NYC NOW - Evening Roundup: Hochul Touts Congestion Pricing, Adams Names New Deputy Mayor, Lawmakers Consider Tax Breaks to Startups, the Cost of Washer-Dryers in-unit and a Legendary Gay Bar Closes

Episode Date: March 21, 2025

Gov. Kathy Hochul says thanks to congestion pricing, traffic is down and business is up. And, Randy Mastro is named first deputy mayor after a failed bid to be New York City’s top lawyer. Plus, a new idea for an economic development program is getting a chilly reception in Albany. Also, the convenience of having a washer and dryer in a New York City apartment comes at a cost. And finally, Chelsea’s Barracuda Bar is shutting its doors after 30 years in business.

Governor Hockel touts congestion pricing. Mayor Adams names a new deputy mayor. Lawmakers in Albany consider tax breaks to startups, the cost of having a washer dryer in your New York City apartment, and a legendary gay bar closes in Chelsea. From WMYC, this is NYC now. I'm Jene Pierre. Governor Kathy Hokel says,

thanks to congestion pricing, traffic is down and business. Business is up. Hockel and her supporters rallied in the meatpacking district Friday the day the federal government had initially demanded the tolls be turned off. That deadline has been pushed 30 days. The federal transportation department says the tolls are an unfair tax on drivers. Hockel says she thinks President Trump can be convinced that they're worth it. I'm appealing to him as a New Yorker who has property here, has employees here, has employees here, has friends here, and I encourage him to just, again, be open-minded to the benefit. The MTA sued the federal government in response to their demand the tolls be turned off.

New York City Mayor Eric Adams has named Randy Mastrow as his new first deputy mayor, filling a key vacancy in his administration as he seeks re-election. Mastro previously served in the administration of former mayor Rudy Giuliani. He's known for representing some controversial clients, including former New Jersey Governor Chris Christie during the Bridgegate scandal. Mastrow's appointment could set up a clash with the city council, which blocked his nomination to be the city's top lawyer just last year. He says he's excited to answer the call to public service. Mastro replaces Maria Torres Springer, who recently resigned along with three other deputy mayors. And with that in mind, consider checking out a new series where Cooking Up called NYC Now Explains,

how the Adams administration fell into chaos. Our first episode is this Saturday. We'll look at how Mayor Adams forged an unexpected political alliance with President Trump and how that alliance has reshuffled the race for the next mayor of New York City. So when you see us pop up in your podcast feed this Saturday, hit play. A new idea for an economic development program is getting a chilly reception from some folks in Albany. WMYC's Jimmy Veilkind. reports. Shardul Shah runs his biotech startup, Lyme Therapeutics, from an incubator in lower Manhattan.

Since it's part of a program called Startup New York, he and his coworkers are exempt from income taxes. Shaw says it helps him bring in new employees. What that allows us to do is be competitive in terms of compensation offers. But that program won't be available after the end of the year. It was enacted by former Governor Andrew Cuomo, and critics say it never lived up to its promise. John Caney of the Watchdog Group Reinvent Albany says startup is flawed because companies like Lyme have to stay in specific spots. The program extended beyond an original focus on the high tech sector, but it still created fewer than a thousand jobs over the course of 10 years. They lost the thread on the program and good riddance.

So the current governor, Kathy Hokel, is switching a replacement called Catalyst. It's spelled with an eye. Businesses still get income tax breaks, but they can be located anywhere in the state. Economic Development Commissioner Hope Knight says it would help small biotech firms. These companies are going to be able to hire the talent that they need, and we can root them here in New York as they grow. Legislators are skeptical. Assembly member Al Sturpey chairs the Economic Development Committee. He says the state has other incentive programs, like grants, that it can use.

Those things seem to work fine, and we don't know why we need to have this little odd cousin on the side. The future of Catalyst is tied up in talks over the state's budget. It's due April 1st. Jimmy Viokind, WNYC News. When it comes to New York City apartments, sometimes you've got to take what you can get. But it would be really nice to have a washer dryer in unit. That comes out of cost, though. More on that after the break.

washers and dryers have been ubiquitous household items in most of the U.S. since the Eisenhower administration, but they're only slowly becoming more common in New York City apartments. WMYC's David Brand reports, in this city, convenience comes at a cost. Hannah Gowens is apartment hunting. It's funny during this. Actually, an apartment came out that I hadn't seen. Oh, nice. Get it, do it.

I was like, where's this one coming from? Let's it today. I met her while she was sifting through online rental listings for what feels like the hundredth time in just the last few days. This place looks nice. She and her husband have a budget of $4,500 a month, and they know they're going to have to make some compromises. The first lesson in hunting for an apartment in New York is that there is no perfect apartment. But there are a couple things she won't budge on. First is finding a place in Greenpoint Brooklyn.

And second, there are these appliances she can't live without. If we were to craft our perfect apartment, it would include a washer dryer. The convenience of it, I think, you know, just to throw your slippers on and not have to put on a jacket to do laundry, it's pretty nice. Believe it or not, it's getting a lot easier to find a unit with a washer dryer. An analysis by Street Easy shows that 34% of New York City apartments listed on its site now have the machines. And while that may not sound like a lot, it's up from just 23% six years ago. Not only are they now basically standard in new buildings. Real estate broker at Katarina Vorabyeva says landlords are adding them to older apartments too.

After COVID, everyone wants to have their own washer dry, and nobody wants to go anywhere. But the convenience comes at a pretty steep cost. Street Easy also found that apartments with in-unit washer dryers are 12% more expensive than similar places without them. The company's analysis compared apartments in the same neighborhoods and with similar square footage. That increase means a 3,000. $1,000 a month apartment would end up costing an extra $360 a month. But Vorabyeva says people are willing to pay. A lot of my clients, this is the ideal break.

If there is no washer-drying unit, they're just looking for something else. Washers and dryers also cost New Yorkers precious space. To illustrate, Vorabyeva takes me up to a one-bedroom apartment in Manhattan, just north of Houston Street. At $4,100 a month, it's small. Anyone who rents this place is obviously paying for location. It's near Soho in the East Village. But they're also paying for a chunky little all-in-one washer dryer

nestled between the oven and bathroom door. So it's a big deal for a lot of people living in New York. But is it worth it? Right across the street from the $4,100 one bed is a cleaners that charges customers a whopping $1.90 a pound to wash and fold a load of laundry. That's about $40 bucks for a 20-pound sack. The attendant who works here, Gemma Lagrason,

says it's a better arrangement than in-unit appliances. Plus people don't have time. Always working. Go home, work, home, work. No time to do the laundry. She says she lives in the Bronx. Do you have a washer dryer there?

No. I'm telling you, I do it in the laundromat. Plenty of New Yorkers share her view. I spent a sunny morning last week talking to customers at Wash Land Laundry and Hell's Kitchen. It's about $10 to wash and dry a load here. Excuse me, ma'am.

Do you have two minutes to talk? I'm a reporter from Public. radio station WNYC. Mariko Petronio moved to the city two decades ago from Japan, where she says everyone has a washer dryer in their apartments, even though space is limited there, too.

She says York is bizarre by comparison. This is like ancient many years ago. But ask if she'd fork over extra rent money to live more conveniently? For that's, yeah, $300, months to just have a washing machine,

I probably say no. affordable housing is in short supply in New York City. And let's face it, most renters end up taking what they can get. Sophie Grinden is an educator at the Tenement Museum. I've never looked at the apartment with an in-unit washer dryer, just not in my price point. She says her laundromat trips are actually therapeutic. It's sort of like time I'm setting aside for myself, honestly. I don't hate doing the laundry.

And it's a nice vibe in here. I like the workers, and I like this time for myself. I left her quietly standing at a counter inside, reading a book while her clothes tumble dried. That's WMYC's David Brand. On Sunday, a legendary gay bar in Chelsea is shutting its doors after 30 years in business. Barracuda Bar was a launch pad for drag queens and more. WMYC's Ryan Kylath has a story. In the early 2000s, at the height of the gay scene in Chelsea, William Mullen ended up at Barracuda one night.

And a guy caught my eye, and I'm like, wow, he's like really hot. And I started flirting with him. This was pre-Apps, pre-Iphone. They had a little glass with all these little business cards where it says, we met at Barakuta. Here's my number. So William got the guy's number. But when he called,

The number of you reached is not in service at this time. He thought I was annoying. And he had purposely given me a wrong number on the card. Nevertheless, William persisted. He got the guy's email from his friends, and they went out a couple weeks later. It's so funny because I still have the car. card and I'll bring it out close to our like anniversary. And I'm like, oh, hi, did we meet at Barakuta? And I'll give it to him. I'm like, are you sure that's the right number?

That was 2003. They've been together ever since. More famously, Barakuta was home to a weekly drag show called Star Search that launched many a queen's career. The bar drew celebrity regulars like Nathan Lane and Jennifer Coolidge. Recently, a major demolition project next door has damaged the bar past repair, according to owner Bob Pontorelli. His hell's kitchen bar industry and Chelsea restaurant lounge Elmo will stay open. Baracuda's last day is Sunday. That's WMYC's Ryan Kyloth. Thanks for listening. Don't forget to tune in this Saturday for our special series, NYC Now explains how the Adams administration fell into chaos. You don't want to miss it. I'm Junae Pierre. Have a lovely weekend.

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