Policy

Adams announces $250M more for Fifth Avenue redesign plan

Images by Field Operations, courtesy of City Hall

May 21, 2025

Adams announces $250M more for Fifth Avenue redesign plan

New York City is investing another $250 million to transform Fifth Avenue into a pedestrian-centric corridor. Mayor Eric Adams announced the new funding on Wednesday, bringing the total investment in the project to $400 million, including $152 million the city had previously committed. Focused on the stretch between Central Park and Bryant Park, the Fifth Avenue redesign will reduce traffic lanes from five to three, nearly double the width of sidewalks, shorten crosswalks, and add more than 230 trees, as well as new seating and improved lighting.
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NYC unveils plan for dedicated busway on 34th Street

Images courtesy of NYC DOT

May 21, 2025

NYC unveils plan for dedicated busway on 34th Street

By Aaron Ginsburg

New York City plans to transform a busy stretch of 34th Street in Manhattan into a busway to improve sluggish crosstown commutes. The Department of Transportation (DOT) unveiled plans for a dedicated lane along 34th Street between Third and Ninth Avenues for buses, trucks, and emergency vehicles, which could boost speeds by up to 15 percent for the more than two dozen bus routes that use the corridor. Modeled after the successful 14th Street busway, the plan would still permit other vehicles to enter but require them to make the next available legal turn off the street.
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Breuer Building gets landmarked before Sotheby’s opens headquarters

Photo courtesy of the Landmarks Preservation Commission

May 21, 2025

Breuer Building gets landmarked before Sotheby’s opens headquarters

By Devin Gannon

The city's Landmarks Preservation Commission voted on Tuesday to designate the Breuer Building on the Upper East Side as an individual and interior landmark, protecting the Brutalist icon before auction house Sotheby's opens its global headquarters there. Designed by innovative architect Marcel Breuer, the building at 945 Madison Avenue was home to the Whitney Museum of American Art from 1966 to 2014. Sotheby's acquired the building in 2023; Herzog & de Meuron are currently leading a renovation and restoration of the space.
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Related drops casino from Hudson Yards plan, but keeps proposal for 4,000 new homes

Renderings courtesy of Related Companies and Wynn Resorts

May 20, 2025

Related drops casino from Hudson Yards plan, but keeps proposal for 4,000 new homes

By Aaron Ginsburg

Related Companies is dropping the casino from its project proposed for the undeveloped section of Hudson Yards, the developer announced Monday. In partnership with Wynn Resorts, Related previously pitched a $12 billion mixed-use development anchored by a casino, dubbed "Hudson Yards West," as part of its bid for one of the state's three downstate gaming licenses. Due to opposition from the community and local elected officials, Related and Wynn announced they would no longer pursue a gaming license. However, the developer plans to move forward with a plan to build 4,000 apartments, nearly 50 percent of which will be affordable under a tentative agreement with the Adams administration.
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Policy

Hazardous section of Jacob Riis beach will stay closed this summer

Credit: Steven Pisano on Flickr

May 20, 2025

Hazardous section of Jacob Riis beach will stay closed this summer

By Aaron Ginsburg

Parts of Jacob Riis Park in the Rockaways will remain closed this summer due to unsafe conditions. Bays 1 through 5 of the beach, labeled "extremely hazardous" by the National Park Service, have experienced years of erosion, with nearly century-old wooden pilings and rockwork now exposed along the shoreline, as first reported by Gothamist.
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Policy

Officials begin investigation into Brooklyn Bridge ship crash

Mayor Eric Adams visited the Mexican Navy tall ship after it collided with the Brooklyn Bridge on Saturday. Photo by Michael Appleton/Mayoral Photography Office on Flickr

May 19, 2025

Officials begin investigation into Brooklyn Bridge ship crash

By Devin Gannon

New York and federal officials have begun an investigation into why a Mexican Navy ship crashed into the Brooklyn Bridge on Saturday. About five minutes after the Cuauhtémoc left Pier 17 with the intention of traveling south, the vessel drifted in the wrong direction and its soaring masts struck the iconic 142-year-old structure. The accident left two sailors dead and more than a dozen crew members injured. The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) announced that a "multidisciplinary" team is conducting a safety investigation.
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Policy

NJ Transit strike ends, service to resume Tuesday

Photo by James Petts on Flickr

May 19, 2025

NJ Transit strike ends, service to resume Tuesday

By Aaron Ginsburg

NJ Transit and the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen (BLET) reached a tentative agreement on Sunday, ending the first strike at the agency in 42 years. Regular weekday train service will resume on Tuesday, May 20, giving workers a day to inspect and prepare tracks and rail cars. The strike began on Friday when 450 unionized workers walked off the job over engineers' wages. While details of the agreement have not been released, Gov. Phil Murphy called the contract settlement "fair and fiscally responsible" with a "generous wage increase" for union members.
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CityPickle unveils plan for huge pickleball hub under the Brooklyn Bridge

Renderings courtesy of CityPickle

May 16, 2025

CityPickle unveils plan for huge pickleball hub under the Brooklyn Bridge

By Aaron Ginsburg

CityPickle on Friday released its plan to transform two parking lots beneath the Brooklyn Bridge in Dumbo into a pickleball hub. The project, slated for Anchorage Plaza—an area under the bridge between Old Fulton and Washington Streets—takes up 60,000 square feet and features 11 pickleball courts, food trucks, green space with planters, games, seating, shaded areas, bike racks, and space for community programming. CityPickle was selected by the city’s Parks Department last June to revitalize the underused space, which will operate from March through November.
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May 15, 2025

MTA proposes 684-unit development above future Second Avenue Subway terminus in East Harlem

By Aaron Ginsburg

The Metropolitan Transportation Authority wants to rezone a block in East Harlem to allow for a nearly 700-unit residential building above the future terminus of the Second Avenue Subway. The MTA filed plans on Tuesday to rezone the south side of East 125th Street between Third and Lexington Avenues, where the station for the last stop on the Q line will eventually open as part of the Second Avenue Subway extension. As first reported by Crain's, the MTA plans to partner with a private developer to build an apartment tower with up to 684 units on the block's west side, an MTA-owned property.
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NJ Transit strike: The best travel alternatives for getting to NYC

NJ Transit gated off the concourse at Penn Station as a result of the strike. Photo © 6sqft

May 14, 2025

NJ Transit strike: The best travel alternatives for getting to NYC

By Aaron Ginsburg

NJ Transit engineers are now on strike for the first time in more than 40 years, impacting commutes for hundreds of thousands of residents. According to the New York Times, about 450 unionized workers went on strike on Friday as the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen and NJ Transit failed to reach a long-delayed contract agreement. The engineers' demands include pay parity with engineers at nearby commuter railroads. With no train service as of Friday morning, here’s how you can still get to New York City from the Garden State.
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Queensboro Bridge to open separate paths for cyclists and pedestrians

By Aaron Ginsburg

The Queensboro Bridge will finally have separate paths for cyclists and pedestrians, starting this weekend. Mayor Eric Adams on Tuesday announced that the bridge’s north outer roadway is now a dedicated bike lane and the south outer roadway, a pedestrian-only path. Originally announced in 2021, the project was expected to open in March, but was abruptly delayed by the mayor, who required a "full briefing" before the path could open, as Streetsblog reported.
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Adams allocates $52M to replace West Village rec center in proposed budget

Tony Dapolito Recreation Center. Tdorante10 via Wikimedia Commons

May 12, 2025

Adams allocates $52M to replace West Village rec center in proposed budget

By Aaron Ginsburg

Mayor Eric Adams is allocating $51.8 million to rebuild a beloved, but run-down, recreation center in the West Village. The 100-year-old Tony Dapolito Recreation Center has been closed since 2019 due to significant structural issues, including foundation damage. Under his proposed fiscal year 2026 budget, Adams includes funding for the Parks Department to demolish the existing building on Clarkson Street and construct a modern facility across the street as part of a new mixed-use development.
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A train service to the Rockaways will resume this month

Credit: Marc A. Hermann / MTA New York City Transit on Flickr

May 9, 2025

A train service to the Rockaways will resume this month

By Aaron Ginsburg

Just in time for summer, A train service to the Rockaways will resume later this month following a four-month shutdown. On Wednesday, the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) announced that regular service will return on May 19, restoring subway access for the more than 9,000 daily commuters who travel in and out of the Rockaways. The shutdown, which began in January, allowed the agency to strengthen infrastructure against extreme weather and repair viaducts and bridges damaged during Hurricane Sandy.
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NYC officials predict 17 percent drop in international tourists due to Trump policies

Photo by Lerone Pieters on Pexels

May 9, 2025

NYC officials predict 17 percent drop in international tourists due to Trump policies

By Devin Gannon

After a strong tourism year in 2024 when New York City saw nearly 65 million visitors, the second highest figure in the city's history, officials predicted an even better 2025. Last year, New York City Tourism + Conventions projected the five boroughs would make almost a full economic and tourist recovery from the pandemic. And then President Donald Trump took office. With the administration's tariffs, detainment of immigrants, and threats to Canada's sovereignty, the city revised its forecast to reflect a 17 percent drop in international travelers this year.
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Policy

Updated plan for Broadway Junction redevelopment adds 1,000 affordable homes

Images courtesy of Totem

May 9, 2025

Updated plan for Broadway Junction redevelopment adds 1,000 affordable homes

By Aaron Ginsburg

A plan to redevelop a two-acre site around the Broadway Junction transit hub has been revised to increase the number of affordable homes from 600 to 1,000. After nearly 100 public meetings, developer Totem on Thursday released an updated version of its proposal to rezone the East New York site into Herkimer-Williams, a mixed-use project with four buildings along four blocks, containing housing, retail, community space, and open space. The revisions include more affordable housing, community-led retail, reduced building heights, and less office space.
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72-story tower with 1,200 apartments proposed to replace Downtown Brooklyn ‘eyesore’

Rendering courtesy of Binyan Studio and TenBerke Architects

May 7, 2025

72-story tower with 1,200 apartments proposed to replace Downtown Brooklyn ‘eyesore’

By Aaron Ginsburg

New York City wants to redevelop an outdated office building in Downtown Brooklyn to make way for a 72-story mixed-use tower with over 1,000 units. The Department of Housing Preservation and Development (HPD) is looking to rezone the commercial building at 395 Flatbush Avenue Extension to allow for a new skyscraper with 1,263 apartments, as first reported by The Real Deal. The existing 350,000-square-foot building—a Verizon call center—was called "one of the biggest eyesores in Downtown Brooklyn" by Brownstoner for its homely architecture. The proposed tower will be the second-tallest in the borough, after The Brooklyn Tower.
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Policy

City landmarks duplex apartment in Paul Rudolph’s Modulightor Building

Exterior photo courtesy of the Paul Rudolph Institute for Modern Architecture; interior photo courtesy of the Landmarks Preservation Commission

May 6, 2025

City landmarks duplex apartment in Paul Rudolph’s Modulightor Building

By Aaron Ginsburg

The duplex apartment inside Paul Rudolph’s iconic Modulightor Building in Midtown East is officially a New York City landmark. On Tuesday, the Landmarks Preservation Commission voted unanimously to designate the third- and fourth-floor residence at 246 East 58th Street as an interior landmark, citing the significance of its "complex, multi-layered interior." With the designation of the Modulightor Building as an individual landmark in December 2023, the interior and exterior of the building are now both protected.
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NYC to install panic buttons at 500 bodegas

Credit: Robinson Greig on Unsplash

May 5, 2025

NYC to install panic buttons at 500 bodegas

By Aaron Ginsburg

Hundreds of bodegas across New York City will soon be outfitted with emergency "panic buttons" designed to alert police during emergencies in real time. On Sunday, Mayor Eric Adams announced $1.6 million in funding for "SilentShields," discreet devices to be installed in bodegas located in "high-crime areas," connecting directly to the NYPD’s central command to cut down response times. The initiative comes just days after a man was fatally stabbed inside a Harlem bodega and follows years of advocacy by the United Bodegas of America (UBA), which has long called for the devices, according to Gothamist.
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Policy

NYC sues Trump administration over ‘unconstitutional’ housing grant conditions

Credit: Patrick Tomasso on Unsplash

May 5, 2025

NYC sues Trump administration over ‘unconstitutional’ housing grant conditions

By Aaron Ginsburg

New York City, joining seven other local governments, sued the Trump administration last week over new conditions related to federal housing grants. Filed on Friday, the lawsuit challenges the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) over provisions prohibiting grant recipients from using funds for programs related to diversity, equity, "gender ideology," and immigration. The cities argue that the new conditions imposed on the HUD grants are unconstitutional and an overreach of the executive branch.
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New York to open 24/7 homeless outreach centers in subway stations

Credit: Marc A. Hermann / MTA New York City Transit on Flickr

May 2, 2025

New York to open 24/7 homeless outreach centers in subway stations

By Aaron Ginsburg

New York will open a network of 24-hour "welcome centers" in the subway system, where social workers will help connect homeless New Yorkers with supportive services and shelter. As first reported by Crain's, Gov. Kathy Hochul’s office plans to open up to five of these facilities in subway stations to assist people struggling with mental health issues who have taken up residence in the transit system. The initiative is part of a $40 million investment in the state budget to fund outreach teams to build relationships with the unhoused and connect them with aid.
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Rent Guidelines Board backs rent hikes between 1.75% and 7.75% for NYC’s stabilized apartments

Tenants called for a rent freeze during a preliminary vote by the Rent Guidelines Board on April 30. Photo courtesy of New York State Tenant Bloc.

May 1, 2025

Rent Guidelines Board backs rent hikes between 1.75% and 7.75% for NYC’s stabilized apartments

By Aaron Ginsburg

Rent for nearly one million rent-stabilized apartments in New York City will likely rise again, as the city's Rent Guidelines Board (RGB) backs increases for the fourth straight year. In a preliminary vote on Wednesday, the nine-member board voted 5–4 in support of rent increases, ranging between 1.75 and 4.75 percent for one-year leases and 4.75 and 7.75 percent for two-year leases. The first public hearing on the proposed increases is scheduled for May 22, with a final vote expected in late June.
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Policy

NYC makes applying for affordable housing lotteries easier

Society Brooklyn in Gowanus has 45 apartments available through the housing lottery. Credit: NYC Department of Housing Preservation and Development

April 29, 2025

NYC makes applying for affordable housing lotteries easier

By Aaron Ginsburg

While the odds of winning an affordable housing lottery in New York City are generally low, now, at least, the paperwork will be easier. On Monday, the Department of Housing and Preservation and Development (HPD) announced it will require fewer documents from applicants to streamline the process for both renters and agents. And starting May 1, the city will allow landlords and brokers to advertise empty affordable housing units publicly, allowing applicants to directly apply for the apartments, instead of going through the city's Housing Connect system.
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MTA to test new fare gates at 20 subway stations this fall

Credit: MTA on Flickr

April 28, 2025

MTA to test new fare gates at 20 subway stations this fall

By Aaron Ginsburg

Fare evaders at certain subway stations will soon encounter new gates designed to stop turnstile hopping. This fall, the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) will begin testing four modern gates at 20 stations across New York City, featuring elements that make it much harder for commuters to jump over. The gates are part of the agency’s broader effort to curb fare evasion across the public transit system, a metric that has dropped by 30 percent on the subway from the second quarter of 2024 to the first quarter of 2025, according to the MTA.
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Related modifies Hudson Yards casino proposal to include 4,000 housing units

Renderings courtesy of Related Companies and Wynn Resorts

April 28, 2025

Related modifies Hudson Yards casino proposal to include 4,000 housing units

By Aaron Ginsburg

Related Companies is more than doubling the number of housing units in its $12 billion Hudson Yards casino proposal ahead of an important City Council vote. After feedback from the community, the developer announced plans to replace a 1,400-foot-tall office tower with two residential buildings, which would increase the projected housing from 1,500 units to 4,000 total units on the site. As reported by Crain's, the change seeks to address critics of Related's efforts to modify the terms of a 2009 rezoning, which originally called for over 5,000 new homes on the site.
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Policy

NYC Council approves legislation regulating helicopter trips after deadly crash

Photo by SnippyHolloW on Flickr, CC BY-SA 2.0

April 25, 2025

NYC Council approves legislation regulating helicopter trips after deadly crash

By Devin Gannon

The New York City Council this week passed legislation regulating certain helicopter flights, two weeks after a tourist flight crashed, killing six people. Sponsored by Council Member Amanda Farías, Intro 26-A prohibits helicopters that do not meet stringent federal noise standards from operating for non-essential purposes out of city-owned heliports. The ban would take effect in 2029.
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