Policy

MTA has installed platform barriers at more than 50 NYC subway stations

Platform barriers at the Park Place 2/3 station. Credit: Marc A. Hermann / MTA on Flickr

July 21, 2025

MTA has installed platform barriers at more than 50 NYC subway stations

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The Metropolitan Transportation Authority has installed platform barriers at dozens of subway stations in New York City to prevent people from falling onto the tracks. Gov. Kathy Hochul and the MTA announced last week that 56 stations across the five boroughs now have the barriers, with a goal of over 100 stations by the end of the year.
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New Yorkers with SNAP benefits to get free Museum of Natural History membership

Image via WikiCommons

July 18, 2025

New Yorkers with SNAP benefits to get free Museum of Natural History membership

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The American Museum of Natural History on Friday announced a free membership for New Yorkers enrolled in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). The new "Discoverer" membership level includes free general admission plus entry to one ticketed exhibition during every visit. The initiative is a joint effort by the city's Department of Cultural Affairs, Human Resources Administration, and Department of Social Services.
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NYC releases proposed rules for basement and backyard apartments

Image courtesy of the NYC Department of City Planning

July 18, 2025

NYC releases proposed rules for basement and backyard apartments

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New York City this week released proposed guidelines for building small homes in basements, backyards, garages, and other parts of existing properties. The Department of Buildings and the Department of Housing and Preservation on Tuesday released its proposed rules for constructing accessory dwelling units (ADUs)—a key element of Mayor Eric Adams' “City of Yes” housing plan aimed at expanding the city’s housing supply. The proposed rules focus largely on safety standards for basement and cellar apartments, including requirements for two exits, a ban on ADUs in high-risk flood zones, and water sensors in every room to alert residents of flooding.
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NYC’s first wave of office-to-residential conversions could create over 17,000 new homes, report says

Pfizer World Headquarters is becoming 1,500 apartments. Photo via WikiCommons

July 17, 2025

NYC’s first wave of office-to-residential conversions could create over 17,000 new homes, report says

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New York City’s first wave of office-to-residential conversions could yield over 17,000 new apartments, highlighting the potential for such projects to help ease the city’s housing shortage, according to a new report. Published on Thursday by City Comptroller Brad Lander, the report finds that 44 office conversions initiated after the pandemic could transform 15.2 million square feet of office space into as many as 17,400 homes over the coming years. However, the report warns that the city’s new 467-m tax break may be overly generous, potentially costing $5.1 billion in lost property tax revenue over 37 years.
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City Council rejects zoning changes needed for Bally’s Bronx casino proposal

Credit: Bally’s Bronx

July 16, 2025

City Council rejects zoning changes needed for Bally’s Bronx casino proposal

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Bally's plan to build a casino on a former Trump-owned golf course in the Bronx appears all but dead after the City Council rejected a key rezoning needed for the project. On Monday, the Council voted 29–9, with four abstentions, in favor of a motion by Council Member Kristy Marmorato to deny the land-use changes required to construct the gaming facility at Ferry Point Park, according to Crain's. The proposal is one of eight projects seeking a downstate gaming license.
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NYC Council approves 1,000-unit One45 Harlem development

Rendering courtesy of SHoP Architects

July 16, 2025

NYC Council approves 1,000-unit One45 Harlem development

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A residential development will finally rise on the corner of West 145th Street and Lenox Avenue in Harlem after years of delays and debates. The New York City Council on Monday approved the One45 for Harlem plan, which includes three new buildings and 1,000 units of housing, 338 of which will be affordable. The previous proposal at the site failed to materialize after the former council member refused to accept the development unless at least 57 percent of the units were affordable to families earning 30 percent of the area median income; the developer said that was not economically feasible, withdrew the plan, and turned the property into a truck depot.
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Judge halts Adams’ removal of Bedford Avenue protected bike lane

The protected bike lane at Bedford Avenue and Flushing Avenue. Streetview © 2024 Google

July 16, 2025

Judge halts Adams’ removal of Bedford Avenue protected bike lane

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A disputed stretch of protected bike lane on Bedford Avenue in Brooklyn was spared demolition for a second time, after a state judge blocked the Adams administration from removing it just hours before construction was set to begin. On Tuesday, state appellate court judge Lourdes M. Ventura issued a temporary restraining order, halting the city’s plan to shift the lane from the curb to the center of the avenue between Willoughby and Flushing Avenues. The decision came less than a week after another judge dismissed a lawsuit filed by street safety advocates, ruling that Mayor Eric Adams could move forward with the redesign because it “is not a major transportation project.”
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Pier 17 owner proposes glass rooftop addition for year-round concerts

Credit: Seaport Entertainment Group

July 15, 2025

Pier 17 owner proposes glass rooftop addition for year-round concerts

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Live music could soon become a year-round staple at the Rooftop at Pier 17, as the venue’s operator seeks approval to install a glass addition to house concerts during the winter. In a presentation to the Landmarks Preservation Commission on Tuesday, the Seaport Entertainment Group detailed plans for a seasonal heated structure on the rooftop of the South Street Seaport District venue to accommodate performances from November through mid-March. The structure would allow the venue to extend its rooftop concert series into the winter, a time when foot traffic in the Seaport drops significantly.
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NYC proposes first major overhaul of ferry routes since launching in 2017

Credit: Sam Jotham Sutharson on Unsplash

July 15, 2025

NYC proposes first major overhaul of ferry routes since launching in 2017

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New York City has proposed the first major overhaul of its ferry system since it launched in 2017. The city's Economic Development Corporation on Tuesday released its NYC Ferry Network Optimization Plan, which includes several route changes aimed at providing better access to Midtown and Lower Manhattan, speeding up trips, and expanding capacity on busy routes.
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NYC unveils 20-year vision to improve Hart Island

Rendering of proposed “Remembrance Walk” and visitor center. Credit: Starr Whitehouse Landscape Architects

July 15, 2025

NYC unveils 20-year vision to improve Hart Island

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New York City released its vision for the future of Hart Island, a mile-long piece of land east of the Bronx that is home to one of the largest public cemeteries in the world. Unveiled on Monday by the city's Parks Department, the 20-year concept plan outlines a series of capital projects that improve conditions on the island and add new visitor amenities and green infrastructure. Key components of the Hart Island plan include a welcome center with restrooms and seating, adaptive reuse of the island’s historic chapel as space for remembrance, shoreline stabilization, and forest restoration efforts.
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NYC transit on pace for record-breaking year of ridership and performance

Credit: Marc A. Hermann / MTA on Flickr

July 14, 2025

NYC transit on pace for record-breaking year of ridership and performance

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New York City Transit is "on track" to have its best on-time performance on record. Gov. Kathy Hochul on Monday announced that the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) is on pace for a record-breaking year, with ridership and on-time service improving across New York City Transit, the Long Island Rail Road, and Metro-North Railroad during the first half of 2025. Customer satisfaction has also increased across all three agencies, while major crimes in the subway system have dropped 3.2 percent compared to the same period last year, and nearly 10 percent compared to pre-pandemic levels in 2019.
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NYC must expand housing voucher program, court rules

Credit: Clay LeConey on Unsplash

July 11, 2025

NYC must expand housing voucher program, court rules

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A state appeals court has ordered New York City to expand its housing voucher program, rejecting the Adams administration's previous attempts to block it. On Thursday, a five-judge panel ruled that the City Council had the legal authority to expand the CityFHEPS voucher program, overturning a 2024 decision that had sided with the mayor. The Council first passed the legislation package in May 2023 and overrode Adams' veto of the bills, prompting the administration to sue over policy concerns and the program’s estimated $17 billion price tag.
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Bedford Avenue protected bike lane can be removed, judge rules

The protected bike lane at Bedford Avenue and Flushing Avenue. Streetview © 2024 Google

July 10, 2025

Bedford Avenue protected bike lane can be removed, judge rules

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Part of a protected bike lane along Bedford Avenue in Bed-Stuy will be removed after a New York state judge said Mayor Eric Adams can move forward with a plan to get rid of three blocks of the lane. Brooklyn Supreme Court Judge Carolyn Walker-Diallo on Wednesday gave the green light to the city’s Department of Transportation (DOT) to shift the lane from the curb to the center of the avenue between Willoughby and Flushing Avenues, according to Gothamist. Adams first announced the change in June after community backlash over collisions between cyclists and pedestrians, which prompted a lawsuit from street safety advocates to block the removal.
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This map shows where rent increased the most by NYC subway stop

Photo of Franklin Avenue Station © 6sqft

July 9, 2025

This map shows where rent increased the most by NYC subway stop

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It's not just your neighborhood. Rent prices have increased at 87 percent of New York City's subway stations this year. RentHop on Wednesday released its annual subway rent map, which highlights the median rent and the year-over-year rent increases of one-bedroom apartments by subway stop. According to the analysis, rent jumped by 14 percent near subway stations across Brooklyn, Queens, and the Bronx, particularly in areas with new developments.
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New legislation ends criminal penalties for NYC street vendors

Credit: Marco on Flickr

July 9, 2025

New legislation ends criminal penalties for NYC street vendors

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The City Council last month passed legislation that decriminalizes most street vending violations in New York City. Sponsored by Queens Council Member Shekar Krishnan, Intro. 47 removes misdemeanor criminal penalties for general and food vendors and reduces them to civil offenses instead. The legislation comes amid a sharp rise in NYPD enforcement: officers issued over 9,300 tickets to vendors in 2024, more than double the total in 2023, according to City Limits. With 96 percent of the city’s street vendors being immigrants, according to the Immigration Research Initiative, criminal penalties heighten the risk of deportation under the Trump administration’s intensifying immigration crackdowns.
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The 8 casino proposals competing for a downstate New York gaming license
July 9, 2025

The 8 casino proposals competing for a downstate New York gaming license

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Since New York approved three downstate casino licenses in 2023, some of the city's top developers have rushed to unveil grand proposals. Backed by billion-dollar budgets and celebrity partners, many of these bids have added affordable housing, transit upgrades, and public green space to help them stand out. Ahead, find an overview of the eight projects vying for one of the licenses, which will be awarded by the state by the end of the year.
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NYC to deploy ‘peace officers’ to address unsafe moped and e-bike riding by delivery workers

Credit: Elvert Barnes on Flickr

July 8, 2025

NYC to deploy ‘peace officers’ to address unsafe moped and e-bike riding by delivery workers

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New York City plans to hire a new class of officers to address unsafe moped and e-bike riding by delivery workers. Mayor Eric Adams on Monday announced the Department of Sustainable Delivery (DSD), a new unit within the Department of Transportation (DOT), that will enforce against illegal moped, e-bike, and e-scooter use. Secured as part of Adams' Fiscal Year 2026 budget, new funding will hire up to 45 unarmed "peace officers" to issue moving violations and enforce commercial cycling laws against businesses. The city said the peace officers would be deployed in 2028.
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NYC proposes allowing e-bikes on park drives and greenways

Credit: Daniel on Unsplash

July 7, 2025

NYC proposes allowing e-bikes on park drives and greenways

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New York City is rolling out a new plan to more safely accommodate e-bikes, e-scooters, and other micromobility users on park drives and greenways. NYC Parks Commissioner Iris Rodriguez-Rosa on Thursday announced that the agency plans to propose rule amendments that would permanently allow e-bikes and stand-up e-scooters—already permitted in bike lanes—to operate on park drives and greenways. Mopeds and other heavy motorized vehicles would remain prohibited in public parks.
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Astoria’s 31st Avenue gets two-way bike boulevard, more pedestrian space

Images courtesy of NYC DOT

July 7, 2025

Astoria’s 31st Avenue gets two-way bike boulevard, more pedestrian space

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The first round of pedestrian and cyclist safety upgrades along 31st Avenue in Astoria is now complete, with more improvements on the way. On Thursday, Department of Transportation (DOT) Commissioner Ydanis Rodriguez announced the completion of the first phase of the corridor’s transformation into a bike boulevard, including a new east-west protected bike connection from Vernon Boulevard to Steinway Street that creates a continuous protected route from Astoria to the Queensboro Bridge. The project also expands pedestrian space, upgrades intersections to slow turning vehicles, and adds new public seating.
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NYC traffic deaths hit record low in first half of 2025

Credit: Brett Jordan on Unsplash

July 3, 2025

NYC traffic deaths hit record low in first half of 2025

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Traffic deaths in New York City have hit a record low in 2025, marking a significant milestone in the city’s efforts to improve street safety. On Wednesday, Department of Transportation (DOT) Commissioner Ydanis Rodriguez announced that there have been 87 traffic-related fatalities so far this year, tied with 2018 and the lowest number since the city began tracking the metric in 1910. Fatalities have dropped 32 percent compared to the first half of 2024, with all vehicle types showing declines, including a 39 percent decrease in deaths involving motorized two-wheelers like e-bikes and a 48 percent decline for motor vehicles.
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New futuristic restrooms open in five NYC parks, each at $1M to install

All photos courtesy of NYC Parks

July 2, 2025

New futuristic restrooms open in five NYC parks, each at $1M to install

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Five new sleek public restrooms have opened in New York City parks—each with a $1 million price tag. Mayor Eric Adams on Tuesday announced the installation of the "Portland Loos"—modern restrooms designed for year-round use and quick assembly, now placed in each of the five boroughs. While the restrooms themselves are relatively inexpensive, installation costs reached nearly $1 million each due to infrastructure upgrades, including extending water and electrical lines, according to amNY. But the prefabricated toilets are still significantly cheaper than traditional restrooms, which can cost between $3 and $5 million.
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NYC subway fare hike delayed, but will likely increase to $3 by year’s end

Credit: Marc A. Hermann / MTA on Flickr

July 1, 2025

NYC subway fare hike delayed, but will likely increase to $3 by year’s end

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Your standard New York City transit fare could top $3 by the end of the year. As part of a budget approved last year, the MTA is planning a 4 percent increase for subway and bus fares. Although originally planned to take effect in August, the hike will likely be delayed, as it must first go through a mandatory public comment period, MTA Chair and CEO Janno Lieber said during the agency's monthly board meeting. As reported by Gothamist, the increase is expected to coincide with the MTA’s phaseout of MetroCard sales—a major step in the system’s transition to OMNY.
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Rent Guidelines Board approves increase up to 4.5 percent for stabilized apartments

Rent Guidelines Board final vote on June 30, 2025. Photo courtesy of New York State Tenant Bloc.

July 1, 2025

Rent Guidelines Board approves increase up to 4.5 percent for stabilized apartments

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Rent for more than two million New Yorkers will increase for the fourth year in a row. The Rent Guidelines Board on Monday voted to raise rents for stabilized apartments by 3 percent for one-year leases and 4.5 percent for two-year leases that start on or after October 1. The vote comes less than a week after Assembly Member Zohran Mamdani's win in the Democratic mayoral primary; Mamdani has pledged to direct the board to freeze the rent if elected in November.
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G train to shut down on select nights and weekends this summer

Image via WikiCommons

June 30, 2025

G train to shut down on select nights and weekends this summer

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G train riders are in for another summer of service disruptions. The Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) announced last week that G train service will be suspended between Court Square and Bedford-Nostrand Avenues on select weeknights and weekends from July 14 through August 18, as work continues to upgrade the line’s 1930s-era signal system. The line partially shut down for six weeks last summer as part of the $368 million modernization project, which will make the G the third subway line to be fully converted to Communications-Based Train Control (CBTC) signaling.
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As part of $116B budget deal, city will expand 7-day library service

Credit: Ed Reed/Mayoral Photography Office on Flickr

June 30, 2025

As part of $116B budget deal, city will expand 7-day library service

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Ten New York City public libraries will now be open seven days a week, thanks to $32.7 million in funding included in the city’s fiscal year 2026 budget. On Friday, Mayor Eric Adams and City Council Speaker Adrienne Adams announced a $115.9 billion budget agreement for FY26. Other key investments include over $70 million for immigration legal services, as well as funding for mental health care, public safety programs, and expanded child care and early childhood education.
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