Battery City Park residents fight for affordability, Bushwick apartment boom, & more

By Austin Havens-Bowen | September 4, 2019 - 11:00AM

Despite the new sweeping rent laws that capped application fees at $20, one NYC resident was charged $500 during her application process (The New York Times)

Tenants at Battery City Park's Gateway building are fighting with LeFrak, their landlord, to preserve rent-stabilized apartments and halt rent increases (Tribeca Citizen)

Mayor Blasio's controversial plan to replace the Rikers Island complex with four smaller jails in neighborhoods in Lower Manhattan, the South Bronx, Downtown Brooklyn, and Kew Gardens was approved by the City Planning Commission today (6sqft)

A new study shows that Bushwick will see the highest number of new apartments in NYC in 2019 (Bushwick Daily)

When Governor Cuomo signed the tenant-friendly rent laws last month, he effectively turned his back on some of his biggest real estate donors (Commercial Observer)

Developer Gerald Wolkoff has appealed a $6.75 million judgment in favor of the 20 artists whose work he whitewashed at the iconic 5 Pointz graffiti haven in 2013 (Inman)

Austin Havens-Bowen

Staff Writer

Staff writer Austin Havens-Bowen covers the rental market and answers renters' questions in a column called Realty Bites. He previously reported on local news for the Queens Ledger and The Hunts Point Express in the Bronx. He graduated from Hunter College with a BA in media studies. He rents a one-bedroom apartment in Astoria with his boyfriend and their two cats.

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