Policy

December 23, 2019

Half-price MetroCards to be available to all eligible low-income New Yorkers next month

Next month, more New Yorkers will be able to buy discounted MetroCards. The city will launch open enrollment for its Fair Fares program on Jan. 27, allowing all eligible individuals at or below the Federal Poverty line to purchase half-price MetroCards, Mayor Bill de Blasio and City Council Speaker Corey Johnson announced Friday. Currently, the program, which began early this year, only applies to some residents of the city's public housing, CUNY students, veteran students, or New Yorkers receiving city benefits like SNAP.
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Judge overturns city’s plan to rezone Inwood

Photo by kathryn on Flickr

December 20, 2019

Judge overturns city’s plan to rezone Inwood

By Devin Gannon

A state Supreme Court judge on Thursday overturned land-use changes approved by the City Council in 2018 to rezone the neighborhood of Inwood. A group of local residents and preservationists filed a lawsuit against the rezoning last December, claiming the plan did nothing to protect the community from displacement, as well as other effects of gentrification. In the decision, Judge Verna Saunders said the city "failed to take a hard look at the relevant areas of concern identified by the public" and did not comply with a state environmental quality review.
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Policy

These are the 68 subway stations the MTA will make fully accessible

Photo via Wikimedia Commons

December 20, 2019

These are the 68 subway stations the MTA will make fully accessible

By Dana Schulz

Less than 25 percent of the NYC subway's 472 stations are accessible, but the MTA has pledged to increase that percentage to roughly 40 under it's proposed $51.5 billion 2020-2024 Capital Plan. Back in September, the agency revealed the first 48 stations it would make fully ADA accessible, and now they have announced 20 more (the final two will be announced at a later date), all of which will receive a $5.2 billion investment. Through the upgrades, the MTA's goal is to ensure that no rider is more than two stops from an accessible station.
See the full list of stations

NYC Council seeks to terminate Trump Organization’s contracts with the Parks Department

The Central Park Carousel is one of four NYC Parks properties operated by the Trump Organization; image by Shelley Panzarella via Flickr

December 20, 2019

NYC Council seeks to terminate Trump Organization’s contracts with the Parks Department

By Alexandra Alexa

Manhattan Councilman Mark Levine introduced a resolution on Thursday urging Mayor Bill de Blasio to terminate the Trump Organization's ongoing contracts with the city, the Daily News reports. The president's company has four contracts with the Parks Department to operate the Lasker and Wollman Skating Rinks in Central Park, the Central Park Carousel, and the Trump Golf Links in the Bronx. Levine—who issued similar demands in 2018 and 2015—argued that the contracts violate the Domestic Emoluments Clause of the Constitution and that Trump's association with the venues is causing the city to lose money.
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Policy

MTA approves $17B budget that includes controversial addition of 500 more subway cops

Photo by rhythmicdiaspora via Flickr cc

December 19, 2019

MTA approves $17B budget that includes controversial addition of 500 more subway cops

By Dana Schulz

When the MTA unveiled its proposed $17 billion 2020 budget and four-year financial plan in November, one of the biggest takeaways was a proposal conceived by Governor Cuomo to increase the number of MTA police officers in subway stations by 500--a 20 percent increase--over the next four years. Though he said it was necessary to address "quality of life" issues such as homelessness, panhandling, and fare evasion, those in opposition pointed to its $249 million price tag, which will only add to the MTA's projected operating deficit of $433 million by 2023. In the lead up to the plan being approved yesterday, elected officials also expressed concern over how the plan will affect low-income New Yorkers. "Arresting hard-working people who cannot afford a $2.75 fare is, in effect the criminalization of poverty," wrote Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez in a letter to the Governor.
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De Blasio unveils $100M plan to end long-term street homelessness

Photo credit: Michael Appleton/Mayoral Photography Office on Flickr

December 18, 2019

De Blasio unveils $100M plan to end long-term street homelessness

By Devin Gannon

Mayor Bill de Blasio on Tuesday released a plan to get 3,600 homeless New Yorkers off city streets within five years. The six-point initiative adds new "safe haven" beds, creates 1,000 permanent units of housing, provides new health resources, and ramps up the city's outreach response. Named The Journey Home, the $100 million plan comes as the number of those experiencing homelessness in the city has reached the highest levels in nearly 100 years, with more than 60,000 people currently living in homeless shelters.
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Borough president rejects plan for five-building luxury development in Harlem

Aerial view of the project; Credit: Davis Brody Bond

December 17, 2019

Borough president rejects plan for five-building luxury development in Harlem

By Devin Gannon

A developer's plan to rezone a neighborhood in Central Harlem to make way for a mixed-use development hit another roadblock this week. Manhattan Borough President Gale Brewer on Monday rejected a rezoning application filed by the Olnick Organization to construct five 28-story luxury towers and one mid-rise building located at the existing Lenox Terrace complex. In her recommendation, Brewer said the project lacks the "public and private investments necessary to make it a prudent exercise of planning for future growth."
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Policy

14th Street busway gets city’s first all-electric bus fleet as its ridership soars

Photo by Marc A. Hermann for MTA NYC Transit

December 16, 2019

14th Street busway gets city’s first all-electric bus fleet as its ridership soars

By Devin Gannon

The first of the city's new electric buses hit the streets on Sunday, as the Metropolitan Transportation Authority moves to fully electrify their fleet by 2040. Fifteen new electric articulated buses will run on the M14 Select Bus Service route on the 14th Street busway, a car-free strip between Third and Ninth Avenues introduced by the city in October as a way to speed up commutes. The busway has proven popular with riders, with new data showing a significant increase of M14 SBS ridership compared to last year.
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NYC may set aside at least 15 percent of new apartments for homeless New Yorkers

Photo by Daryan Shamkhali on Unsplash

December 13, 2019

NYC may set aside at least 15 percent of new apartments for homeless New Yorkers

By Devin Gannon

The New York City Council and Mayor Bill de Blasio's administration have reached an agreement to provide more housing for homeless New Yorkers. As first reported by Politico, the legislation, expected to pass next week, would require developers of new housing developments that receive city financing to set aside at least 15 percent of units for homeless individuals and families. The new law could create about 1,000 new apartments each year for those experiencing homelessness.
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Find landmarks of the anti-slavery movement in NYC

By Devin Gannon

For roughly 200 years, between 1626 and 1827, New York City was home to more enslaved Africans than almost every other city in the country. But after abolishing slavery nearly 40 years before the nation, the city became a major player of the national abolitionist movement, housing anti-slavery activists and organizations, as well as many stops on the Underground Railroad. Now 400 years after the first enslaved Africans arrived in the United States, the Landmarks Preservation Commission released this week an interactive story map highlighting designated city landmarks tied to the abolitionist movement.
Explore the map

December 12, 2019

Plans filed to replace historic Greenwich Village houses with a 244-foot luxury tower

By Alexandra Alexa

Developer Madison Equities filed plans on Thursday to demolish two five-story buildings at 14-16 Fifth Avenue in favor of a 21-story, 244-foot luxury apartment tower. According to The Real Deal, Madison Equities bought the property with City Urban Realty in 2015 for $27.5 million and at the time cited plans to renovate the existing apartments. The buildings currently contain 20 units of “relatively affordable housing” while the proposed new building would comprise 18 “super-luxury” units. The Gothic Revival townhouses date back to 1848 and are landmarked within the Greenwich Village Historic District so the plans can only proceed with approval from the Landmarks Preservation Commission.
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Policy

December 11, 2019

Residents say Columbia’s plan for 34-story tower breaks promise to redevelop public school

By Devin Gannon

Columbia University this week filed plans to build a 34-story residential building in Harlem, as the school continues its campus expansion into the neighborhood. According to documents filed with the city's Department of Buildings, the project at 600 West 125th Street, formerly home to a McDonald's, would measure just under 400 feet tall and contain 142 apartments. But as Gothamist reported on Wednesday, local residents argue the plan breaks a longstanding promise from the university to redevelop a public school at the site.
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Nomad’s Tin Pan Alley, birthplace of American pop music, gains five landmarks

Tin Pan Alley buildings; Photo by Eden, Janine and Jim on Flickr

December 10, 2019

Nomad’s Tin Pan Alley, birthplace of American pop music, gains five landmarks

By Devin Gannon

The Landmarks Preservation Commission on Tuesday designated five Nomad buildings linked to the birthplace of American pop music. Tin Pan Alley, a stretch of West 28th Street named to describe the sound of piano music heard from street level, served as an epicenter for musicians, composers, and sheet music publishers between 1893 and 1910. During this nearly two-decade period, some of the most memorable songs of the last century were produced, including "God Bless America" and "Take Me Out to the Ball Game."
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NYC and Newark agree to temporarily suspend controversial homeless relocation program

Photo of Newark, NJ by Paul Sableman on Flickr

December 10, 2019

NYC and Newark agree to temporarily suspend controversial homeless relocation program

By Alexandra Alexa

Update 12/10/19: After a long negotiation in federal court on Monday, Newark and New York have agreed to suspend the SOTA Program, Politico reported. "In the spirit of productive conservations and with the goal of moving toward an improved program, we will be temporarily pausing placements in Newark," de Blasio spokesperson Freddi Goldstein said in a statement. New York City will also send Newark a list of participants of the program and their addresses once an agreement is reached. Newark officials are suing New York City and Mayor Bill de Blasio over the city's controversial Special One-Time Assistance (SOTA) Program that provides homeless shelter residents with free rent for a year if they leave NYC. More than 2,200 families have been placed in 62 New Jersey cities through the program, with over half ending up in Newark. Recent investigations have found that some families end up in "illegal and uninhabitable" apartments and are essentially forced to become dependent on Newark social services. The lawsuit was filed in federal court Monday, as NJ.com first reported, just weeks after Newark passed a law to make the program illegal and ban landlords from taking more than a month's worth of subsidized rent.
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NYC council members to introduce Staten Island secession bill

Photo by InSapphoWeTrust via Flickr

December 10, 2019

NYC council members to introduce Staten Island secession bill

By Alexandra Alexa

As part of their renewed push for Staten Island secession, Republican Council Members Joe Borelli and Steven Matteo will introduce a bill to the City Council Tuesday to establish a secession task force. As the Staten Island Advance first reported, the task force would have 18 months to gather data showing the “impact and viability” of the borough's secession. While Matteo and Borelli say Island leaders and lawmakers—including Borough President James Oddo—have expressed support for the legislation, they are the only council members to support the bill so far.
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Policy

Electric cargo bikes will replace some delivery trucks in NYC

Photo courtesy of the Department of Transportation

December 5, 2019

Electric cargo bikes will replace some delivery trucks in NYC

By Devin Gannon

Nearly two million packages on average are delivered in New York City each day, causing vans and trucks to clog already congested streets. Looking to address delivery-related traffic, as well as cut vehicle emissions, the city announced on Wednesday a pilot program that would encourage companies to use cargo bikes instead of trucks to deliver parcels in Manhattan below 60th Street.
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950-unit ‘Gowanus Green’ development met with skepticism by local residents who hoped for a park

Photo by Danny Navaro via Flickr cc

December 4, 2019

950-unit ‘Gowanus Green’ development met with skepticism by local residents who hoped for a park

By Alexandra Alexa

During a Brooklyn Community Board 6 meeting on Monday night, architects, developers, and city officials revealed preliminary plans for Gowanus Green, a multi-building development on a 5.8-acre site at the corner of Smith and Fifth Streets. Once home to a gas plant, the city-owned site has been vacant for decades and was designated as a "public place" in 1974. As the Brooklyn Daily Eagle first reported, Carroll Gardens and Gowanus residents who were expecting that the site would become a park widely panned the new proposal for a series of buildings ranging from a five-story school to a 28-story residential tower.
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November 26, 2019

Disability rights group files lawsuit challenging inaccessibility of new Long Island City library

By Devin Gannon

A disability rights group filed a lawsuit on Tuesday that claims a new public library in Queens does not provide full access for those with mobility disabilities. The civil suit, filed by the Center for Independence of the Disabled New York and the Disability Rights Advocates (DRA), says the newly constructed Hunters Point Library in Long Island City, which took nearly a decade to build and cost more than $41 million, violates the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). While the library opened in September to praise from architecture critics for its innovative design, visitors immediately criticized the building's third level fiction section, accessible only by stairs.
Details here

Policy

A number of NY Waterway ferries still suspended for safety issues

Photo by Joe Mabel on Flickr

November 25, 2019

A number of NY Waterway ferries still suspended for safety issues

By Devin Gannon

After the U.S. Coast Guard halted service on nearly two dozen New York Waterway ferries for safety issues over the weekend, commuters on Monday faced extensive delays and modified routes. On Sunday, the Coast Guard said it suspended 23 of 32 ferries operated by the company after multiple inspections found them to be "operationally unfit." As of Monday afternoon, 15 ferries remained out of service.
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Starting next year, big NYC buildings will display letter grades based on energy efficiency

Photo via Pexels

November 21, 2019

Starting next year, big NYC buildings will display letter grades based on energy efficiency

By Devin Gannon

Certain New York City buildings next year will be forced to share how energy efficient they are with the public. As part of the Climate Mobilization Act, passed by the city in April, structures that are 25,000 square feet and larger will be graded based on energy efficiency and mandated to post the rating in a "conspicuous" place in the building. As the New York Times reported, more than 40,000 of the city's one million buildings will be issued report cards, similar to how the Health Department issues restaurants a prominently displayed food safety rating.
Details here

City’s Soho/Noho report addresses affordable housing, zoning, and small business success

Image: Steven Pisano via Flickr.

November 21, 2019

City’s Soho/Noho report addresses affordable housing, zoning, and small business success

By Michelle Cohen

The Department of City Planning (DCP), along with Manhattan Borough President Gale Brewer and Council Member Margaret Chin, released on Wednesday the Envision Soho/Noho report, a comprehensive summary of findings and recommendations that address issues and guide future plans for downtown Manhattan's Soho and Noho neighborhoods. The report represents the result of a six-month-long community engagement series on the two historic neighborhoods, aimed at addressing their unique challenges in the 21st century. Contained in the report is a detailed summary of the engagement process that presents the perspectives of participants, as well as recommendations for guiding future plans for improving quality of life, addressing housing concerns, and supporting the unique mixed-use character of these neighborhoods.
More from the report, this way

Image by Nick Normal via Flickr

November 20, 2019

Plan moves forward to convert 14 more cluster sites into housing for 200 homeless families

By Alexandra Alexa

In 2017, the de Blasio administration announced a five-year “Turning the Tide on Homelessness” plan to convert hundreds of cluster apartments, occupied by homeless families across the city, into permanently affordable units. Earlier this year, the City was able to complete the first phase of that plan by financing not-for-profit developers to acquire 17 buildings, rehabilitate them, and turn them into permanent affordable housing. Now the administration is moving forward with a second phase that will convert 14 more “cluster site” buildings. The first phase created housing for roughly 450 homeless families and the second phase is expected to aid another 200 families.
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Weeks before winter begins, thousands of NYCHA residents have been without heat or hot water

More than 2,460 residents at the LaGuardia Houses on the LES were affected by the outages Tuesday; photo via Wikimedia

November 20, 2019

Weeks before winter begins, thousands of NYCHA residents have been without heat or hot water

By Devin Gannon

Thousands of public housing residents did not have heat and hot water on Tuesday, making it the second widespread outage in less than two weeks. As first reported by Gothamist, 10,000 New York City Housing Authority tenants across six complexes suffered from the outages this week. And last week, when temperatures dropped below freezing, roughly 23,000 NYCHA residents did not have heat or hot water at some point.
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Policy

Proposed MTA budget calls for layoffs, fare hikes, and more cops

Photo by rhythmicdiaspora via Flickr

November 15, 2019

Proposed MTA budget calls for layoffs, fare hikes, and more cops

By Devin Gannon

The Metropolitan Transportation Authority on Thursday unveiled its proposed $17 billion 2020 budget and its four-year financial plan as the agency grapples with massive impending debt. With a projected operating deficit of $426 million by 2023, the MTA wants to lay off 2,700 workers and raise fares twice by four percent over the next four years. Despite the impending financial crisis, the agency plans to spend nearly $250 million over the next four years to hire 500 police officers to patrol subway stations.
Details here

Policy

Half-price MetroCards to be available to all eligible low-income New Yorkers next month

Judge overturns city’s plan to rezone Inwood

These are the 68 subway stations the MTA will make fully accessible

NYC Council seeks to terminate Trump Organization’s contracts with the Parks Department

MTA approves $17B budget that includes controversial addition of 500 more subway cops

De Blasio unveils $100M plan to end long-term street homelessness

Borough president rejects plan for five-building luxury development in Harlem

14th Street busway gets city’s first all-electric bus fleet as its ridership soars

NYC may set aside at least 15 percent of new apartments for homeless New Yorkers

Find landmarks of the anti-slavery movement in NYC

Plans filed to replace historic Greenwich Village houses with a 244-foot luxury tower

Residents say Columbia’s plan for 34-story tower breaks promise to redevelop public school

Nomad’s Tin Pan Alley, birthplace of American pop music, gains five landmarks

NYC and Newark agree to temporarily suspend controversial homeless relocation program

Amy Schumer sells Brooklyn Heights townhouse at $1.25M loss

NYC council members to introduce Staten Island secession bill

Electric cargo bikes will replace some delivery trucks in NYC

950-unit ‘Gowanus Green’ development met with skepticism by local residents who hoped for a park

Disability rights group files lawsuit challenging inaccessibility of new Long Island City library

A number of NY Waterway ferries still suspended for safety issues

Starting next year, big NYC buildings will display letter grades based on energy efficiency

City’s Soho/Noho report addresses affordable housing, zoning, and small business success

Plan moves forward to convert 14 more cluster sites into housing for 200 homeless families

Weeks before winter begins, thousands of NYCHA residents have been without heat or hot water

Proposed MTA budget calls for layoffs, fare hikes, and more cops

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