Policy

City pilot will add more pedestrian space to Prospect Park’s roadway

Photo by Prabu Vasan for Prospect Park Alliance

March 8, 2023

City pilot will add more pedestrian space to Prospect Park’s roadway

By Aaron Ginsburg

Prospect Park's main roadway is getting a revamp. The Prospect Park Alliance and the Department of Transportation on Tuesday released the results of a year-long study of Prospect Park Drive, a busy loop within the park for pedestrians, joggers, and cyclists. Conducted by leading traffic consultancy Sam Schwartz, the NYC Parks Department, and DOT, the study analyzed crash data, roadway grade, pedestrian count, and other metrics to determine ways to improve the roadway. As a result of the study, the city is piloting adding a second lane on the outside of the drive, which would limit the need for crossings and prevent collisions.
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New plan aims to crack down on NYC’s unsightly scaffolding

Photo courtesy of Billie Grace Ward on Flickr

March 7, 2023

New plan aims to crack down on NYC’s unsightly scaffolding

By Aaron Ginsburg

A new plan aims to cut down the amount of time scaffolding spends hovering over New York City sidewalks. Released this week by Manhattan Borough President Mark Levine and City Council Member Keith Powers, the "Shed the Shed" report recommends several strategies aimed at taking down sidewalk sheds quickly, including accelerating construction on buildings, reducing permitting delays, reforming design standards, and holding buildings more accountable by increasing penalties.
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Proposal to restore Prospect Park’s Vale faces criticism from LGBTQ+ advocates

Rendering of the proposed northeast pavilion. All renderings courtesy of the Prospect Park Alliance

March 1, 2023

Proposal to restore Prospect Park’s Vale faces criticism from LGBTQ+ advocates

By Aaron Ginsburg

The city's Parks Department and the Prospect Park Alliance this week unveiled plans for the restoration of the Vale of Cashmere. The proposal, presented during a Landmarks Preservation Commission hearing on Tuesday, includes a new pollinator garden, natural exploration play areas, a planted arbor, and a wooden pavilion with a green roof and bathrooms. Several LPC commissioners, preservationists, and LGBTQ+ advocates opposed the proposal for the Upper Vale, with most taking issue with the plan's erasure of the site as a significant meeting spot for the city's queer community as well as the disregard for the original vision of the Vale.
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New express ferry service takes commuters from Bay Ridge to Wall Street in 20 minutes

Photo by Shinya Suzuki on Flickr

February 28, 2023

New express ferry service takes commuters from Bay Ridge to Wall Street in 20 minutes

By Aaron Ginsburg

A new pilot program launching next month will speed up trips for South Brooklyn residents commuting to Manhattan. Starting March 8, the NYC Ferry's South Brooklyn route will take weekday riders from Bay Ridge to Wall Street in roughly 20 minutes as part of a "Faster Connections" pilot. The new express service operates between 6:15 a.m. and 10:15 a.m. on weekdays.
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Full LIRR service begins at Grand Central Madison

Image courtesy of Marc A. Hermnan / MTA on Flickr

February 27, 2023

Full LIRR service begins at Grand Central Madison

By Aaron Ginsburg

Grand Central Madison finally opened with full Long Island Rail Road service on Monday, with a totally new schedule for commuters and a 41 percent increase in service levels. Starting February 27, an additional 271 LIRR trains per day have been added to the system for a total of up to 936 trains per day; 296 of these trains will be traveling to and from Grand Central Madison, with the remaining to Penn Station. According to officials, the new terminal will make commutes for LIRR riders up to 40 minutes shorter.
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New legislation would require NYC co-op boards to reform application process

Photo of prestigious co-op building The Beresford by David Shankbone on Wikimedia

February 22, 2023

New legislation would require NYC co-op boards to reform application process

By Aaron Ginsburg

New legislation introduced by New York City lawmakers this month would require co-op boards to explain to prospective buyers why they are being rejected. The three-bill legislation package, put forth by Public Advocate Jumaane Williams and Council Member Pierina Sanchez, aims to reform policies that critics say contribute to housing discrimination.
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Policy

Vornado pauses plan to redevelop area around Penn Station

Rendering courtesy of Gov. Kathy Hochul’s office

February 16, 2023

Vornado pauses plan to redevelop area around Penn Station

By Devin Gannon

The plan to redevelop the area around Penn Station with several new skyscrapers is officially on hold. During a conference call this week, Steven Roth, the chief executive officer at Vornado Realty Trust, the developer behind the project, said new construction is "almost impossible" because of current market conditions, as Crain's first reported.
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Policy

Only known surviving ‘colored’ school in Manhattan may become a New York City landmark

128 West 17th Street © 2023 Google

February 14, 2023

Only known surviving ‘colored’ school in Manhattan may become a New York City landmark

By Aaron Ginsburg

The only known surviving school building that exclusively served African Americans in Manhattan may soon become a New York City landmark. The Landmarks Preservation Commission on Tuesday voted to calendar the former Colored School No. 4 in Chelsea, a public school open to only Black students and staff from 1860 to 1894. Located at 128 West 17th Street, the nearly 175-year-old building is associated with a number of significant figures from the Civil War through the Post-Reconstruction era.
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Policy

NYC begins citywide expansion of on-street carshare parking program

Photo: NYC DOT via Flickr

February 8, 2023

NYC begins citywide expansion of on-street carshare parking program

By Michelle Cohen

New York City's Department of Transportation (DOT) announced Tuesday the installation of 80 new dedicated curbside parking spaces that will be reserved for carshare vehicles throughout the city. The parking spots are part of a program intended to increase access to convenient carshare vehicles after a successful five-year pilot was shown to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and personal car ownership. Over the next two weeks, signs for the dedicated parking spaces will be installed across Brooklyn, the Bronx, and Queens.
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Proposed 13-story Soho building designed by Morris Adjmi is first to need LPC approval after rezoning

Streetview of 277 Canal Street; © 2023 Google

February 7, 2023

Proposed 13-story Soho building designed by Morris Adjmi is first to need LPC approval after rezoning

By Devin Gannon

A New York City developer on Monday unveiled plans for the first development in Soho under new zoning rules approved by the city in 2021. United American Land (UAL) announced a proposal for a 13-story mixed-use building with 100 units of housing at 277 Canal Street, a landmarked three-story building on the corner of Broadway. The Landmarks Preservation Commission is expected to begin its review process of the project this summer, as Commercial Observer first reported.
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Popular Articles

Manhattan borough president sees the city’s vacancies as opportunities for creating new housing

Image courtesy of mari small on Unsplash

February 2, 2023

Manhattan borough president sees the city’s vacancies as opportunities for creating new housing

By Michelle Cohen

Manhattan Borough President Mark Levine released a report this week outlining 171 locations in the borough he believes can be turned into more than 73,000 new homes. The report, titled "Housing Manhattanites," seeks to address Manhattan's housing shortage and answer a critical question: "Where in our borough can we build the housing that Manhattanites so desperately need?" Of these housing opportunities, Levine explained to the New York Times: "Some of it is hiding in plain sight. There has been a Post Office that has been closed. There’s an abandoned bus depot that is not being used. There’s manufacturing space which is empty. There are buildings that landlords surrendered to the city for back taxes decades ago."
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In New York, Biden touts $300M investment for Hudson River rail project

President Biden hosted a press conference in NYC to discuss the Hudson River Tunnel Project on 1/31/23; Photo: Michael Appleton/Mayoral Photography Office

February 1, 2023

In New York, Biden touts $300M investment for Hudson River rail project

By Aaron Ginsburg

President Joe Biden made an appearance at Hudson Yards on Tuesday to announce a $292 million investment for a project that would fix a century-old rail tunnel and build a new one under the river between New York and New Jersey. The $16 billion Hudson River tunnel project is just one part of the broader $30 billion Gateway Project, which includes new bridges and the expansion of Penn Station. The funding announced by Biden will go toward a $649 million project that extends the concrete casing for the tunnels between Penn Station and the Hudson River before any work on the tunnels can actually begin.
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Army Corps of Engineers releases first renderings of NYC sea walls for coastal storm protection plan

This rendering shows a 20-foot-tall proposed floodwall along the Hudson River at Huron Street in the West Village. Image: Army Corps of Engineers.

January 31, 2023

Army Corps of Engineers releases first renderings of NYC sea walls for coastal storm protection plan

By Michelle Cohen

Late last year, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers released the $52 billion proposal that will represent the most comprehensive effort to date to protect the city from storm surges and the only existing plan for protecting the entire New York Harbor area. The Army Corps recently revealed a new series of renderings that provide a visual glance at how some of these projects might transform the New York City waterfront. Renderings show barriers, gates, sea walls, and raised promenades at Flushing Bay in Queens, at Greenpoint Public Park, and Coney Island in Brooklyn, among others, as THE CITY first reported.
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NYC will require Uber and Lyft to go fully electric by 2030

Photo by Pranay Pareek on Unsplash

January 30, 2023

NYC will require Uber and Lyft to go fully electric by 2030

By Aaron Ginsburg

All New York City Uber and Lyft rideshare vehicles must go 100 percent electric by 2030, Mayor Eric Adams announced during his State of the City address last week. The decision will affect roughly 100,000 drivers for the two rideshare platforms, which both applauded the city's announcement, as first reported by The Verge.
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NYC’s curbside composting program coming to all five boroughs

Photo courtesy of Michael Appleton/Mayoral Photography Office on Flickr

January 26, 2023

NYC’s curbside composting program coming to all five boroughs

By Aaron Ginsburg

Following the notable success of the program in Queens, curbside composting will soon expand to all of New York City, Mayor Eric Adams announced on Thursday during his State of the City address. The program will launch in Brooklyn this October, followed by the Bronx and Staten Island in March 2024 and Manhattan in October 2024. According to the mayor, the program will be the nation's largest curbside composting program.
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LIRR service to Grand Central Madison starts this week

Photo of Grand Central Madison in December 2022; Credit: Marc A. Hermann / MTA on Flickr

January 24, 2023

LIRR service to Grand Central Madison starts this week

By Aaron Ginsburg

After a month-long delay due to vent exhaust problems, Grand Central Madison will officially open this week, the Metropolitan Transportation Authority announced Tuesday. The first Long Island Rail Road train with service to Manhattan's east side is scheduled to leave Jamaica at 10:45 a.m. on Wednesday and arrive at the new terminal at 11:07 a.m. As part of the initial roll-out, there will be limited shuttle service between the two stations to help commuters get familiar with the new terminal, which cost roughly $12 billion, according to the transit agency.
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NYC to open relief center for migrants at cruise terminal in Red Hook

Image via WikiCommons

January 23, 2023

NYC to open relief center for migrants at cruise terminal in Red Hook

By Aaron Ginsburg

About a week after declaring there is no more room for migrants in New York City, Mayor Eric Adams announced the opening of a fifth emergency response and relief center to accommodate the growing number of asylum seekers. The new center will open at the Brooklyn Cruise Terminal in Red Hook in the coming weeks and serve roughly 1,000 single adult men, providing them shelter and medical, food, laundry, and reconnective services. The men will be relocated to the terminal from the Watson Hotel, which will be used to house families with children instead. An opening date for the center has not been announced yet.
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Policy

New York’s second legal weed dispensary is opening on Bleecker Street

Streetview of 144 Bleecker Street © 2023 Google

January 20, 2023

New York’s second legal weed dispensary is opening on Bleecker Street

By Aaron Ginsburg

New York's second legal recreational cannabis shop is set to open in Greenwich Village next week, Gov. Kathy Hochul announced Thursday. Smacked LLC, located inside a nearly 200-year-old building at 144 Bleecker Street, will open its doors to the public on January 24 at 10 a.m. The store is the first in the state to be opened by an entrepreneur with a cannabis conviction, as part of a program to ensure equity in licensing. Owned and operated by Roland Conner, Smacked LLC will operate as a soft "popup" through February 20 and re-open as a long-term business at a later date.
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Policy

In Harlem, controversial truck depot opens on site of failed housing project

Rendering courtesy of SHoP Architects

January 19, 2023

In Harlem, controversial truck depot opens on site of failed housing project

By Devin Gannon

On the Harlem lot where a residential development with hundreds of housing units was once proposed, a truck depot opened this week. As Patch first reported, the first trucks drove on Wednesday to the stop on West 145th Street, the site of the One45 proposal. After the council member refused to support the new mixed-use development, citing gentrification and lack of affordable housing, the developer scrapped the plan in May and moved forward with one that did not require zoning changes. The depot can hold up to 200 vehicles.
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NYC signs $275M deal to provide hotel rooms for migrants

Mayor Eric Adams tours the Asylum Seeker Resource Navigation Center in Manhattan on September 15, 2022. Photo: Michael Appleton/Mayoral Photography Office on Flickr

January 18, 2023

NYC signs $275M deal to provide hotel rooms for migrants

By Michelle Cohen

Mayor Eric Adams has agreed to a $275 million contract with the Hotel Association of New York City to provide housing for at least 5,000 migrants–$55,000 per asylum-seeker–the New York Post reports. The emergency agreement between the city's Department of Homeless Services and the Hotel Association, which put in a formal bid to provide shelter amid the current migrant crisis, will include up to 55 smaller hotels, according to the association's president, Vijay Dandapani.
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MTA to install bike racks at dozens of subway and commuter rail stations

Image courtesy of Marc A. Hermann / MTA on Flickr

January 12, 2023

MTA to install bike racks at dozens of subway and commuter rail stations

By Aaron Ginsburg

The Metropolitan Transportation Authority this week released an action plan to better serve the city's cyclists, including the installation of bike racks on the front of buses and outside of dozens of train stations. As part of the agency's Extending Transit's Reach plan, the bike racks will be installed on the front of M60 SBS, S79 SBS, and Q44 SBS buses, all of which are Select Bus Service routes that span across four boroughs. The city's transit agency will also work to install bike racks at the entrances of 37 subway stations that currently lack parking for bikes.
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Hochul proposes new housing targets for every locality in New York

Photo courtesy of Gov. Kathy Hochul’s Office on Flickr

January 11, 2023

Hochul proposes new housing targets for every locality in New York

By Devin Gannon

To spur housing development in New York, Gov. Kathy Hochul on Tuesday unveiled a proposal that would require every locality in the state to meet home creation targets. During her 2023 State of the State address, the governor announced plans to build 800,000 new homes over the next decade to address the current housing crisis. The new initiative, dubbed the New York Housing Compact, requires all cities, towns, and villages to hit home creation goals on a three-year cycle.
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Tenants in 1,000+ NYC buildings experienced chronic heat problems between 2017 and 2021

Image courtesy of 6sqft

January 10, 2023

Tenants in 1,000+ NYC buildings experienced chronic heat problems between 2017 and 2021

By Aaron Ginsburg

Between 2017 and 2021, New Yorkers called 311 nearly one million times to report a lack of heat in their homes. During that same time, the city's Department of Housing Preservation and Development issued only 21,610 heat violations to landlords, according to a new report from NYC Comptroller Brad Lander's office. The report found interventions by the city, including violations and emergency repairs, are effective in addressing heat complaints, but "too often fails to apply them."
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Policy

NYC’s plan to convert office space into housing could create 20,000 homes

Photo by Tomas Anton Escobar on Unsplash

January 10, 2023

NYC’s plan to convert office space into housing could create 20,000 homes

By Michelle Cohen

In December, Mayor Eric Adams and Gov. Kathy Hochul announced a plan to address the needs of post-pandemic New York by creating mixed-use neighborhoods in central business districts to draw more residents, businesses, and tourists. The plan advocated for the much-discussed idea of converting vacant office buildings into homes, a solution that tackles both the city's housing crisis and lagging retail growth by making zoning laws more flexible. On Monday, Adams announced a list of specific recommendations for converting underused offices into 20,000 homes for 40,000 New Yorkers over the next decade.
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MTA reopens public bathrooms at 9 subway stations

Image via WikiCommons

January 9, 2023

MTA reopens public bathrooms at 9 subway stations

By Aaron Ginsburg

At last, straphangers can experience some relief. The Metropolitan Transportation Authority reopened 18 bathrooms in nine New York City subway stations to the public on Monday. The bathrooms are open at select stations from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. daily, with a one-hour closure from 12 p.m. to 1 p.m. for cleaning. The NYC subway system's 133 public restrooms have been closed since March 2020 due to the pandemic.
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