New York City is a dangerous place for birds.
For the second year in a row, a record number of migrating birds were killed after flying headfirst into the city’s nearly invisible skyline, according to the New York Post. At least 1,250 warblers, flickers and other birds died during their annual fall migration, surpassing last year’s grim record of nearly 1,000. And conservationists say the true toll is likely far higher, thanks to an unusually heavy migration season that sent thousands more birds through the five boroughs.
City Hall has come up with at least one answer — bird-friendly glass. In 2021, Local Law 15 went into effect, requiring most new buildings and major renovations to use bird-safe materials on 90 percent of their facade up to the first 75 feet, the danger zone where birds are most likely to collide with glass.
The idea is simple — make buildings visible to birds and fewer of them will die. On paper, it’s hard to argue with that. Fewer dead birds is a clear win.
But the law also comes with a price tag, and that’s where the debate gets complicated. Related Companies’ Jeff Blau recently pointed to an affordable housing project he’s building at Willets Point, where complying with the bird-glass requirement will cost roughly $2 million. Those extra costs, Blau argued, could otherwise go toward building more apartments. The development is subsidized by the city, he added, so it’s helping foot the bill.
“The city is paying the money for bird glass instead of more affordable apartments,” Blau said at last month’s NYU Schack capital markets conference. “It just doesn’t make a lot of sense.”
It’s an uncomfortable tradeoff. Saving wildlife is important. So is building housing in a city with a chronic shortage. When the same public dollars are funding both, it’s fair to ask whether the policy is delivering the biggest bang for its buck.
Conservation advocates counter that prices for bird-friendly glass have fallen as demand has grown, and that the upfront cost can help building owners avoid expensive repairs from bird collisions or the potential cost to retrofit existing buildings. The Council introduced a new bill in 2024 that would require most landlords to comply with bird-friendly standards in existing buildings by 2030.
“It’s certainly a challenge in a city like this, with housing so scarce and the need for affordable housing so great,” said Jessica Wilson of NYC Bird Alliance. “There are many benefits to protecting birds and saving biodiversity, including improving human health and mental well-being.”
Glass is one of several threats to birds. Advocates support complementary measures like turning off unused lights at night to reduce bird deaths. Public education about lighting rules or even investing in habitat restoration could arguably save more birds per dollar spent, but conservationists argue that these broader strategies don’t replace the need for bird-friendly building measures.
“Birds and biodiversity are a critical part of a sustainable and resilient city, and when you make the city better for wildlife, [you] make it healthier and a better place for people also,” Wilson said.
None of this is an argument against protecting wildlife. New York can love birds and build housing at the same time. The question is whether bird glass, as currently mandated, is the smartest way to do both.
What we’re thinking about: AI voice analytics company Rilla inked a 57,000-square-foot lease this month at Global Holdings’ 25 Kent in Williamsburg in one of the borough’s biggest office deals of the past year. Leases of that size are rare for Class A buildings in the borough, where last year’s biggest signings largely landed in Class B and C towers. Could the AI boom finally give Brooklyn’s top-tier office market a lift? Send a note to elizabeth.cryan@therealdeal.com with your thoughts.
A thing we’ve learned: Some people have pet nannies. I know this because a listing for a full-time nanny for a four-year-old Lagotto Romagnolo in my Brooklyn neighborhood recently surfaced on my Instagram feed. The link led to the profile page for staffing agency Household Staffing, where I found multiple listings for pet nannies, both live-in and live-out.
Elsewhere…
— President Trump announced on Friday that he has picked lawyer and former Federal Reserve official Kevin Warsh to be the next chairman of the central bank, according to the New York Times. If confirmed, Warsh would succeed Jerome Powell, who has faced attacks from Trump over his reluctance to cut interest rates more aggressively. Powell’s term as chair ends in May.
— Mayor Zohran Mamdani has called an AI chatbot released by the Adams administration “functionally unusable,” reports The City. The software was intended to provide business owners with information about city rules and other pertinent information. Previous reporting found the chatbot giving erroneous information that could have caused businesses to make illegal decisions. Now, Mamdani says his administration is axing the program as part of cost-cutting.
Closing time
Residential: The top residential deal recorded Friday was $9.9 million for 211 West 84th Street, 5C. The Upper West Side condo at The Henry is 3,400 square feet of new construction. Compass’ Alexa Lambert, Alison Black and Elizabeth Goss have the listing.
Commercial: The top commercial deal recorded was $17.7 million for 35-25 Steinway Street. The Astoria building has three units and is 18,400 square feet.
New to the Market: The highest price for a residential property hitting the market was $23.9 million for 116 East 70th Street. The Lenox Hill townhome is 5,700 square feet. Sloane Square’s Vicki Warner has the listing.
Breaking Ground: The largest new building permit filed was for a proposed 27,242-square-foot, eight-story, 10-family, mixed-use building at 717 Myrtle Avenue in Bedford-Stuyvesant. Nikolai Katz Architect is the applicant of record.
— Joseph Jungermann