Policy

March 3, 2026

NYC to revamp six more blocks of Broadway by 2031

New York City is pressing ahead with its transformation of Broadway into a pedestrian-focused corridor, with plans to redesign six additional blocks by 2031. According to a Department of Transportation (DOT) presentation to Manhattan Community Board 5 last month, the $156 million expansion will upgrade Broadway between 21st and 27th Streets with permanent concrete plazas, widened sidewalks, and improved bike lanes. The project builds on the city’s broader "Broadway Vision" initiative, launched in March 2023 to improve safety and reduce vehicle traffic along the heavily traveled corridor.
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Newark Airport to test self-driving shuttle buses this spring

Image courtesy of Oceaneering on the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey’s Flickr

February 27, 2026

Newark Airport to test self-driving shuttle buses this spring

By Aaron Ginsburg

Self-driving shuttle buses are coming to Newark Liberty International Airport (EWR) this spring, with the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey launching a pilot program to test the technology. The agency announced Wednesday that it has partnered with three autonomous vehicle companies to operate electric self-driving shuttles at the airport through the spring, with each company conducting two-week test periods in a section of the airport currently closed to the public as part of its ongoing redevelopment. The Port Authority will evaluate whether the shuttles could serve as an effective way to transport passengers between existing airport facilities and the new AirTrain system currently under construction.
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Rendering from 2020 Sunnyside Yard master plan courtesy of Practice for Architecture and Urbanism (PAU)

February 27, 2026

Mamdani pitches 12,000-unit Sunnyside Yard development to Trump

By Devin Gannon

A mammoth plan to bring thousands of affordable homes to one of the largest undeveloped sites in New York City was resurrected this week. In a meeting at the White House on Thursday, Mayor Zohran Mamdani pitched President Donald Trump on the Sunnyside Yard development, a proposal to build a deck over the 180-acre rail yard in Queens and create a new mixed-use community with 12,000 affordable apartments, new schools, and public space above a new regional rail hub. Former Mayor Bill de Blasio's administration released a master plan for the project right before the city shut down during the pandemic in March 2020, and it has been at a standstill since. Mamdani said he asked the president for $21 billion in federal grants to advance the project.
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Trump partners with Pakistan in strange plan to redevelop NYC’s Roosevelt Hotel

Image via WikiCommons

February 27, 2026

Trump partners with Pakistan in strange plan to redevelop NYC’s Roosevelt Hotel

By Aaron Ginsburg

An unlikely player has entered Midtown’s Roosevelt Hotel redevelopment: President Donald Trump and the federal government. As first reported by Reuters last week, the United States government's General Services Administration (GSA) signed an agreement with Pakistan, which owns the iconic but shuttered hotel at 45 East 45th Street, to jointly redevelop, renovate, operate, and maintain the property. The pact, negotiated by New York real estate developer and Trump special envoy Steve Witkoff, marks a surprising turnaround for the project, which returned to the drawing board last week after Pakistan restarted its search for a broker and financial advisor, according to The Real Deal.
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New York officials introduce bill to protect Pride flag

Credit: Will Alatriste/NYC Council Media Unit on Flickr

February 26, 2026

New York officials introduce bill to protect Pride flag

By Aaron Ginsburg

After President Donald Trump ordered the removal of the Pride flag at New York City's Stonewall National Monument earlier this month, Sen. Chuck Schumer on Wednesday formally introduced legislation to make the flag congressionally authorized. Supported by Schumer and Rep. Dan Goldman, the bill seeks to amend current policy that permits only the U.S. flag and other “congressionally or departmentally authorized flags” to fly on National Park Service flagpoles, as Gay City News reported. The flag was taken down on February 9, and New York City officials defiantly raised it again three days later.
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MTA threatens to sue Trump over stalled Second Avenue Subway funds

Credit: Marc A. Hermann / MTA on Flickr

February 26, 2026

MTA threatens to sue Trump over stalled Second Avenue Subway funds

By Aaron Ginsburg

The Metropolitan Transportation Authority says it will sue the federal government unless funding for the Second Avenue Subway expansion resumes within a week. The MTA on Wednesday sent a letter to President Donald Trump's administration, warning that the agency will pursue legal action unless the federal government restores more than $58 million owed for the project by March 6, citing concerns that further delays could stall the long-planned expansion. Funding for the Second Avenue Subway was halted during the October government shutdown, along with funding for the Gateway project.
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Bayside affordable housing project moves ahead, thanks to NYC’s new charter reforms

Credit: Department of City Planning

February 25, 2026

Bayside affordable housing project moves ahead, thanks to NYC’s new charter reforms

By Aaron Ginsburg

An anti-development New York City council member voted to approve a project in her district Sunday, citing a new ballot measure, supported by New Yorkers in November's election. Council Member Vickie Paladino, who represents District 19 in northeast Queens, voted to advance a 248-unit, eight-story development at 217-14 24th Avenue in Bayside. While she initially opposed the project, Paladino reversed course because the new measure gives a three-member appeals board, including the mayor, council speaker, and local borough president, to overturn rejections by the council.
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Battery Park City rent protections extended for long-time tenants

Gateway Plaza. Image via WikiCommons

February 25, 2026

Battery Park City rent protections extended for long-time tenants

By Aaron Ginsburg

Hundreds of tenants at Gateway Plaza, Battery Park City's oldest and largest residential development, will have their annual rent increases capped at 2.5 percent for the next 43 years. On Monday, the Battery Park City Authority (BPCA) announced an agreement with Marina Tower Associates to extend those protections for roughly 430 units with continuous occupancy since July 1, 2009. Originally set to expire in July 2030, the safeguards will now remain in place through June 17, 2069.
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NYC blizzard: Here’s how to check if your street has been plowed

Track snow plow progress across NYC via PlowNYC

February 23, 2026

NYC blizzard: Here’s how to check if your street has been plowed

By Aaron Ginsburg

New York City's first blizzard in a decade dropped over 15 inches of snow in Central Park by early Monday morning, with the National Weather Service estimating up to two feet total in parts of the city as snow continues to fall. Thousands of Department of Sanitation employees are working 12-hour shifts, with 2,300 plows and 700 salt spreaders hitting the streets. Follow along with the agency's interactive PlowNYC map to check whether your block has been cleared and salted in real-time.
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Ahead of blizzard, NYC announces snow day for schools, travel restrictions

By Devin Gannon

Ahead of New York's first blizzard in a decade, Mayor Zohran Mamdani on Sunday declared a state of emergency, announcing closure of public schools and citywide travel restrictions. The National Weather Service predicts snowfall totals of 16 to 24 inches, with the highest totals at the coast, and strong winds up to 40 miles per hour. The mayor announced public schools will be closed on Monday, with no remote learning, giving students the first real snow day since 2019. Schools will be back open on Tuesday, the mayor announced.
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Policy

Waymo in 2021. Photo courtesy of Waymo.

February 20, 2026

Hochul nixes robotaxis outside NYC

By Michelle Cohen

After backing legislation that would allow self-driving vehicles to be tested outside city limits, Gov. Kathy Hochul has reversed her stance, saying this week that companies like Waymo won't be allowed to test the cars in smaller towns outside of New York City, as Gothamist reported. The latest development does not affect the current pilot program, allowing Waymo, the self-driving car company owned by Google’s parent company Alphabet, to operate eight of its cars in Manhattan and Brooklyn, albeit with a human at the wheel.
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Mott Haven housing development is first to undergo new expedited review process

Rendering courtesy of STAT Architecture PC

February 20, 2026

Mott Haven housing development is first to undergo new expedited review process

By Devin Gannon

In last November's election, New Yorkers voted to approve four housing ballot measures, including one that speeds up construction by reducing the time it takes to review projects. On Friday, the city announced that the first-ever project to go through the new Expedited Land Use Review Procedure (ELURP), which shortens the review process from seven months to just 90 days, will be an affordable housing development in Mott Haven. Located at 351 Powers Avenue, the Powerhouse Apartments, first unveiled in 2024, will turn an empty city-owned lot into more than 80 affordable apartments, a community theater, and outdoor green space.
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Trump releases Gateway Tunnel funding, work can resume next week

Governor Hochul rallied with construction workers at the Gateway Tunnel site on Tuesday. Photo courtesy of Darren McGee/ Office of Governor Kathy Hochul on Flickr

February 18, 2026

Trump releases Gateway Tunnel funding, work can resume next week

By Devin Gannon

President Donald Trump has released the remaining federal funding for the Gateway Tunnel project, allowing work to resume on the new rail tunnel connecting New York and New Jersey next week, Gov. Kathy Hochul announced on Wednesday. In a statement, the governor said "preliminary court victories and repeated conversations" with the president pushed the federal government to release the remaining $127 million in overdue funding for the $16 billion project.
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NYC rent freeze likely: Mamdani announces six appointees to Rent Guidelines Board

Photo by Niv Rozenberg on Unsplash

February 18, 2026

NYC rent freeze likely: Mamdani announces six appointees to Rent Guidelines Board

By Devin Gannon

Mayor Zohran Mamdani on Wednesday announced the appointment of six members to the Rent Guidelines Board (RGB), making his central campaign pledge of freezing rents for stabilized apartments much closer to reality. The nine-member board, appointed by the mayor, sets the lease guidelines annually for New York City's one million rent-stabilized apartments by considering the economic conditions for tenants and landlords.
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Policy

Mamdani floats 9.5 percent property tax hike to close NYC budget gap

Photo by Ed Reed/Mayoral Photo Office on Flickr

February 17, 2026

Mamdani floats 9.5 percent property tax hike to close NYC budget gap

By Devin Gannon

Mayor Zohran Mamdani said New York City would raise property taxes if Albany doesn't tax the rich. The mayor on Tuesday released his first preliminary budget, presenting a grim outlook for the city's fiscal health, including a $5.4 billion budget gap. Mamdani framed the proposed 9.5 percent property tax as a "last resort" if he cannot convince Gov. Kathy Hochul and state lawmakers to increase income taxes on New York's richest residents.
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Policy

Love is in the air at Times Square subway station this Valentine’s Day

Credit: Marc A. Hermann / MTA on Flickr

February 13, 2026

Love is in the air at Times Square subway station this Valentine’s Day

By Aaron Ginsburg

You can feel the love at the Times Square-42nd Street subway station. On Thursday, the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) installed heart-shaped decals for the 1, 2, and 3 trains above the station’s fare gates and handed out matching stickers to riders, while also celebrating couples who met on public transit or while working for the agency. To further spread the love, a special Valentine’s Day message from actor Teyana Taylor will play in subway stations across the five boroughs.
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NJ Transit to cut service by 50% for four weeks

The project in 2024. Photo courtesy of Amtrak

February 12, 2026

NJ Transit to cut service by 50% for four weeks

By Aaron Ginsburg

New Jersey Transit riders will have a tough time reaching New York City for the next month. Starting Sunday, February 15, NJ Transit will cut service by 50 percent for four weeks to transfer rail operations from one track on the 115-year-old Portal Bridge to one track on the new $1.5 billion Portal North Bridge over the Hackensack River, a major part of the Gateway Program. During construction, trains can only operate on a single track between Newark and Secaucus, resulting in fewer trains serving Penn Station on the North East Corridor and the North Jersey Coast Line. Weekday commuters on Midtown Direct trains along the Gladstone Branch, Morris & Essex, and Montclair-Boonton lines will be diverted to Hoboken, where several options will be available to reach Penn Station.
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Mamdani looks to narrow housing voucher program, reneging on campaign promise

Mayor Zohran Mamdani speaks to the press during Wednesday’s state budget hearing. Credit: Michael Appleton/Mayoral Photography Office on Flickr

February 12, 2026

Mamdani looks to narrow housing voucher program, reneging on campaign promise

By Aaron Ginsburg

Facing a projected $7 billion budget deficit, Mayor Zohran Mamdani on Wednesday suggested he no longer intends to support the expansion of CityFHEPS, despite the plan having been passed by the City Council and upheld in court after challenges. His administration is now negotiating with housing advocates to resolve a lawsuit aimed at ensuring the program’s growth. According to the New York Times, city lawyers have asked a judge to adjourn the case while officials work with the Council and the Legal Aid Society, which filed the suit, to find a solution.
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Policy

NYC officials re-raise Pride flag at Stonewall

NYC Council Members and Speaker Julie Menin hold a protest over the removal of the LGBTQIA+ flag from the Stonewall National Monument. Photo Credit: Will Alatriste/NYC Council Media Unit on Flickr

February 11, 2026

NYC officials re-raise Pride flag at Stonewall

By Aaron Ginsburg

New York City officials followed through on their promise to restore the Pride flag at the Stonewall National Monument in Greenwich Village, re-raising it Thursday after the National Park Service removed it earlier in the week. The flag was first taken down on Monday by the agency, which has overseen the site since it was designated a national monument by former President Barack Obama in 2016. The agency told Gay City News that the removal was required under policy permitting only the U.S. flag and other "congressionally or departmentally authorized flags" to fly on NPS flagpoles, despite the site’s recognition as the birthplace of the modern LGBTQ rights movement, which the Pride flag symbolizes.
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Policy

Hochul moves to reform environmental law to speed up housing construction

Credit: Susan Watts/Office of Gov. Kathy Hochul on Flickr

February 10, 2026

Hochul moves to reform environmental law to speed up housing construction

By Aaron Ginsburg

To accelerate housing development across the state, Gov. Kathy Hochul has proposed a series of reforms to New York’s environmental laws, which have delayed new projects for years. During an event with several elected officials on Tuesday, including Mayor Zohran Mamdani, the governor unveiled “common sense” reforms to the state’s Environmental Quality Review Act (SEQRA), as well as executive actions to accelerate critical projects that, while not posing significant environmental impacts, have been caught in red tape and delays. The reforms also seek to cut bureaucratic hurdles for infrastructure projects, including clean water, green infrastructure, and parks, which are frequently slowed down by lengthy environmental review processes.
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February 10, 2026

City opens Studio Gang-designed Shirley Chisholm Recreation Center in Flatbush

By Devin Gannon

Brooklyn's largest recreation center officially opened its doors in East Flatbush this week. Located within Nostrand Playground, the Shirley Chisholm Recreation Center measures 74,000 square feet and includes an indoor pool, basketball court, full gym, a media lab, outdoor spaces, and more. Designed by Studio Gang, the firm behind the Gilder Center at the Museum of Natural History and Brooklyn residential tower 11 Hoyt, the building features large arched windows, a curving brick facade, and a green roof.
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Judge allows Trump’s Gateway funding freeze to continue until Thursday

Credit: Gateway Development Commission

February 9, 2026

Judge allows Trump’s Gateway funding freeze to continue until Thursday

By Aaron Ginsburg

After ordering the Trump administration to resume funding for the Gateway project, a federal judge has agreed to temporarily allow the funding freeze to continue while an appeal moves forward. The order, issued Friday by Manhattan Judge Jeannette Vargas, follows a lawsuit filed by NY and NJ seeking emergency relief to stop the U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT) from withholding funds for the project. However, after the administration filed an appeal Sunday, Vargas agreed to pause the order until February 12 to allow the appeal to proceed, according to New Jersey Monitor.
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Trump said he’d restore Gateway funding if New York renames Penn Station after him

Photo of Penn Station by Don Ramey Logan via WikiCommons

February 6, 2026

Trump said he’d restore Gateway funding if New York renames Penn Station after him

By Aaron Ginsburg

President Donald Trump told Sen. Chuck Schumer last month that he'd resume funding for the Gateway project, but only if New York's Penn Station and Washington’s Dulles International Airport are renamed after him. Trump said he would release $16 billion in previously allocated federal funds for the critical infrastructure project on that condition, as CNN reported. Funding, which had been secured under the Biden administration, was frozen during October’s government shutdown. Construction on the project will stop at 5 p.m. on Friday if the funding does not resume.
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Advocates push for restoration of weekend G train service to Forest Hills

Credit: Adam Moss on Flickr

February 5, 2026

Advocates push for restoration of weekend G train service to Forest Hills

By Aaron Ginsburg

A coalition of public transit advocates is pushing the MTA to extend the G train to Forest Hills, bringing the line to central Queens for the first time since 2010. In a letter sent Thursday, more than 30 advocacy organizations and business leaders, including the New York Mets, urged city and state officials to bring back weekend G train service to Forest Hills–71st Avenue, arguing it would be a transformative improvement for outer-borough riders long underserved by a Manhattan-centric transit system. The group also noted that G train ridership has surged since service to Forest Hills was cut, with an increase of roughly 50,000 riders—one of the fastest growth rates in the subway system.
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