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Daniel Trubman

@danieltrubman.bsky.social
1.4K followers 412 following 3.1K posts

Who wants to grab a beer and talk about land-use regulations and building codes? www.linkedin.com/in/danieltrubman muckrack.com/daniel-trubman-1/portf…

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Daniel Trubman @danieltrubman.bsky.social · 1h
Java Street Community Garden looks like a very cute pocket park in Greenpoint, but since it has ZERO open hours during the week (and only 10 on weekends) this site (owned by the Parks Department) isn't particularly accessible to the general public 😢
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Daniel Trubman @danieltrubman.bsky.social · 1h
I can't wait until the South Bronx side of the Harlem River is all cool residential towers and new parks, like the transformation we've seen on the Greenpoint and Long Island City waterfronts.
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Daniel Trubman @danieltrubman.bsky.social · 9h
Nothing quite like the civic satisfaction of uncovering plates drivers intentionally obstruct to dodge traffic enforcement.
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Daniel Trubman @danieltrubman.bsky.social · 14/10/2026
I'm always surprised by how many alleyways NYC has when I explore the boroughs outside of Manhattan. Any guesses which neighborhood this is?
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Daniel Trubman @danieltrubman.bsky.social · 14/10/2026
I always laugh when people say NYC is a bad place to be retired, because I just saw a bunch of seniors playing bocce ball in Marine Park and honestly that's the dream.
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Daniel Trubman @danieltrubman.bsky.social · 14/10/2026
An 18-story tower went up on the Upper West Side with zero rezonings, public hearings, or community board fights. My latest piece looks at 200 West 88th Street to see how as-of-right zoning actually shapes our streetscapes: substack.com/home/post/p-...
substack.com
The Upper West Side Tower Nobody Had to Approve
At Amsterdam Avenue and West 88th Street, 18 stories went up with no rezoning, no public hearing and hardly a fight. The zoning code had done most of the work.
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Daniel Trubman @danieltrubman.bsky.social · 13/10/2026
Seeing both moderate and lefty Dem elected officials push past TWU to abolish the Central Park horse carriage industry is such a good sign for the future of subway automation in NYC. You really can just ignore John Samuelsen, no matter how loud he gets. www.politico.com/news/2026/10...
politico.com
Mamdani and City Council Speaker Julie Menin strike deal to ban NYC horse carriage industry
The deal marks a major breakthrough in a long-running effort to outlaw the industry. It is also likely to inflame Mamdani’s relationship with a powerful local union.
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Daniel Trubman @danieltrubman.bsky.social · 13/10/2026
NYC might not have been as carved up by highways as some Sun Belt cities, but it definitely still has some neighborhoods with massive overpasses dominating the landscape.
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Daniel Trubman @danieltrubman.bsky.social · 13/10/2026
921 apartments are already cleared for a tough Bronx waterfront site. But the grocery store downstairs? That takes a 7-month public review. I dug into the zoning quirks, site history, and bankruptcy drama shaping Fordham Landing South. danieltrubman.substack.com/p/in-univers...
danieltrubman.substack.com
In University Heights, the Apartments Are Legal. The Grocery Store Isn't.
Fordham Landing South's 921 apartments are already allowed. Its supermarket needs seven months of public review.
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Daniel Trubman @danieltrubman.bsky.social · 10/10/2026
How many of you would've guessed this is the Bronx? 🎃👻
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Daniel Trubman @danieltrubman.bsky.social · 10/10/2026
The 1 Train station at 168th Street sort of reminds me of some of the Metro stations in DC, in how you can watch the trains pull in and out of the platform from overhead?
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Daniel Trubman @danieltrubman.bsky.social · 10/10/2026
Single-story parking garages IMMEDIATELY next to a subway entrance in one of the most in demand neighborhoods in the world (Park Slope, Brooklyn) seems like a tremendous policy failure?!
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Daniel Trubman @danieltrubman.bsky.social · 09/10/2026
Everyone in the room agreed: a 1916 garage in Bed-Stuy has zero historic value. Yet replacing it with 13 family apartments near the A/C at Utica Ave just got sent back by Landmarks for another round of revisions. Read my full Substack breakdown 👇 danieltrubman.substack.com/p/landmarks-...
danieltrubman.substack.com
Landmarks Asks for Changes to 13 Apartments Replacing a Bed-Stuy Garage
Everyone agreed the 1916 garage can go. Its replacement is in for a second round of revisions.
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Daniel Trubman @danieltrubman.bsky.social · 06/10/2026
A packed room of 50 people at a community board meeting looks like massive civic engagement, until you remember 100,000+ people live in the district. That’s a 0.05% turnout.
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Daniel Trubman @danieltrubman.bsky.social · 05/10/2026
Homeowners searching for the section of the zoning code that guarantees them the street parking space in front of their house:
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Daniel Trubman @danieltrubman.bsky.social · 04/10/2026
There are parts of Central Harlem that sort of remind me of Dupont Circle in DC.
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Daniel Trubman @danieltrubman.bsky.social · 03/10/2026
Underappreciated benefit of living in NYC is constantly stumbling into parades you never knew were happening. What makes this Marian Day Parade on the Upper West Side feel especially fitting for New York is most of the viewers are Jews heading to and from synagogue.
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Daniel Trubman @danieltrubman.bsky.social · 01/10/2026
I've seen a lot of spruced-up vans operating as barbershops out of on-street parking in New York City, but I think this is the first one that actually has a rotating barber pole 💈
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Daniel Trubman @danieltrubman.bsky.social · 01/10/2026
No better marker of the gentrification frontier in NYC than the presence of anti-Israel stickers. If you see fliers claiming the local Black or Latino elected official is owned by AIPAC, that neighborhood needs an IMMEDIATE upzoning.
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Daniel Trubman @danieltrubman.bsky.social · 01/10/2026
It's absolutely terrific how many parks in NYC have public bathrooms, but I'm frequently impressed by how charming their architecture is. This historic Mediterranean Revival comfort station in Fulton Park (Bed-Stuy) looks stunning!
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Daniel Trubman @danieltrubman.bsky.social · 01/10/2026
In This Corner of Ridgewood, Apartments Need a Rezoning. Shelters Don’t. On a single block in Queens: • 55 apartments require a multi-year rezoning • A 200-bed shelter is rising by-right with a building permit Check out my article with the full backstory. danieltrubman.substack.com/p/in-this-co...
danieltrubman.substack.com
In This Corner of Ridgewood, Apartments Need a Rezoning. Shelters Don’t.
A 2018 rule required a special permit for new hotels in manufacturing districts. But it left a path open for shelters. One is going up in Ridgewood now.
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Daniel Trubman @danieltrubman.bsky.social · 30/09/2026
Love the High Line on a misty day. Only going to look cooler as more contemporary skyscrapers go up around Hudson Yards.
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Daniel Trubman @danieltrubman.bsky.social · 30/09/2026
FlatRate Moving wants to turn its South Bronx truck yard into 14 stories of housing. The catch? The city’s zoning map treats the north side of the street completely differently than the south side. My article looking at Mott Haven’s latest spot-rezoning 👇 danieltrubman.substack.com/p/south-bron...
danieltrubman.substack.com
South Bronx Moving Company Files to Build 105 Apartments on Its Truck Yard
FlatRate Moving's owner wants the north side of Bruckner Boulevard in Mott Haven zoned like the south side, where Bruckner House went up without asking.
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Daniel Trubman @danieltrubman.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
This NoHo garage has already won approval for two replacement buildings. Neither was built. On Tuesday, Landmarks considers a third proposal. I dug into the 14-year history of this tiny site—and why this design may have a better chance. danieltrubman.substack.com/p/landmarks-...
danieltrubman.substack.com
Landmarks Has Approved Two Buildings for This NoHo Garage. Tuesday Could Make It Three.
Tuesday morning, the Landmarks Preservation Commission hears its consulting engineer's review of a nine-story office building next to NoHo's Merchant's House Museum. A vote could follow before lunch.
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Daniel Trubman @danieltrubman.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
It really is insane how many parking lots NYCHA has IMMEDIATELY adjacent to subway station entrances.
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Daniel Trubman @danieltrubman.bsky.social · 25/09/2026
American cities are funny: the MTA can pull off a $590M replacement of the Metro-North Park Avenue Viaduct in East Harlem, but no one bothers to keep the sidewalks leading to the Harlem-125th St station usable for passengers, like this stretch of East 130th Street today.
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Daniel Trubman @danieltrubman.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
Mott Haven is starting to give serious Long Island City energy.
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Daniel Trubman @danieltrubman.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
Thomas Boyland Park in Bushwick has a great spot for watching the elevated trains whiz by.
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Daniel Trubman @danieltrubman.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
Surrounded by apartments and steps from the L, two Ridgewood parcels remain trapped in 1961 factory zoning. My latest breaks down the plans for 55 homes, the R7A/MIH math, and why CPC is debating industrial retention on a corner with no manufacturing. danieltrubman.substack.com/p/city-plann...
danieltrubman.substack.com
City Planning Takes Up 55 Apartments on a Ridgewood Corner Still Zoned for Factories
Surrounded by apartments and six minutes from Halsey Street on the L, two Ridgewood parcels remain trapped in factory zoning, forcing owner to spend years in ULURP for permission to build housing.
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Daniel Trubman @danieltrubman.bsky.social · 23/09/2026
Bushwick could definitely use a few more parks, so it's a shame Contented Hart Garden is only open to the public 3 hours a month (for composting). I wish the City hadn't given away this land back in the day, so it could be a real pocket park managed by the Parks Department.
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Daniel Trubman @danieltrubman.bsky.social · 23/09/2026
Aerial massing view showing how the setback building sits relative to the surrounding block context: Read the full breakdown of the zoning mechanics on my Substack: danieltrubman.substack.com/p/where-suns...
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Daniel Trubman @danieltrubman.bsky.social · 23/09/2026
UPDATE: The City Planning Commission certified this application this morning! Here is the newly released rendering showing what's proposed to replace the 1961 manufacturing zoning two blocks from the N train.
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Daniel Trubman @danieltrubman.bsky.social · 23/09/2026
Bay Ridge has some very charming residential blocks, but you'll never convince me it isn't insane NYC has squat buildings like this literally around the corner from a subway station. No wonder we have a housing crisis!
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Daniel Trubman @danieltrubman.bsky.social · 23/09/2026
A rezoning goes to City Planning this morning to let apartments onto a Borough Park corner two blocks from the N, zoned for manufacturing since 1961. Across the street, where the zoning is residential, six-story buildings go up with no rezoning at all. danieltrubman.substack.com/p/where-suns...
danieltrubman.substack.com
Borough Park's Factory Zoning Blocks Housing Two Blocks From the N Train
City Planning takes up the 900 60th Street rezoning this morning, the first step toward 140 apartments on a corner where housing has been off-limits since 1961.
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Daniel Trubman @danieltrubman.bsky.social · 20/09/2026
I much prefer the residential blocks of Harlem with marching bands over on-street parking.
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Daniel Trubman @danieltrubman.bsky.social · 19/09/2026
I took a deep dive into 355 Exterior St, state rail zoning math, and why the waterfront park next door is still behind a fence: danieltrubman.substack.com/p/the-apartm...
danieltrubman.substack.com
The Apartments Are Ready. The Waterfront Park Isn't.
The South Bronx’s newest residential towers are opening applications along the Harlem River, while Mott Haven’s long-promised waterfront park remains behind a fence.
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Daniel Trubman @danieltrubman.bsky.social · 19/09/2026
Wouldn't it be cool if in a few decades the Bronx side of the Harlem River was a seamless mix of new residential towers and waterfront parks? Of course, to really achieve that dream we'd need to cap, bury, or rip out the Major Deegan.
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Daniel Trubman @danieltrubman.bsky.social · 17/09/2026
Couples doing engagement photoshoots in front of these skyscrapers represents a total culture victory for the pencil tower lovers.
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Daniel Trubman @danieltrubman.bsky.social · 17/09/2026
I think rowhome and townhouse blocks can be so charming, and for the life of me I'll never understand why Sun Belt sprawl is so frequently built out as a bunch of detached houses with like a 2 foot gap between structures.
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Daniel Trubman @danieltrubman.bsky.social · 17/09/2026
You might assume the jurisdiction of NYC’s Public Design Commission ends at the city line, but you’d be wrong. Because the City owns its water supply infrastructure, historic restorations at Hillview Reservoir in Yonkers still have to clear PDC design review.
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Daniel Trubman @danieltrubman.bsky.social · 17/09/2026
🚨 UPDATE: Brooklyn CB7 voted 27–9 last night to SUPPORT this project (with conditions)! Big step forward for replacing a vacant lot near Prospect Park with 71 new apartments.
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Daniel Trubman @danieltrubman.bsky.social · 17/09/2026
It took 20 months to build 714 homes on the Mott Haven waterfront—helped along by borrowing floor area from state rail tracks. The public park next door was mapped in 2009 and is still an unfinished work zone behind a fence. danieltrubman.substack.com/p/the-apartm...
danieltrubman.substack.com
The Apartments Are Ready. The Waterfront Park Isn't.
The South Bronx’s newest residential towers are opening applications along the Harlem River, while Mott Haven’s long-promised waterfront park remains behind a fence.
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Daniel Trubman @danieltrubman.bsky.social · 16/09/2026
The Elizabeth Langley Memorial Garden is generally closed during afternoons and evenings (and ZERO open hours today). Crazy to me @nycparks.bsky.social owns all these sites in neighborhoods like Central Harlem, and instead of turning them into pocket parks just lets them stay locked up??
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Daniel Trubman @danieltrubman.bsky.social · 16/09/2026
What does it take to turn a vacant lot near Prospect Park into 71 apartments? A 2-year ULURP battle. 364 Coney Island Ave needs full discretionary review to replace C8 auto zoning with 12 stories & 18 MIH homes. Check out my latest article 👇 danieltrubman.substack.com/p/zoned-for-...
danieltrubman.substack.com
Zoned for a Gas Station, Across From Prospect Park
A Windsor Terrace corner has been empty since 2006. Brooklyn Community Board 7 votes Wednesday night on the rezoning that would put 71 apartments on it.
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Daniel Trubman @danieltrubman.bsky.social · 15/09/2026
Ok, but you have to give us a seating in Moynihan take now.
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Daniel Trubman @danieltrubman.bsky.social · 14/09/2026
Across the street La Isla USA is also locked up, even though the @greenthumbnyc.bsky.social page list it as open this afternoon until 6pm (and of course no hours are posted by the community garden gate). Crazy how many publicly owned parcels in this pocket of The Bronx are like this.
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Daniel Trubman @danieltrubman.bsky.social · 14/09/2026
The Jardin de La Roca looks like a very cool place to hangout, but the woman hanging out behind the lock told me they're on Wednesday. Online the park is listed as also open in the morning and early evening on Tuesdays, but I guess that's not actually true (unsurprisingly)
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Daniel Trubman @danieltrubman.bsky.social · 14/09/2026
The 159th Street Community Garden is also locked up tonight. It's a real shame because this @nycparks.bsky.social site looks pretty great and is supposed to be open until 7pm. But as we've discovered, the hours listed on the @greenthumbnyc.bsky.social website are frequently wrong.
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Daniel Trubman @danieltrubman.bsky.social · 14/09/2026
The 159th Street Community Garden is also locked up tonight. It's a real shame because this @nycparks.bsky.social site looks pretty great and is supposed to be open until 7pm. But as we've discovered, the hours listed on the @greenthumbnyc.bsky.social website are frequently wrong.
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Daniel Trubman @danieltrubman.bsky.social · 14/09/2026
Beautiful evening here in the Melrose neighborhood of the Bronx, so it's a shame the Dolorinda Lisante Community Garden is locked up. No open hours posted on site. Online lists 10 hours/week (half the required minimum), but who knows if it’s actually open then.
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