Thursday, October 27, 2016
Watch Chad Smith talk 2112 in new clip from the Rush: Time Stand Still R40 tour documentary
Tuesday, October 18, 2016
New trailer for the Rush: Time Stand Still R40 tour documentary, and RIAB ticket sweepstakes
Wednesday, October 12, 2016
Hamptons Cheat Sheet: Montauk lighthouse won't be lit this year, East Hampton mulls no-tree zone at airport … & more
Hello darkness, Montauk's new friend To the chagrin of holiday fanatics in the East End, the 200-year-old Montauk Point Lighthouse will not be decked out in its annual lights this year - that is, unless someone steps forward with $50,000. The seven-year tradition won't be carried out because the nonprofit committee behind it has been bogged down by additional maintenance costs, 27East reported. “It's with a heavy heart that the committee has made this decision, … [more]
Tuesday, September 6, 2016
WATCH: Will Brooklyn's rental boom hurt developers?
333 Schermerhorn Street in Brooklyn[/caption]Developers are loving Brooklyn right now - maybe a little too much. An approaching flood of rentals is creating concern that the market is becoming oversaturated. Click here for a list of 10 major rental projects that will hit the area over the next two years.
Monday, August 22, 2016
Michael Stern on the best strategy for waiting out a dip in the luxury market
From the August's issue's “In their words” feature, a roundup of the funniest and most insightful comments on real estate: To read other smart and/or funny sayings, click here for the full feature. … [more]
Tuesday, August 16, 2016
New Jersey: Survey of Teachers Shows Negative Impact of PARCC Testing
Teachers in Middlesex County were surveyed about their views of PARCC testing. New Jersey is one of the few states that continues to participate in PARCC. Originally, there was a consortium with 24 states. Now there are five.
Here is the discouraging, but not surprising, findings:
Middlesex County Education Association Releases Findings of First-Time Survey of Teachers After PARCC Testing: Finds Significant Problems
June 2016
Some 1285 Middlesex County teachers and school professionals voluntarily and anonymously participated in a survey regarding the impact of the PARCC standardized test on students, schools, and instruction. In the most comprehensive survey conducted in New Jersey to date, the results showed serious issues for the new testing regimen. The major findings of the survey include:
• Feedback from the test was significantly delayed or not distributed to teachers.
• Conditions under which the PARCC test was taken draw into question the validity of the results.
• PARCC and related test preparation have negatively impacted many students and raised concerns for many parents.
• The new test is a significant drain of instruction time and a disruption to classes.
• As a result of the PARCC test, students have limited access to library media centers and computers as well as special services and programs.
• The testing/evaluation environment has had a negative impact on teachers and staff.
Delay in Receiving Feedback
In spite of the NJ Department of Education's promises of rich feedback from PARCC testing to teachers to improve instruction, 34% of teachers of tested areas (English and Mathematics) did not receive their students' spring 2015 test scores until January 2016 or later. Another 24% never received them. After the state spent $22.1 million dollars and local districts spent millions more to implement the PARCC, less than 2% of these teachers found the data collected from PARCC to be an improvement from past state standardized tests.
Validity of PARCC Test Questionable and Students Impacted Negatively
Nearly half of educators reported directly observing administration problems, technical or otherwise, which could have negatively impacted student test scores. In addition, 59% reported observing students refusing to take the test seriously, resulting in invalid scores. In spite of these issues, the state of New Jersey continues to use PARCC test scores as part of evaluations for teachers of tested areas grades 4 to 8 and these scores are projected to play a larger role for more teachers in the future.
PARCC testing has had a pronounced effect on many students. 57% of school teachers and support staff reported increased anxiety and depression among students related to testing and 42% reported increased negativity and loss of interest in school by students overburdened by testing. Only 14% reported no observed problems for their students. One teacher wrote, “My first graders are worried about future testing.” Another teacher noted “I recently looked at old yearbooks – ten years ago our kids did fantastic learning projects. Now, all we do is data driven instruction and testing.”
A notably high percentage, 60% of educators, reported parents expressing complaints, apprehension, or concerns about the PARCC test directly to them. This reflects the previously publicly reported concerns of parents shown by the tens of thousands of New Jersey children who opted out of the PARCC test last year at their parents' request.
Impact of PARCC Testing on Instruction
In terms of lost instructional time to PARCC, 34% of teachers of tested areas (English and mathematics) reported spending 11-20 hours on PARCC testing this year and 35% spent more than 20 hours in PARCC testing. In addition, 38% of these teachers estimated spending another 6 or more instructional days on test prep, and nearly half of these teachers lost additional time to pre-testing to identify weak students before the PARCC test. Over 36% reported that their schools purchased commercially prepared pre-tests for use prior to the PARCC.
Educators widely reported that PARCC testing resulted in the closing of library media centers and loss of access to computers for extended periods of time, disruption of class schedules and routines, and loss of time for special services such as speech therapy and counseling. Advanced Placement teachers complained of the loss of valuable instructional time just prior to the AP tests for college credits. Other teachers commented that the guidance department, child study teams for special education students, and much of the school administration were barely available for up to a month for testing. A special education teacher reported that many special education students had substitute teachers for several weeks while their special education teachers administered the PARCC to other students in other grades.
Impact on Teachers and Professional Staff
As a result of the new evaluations for students and teachers, 91% of those surveyed reported an increased workload, primarily in the form of increased paperwork and documentation of work done rather than increased time working with students. Nearly 62% reported that PARCC testing has had a definite negative or strongly negative effect on themselves and their colleagues.
While 83% reported that 5 years ago they were either satisfied or strongly satisfied with their jobs, only 34% said they were satisfied or strongly satisfied with their jobs today. Representative of many of the comments in the survey, one teacher stated, “I have always loved my job, but the last few years with the implementation of the state testing and new teacher evaluation system, I am seriously considering retiring early and dissuading my own children from seeking this profession.”
Another teacher commented, “I wish I could just TEACH and do the things in my classroom that I know will lead to real learning based on the needs of my students and not on some politician's ever-changing agenda. I am truly saddened by what is happening; the students are not being served. This is the first group of students I have had that have been working with Common Core standards their entire school careers, and I must say that they are the least prepared and have the biggest skill gaps of any
group I have had in decades. Rushing through developmentally inappropriate material in order to score well on a test that supposedly measures “deep” knowledge and application (on a timed test, yet!) does not do justice to our students or our profession.”
About the Survey and for More Information
The Middlesex County Education Association Research and Advocacy Committee collected data from 1287 Middlesex County educators who voluntarily responded anonymously to an online survey between May 9 and June 12, 2016. Respondents work in all major districts in the county including East Brunswick, Edison Township, Highland Park, Middlesex, Milltown, New Brunswick, North Brunswick, Perth Amboy, Piscataway, Sayreville, South Amboy, South Brunswick, Spotswood, and Woodbridge Township. Elementary school teachers and professional staff represented over 38% of the respondents; middle school composed 32% of respondents; and high school participants were 29% of the total. Just under 9% have been in the profession for less than 5 years, 20% had 5 to 10 years in the profession, 43% have worked 11 to 20 years in the profession, and 28% have more than 20 years in the profession. This breakdown is generally representative of the profession as a whole.
Questions regarding this survey can be directed to Ellen Whitt, Middlesex County Education Association Research and Advocacy Committee, whitt.ellen@gmail.com or 732-771-7882.
Thursday, August 4, 2016
From the archives: The Closing with Paul Massey
Do you have a mentor? My stepfather Jack Holler [who started the John H. Holler Co. in New Jersey], who's technically my wife's stepfather. He was a very successful mortgage broker both in New York City and New Jersey. In the early '90s, Bob [Knakal] and I were broke, and he lent us $75,000 to keep Massey Knakal going. We offered him a piece of the company, but he wouldn't take it. He just said, … [more]
Thursday, July 28, 2016
Allure asks judge to toss AG's subpoena surrounding Harlem nursing home purchase
The Allure Group is not happy about the New York State Attorney General's probe into its purchase of a Harlem nursing home. The company asked a Manhattan court on Thursday to toss state Attorney General Eric Schneiderman's request for three years worth of records related to the sale of the Great Harlem Nursing Home, the New York Daily News reported. Allure argues that fulfilling the request would be too much of a time and cost … [more]
Sunday, July 10, 2016
Lorne Wheaton shows off Neil Peart's R40 Live drum kits in new video from GearFest 2016
Wednesday, July 6, 2016
Rolling Stone publisher eyes move to Empire Stores in Dumbo
The publisher of Rolling Stone magazine is in talks to relocate from Sixth Avenue to more than 50,000 square feet in Dumbo. If a lease were to be finalized, Wenner Media, which along with the venerable music magazine also publishes titles like Us Weekly and Men's Journal, would take as much as 70,000 square feet at the new office complex Empire Stores, Bloomberg reported. The publisher is currently located at Vornado Realty Trust's 1290 Sixth … [more]
DOB blocks Michael Stern's 1,000-foot LES tower – for now
It'll be a while before there's a cherry on this cake. The city's Department of Buildings said it will not approve JDS Development's proposed 1,000-foot tall tower on the Lower East Side until a related lawsuit is resolved. The lawsuit centers on an air rights deal for the 80-story rental development, which Michael Stern's firm plans to build at 247 Cherry Street, also known as 80 Rutgers Slip, near the Manhattan Bridge. To reach its … [more]
Tuesday, June 7, 2016
What will NYC's priciest apartment look like? TRD talks to CNBC's “Power Lunch”
Vornado Realty Trust is planning the city's most extravagant and expensive apartment at 220 Central Park South, asking a whopping $250 million. The Real Deal's managing web editor Hiten Samtani appeared on CNBC's “Power Lunch” Monday to discuss the pad and who the potential buyers could be. Check out the video after the jump.
“This guy is saying, '$5,000 a foot to build this product,'” Samtani said, referring to Steve Roth, Vornado's CEO. “Which is unprecedented.”
The quadplex pad will run roughly 23,000 square feet, as TRD reported last month, and Samtani noted that a Qatari buyer had been in negotiations for a mega-mansion in the sky at the building.
“They typically travel in an entourage,” he said, of ultra-wealthy Qatari families. “So an apartment like this, which offers four floors of privacy and is as exclusive as it gets, it makes a lot of sense.”
SRO fined over $100K for short-term rentals
The Imperial Court Hotel at 307 West 79th Street on the Upper West Side
Ron Edelstein, owner of the Imperial Court Hotel on the Upper West Side, has been hit with over $100,000 in fines related to rentals at the building with terms shorter than 30 days.
Mayor Bill de Blasio announced $65,000 in new fines against the landlord this week, on top of $53,000 in fines issued previously.
“Imperial Court is one of the most egregious illegal hotel operators in New York City,” the mayor said, according to Crain's.
It's illegal to rent out rooms in the state of New York for less than 30 days unless the owner or long-term resident is present. The mayor's Office of Special Enforcement, which polices short-term rentals in the city, found that 99 of the Imperial Court's 227 rooms had been rented illegally.
Edelstein had sought an exemption from the rule, citing his property's status as a single-room occupancy hotel, but a court ruled that didn't matter. Charles Chehebar, Edelstein's attorney, said at the time he planned to appeal the ruling.
The hotel, located at 307 West 79th Street, is one of the last of a dying breed. No SROs have been built in New York since 1955. [Crain's] – Ariel Stulberg
Landmarks OKs controversial Gansevoort development
From left: Rendering of 60-68 Gansevoort Street and protestors at the Landmarks hearing
The Landmarks Preservation Commission on Tuesday greenlit a new commercial development in the Meatpacking District despite squabbles over the project's proposed height.
Landmarks granted the development certificates of appropriateness after the developers - Aurora Capital Associates and William Gottlieb Real Estate - proposed an altered version of their massive project planned for 46-74 Gansevoort Street. The developers plan to renovate and rebuild a stretch of the historic street to make way for 111,000 square feet of commercial space.
Newer designs shed a few feet off the height of the buildings and toned down detail on the facades. The new designs, however, failed to ameliorate concerns of community advocates, who argued that the buildings were still too tall for the neighborhood. Several members of the opposition group Save Gansevoort sat in the audience during Tuesday's hearing, holding signs that said “Help Save Gansevoort Street” and “LPC-Keep Your Word!” After the commission approved the project, some members could be heard muttering “Bullshit” as they left the room.
“This is not over,” Elaine Young, a member of Save Gansevoort, said after the hearing. She said the group, in part, blames Mayor Bill de Blasio's administration - which has had a love-hate relationship with the real estate industry - for the commission's decision. “He's shown no interest in landmarking and a total interest in developers.”
In a statement issued after the hearing, the opposition group urged the City Planning Commission and the City Council to “block any amendments to the restrictive declaration” on the sites that would allow for office space on the parcels.
“The commission's ruling will not only destroy the last intact block of one-to-two story, market-style structures in Manhattan, but it is also the latest sign that unrestricted development is killing the unique character of so many of our city's most beautiful neighborhoods,” the group said in a statement.
But Jared Epstein, vice president of Aurora, said the development is “as of right” and the future tenants will adhere to the restrictive declaration, which bars residential, hotel or office use.
“We have always said this neighborhood has not one but many histories, and today's action ensures the complete story of its evolution over the past 130 years will continue to be told to future generations of New Yorkers,” Epstein said in a statement. “Today is an important milestone, and we are grateful for the guidance and input of local residents, stakeholders and particularly the Landmarks Preservation Commission.”
At a February meeting, the commission sent BKSK Architects back to the drawing board, arguing that the proposed buildings were too tall. BKSK came back with new plans that shed 9 feet from the height of 60-68 Gansevoort Street, making it 62 feet tall and four feet off 70-74 Gansevoort Street, making it 82 feet tall (excluding rooftop mechanicals). The plans also simplified the facade of 70-74 and included renovating 50 Gansevoort rather than demolishing it.
Much of the debate on the project has revolved around what historical period of the neighborhood should dictate the appearance of the redevelopment. Save Gansevoort argued that 60-68 Gansevoort should be 7 to 11 feet shorter than the height proposed in the latest designs, to match the style of the neighborhood's original tenements. The group also claimed that the developers wrongly used existing warehouse heights, rather than nearby loft-style buildings, to justify the height of 70-74 Gansevoort.
Meenakshi Srinivasan, Landmarks chair, said that the new designs fit contextually with the surrounding neighborhood. Commissioner Michael Goldblum said the project did a good job capturing different layers of the neighborhood's history, but found the height differences between 50 and 60-68 Gansevoort Street too drastic.
“It was rather jarring and noticeable,” Goldblum said.
Commissioner John Gutafsson, noted that the new designs created a project that perhaps didn't please everyone but were in the “range of appropriate.”
Monday, May 30, 2016
Rush: The Unofficial Illustrated History updated edition now available
Sunday, May 29, 2016
Designer Domenico Vacca closes NYC stores to focus on flagship with private club, rentals
Designer Domenico Vacca
From Luxury Listings NYC: What to call Domenico Vacca's latest venture? The Italian fashion designer and master tailor, who has dressed celebrities like Jeremy Piven, Daniel Day Lewis and Glenn Close, didn't just launch a flagship store at his new massive building on 55th Street and Fifth Avenue, which opened officially on May 3rd. He's bringing together a coffee shop, barbershop, salon, photography studio, private club, rooftop terrace, gym and - to top it off - 30 apartments that can be rented for a minimum of 30 days at prices starting at $12,000 a month. [more]
Friday, May 27, 2016
Chelsea Handler sports a vintage Moving Pictures t-shirt in the latest episode of Chelsea on Netflix
Tuesday, May 17, 2016
Hasidic neighborhood in Williamsburg is big Section 8 beneficiary
A Hasidic family in Williamsburg (credit: Flickr)
One of the hottest real estate markets in New York City is also home to the highest concentration of Section 8 vouchers.
A Hasidic neighborhood in South Williamsburg is one of the biggest beneficiaries of the federal subsidy program, according to an analysis by WNYC and the New York Daily News. The analysis found that in 2014, 3,296 voucher holders lived across 12 Yiddish-speaking Census tracts in New York City. On the whole, the city had 123,000 vouchers in 2015, making it the largest concentration of Section 8 recipients in the country.
In the 1990s, Hasidic developers won key zoning variances to convert warehouses and industrial buildings into residences, amid claims the apartments were designated specifically for Hasidic families and only advertised in Yiddish-language newspapers, a violation of Fair Housing Act standards. Critics also claim development has been driven by informal banking and tenants who pay under the table on top of the Section 8 vouchers. In 2012, a prominent rabbi and his brother were accused of defrauding the section 8 program of $220,000 over 15 years.
Others argue that the community is simply trying to make ends meet in an increasingly expensive neighborhood.
“This is not a story of malfeasance,” Samuel Heilman, a Queens college professor who has studied the Hasidic community, told the news team. “This is a story of a community that's trying to exist in the city at a time when the city has become, and particularly the borough in which they live, extremely expensive.” [WNYC and NYDN] - Kathryn Brenzel
Saturday, April 16, 2016
Alex Lifeson to participate in Alice Cooper's Rock & Roll Golf Classic and Vampire Bash
Saturday, April 9, 2016
Inside the $10.5M space-age home where James Bond once took a beating
James Bond and the Palm Springs home
From Luxury Listings NYC: Almost as dazzling as the jewels in the 1971 Bond classic film “Diamonds are Forever” was the home featured in it. Now this futuristic Palm Springs, California four bedroom, five-and-a-half bath pad could be yours for just $10.5 million. [more]
Wednesday, April 6, 2016
Geddy Lee to appear on the Prog Magazine Radio Show tonight
Sunday, April 3, 2016
Architect proposes High Line to Hudson sky bridge and island
A concept by architect Eytan Kaufman
It has been a wild week for architecture in NYC. There was the proposal to destroy Central Park by building a 1,000-foot glass wall, the passing of Zaha Hadid and these 11 futuristic skyscraper ideas. And now a firm wants to connect the High Line to an island in the Hudson.
New York architect Eytan Kaufman created the concept, which connects the final leg of the High Line at 34th Street to an island-like pier in the Hudson River, according to 6sqft.
Currently, the High Line comes to an anticlimactic end at the Jacob Javits Center, but Kaufman's design, called Hub on the Hudson, would be much more exciting. He would create a pedestrian bridge over the West Side Highway leading to to a huge, circular recreational center.
As 6sqft pointed out, the proposal isn't that different from Barry Diller's proposed Pier 55 floating park, which is planned for the Hudson River near the Meatpacking District.
The island would extend more than 700 feet into the river and occupy nearly nine acres. It would also boast five interconnected pyramid-shaped buildings. Compared to all the rest of the stuff that has come out this week, this really isn't the worst idea ever. Still, don't expect a floating island in the Hudson anytime soon.
