How will Bed-Stuy look without Airbnbs?

Also, Staten Island's borough president discusses new migrant shelter. [View this email in a browser.]( Gothamist relies on your support to make local news available to all. Not yet a member? [Consider donating and join today.]( [Airbnb reshaped these Bed-Stuy blocks. What happens when it’s gone?]( [Today's newsletter curated by Emily Nadal]( Weather: ☀️ This cool, breezy morning is giving the fall vibes I'm excited for. Expect a mild, sunny day with a high of 76 degrees and a low of 62. It’s Thursday morning in New York City where Airbnb changed the dynamic of an area in Bed-Stuy, and the city’s [new rules governing the short-term rental platform may change it again.]( [first image]( The highest concentration of Airbnb listings in the city fall within the boundaries of the rapidly-gentrified neighborhood filled with Victorian brownstones. Gothamist analyzed 50 recently-booked Airbnb listings for entire houses and apartments and found owners were bringing in an average of $1,800 from short-term rentals. Bed-Stuy has more than 15% of the roughly 10,000 Airbnb listings in the city, but that should all begin to change on Sept. 5, when the city plans to start enforcing strict new registration requirements for short-term listings that require hosts to register their properties with the city in order to receive payment from Airbnb and other websites. Here's what else is happening: - After a protest on Staten Island earlier this week against the city’s decision to use a shuttered Catholic school to house hundreds of migrants, Borough President Vito Fossella, who attended the protest, came on “All Things Considered” to [share his perspective on the issue.]( - An off-duty NYPD officer was [shot in the thigh with his own weapon]( yesterday while driving his personal vehicle after getting into a physical altercation with a driver who was blocking the road. - New Jersey officials have yet to capture an alligator that has been [spotted in a park lake multiple times]( prompting a closure of the area. - Swimming is suspended at three Long Island beaches, and rip currents threaten other NYC-area beaches, but officials are [hopeful they’ll be open and safe for Labor Day.]( - Tomorrow will be the last day to relive your childhood (or your parent’s childhood?) at this Brooklyn McDonald’s that [got an 80s makeover.]( - The [facade of Angelina Jolie’s new Manhattan art studio]( venture was mysteriously painted pink. - With COVID cases rising, [we’ve revived our COVID stats page]( this time with information that matters most in 2023: hospitalizations, variants and booster rates. - And it’s also almost time for NYC kids to go back to school, which means those [increasing COVID rates are causing more worry](. Public health researchers say to focus on hospitalizations and wastewater data to track the back-to-school surge. - Gov. Kathy Hochul and Mayor Eric Adams are bickering again, this time it’s over foie gras. Yes, our fearless leaders are [butting heads over duck livers]( as Adams is pushing to continue his predecessor’s work to ban the delicacy in the city, but Hochul blocked that ruling, arguing it “unreasonably restricts” foie gras farms. - Two Queens men were arrested last week after investigators [discovered a stockpile of a dozen illegal firearms]( including ghost guns, high-capacity magazines, ammunition and gun manufacturing tools. - Social media is pretty boring now, [especially Instagram]( which is filled with highly curated posts and an intense, algorithmically-organized feed. - How many iconic NYC foods [from this list]( have you had? - Another NYC food may soon be a thing of the past. Big Gay Ice Cream is following a similar trajectory of Ample Hills — fast growth and fast decline — with the company [holding onto just one Upper West Side location]( amid mountains of debt and fraud accusations. “I don't like the transient part of the Airbnb cycle — people coming in and leaving. I think it's better when people are invested in the neighborhood.” - Wayne Slater, longtime Bed-suy resident, [DISCUSSING THE AMOUNT OF AIRBNB RENTALS IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD.]( More from Gothamist [second image]( [What defines a sandwich? WNYC's 'All Of It' dares to ask.]( The question of what defines a sandwich continues to flummox chefs, foodies, philosophers and world leaders. [NYPD chief says police will use more drones at crime scenes]( The NYPD's push comes after Mayor Eric Adams surveyed drone technology during his visit to Israel last week. [We Rely On Your Support]( [Queens-based Find Me Now is trying to make clothes that truly fit all women]( A visit to the brand’s sample sale in Long Island City, where some women trekked to get deals on the brand’s signature crop tops, mesh dresses and more. [Why the dank seems so stank in NYC: The science behind weed smells]( New York is a city of smells, yet the scent of weed is breaking through. [New York Public Radio] [WNYC]( | [WQXR]( | [NJPR]( | [GOTHAMIST]( [WNYC STUDIOS]( | [THE GREENE SPACE]( Copyright © New York Public Radio. All rights reserved. 160 Varick Street, New York, NY 10013 [TERMS OF USE]( You can update your [PREFERENCES]( or [UNSUBSCRIBE]( from this list.