Policy

NYC outdoor dining to shrink by over 80 percent under new rules

Miss Lily’s on Avenue A in 2020. Credit: Eden, Janine and Jim on Flickr

August 5, 2024

NYC outdoor dining to shrink by over 80 percent under new rules

By Aaron Ginsburg

Outdoor dining as New Yorkers have come to know it might be over. New York City restaurants with roadway and sidewalk dining setups that did not apply for the city's new program by the August 3 deadline must now remove their structures, many of which have been in place since 2020. According to the Daily News, about 2,500 restaurants, or about 15 percent, of the roughly 13,000 restaurants that had utilized outdoor dining have applied to keep their al fresco seating. The huge decline in participants in the program, which helped keep restaurants in business during the pandemic, comes after the city approved new guidelines to make the program seasonal, requiring restaurants to disassemble and store the structure during the winter, in addition to new fees and design requirements.
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NYC Council loses lawsuit over housing voucher expansion

Photo courtesy of Boran Pang on Unsplash

August 2, 2024

NYC Council loses lawsuit over housing voucher expansion

By Aaron Ginsburg

A state judge on Thursday rejected a lawsuit from the New York City Council that sought to force Mayor Eric Adams to expand a housing voucher program. Manhattan Supreme Court Judge Lyle E. Frank on Thursday ruled the City Council lacks the legal authority to expand the program, a 2023 law originally vetoed by Adams, The City reported. The judge sided with Adams, stating the Council's bill was invalid, "preempted by the state's social services law," and the council had no authority to expand the program.
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NYC to extend lifeguard shifts during heat waves

Rockaway Beach. Photo by Shinya Suzuki on Flickr

July 31, 2024

NYC to extend lifeguard shifts during heat waves

By Devin Gannon

New York City will extend lifeguard shifts at public beaches during heat waves after a series of drownings this summer. Mayor Eric Adams on Tuesday said 66 lifeguards will be on call for emergencies until 8 p.m., two hours after beaches close, during extreme heat. Swimming will still not be permitted after 6 p.m. and lifeguards will not sit on the stands so they don't "give the false impression that the beaches are open and that it's safe to swim," Deputy Mayor Meera Joshi said.
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Policy

Second Avenue Subway work resumes after Hochul allocates $54M

Credit: Marc A. Hermann / MTA on Flickr

July 30, 2024

Second Avenue Subway work resumes after Hochul allocates $54M

By Aaron Ginsburg

Gov. Kathy Hochul on Tuesday allocated $54 million to immediately restart work on the Second Avenue Subway extension, which will bring the Q train from 96th Street to 125th Street in East Harlem. The new funding allows the Metropolitan Transportation Authority to relocate utility lines along Second Avenue in preparation for the next phase of the transit project. The MTA stopped work on the project last month after the governor indefinitely paused the start of congestion pricing; the $1 billion in projected annual revenue from the program was intended to fund the project.
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Mayor Adams invites volunteers to join ‘Rat Pack’ program to fight rodents on their home turf

Photo courtesy of Michael Appleton/Mayoral Photography Office on Flickr

July 29, 2024

Mayor Adams invites volunteers to join ‘Rat Pack’ program to fight rodents on their home turf

By Michelle Cohen

Mayor Eric Adams announced this week the launch of a new volunteer program to help keep his nemesis–the New York City rat population–at bay. New Yorkers can sign up to join the "Rat Pack," a volunteer team that will step up for rat mitigation duty across the city. The new opportunity draws on the strength of the city's Department of Health-sponsored "Rat Academy." After a few training sessions, participants will be "deputized" to take the fight back to their neighborhood streets and sidewalks.
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Policy

Hochul is sued over congestion pricing pause

Photo Credit: Layla Melendez/Office of NYC Comptroller on Flickr

July 25, 2024

Hochul is sued over congestion pricing pause

By Aaron Ginsburg

New York City Comptroller Brad Lander and a coalition of local advocacy groups and lawyers filed two lawsuits against Gov. Kathy Hochul, claiming she didn't have the legal authority to pause the tolling program last month, as reported by Gothamist. The program was originally scheduled to begin on June 30 but was delayed last minute by Hochul.
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New Student OMNY cards expand free rides to 24 hours a day

Photo courtesy of Marc A. Hermann / MTA on Flickr

July 25, 2024

New Student OMNY cards expand free rides to 24 hours a day

By Aaron Ginsburg

Taking public transportation will soon be easier for New York City public school students. City officials on Tuesday announced Student OMNY cards will replace MetroCards, allowing for tap-and-go trips on the subway and bus. Plus, the new cards will be valid for four free rides per day, 24 hours a day, all year long. Previously, student MetroCards were limited to three free rides a day, from 5:30 a.m. to 8:30 p.m., and only on days when school was open.
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NYC announces pedestrian safety upgrades for Brooklyn’s Atlantic Avenue

New vehicle travel lane markings at Atlantic Avenue and Court Street. Image courtesy of the Department of Transportation

July 24, 2024

NYC announces pedestrian safety upgrades for Brooklyn’s Atlantic Avenue

By Aaron Ginsburg

New York City is kicking off a series of key upgrades to Atlantic Avenue to improve pedestrian safety. Department of Transportation Commissioner Ydanis Rodriguez on Tuesday announced the start of pedestrian safety improvements along the western section of Atlantic Avenue that runs between Brooklyn Heights and Cobble Hill, a corridor infamous for traffic-related incidents. The enhancements include expanded pedestrian space, new mid-block crossings, upgraded traffic signals, vehicle travel lane markings, and more.
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NYC Ferry fares to increase this fall

Photo by The All-Nite Images on Flickr

July 23, 2024

NYC Ferry fares to increase this fall

By Devin Gannon

Ferry fares are going up this fall. The city's Economic Development Corporation announced that single-trip tickets will increase from $4 to $4.50 and the 10-trip pass will increase from $27.50 to $29, starting September 9. The new fare structure aims to reduce the system's huge public subsidy while making the ferry more equitable.
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New bill would require NYC landlords to provide air conditioning during the summer

Photo courtesy of Joe Shlabotnik on Flickr

July 23, 2024

New bill would require NYC landlords to provide air conditioning during the summer

By Aaron Ginsburg

After multiple heat waves this summer, a Brooklyn elected official has proposed legislation mandating landlords provide air conditioning to tenants. Last week City Council Member Lincoln Restler introduced a bill to update the existing housing code and require landlords to provide tenants with air conditioning in the warmer months, just as they are required to provide adequate heat during the winter. If the legislation is enacted, property owners would have four years to comply with the rule or face up to $1,250 in fines per day for noncompliance.
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Policy

Popular Articles

Former Chelsea prison to become 124 affordable and supportive apartments

Renderings courtesy of Gov. Kathy Hochul’s office

July 22, 2024

Former Chelsea prison to become 124 affordable and supportive apartments

By Aaron Ginsburg

A former state prison in Chelsea will become 124 permanently affordable apartments. Gov. Kathy Hochul on Monday unveiled Liberty Landing, the proposal selected to redevelop Bayview Correctional Facility at 550 West 20th Street into a housing project with apartments for low-income New Yorkers and formerly incarcerated individuals. The women's prison closed in 2012 after damage from Hurricane Sandy and has sat vacant ever since.
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Biden proposes nationwide rent cap

Photo by Julie Ricard on Unsplash

July 17, 2024

Biden proposes nationwide rent cap

By Devin Gannon

President Joe Biden this week unveiled a proposal to cap rent at 5 percent annually for apartments owned by corporate landlords. The plan would apply to landlords who own more than 50 units in their portfolio, covering about 20 million units nationwide, roughly half of all rentals. The legislation requires congressional approval, including from the Republican-controlled House, to move forward.
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Policy

NYC rolls out official trash bin, expands containerization to most residential buildings

Credit: Ed Reed/Mayoral Photography Office on Flickr

July 9, 2024

NYC rolls out official trash bin, expands containerization to most residential buildings

By Aaron Ginsburg

New York City's next step in its "trash revolution" is here: Wheelie bins. Mayor Eric Adams on Monday rolled out the city's first-ever official trash bin, which has wheels and a rat-proof lid, and announced a new containerization mandate for certain buildings. Starting November 12, the city's Department of Sanitation (DSNY) will require buildings with one to nine residential units to put trash in a bin. When the new trash rule goes into effect, the city will have containerized 70 percent of the city's 14 billion pounds of annual trash since 2022, reducing the mounds of trash bags piled on the sidewalks and streets.
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Policy

Sunday service is back at these NYC libraries this weekend

The Stavros Niarchos Foundation Library in Manhattan will reopen on Sunday, July 14. Photo © John Bartelstone courtesy of the NYPL

July 9, 2024

Sunday service is back at these NYC libraries this weekend

By Devin Gannon

For the first time since late last year, Sunday service will return to some New York City public library branches this weekend. Mayor Eric Adams and the City Council last month agreed to a budget for fiscal year 2025 that restores $58.3 million in funding for the New York Public Library, Brooklyn Public Library, and Queens Public Library. The libraries will reinstate Sunday service at branches that previously offered it on a rolling basis starting July 14.
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Citi Bike increasing e-bike prices this week

Photo courtesy of Elvert Barnes on Flickr

July 8, 2024

Citi Bike increasing e-bike prices this week

By Aaron Ginsburg

Citi Bike is hiking its prices for the second time this year. The bike-sharing service, operated by Lyft, is raising its prices for e-bikes starting Wednesday, July 10, with fees increasing from 20 cents to 24 cents per minute for those with Citi Bike and Lyft memberships and from 30 cents to 36 cents per minute for non-members. The ride-share company cited "higher than anticipated battery swapping, insurance, and vehicle expenses" for the rate increases.
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A lower congestion pricing toll floated by New York lawmakers

Photo courtesy of strolicfurlan on Flickr

July 3, 2024

A lower congestion pricing toll floated by New York lawmakers

By Aaron Ginsburg

New York lawmakers are floating a lower congestion pricing toll as a way to convince Gov. Kathy Hochul to resume the program, which she halted "indefinitely" last month. The $15 base fee was established based on the 2019 law that required the program to raise enough to support $15 billion in debt. As first reported by the New York Times, some state senators are seeking an adjusted fee low enough for Hochul to endorse but high enough to fund the MTA adequately.
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Bronx Metro-North station rezoning plan approved by City Planning Commission

View looking north along East Tremont Avenue near Leland Avenue. Images courtesy of DCP.

July 2, 2024

Bronx Metro-North station rezoning plan approved by City Planning Commission

By Aaron Ginsburg

A plan to bring thousands of new homes and jobs around new Metro-North stations in the East Bronx is moving forward. The City Planning Commission last week voted to approve the Bronx Metro-North Station Area Plan, a rezoning effort targeting the areas around four new Metro-North stations to create roughly 7,500 new homes, 10,000 jobs, improvements to public space, and neighborhood amenities. The plan heads next to the City Council for a final vote sometime this summer.
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200,000 more New Yorkers now eligible for half-priced MetroCards

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

July 1, 2024

200,000 more New Yorkers now eligible for half-priced MetroCards

By Aaron Ginsburg

Nearly 200,000 additional New Yorkers will be eligible for the city's half-priced transit fare program. Mayor Eric Adams and the City Council on Friday agreed to a $112.4 billion budget deal for fiscal year 2025, which adds $10.7 million in baseline funds for the Fair Fares program and increases the program's eligibility from 120 percent to 145 percent of the federal poverty level. The deal marks the biggest expansion of the Fair Fares program since it launched in 2019, with the entire eligible population now over one million New Yorkers.
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Most NYC affordable housing built in low-income communities of color: report

Photo via Wikimedia.

June 28, 2024

Most NYC affordable housing built in low-income communities of color: report

By Aaron Ginsburg

In New York City, a disproportionate amount of new affordable housing is being built in low-income neighborhoods, according to a new report. The New York Housing Conference released on Thursday its third annual NYC Housing Tracker, revealing the city's inequitable distribution of housing production across City Council districts. Last year, Council District 17 in the South Bronx produced 1,266 units of affordable housing, more than any other district and as many as the bottom 28 districts combined. According to the report, more affordable housing is being built in lower-income, majority Black and Latinx neighborhoods.
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NYC public library funding restored, Sunday service to resume

Brooklyn Public Library’s Central Branch. Photo via WikiCommons

June 28, 2024

NYC public library funding restored, Sunday service to resume

By Aaron Ginsburg

Mayor Eric Adams and the City Council reached a tentative deal to restore $58 million in proposed cuts to New York City public libraries just days before the budget is due. The mayor and Council Speaker Adrienne Adams on Thursday announced in a joint statement that $58.3 million in funding will be reinstated for the city's three public library systems in the fiscal year 2025 budget, due June 30, as well as a separate $53 million for the city's cultural institutions. The funding agreement allows libraries to resume Sunday service, which ended at all branches last fall following announced budget cuts.
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Policy

14,000 new homes projected for Long Island City under rezoning draft

Photo by Ruoyu Li on Unsplash

June 26, 2024

14,000 new homes projected for Long Island City under rezoning draft

By Aaron Ginsburg

The city's Department of City Planning (DCP) Director Dan Garodnick on Tuesday released the draft rezoning framework for the Long Island City Neighborhood Plan, a proposal that could create up to 14,000 new homes, including 4,000 affordable units. The proposal also includes up to nine acres of open space along the Queens waterfront, new schools, and enhancements to parks and NYCHA complexes, according to Gothamist.
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Two blocks of brownstones in Bed-Stuy now an NYC historic district

Photos courtesy of the Landmarks Preservation Commission

June 25, 2024

Two blocks of brownstones in Bed-Stuy now an NYC historic district

By Aaron Ginsburg

New York City's newest historic district is a two-block stretch of homes in Bed-Stuy. The Landmarks Preservation Commission on Tuesday voted to designate the Willoughby-Hart Historic District, which includes two streets of intact 19th-century rowhouses between Marcy and Nostrand Avenues. Built primarily in the Neo-Grec style between the 1870s and 1890s, the 150-year-old homes are architecturally cohesive and reflect a period of Brooklyn's transformation from farmland to residential, according to the commission.
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Amtrak and NJ Transit service in NYC disrupted again

NJ Transit hall in Penn Station. Photo by Chris Rycroft on Flickr.

June 21, 2024

Amtrak and NJ Transit service in NYC disrupted again

By Aaron Ginsburg

It's been a rough week for Northeast Corridor commuters. New Jersey Transit and Amtrak service in and out of New York City was disrupted this morning for a third time this week. On Friday, a disabled train at Penn Station caused NJ Transit to suspend service and led to delays in Amtrak service. The delays came just hours after Amtrak suspended service on Thursday evening for over three hours due to power outages. Rail service on both lines was halted earlier in the week because of overhead wire issues and a disabled train on the tracks. As of this morning, Amtrak service is expected to resume by 1 p.m., with delays. Some NJ Transit trains were diverted to Hoboken.
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NYC launches $3.2B ‘Vital Parks’ plan to improve green spaces

Photo courtesy of Santosh Janardhanan on Flickr

June 20, 2024

NYC launches $3.2B ‘Vital Parks’ plan to improve green spaces

By Aaron Ginsburg

New York City is making moves to bolster its public green space for the future. The city's Parks Department on Thursday unveiled Vital Parks for All, a $3.2 billion initiative to preserve existing park facilities, expand accessibility in underserved communities, and help New Yorkers understand the health of their local park. To accompany the plan, NYC Parks has released an interactive map comparing park access among neighborhoods across the city.
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Policy

The Brooklyn Edison Building is designated a landmark

Photo credit: NYC Landmarks Preservation Commission

June 20, 2024

The Brooklyn Edison Building is designated a landmark

By Aaron Ginsburg

The Landmarks Preservation Commission on Tuesday voted to designate the Brooklyn Edison Building in Downtown Brooklyn. Located at 345 Adams Street, the office building was designed by renowned architectural firm McKenzie, Voorhees & Gemlin and constructed between 1922 and 1926 for the Brooklyn Edison Company. The structure stands out for its important role in the borough's development and its striking Renaissance Revival architectural features, according to the commission.
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