BY GUS DELAPORTE

Instead of dark and drab, imagine the stairwell of a commercial building with windows looking out to the street and vibrant colors on the walls. These simple steps could be the first stages in promoting stair use in New York office buildings.

Earlier this month, Mayor Bloomberg announced that New York City would promote the use of stairs in buildings and public spaces through the Center for Active Design. In light of the announcement, Rick Bell, executive director at the American Institute of Architects New York Chapter, likened stair use to bicycling, a healthier, though not necessarily more popular, alternative to other transportation methods.

“The idea of stair use is healthier and it is very, very similar to bicycling in New York,” Mr. Bell told The Commercial Observer. “Is it normal? Not quite yet.”

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BY BILLY GRAY

Upper East Side sports and recreation complex Asphalt Green is asking its neighbors a $64,000 question: have politics drowned out a necessary discussion about a trash transfer station’s impact on neighborhood children?

The facility, which would be severed by the controversial projects, rolled out an expensive bus shelter, phone booth and mail campaign in opposition to the East 91st Street development today.

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BY AL BARBARINO

Imagine a time in the near future when the city’s rent control/stabilization laws are lifted. Many have rallied, especially those in the business of real estate, for this change.

Many consider it a “win-win-lose” situation, according to an article by Adam Davidson, co-founder of NPR’s “Planet Money,” which appeared in The New York Times last week – great for the middle class and landlords but awful for those purposely trapped inside the system, that is.

“The landlords of those units would invest in upgrades and chart higher rents,” Mr. Davidson wrote. “At the same time, the subset of apartments that had been market rate would see their rents fall, because there would be, suddenly, twice as many apartments in the market.”

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BY JOSH SIEGELMAN

In New York City real estate, “side street” is often a dirty word. Retailers associate side streets with being off the beaten path and generally out of the way. While that perception may hold true for apparel and dry retail, the fact is that boutique dining restaurant concepts can find some real diamonds in the rough by moving their search off the main thoroughfares.

While quick-service and fast-casual concepts rely on the high-traffic models of main-street retail, full-service restaurants have no such restrictions. In fact, a “hidden” location can add more mystery and intimacy to eateries as consumers, especially Manhattan residents, enjoy the thrill of discovering restaurants that haven’t yet made it onto every dining blog in town. Availabilities on side streets typically come at a lower price point—especially in neighborhoods like the West Village, Greenwich Village and Soho, where avenue prices are especially high. Side streets also offer a larger inventory to choose from without the same level of competition as the streets and avenues that carry more name recognition.

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BY ROBERT SAMMONS

Yes, ladies and gentlemen, New York City hit yet another new high in private sector jobs in June (according to NYC’s Office of the Comptroller), topping out at the nice round figure of 3,413,000. Furthermore, job growth has made it into double digits in four out of the first six months of this year. February was the only downer month thus far in 2013, and that was likely a fluke, as a bus strike put a dent in the education figure. For the month of June, the private sector increased by a very healthy 14,700 positions.

On the non-office side, the winners were … leisure and hospitality, which remained red hot and jumped 5,000 positions during the month (tourists as far as the eye can see); education, which was up by 4,800 positions (could be some seasonal adjustment issues at play here); and construction, which increased by 4,600 positions (if you don’t believe me, just check out the scaffolding everywhere).

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