The folks at exMiami have procured more renderings of the Related Group’s Hyde Midtown condo tower project, which they say show the “Arquitectonica touch” (more renderings at exMiami, this way). A sales center is currently under construction at the 3 Midtown site.
The more detailed renderings show that the ground floor, if not exactly a head-turner, is at least well-designed. · New Hyde Midtown Renderings Show Arquitectonica Touch [exMiami] · Previous Hyde Midtown coverage [Curbed Miami]
Officials from the Indian Point Nuclear Facility issued a response to U.S. Sen. Charles Schumer (D-NY) suggestion that the plant’s maritime security be upgraded with around-the-clock boat patrols.
Here is the statement issued by Indian Point officials:
“We take every aspect of the security of Indian Point seriously, including the safety of the waterfront. The plant’s security capabilities are reviewed regularly by federal inspectors at the NRC (Nuclear Regulatory Commission), including during mock scenarios where our security teams must effectively defend against water-born adversaries in extremely realistic drills. The NRC has said that Indian Point is secure and that our highly-trained onsite security teams can protect the facility on land and at the waterfront. We look forward to working with the Dept. of Homeland Security in any additional review and expect that their work will confirm Indian Point has significant security capabilities and is a secure facility.”
Day and night boat patrols are not currently required of Indian Point, but Schumer said that 24-hour security by boat is a reasonable and achievable goal – by drawing on the combined resources of the U.S. Coast Guard, New York State, and local law enforcement – and called for federal experts to provide recommendations on the best way to close any gaps in Indian Point’s security.
http://mtkisco.dailyvoice.com/news/indian-point-responds-schumers-security-remarks
Despite a seasonal slowdown in activity, the housing market continued to post some interesting metrics in October, according to the latest Campbell/Inside Mortgage Finance HousingPulse Tracking Survey.
One of most interesting was a rise in home purchases by investors despite declining numbers of foreclosures. Since hitting a 23.1 percent home purchase market share back in February, investor participation has tumbled through most of this year – hitting a three-year low of just 16.6 percent in August. The monthly rate is based on a three-month moving average.
But over the past two months, the investor share has actually risen, climbing to 16.9 percent in September and then 17.4 percent in October. The two-month rise in investor activity is significant given that it occurred at the same time that the proportion of distressed properties in the housing market has continued to fall.
The HousingPulse Distressed Properties Index, which reflects the share of home purchases involving real estate owned or short sales, fell to a four-year low of 24.1 percent in October based on a three-month moving average. This was down from 24.6 percent in September and 35.1 percent in October of 2012.
Among the other positive housing market metrics seen in the October HousingPulse results were continuing low average time-on-market for non-distressed properties and high average number of offers for non-distressed properties. The national average-time-on-market for non-distressed properties was 8.9 weeks in October, while the national average number of offers on non-distressed properties last month was 2.1.
Midtown East residents, long envious of the lush riverfront parkland their West Side counterparts enjoy, got a sneak peek of the design plans for the East Side waterfront esplanade at last night’s Community Board 6 land use committee meeting. The project is part of a plan to complete the Manhattan Waterfront Greenway (which surrounds the borough) by filling in the undeveloped gap between East 38th Street and East 60th Street along the East River. The esplanade, which is created to appear as if it’s floating on top of the water with 30 feet separating it from the bulkhead, will have two distinct paths: one for bike riding, the other for pedestrian traffic. Cali Kay Gorewitz, Vice President of Development at NYC Economic Development Corporation explained that at certain points, the material used for the ground will allow pedestrians to see through to the water below “raising the uniqueness of the site.”
[48th Street Node]
NYCEDC has been working with community work groups to decide on other design aspects. Together they’ve come up with a plan that divides the esplanade into three sections: one running from East 38th to East 41st Street, the next from East 41st to East 53rd Street, and the third from East 53rd to East 60th Street. Planters and trees will run along the entire length, and there will be three major gathering places called nodes, each having “its own personality” said Ama DuSolier, lead designer for AECOM, the company contracted to design the esplanade.
[53rd Street Node]
The first node scheduled to open in 2015 is a waterside pier, which will be constructed from an old pier Con Edison formerly used for fuel deliveries. It will center on active recreation and include places to eat and socialize. Another section, called the ribbon, will focus on walking, biking, planting and seating. The 48th Street node will facilitate gatherings like outdoor shows and will have amphitheater seating, while the 53rd Street area will focus on environmental education and incorporate places to fish. All of the nodes are designed to be multi-functional.
[Blueprint of the nodes]
In a post-Sandy world, thought also went into ensuring the esplanade will be able to withstand stronger storms. It will be built three feet higher than the 100-year flood line, which is about six and a half feet (Sandy’s storm surge was 13 feet) and six to eight feet above the FDR Drive.
[Looking north on the esplanade]
Community reaction to the design renderings was largely positive, with some residents calling them “wonderful” and “lovely.” Joan Boyle, a 19-year resident of East Midtown, called the plans “gorgeous” and is looking forward to having a place where people could walk a dog, ride a bike, or just walk along the riverfront. But Boyle was concerned that the promises of a beautiful esplanade for the neighborhood would never come to pass. While “it’s wonderful to look at this,” she said, “I expect it won’t ever happen.”
[Cross-section showing the esplanade dimensions]
True enough, considerable hurdles remain. The project is relying on anticipated funding by a United Nations deal. A Memorandum of Understanding between the city and the state allowed for the use of a portion of the Robert Moses Playground for a new UN building. In exchange, the United Nations Development Corporation agreed to pay the city $73 million toward the esplanade. However, Gorewitz estimates the full cost of the project to be about $200 million, so the sale of other property currently leased by the UN will be necessary to complete it.
[Project timeline]
Next steps for this project include filing permits with Department of Environmental Conservation, Army Corps of Engineers, and the Coast Guard which are expected to take 12-18 months to get approved. In the meantime, as part of the Memorandum of Understanding, Asser Levy Place (the two blocks between East 23rd and East 25th Streets) has closed to traffic and will be turned into a park. It’s expected to open to the public next year.
—Kizzy Cox · Manhattan Waterfront Greenway [nyc.gov] · East River Waterfront coverage [Curbed] · Robert Moses Playground coverage [Curbed]
http://ny.curbed.com/archives/2013/11/07/city_unveils_designs_for_midtowns_east_river_greenway.php
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| Fresh Food from Local Sources – November 7th-13th, 2013 Down to Earth Markets | ||||||||||||
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| Larchmont Wow, daaah’ling, that’s Skraptacular! Wouldn’t you love to hear these words? Then come to Skraptacular, an event to inspire environmental awareness by working with kids of all ages to transform plastic vegetable containers and other bits of trash into proper English facsinators fit for the King or Queen. It’s fun, creative…AND it teaches concepts of waste reduction, smart consumerism, and sustainabilty. 8:30 am to 1:00 pm – see you there! Ridge Hill For the last time this season, Phil Dollard will play this Friday (4-6 pm) at our Ridge Hill Farmers Market. Make sure to come out and hear him, or else you’ll have to wait til next year! Stay tuned to all market happenings via our Down to Earth Markets Facebook page and follow us on Twitter @DowntoEarthMarkets | ||||||||||||
| Vendor Profile: Karl Family Farms of Modena, NY | ||||||||||||
Kris Karl loves that everyday is different in farming, yet he begins them all in the same mindful way: “The first thing I do is come out and check every animal. Even with the sheep, there’s a lot of them, but I know who’s who, and if somebody’s limping or a little lethargic when they’re not normally, I can nip it in the bud before it’s an issue.” Before he walked his farm at sunrise to greet the herds of sheep, cows, goats, pigs, and flocks of chickens and turkeys, he attuned his observation skills as a Public Service major at Providence College in Rhode Island. He worked on conflict and gang mediation, and he loved it, but he was quickly getting burnt out on city living. His mentor suggested that he hang out with Patrick McNiff, the young farmer behind Pat’s Pastured, a livestock farm in Jamestown, RI. “I thought, ‘Farming? What are you talking about?,” Kris explains. “But the next thing I knew I was working for him for a year. And while every piece of land is different, a lot of what we do here is influenced from that experience.” Kris established Karl Family Farms in 2011, after convincing his cousin, Alex, to move from California to be the Farm Manager. Alex was a carpenter for 10 years and his building talent is evident all around the farm. The Karls manage their livestock in an open pasture system, and one of the keys is to keep the animals moving to fresh pasture regularly. For the chickens, Alex custom built a large, two-story coop on wheels, and the Karls move it everyday. For the pigs, he built a shelter that’s slightly elevated, with a bar that separates the shelter from the ground underneath. Why? After a female pig has given birth, the design allows the piglets to roll out of the shelter whenever Mama starts to lie down. The bar protects them from her tired girth. In addition to their livestock, Karl Family Farms offers fresh produce from their acre vegetable patch run by Kathleen, a college friend of Kris and his wife. Come meet the farmers of Karl Family Farms on Fridays at Ridge Hill’s Down to Earth Farmers Market. There are only three weeks left to stock up on their farm-fresh goods at the market, so c’mon by!
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| Day Vendors This Week Larchmont Flourish Baking Company Trotta Foods Ossining Bombay Emerald Chutney Co. Hudson River Apiaries Piermont Rockland Roots (Farm-to-table prepared foods to go) Ridge Hill Rockland Roots | ||||||||||||
| Down to Earth Markets 173 Main Street Ossining, NY 10562 Phone: 914-923-4837 | ||||||||||||
Peter Harckham, who will continue for another term representing District 2 in the Westchester County Board of Legislatures, spent part of Wednesday looking ahead to his new term.
With 86 percent of precincts reporting, Harckham is leading challenger Andrea Rendo, 53 percent to 47 percent, though Rendo has conceded defeat.
Harckham, the minority leader, said his re-election was gratifying.
“We have a good team and we executed our plan,” Harckham said. “I look forward to working with the people of Northeast Westchester for two years.”
Harckham said he will try to keep taxes and spending down, and work on a pilot program with the Department of Environmental Protection to have alternative septics in the watershed. He also plans to work on legislation to require cell towers to have generators, and work on eviction and foreclosure prevention.
Harckham said County Executive Robert Astorino’s re-election means the people of Westchester want divided government.
“It’s tough to be an incumbent,” Harckham said. “He ran an aggressive race. People want checks and balances. It’s up to us to work together in a bipartisan fashion.”
http://mtkisco.dailyvoice.com/news/newly-re-elected-legislator-harckham-looks-control-taxes-spending
August marked the 27th month in a row that Houston home sales have increased on a monthly basis.
The number of home sales registered in the Houston Association of Realtors multiple listing service topped 7,000 for the fourth month in a row in August in the large Texas city, defying the typical fall slowdown in the housing market and matching a flurry of activity not seen since 2007.
Source: Houston Association of Realtors
read more at…
http://www.inman.com/wire/houston-housing-market-on-fire/#sthash.vHPktDW8.dpuf
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| Fresh Food from Local Sources – September 5-11th, 2013 Down to Earth Markets | ||||||||||||
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| Ridge Hill **NEW MARKET HOURS & LOCATION!** The seasons are changing and so are the hours of our farmers market at Westchester’s Ridge Hill. Rolling into the fall, the market will now be held from 12 noon to 6pm (still on Fridays). Also, we’ve moved to Second Street, in the middle of the Ridge Hill, near the playgrounds and at the Town Square. See you there! Stay tuned to all market happenings via our Down to Earth Markets Facebook page and follow us on Twitter @DowntoEarthMkts. | ||||||||||||
| Farmer Profile: Rexcroft Farm of Athens, NY | ||||||||||||
Seven generations ago, a schoolteacher and a farmer came from Europe to settle along the banks of the Hudson River. Together with their families, they were from England and Holland, and as they staked the land, they named it Rexcroft, meaning “King Farm” in Dutch. | ||||||||||||
| Day Vendors This Week Larchmont Calcutta Kitchens Kontoulis Family Olive Oil | ||||||||||||
| Down to Earth Markets 173 Main Street Ossining, NY 10562 Phone: 914-923-4837 | ||||||||||||
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| Fresh Food from Local Sources – August 29th-September 4th, 2013 Down to Earth Markets | ||||||||||||
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| Tarrytown This Saturday local guitarist Glenn Roth will play acoustic tunes at the market from 10 am to noon. His music adds a lovely ambiance to your beautiful market! Stay tuned to all market happenings via our Down to Earth Markets Facebook page and follow us on Twitter @DowntoEarthMkts. | ||||||||||||
| Farmers Market Bounty for NOFA-NY Locavore Challenge | ||||||||||||
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