York harbor. Expected to create more than 7,000 jobs directly, and generate nearly $1 billion in economic impact for the city, the center will be anchored by a to-be-determined university or research institution whose goal will be to foster public awareness, dialogue, and action to address the global climate crisis. The city and the trust have made up to $150 million of capital funding available to support this project.

“New York City has every asset needed to become the global leader in climate solutions and adaptation. We have the best talent, most innovative and creative entrepreneurs, and now, we’re offering Governors Island as the ideal location to host this existential work,” said Deputy Mayor Vicki Been. “This competition will foster diverse ideas and perspectives on how to create a world-class climate solutions center, and I look forward to seeing institutions from across the globe propose concepts for this once-in-a-generation opportunity.”

While seemingly counterintuitive, it has been proven that city living is greener than residing in suburban, exurban, and rural environments, largely due to more efficient land use, low rates of driving/car ownership, walkability, and generally smaller living spaces to heat and cool. Furthermore, the city brings residents a wealth of environmentally conscious options —from choosing green energy providers, buying from locally-sourced farmer's markets, to living in a green building— that could further reduce one's carbon footprint. Each city dweller may be one less car on the road, one less acre of wilderness destroyed, and one less McMansion to cool. With that said, find below a round-up of a dozen new projects moving through various stages of the city's development pipeline.

South of the massive Greenpoint Landing development, a new project is in the works for 79 Quay Street. Harry Einhorn purchased the property near Bushwick Inlet for $16 million in 2016, and has most recently submitted an environmental assessment statement requesting a rezoning so that he can build a nine-story, mixed-use building with 83 apartments, 25 of which would be affordable, and 29 parking spaces.

Renderings by SWA Architecture depict a building with a glassy retail storefront, tan brick accents, and glassy penthouse floors on top. Demolition permits have not yet been filed for the three-story warehouse currently on the site.

The first renderings have been revealed for a new 17-story building at 1045 Atlantic Avenue. The structure is anticipated to feature one floor of retail, one floor of office space, 152 below-grade parking spaces, and 426 apartments, 126 of which would be affordable. Under an Alternate Commercial Scenario, the applicant proposes a mixed-use building containing mostly office space and 337 units, 101 of which would be affordable. Either way, the site is located close to Classon Avenue shopping, Washington Avenue dining and nightlife, and the Franklin Avenue C/S subway stop.

The renderings appear in a recently filed environmental assessment statement, which has been filed so that a rezoning can take place. Permits have not yet been filed for the new building, nor for the demolition of the one-story commercial building currently on-site. If the rezoning is approved and everything proceeds as planned, construction is expected to take 22-23 months.

In late 2018, Brooklyn-based developer Hello Living announced plans for its first Manhattan development, Hello Broadway, to take shape in Inwood. The Arden Group (“Arden”) later partnered with it in a joint venture, but the partnership broke down and Arden paid $54 million for the site in November 2019. Between a set of lawsuits and the coronavirus pandemic, the project stalled. However, demolition permits have just been filed for the two-story building currently on the site.

The reinforced concrete building on the site was designed by Albert Kahn in 1925 as a showroom and service works for Packard Motor Car Company New York. It would later house Army barracks, several car dealerships, a parking garage, and Manhattan Lanes, a 62-lane bowling alley. Local activists petitioned to protect the site, but the Landmarks Preservation Commission declined to hear the proposal.

New construction permits have not yet been filed, but Arden’s plans call for a 222-unit mixed-use development. The plan presented by Hello Living had GreenbergFarrow as the architect of record and called for 272 residential units (30 percent of which would be affordable), 49,000 square feet of commercial space, and 14,000 square feet of community facility space.

The site is well situated near Fort Tryon Park, Inwood Hill Park, Highbridge Park, and the Dyckman Street 1 and A trains. While it is just outside of Inwood’s rezoning, it is located in an Opportunity Zone.

Early in 2018, renderings for a new building at 95-97 Grattan Street showed a four-story building with solar shades and a roof deck as designed by AB Architekten. However, in an Instagram post announcing the resumption of construction, the renderings show the removal of solar shades and private balconies for each unit above the first floor. The sleek, modern design stands in stark contrast to the prewar buildings on either side.

Developer Astral Weeks lists the four-story, 14-unit project as a rental, but it appears to be part of Brooklyn’s boutique condo boom - an offering plan filed in early June 2021 lists a $11.1 million sellout. In addition to the private outdoor space, amenities are expected to include in-unit washer/dryers.

Marketing materials have recently been released for 93-30 93rd Street, a 3.2-acre development site across from shopping mall Rego Center and around the corner from the 63rd Drive-Rego Park E/M/R subway stop. Renderings depict a large-scale building with retail space, massive white-framed windows, and expansive terraces on select floors.

The site is big enough to accommodate a mixed-use project, and the marketing materials point out the benefits of a rental project for the site. While Affordable New York’s 35-year tax abatement is set to expire by June 15, 2022, that’s not too late to close on the site and complete the site work necessary to qualify. Additionally, the project is in a Qualified Opportunity Zone and could potentially qualify for the Brownfield Tax Credit program.

A new affordable and supportive housing project comprising 261 East 202nd Street and 270 East 203rd Street is underway in the Bronx. Elected officials like Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz Jr. and State Senator Jamaal Bailey have expressed their support for the project, which is being developed by CAMBA Housing Ventures, New York State Homes and Community Renewal, and New York City Department of Housing Preservation and Development.

Of the 323 units planned between the two buildings, 194 will be set aside as supportive housing for seniors, veterans, and individuals and families living with homelessness and mental illness. The remaining 129 will be for families earning 30 to 80 percent of the area median income.

Renderings by Aufgang Architects show a pair of 11-story buildings - one tan, one red - with sizeable windows and outdoor terraces. Residential amenities will include a courtyard, local art and sculptures, laundry rooms, fitness rooms, computer room, resident teaching kitchen, and tenant parking spaces. Additionally, on-site social services will be available to all residents and include economic development services, youth development and education programming, family counseling and support, mental health care, substance abuse services, financial workshops, nutrition workshops, and independent living skills.

The project is taking shape near Mosholu Parkway, New York Botanical Garden, and the Bedford Park Boulevard B/D subway stop. The low-rise buildings previously on-site have been demolished, and the project closed on construction financing in January 2021. Completion is estimated for early 2023.

At the beginning of 2021, Bronx-based developer Bajraktari Management Corporation’s hopes of rezoning Arthur Avenue to residential and commercial got closer to realization: Following a presentation by Harry Bajraktari for a hotel on 188th Street and Arthur Avenue and a residential building at 188th Street and Hughes Avenue, Bronx’s Community Board 6 expressed full support for the plan. Housing Committee Chair Frank Franz is optimistic about the project and said, “It will update the character of the community.”

Renderings of the 13-story, 145-room hotel show a modern building with floor-to-ceiling windows, an eighth-story terrace, and a rooftop gathering space. It will also include 128 accessory parking spaces. In the presentation, Mr. Bajraktari noted that in addition to creating construction jobs, the hotel had the potential to create an increased customer base for Arthur Avenue businesses, which include the stretch of restaurants and markets known as the Bronx’s Little Italy.

The residential building’s rendering shows a seven-story red brick building with dark accents and a fifth-floor terrace. Of the 56 units planned for the building, 17 would be permanently affordable. Permits have not yet been filed, but the project is said to include 28 accessory parking spaces.

Last Wednesday, a groundbreaking ceremony took place in Battery Park City for “The Circle of Heroes,” a monument dedicated to essential workers in gratitude for their service during the coronavirus pandemic. The circular monument will feature 19 red maple trees, each representing a different type of profession that kept New York going, as well as an eternal flame. The park is well positioned to face the Statue of Liberty and the river.

A group of demonstrators objected to the plans to cut down trees and pave over grass to make way for the memorial, citing the importance of parks during lockdown. But in addition to the memorial, the project will create Essential Worker Park, surrounding waterfront green space. Completion is estimated for Labor Day (September 6).

As high temperatures in New York and across the country show, the global climate crisis is beyond ignoring. It is with that in mind that Mayor de Blasio and the Trust for Governors Island have announced a global competition to create a research and educational hub on Governors Island’s waterfront. Responses are due September 29, 2021.

The competition announcement comes months after the Trust for Governors Island released a proposal to rezone a part of its waterfront originally intended for economic development to incubate a climate research center. Renderings depict a massive campus with space for a university or research institute, public programming space, a “living lab,” sprawling grounds, and planted terraces.

If approved, the climate research center has the potential to create 7,000 new jobs and $1 billion in economic impact while fostering dialogue and action to address the climate crisis and its impact on New York and the rest of the world. The New York Times notes that there is a risk to building a climate research center on the waterfront, but others say this makes it the ideal laboratory for climate adaptation.

In 2019, the New York City Council voted to approve the Borough-Based Jails program, an $8.3 billion effort to close the notorious Rikers Island and replace it with a network of four smaller, more humane jails in Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queens, and the Bronx. More recently, the first construction activity of the plan has begun on a new parking garage and community space planned to go up alongside the Queens jail in Kew Gardens. It is rising on the west side of an existing parking lot at Union Turnpike between 126th Street and 132nd Street.

The garage and community space is being created by Hunter Roberts Construction Group along with Marvel Architects and Urbahn Architects. Upon completion, which is estimated for 2023, the 105-foot-high structure will offer 25,000 square feet of community space spread across two levels and more than 600 parking spaces. With a partially planted green roof, solar panels, and on-site stormwater retention, the project is aiming for LEED Gold and Parksmart certifications.

The Queens Detention Complex will begin demolition during the garage construction, and the new jail will rise on the former site as well as the east side of the parking lot. Upon completion, the new jail will measure 886 beds and a maximum height of 195 feet. Female inmates will be housed in a separate facility within the jail.

According to an announcement from the mayor’s office, procurement and early site preparation activities are underway for the other three Borough-Based Jails sites. The Department of Design and Construction is expected to award a contract to dismantle the Brooklyn House of Detention at 275 Atlantic Avenue and construct a temporary swing space later this year. This new jail will more than double the building’s height to a maximum of 295 feet and increase the number of beds to 1,437. The city’s plan also calls for 292 underground parking spaces, ground-floor retail, and community space.

Churches all over New York have entered into deals with real estate developers to fund much-needed repairs or new houses of worship, and Calvary Baptist Church is among them: The conservative church once owned the entire building at 125 West 57th Street, as well as the neighboring Salisbury Hotel. However, the church sold everything but the base of the Billionaires Row building for $120 million.

Demolition permits for the 16-story building currently on-site were filed in November 2019, and permits for a new 26-story office tower were filed shortly after. The project had been stalled due to the coronavirus pandemic, but the developers, a joint venture between Alchemy-ABR Investment Partners and Cain International, recently secured $250 million in debt as part of a $330 million capitalization. Now demolition is expected to commence in the fall; construction is expected to start in early 2022, and completion is estimated for 2024.

FXCollaborative is the architect of record for the new building, which will have a new house of worship and administrative space for Calvary Baptist Church on the first six floors. The offices on floors 10-26 will feature ceilings heights as high as 14 feet and, by virtue of the address, views of Central Park. One full floor of amenities will include a board room, lounge, meeting spaces, and outdoor terraces.