Kathy Hochul

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

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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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

By Aaron Ginsburg

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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Construction begins on new $10B Port Authority Bus Terminal

Gov. Kathy Hochul, Gov. Phil Murphy, and the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey broke ground on the Dyer Avenue deckovers. Photo courtesy of PANYNJ on Flickr

May 29, 2025

Construction begins on new $10B Port Authority Bus Terminal

By Aaron Ginsburg

Construction began on the first phase of the new $10 billion Port Authority Bus Terminal on Thursday, marking an important milestone for the long-awaited project. Gov. Kathy Hochul and Gov. Phil Murphy joined the Port Authority in a groundbreaking ceremony for the Dyer Avenue deck-overs, which will be used for staging buses during construction and will eventually become a public green space when the new terminal opens. The first phase deck-overs, along with new ramps and a bus storage facility, are expected to be completed by 2028, with the full terminal opening in 2032.
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Judge temporarily blocks Trump administration from ending congestion pricing

Credit: André Eusébio on Unsplash

May 28, 2025

Judge temporarily blocks Trump administration from ending congestion pricing

By Aaron Ginsburg

The Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) has scored a legal win against the Trump administration as the battle over congestion pricing continues. U.S. District Judge Lewis Liman issued a temporary restraining order on Tuesday blocking the administration from withholding federal funding for New York transit projects, which it had threatened if the MTA didn’t end the program by May 28. Liman ruled that the federal government cannot withhold any funding until the MTA’s lawsuit over the toll program is resolved.
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Times Square office tower to become 1,250 apartments

5 Times Square. Photo via WikiCommons

May 22, 2025

Times Square office tower to become 1,250 apartments

By Devin Gannon

A largely vacant office tower in Times Square is set to become a mixed-use development with 1,250 new homes. The Empire State Development (ESD) on Thursday voted to approve the conversion of 5 Times Square, a 38-story building on 7th Avenue between 41st and 42nd Streets. About 313 apartments will be permanently affordable to New Yorkers earning up to 80 percent of the area median income in exchange for a tax exemption under a new office-to-housing incentive, 467-m.
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New Developments

New York to open 24/7 homeless outreach centers in subway stations

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

May 2, 2025

New York to open 24/7 homeless outreach centers in subway stations

By Aaron Ginsburg

New York will open a network of 24-hour "welcome centers" in the subway system, where social workers will help connect homeless New Yorkers with supportive services and shelter. As first reported by Crain's, Gov. Kathy Hochul’s office plans to open up to five of these facilities in subway stations to assist people struggling with mental health issues who have taken up residence in the transit system. The initiative is part of a $40 million investment in the state budget to fund outreach teams to build relationships with the unhoused and connect them with aid.
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MTA to test new fare gates at 20 subway stations this fall

Credit: MTA on Flickr

April 28, 2025

MTA to test new fare gates at 20 subway stations this fall

By Aaron Ginsburg

Fare evaders at certain subway stations will soon encounter new gates designed to stop turnstile hopping. This fall, the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) will begin testing four modern gates at 20 stations across New York City, featuring elements that make it much harder for commuters to jump over. The gates are part of the agency’s broader effort to curb fare evasion across the public transit system, a metric that has dropped by 30 percent on the subway from the second quarter of 2024 to the first quarter of 2025, according to the MTA.
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Trump threatens federal funds for NYC transportation projects over congestion pricing

Photo by Zoshua Colah on Unsplash

April 22, 2025

Trump threatens federal funds for NYC transportation projects over congestion pricing

By Devin Gannon

President Donald Trump's administration ramped up its threats to New York and set a new deadline to end congestion pricing over the weekend. In a letter to Gov. Kathy Hochul, U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said the state needs to end New York City's congestion pricing program or risk losing federal funding for transportation projects. Duffy's letter came one day after his previous April 20 deadline to stop the program; Hochul and the Metropolitan Transportation Authority have said the tolls will continue until a judge rules otherwise.
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Trump administration says it will take over Penn Station reconstruction project from MTA

Penn Station 33rd Street entrance. Photo courtesy of D. Benjamin Miller on Wikimedia Commons

April 17, 2025

Trump administration says it will take over Penn Station reconstruction project from MTA

By Devin Gannon

President Donald Trump's administration said it was taking over the reconstruction of Penn Station from the Metropolitan Transportation Authority and Gov. Kathy Hochul. In a statement released on Thursday, Department of Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy announced that Amtrak, which owns Penn Station, would spearhead the overhaul instead of the state agency.
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Trump cancels $325M in disaster prevention funds for New York

East Elmhurst, Queens, was flooded by torrential rains brought on by Hurricane Ida in 2021. Photo by Kevin P. Coughlin / Office of the Governor on Flickr

April 8, 2025

Trump cancels $325M in disaster prevention funds for New York

By Devin Gannon

Projects that would protect vulnerable New York City neighborhoods from flooding and intense storms are at risk after President Donald Trump's administration announced plans to cut federal funding. The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) canceled more than $325 million in grants to New York State that would go toward critical infrastructure and community resilience projects, according to Gov. Kathy Hochul. A majority of the projects impacted are designed to help New York City prepare for weather disasters like flooding and extreme rainfall.
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Policy

NYC’s congestion pricing could continue into the fall

By Aaron Ginsburg

President Donald Trump's administration and New York transit officials reached a deal to allow the city’s congestion pricing program to continue until at least mid-summer and likely through the fall, according to new court filings. Both parties will present their arguments under a newly determined timeline expected to extend until at least October as part of a lawsuit filed by the MTA against the federal government. The Trump administration originally gave the state until March 21 to end the program but granted a 30-day extension one day before the deadline.
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New York to issue liquor licenses to outdoor dining restaurants amid delays

Credit: Billie Grace Ward on Flickr

April 3, 2025

New York to issue liquor licenses to outdoor dining restaurants amid delays

By Aaron Ginsburg

New Yorkers no longer have to dread a boozeless outdoor dining experience this season. Gov. Kathy Hochul on Thursday announced that the State Liquor Authority (SLA) will now accept conditional approvals issued by the Department of Transportation (DOT) to restaurants participating in the city's Dining Out NYC program, allowing them to serve alcohol in their outdoor dining areas while their applications are being reviewed. The processing of liquor license applications has been significantly delayed, with only seven out of roughly 3,000 applicants receiving approval as of Saturday.
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Hochul backs city’s broker fee ban set to take effect this June

Council Member Chi Ossé held a press conference before the City Council voted on the FARE Act. Photo credit: Gerardo Romo / NYC Council Media Unit on Flickr

April 3, 2025

Hochul backs city’s broker fee ban set to take effect this June

By Devin Gannon

Gov. Kathy Hochul on Wednesday came out in support of a law banning forced broker fees amid a legal challenge from a real estate lobbying group. In a video posted online, the governor backed Council Member Chi Ossé's Fairness in Apartment Rental Expenses (FARE) Act, which shifts the payment of broker fees from renters to landlords. Soon after the bill became law last year, the Real Estate Board of New York (REBNY) sued the city to stop it from taking effect in June, claiming it preempts New York State law.
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Policy

Q70 bus service to LaGuardia Airport will get $160M upgrade

Credit: MTA

March 26, 2025

Q70 bus service to LaGuardia Airport will get $160M upgrade

By Aaron Ginsburg

New York has revealed a $160 million plan to fund the long-awaited expansion of bus service to and from LaGuardia Airport. Gov. Kathy Hochul, the Metropolitan Transportation Authority, and the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey on Tuesday unveiled the proposed upgrades, which includes creating a bus-only lane, installing traffic signals that prioritize the Q70 bus, increasing service during peak hours, adding a dedicated pick-up and drop-off zone at LGA, and improving lighting and signage, and more. Recommended by an expert panel in 2023, the proposal is an alternative to the controversial AirTrain, a 1.5-mile elevated rail line to the airport scrapped by the governor.
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Trump administration delays congestion pricing deadline by a month

Credit: Zhen Yao on Unsplash

March 21, 2025

Trump administration delays congestion pricing deadline by a month

By Aaron Ginsburg

The Trump administration said it would give New York a 30-day extension on its deadline to end congestion pricing. A day before the original March 21 deadline, U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy announced the extension in a post on X, calling Gov. Kathy Hochul's refusal to end the tolling program "unacceptable." The governor and the Metropolitan Transportation Authority have repeatedly defended the program and pledged to keep it running until a federal judge makes a ruling; the agency filed a lawsuit to protect the program last month.
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March 21, 2025

Long-abandoned Clinton Hill site to become affordable housing

By Aaron Ginsburg

A long-abandoned building in Clinton Hill may finally be redeveloped. Gov. Kathy Hochul on Thursday issued a request for proposals for 1024 Fulton Street, a 12,800-square-foot state-owned site between Grand and Classon Avenues. The governor wants a developer to demolish the derelict building, which has been vacant for nearly 30 years, and build a new mixed-use project with 100 percent affordable homes. Officials have made several attempts to redevelop the eyesore over the years without success.
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Affordable Housing

March 3, 2025

Former East Harlem college dorm and migrant shelter to become 433 affordable homes

By Aaron Ginsburg

A former college dormitory in East Harlem that also served as temporary shelter for migrants will become an affordable housing development. Gov. Kathy Hochul last week announced construction kicked off at 1760 Third Avenue, a 19-story building that once operated as student housing for CUNY and later housed hundreds of asylum seekers. Developed by Breaking Ground and designed by Dattener Architects, the project includes renovating and converting the building into 433 supportive and affordable homes, including 261 units reserved for individuals with mental illness. This marks the first supportive housing project funded under Hochul's landmark $1 billion mental health initiative.
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Intrepid Museum parking lot in Hell’s Kitchen slated for development

Photo by Acroterion on Wikimedia

February 28, 2025

Intrepid Museum parking lot in Hell’s Kitchen slated for development

By Aaron Ginsburg

New York is seeking proposals to transform a parking lot in Hell's Kitchen used by the Intrepid Museum into a mixed-use development. Gov. Kathy Hochul on Friday issued a request for proposals for the site at 621 West 45th Street, which measures just over 50,500 square feet on 12th Avenue between West 45th and West 46th Streets. Proposed for one of the largest undeveloped parcels on Manhattan's far West Side, the project presents an opportunity to bring much-needed affordable housing to a state-owned site in the city.
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Affordable Housing

Trump moves to reverse approval for NYC’s congestion pricing program, Hochul fights back

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

February 19, 2025

Trump moves to reverse approval for NYC’s congestion pricing program, Hochul fights back

By Devin Gannon

President Donald Trump's administration on Wednesday officially announced plans to reverse federal approval for New York City's congestion pricing program. U.S. Department of Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy sent Gov. Kathy Hochul a letter rescinding the Federal Highway Administration's approval of the tolling program, which began charging drivers $9 to enter Manhattan below 60th Street on January 5. Early data released by the Metropolitan Transportation Authority following the toll's launch revealed less congestion and faster commute times. Shortly after Trump's announcement, the Metropolitan Transportation Authority filed a lawsuit to protect the program and Hochul, who said the move from the White House was an attack on the state's sovereignty, said the "cameras are staying on," referring to the toll cameras.
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Trump takes back $80M in funding intended for NYC migrant shelters

The Roosevelt Hotel shuttered during the pandemic and became a relief center for asylum seekers. Photo by Billy Hathorn via Wikimedia Commons

February 13, 2025

Trump takes back $80M in funding intended for NYC migrant shelters

By Aaron Ginsburg

President Donald Trump took back $80 million in federal funding from New York City that was intended to cover some of the costs related to housing migrants. On Tuesday, City Comptroller Brad Lander's office noticed that $80 million in Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) funding, awarded by the Biden administration and received last week, had gone missing from city bank accounts. Lander, who called the action "highway robbery," claims the revocation may be illegal, depending on the terms of the city's grant with FEMA.
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Policy

Bird flu likely behind bird deaths at NYC zoos

Photo via WikiCommons

February 10, 2025

Bird flu likely behind bird deaths at NYC zoos

By Aaron Ginsburg

Bird flu has hit New York City zoos, with three ducks at the Queens Zoo and 12 more birds at the Bronx Zoo dying after probable exposure to the highly contagious virus. As first reported by the New York Times, the Wildlife Conservation Society, which manages the zoos, has moved vulnerable bird species to protected areas and limited exposure of other animals to wild birds. The deaths come as Gov. Kathy Hochul ordered all live bird markets in the five boroughs to temporarily close to curb the outbreak of the virus, which has affected roughly 156 million commercial, backyard, and wild birds nationwide since January 2022.
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Policy

Hochul wants to put an NYPD officer on every overnight NYC subway train

Image courtesy of Marc A. Hermann / MTA on Flickr

January 15, 2025

Hochul wants to put an NYPD officer on every overnight NYC subway train

By Aaron Ginsburg

A uniformed police officer would be on every subway train between 9 p.m. and 5 a.m. under a proposal introduced by Gov. Kathy Hochul on Tuesday. During her State of the State address, the governor proposed new safety measures for the subway, including increased NYPD patrols, new protective barriers on platforms, modern fare gates, and expansion of mental health resources. Two officers will be on patrol overnight every night for six months on each train; according to Politico, the state will cover the cost.
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Hochul pitches funding incentives to ease New York’s housing crisis

Credit: Darren McGee/ Office of Governor Kathy Hochul on Flickr

January 15, 2025

Hochul pitches funding incentives to ease New York’s housing crisis

By Aaron Ginsburg

Gov. Kathy Hochul is again proposing a series of financial incentives to boost housing production across New York. During her State of the State address on Tuesday, Hochul outlined several initiatives to confront the housing crisis, including the first-ever revolving loan fund to boost mixed-income rental housing development and doubling the tax credits available for low- and middle-income housing projects. The governor has already announced a proposal to curb private equity firms and hedge funds from buying single-family homes.
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Policy

Hochul wants to curb private equity firms buying single-family homes in New York

Photo by Niv Rozenberg on Unsplash

January 9, 2025

Hochul wants to curb private equity firms buying single-family homes in New York

By Aaron Ginsburg

To address the rising cost of housing across New York, Gov. Kathy Hochul wants to limit purchases of single-family homes by private equity firms and hedge funds. As part of her 2025 State of the State, Gov. Kathy Hochul proposed legislation discouraging institutional investors from purchasing large numbers of single- and two-family homes and requiring a 75-day waiting period before these investors can place bids on real estate. Additional measures include increased funding for innovative homebuilding, down-payment assistance for first-time homebuyers, and the introduction of an affordable homebuyer tax incentive.
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Policy

City and state select team to transform historic Kingsbridge Armory into community hub with 450 affordable homes

Credit: FXCollaborative

January 8, 2025

City and state select team to transform historic Kingsbridge Armory into community hub with 450 affordable homes

By Aaron Ginsburg

A historic and long-vacant Bronx armory will be transformed into a state-of-the-art community hub with affordable apartments. City and state officials announced Tuesday the development team that will redevelop the century-old Kingsbridge Armory as an event space, sports field, cultural center, and 450 new affordable homes. Developed by 8th Regiment Partners LLC, a joint venture between real estate firm Maddd Equities LLC and Joy Construction, the project, dubbed El Centro Kingsbridge, is scheduled for completion in 2032.
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