Policy

NYC completes long-awaited redesign of McGuinness Boulevard

Credit: NYC DOT on Flickr

November 13, 2026

NYC completes long-awaited redesign of McGuinness Boulevard

After decades of advocacy and numerous traffic-related fatalities and injuries, the redesign of Greenpoint's McGuinness Boulevard is finally complete. Mayor Zohran Mamdani on Friday announced the completion of the project, which added parking-protected bike lanes along the corridor from Meeker Avenue to the Pulaski Bridge, shorter pedestrian crossings, and other street-safety improvements for pedestrians, cyclists, and motorists. Work began in May, marking a major turning point for a project that was scaled back under former Mayor Eric Adams amid allegations of bribery involving a prominent local film production company.
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New bill would require city to develop plan for 50,000+ vacant rent-stabilized units

Photo by Avi Werde on Unsplash

November 12, 2026

New bill would require city to develop plan for 50,000+ vacant rent-stabilized units

By Devin Gannon

A new bill introduced in the City Council on Thursday would require Mayor Zohran Mamdani's administration to develop a plan to address the city's thousands of vacant rent-stabilized apartments. According to The City Reporter, there were about 57,000 empty rent-stabilized units citywide in 2025. Sponsored by Council Member Farah Louis, the legislation calls on the city's Department of Housing Preservation and Development to conduct an analysis of the city's stock of vacant rent-stabilized apartments, including factors and trends that contribute to the vacant units.
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Policy

Flatbush building collapse leaves at least 8 dead, 18 injured

Image via the FDNY on X

November 12, 2026

Flatbush building collapse leaves at least 8 dead, 18 injured

By Aaron Ginsburg

A three-story apartment building in Flatbush, Brooklyn collapsed on Wednesday night, killing at least eight and injuring more than a dozen others. Around 4 p.m. on Wednesday, the multifamily building at 1321 Flatbush Avenue collapsed into an adjacent construction lot, trapping people from the building and the construction site, prompting more than 250 fire and EMS personnel to respond. As of 3:37 p.m. on Thursday, FDNY announced they concluded rescue operations and determined there "are no more victims." The site has been turned over to the Department of Buildings and NYPD; on Thursday, the Brooklyn district attorney, Eric Gonzalez, opened a criminal investigation into the collapse.
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Policy

Mamdani signs COPA into law, giving nonprofits chance to make first offers on distressed buildings

Credit: Ed Reed/Mayoral Photography Office on Flickr

November 11, 2026

Mamdani signs COPA into law, giving nonprofits chance to make first offers on distressed buildings

By Aaron Ginsburg

Nonprofit groups in New York City will soon have first dibs on buying certain distressed properties after Mayor Zohran Mamdani signed the landmark legislation on Tuesday. The Community Opportunity to Purchase Act (COPA) gives qualified, "mission-driven" affordable housing providers 145 days to submit offers on eligible properties, along with a right of first refusal to match another buyer's offer during the following year. Advocates say the law will help preserve affordable housing, protect tenants, and prevent buildings from falling into disrepair.
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Reconstruction of Chinatown’s historic 70 Mulberry Street begins nearly seven years after fire

Credit: Grimshaw/NYC DDC

November 9, 2026

Reconstruction of Chinatown’s historic 70 Mulberry Street begins nearly seven years after fire

By Devin Gannon

Nearly seven years after a fire severely damaged a historic community building in Chinatown, city officials on Monday broke ground on a new structure set to replace it. In January 2020, a five-alarm fire broke out on the top floor of 70 Mulberry Street, a 19th-century former public school building that housed several nonprofit groups, damaging much of the building and displacing its tenants. Designed by Grimshaw Architects, the project rebuilds the facility as an eight-story cultural hub with more space for the public and a new art installation by Jennifer Wen Ma.
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Brooklyn’s DeKalb and Lafayette Avenues getting major bus and bike lane upgrades

Photo credit: NYC DOT

November 5, 2026

Brooklyn’s DeKalb and Lafayette Avenues getting major bus and bike lane upgrades

By Aaron Ginsburg

About 18,000 Brooklyn bus riders can soon expect faster service as the city breaks ground on a redesign of DeKalb and Lafayette Avenues. Mayor Zohran Mamdani and Department of Transportation (DOT) Commissioner Mike Flynn on Thursday announced the start of work on the project, which aims to speed up service for daily riders of the B38 bus. The project will redesign DeKalb Avenue from Broadway to Flatbush Avenue and Lafayette Avenue from Ashland Place to Patchen Avenue, adding 2.7 miles of new offset and curbside bus lanes, protected bike lanes, and other street safety improvements.
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NYC’s pied-à-terre tax can move forward, appeals court rules

Credit: Diane Picchiottino on Unsplash

November 5, 2026

NYC’s pied-à-terre tax can move forward, appeals court rules

By Aaron Ginsburg

New York City has won an appeal in a challenge to the rollout of its pied-à-terre tax, marking a victory for one of Mayor Zohran Mamdani's key agenda items. A state appeals court on Wednesday ruled that the Mamdani administration can continue rolling out the tax, reversing a September ruling by a Staten Island judge who said the city had mishandled the program's launch and must redo it. While the lawsuit challenged the program's rollout, not the tax itself, the surcharge still faces two ongoing lawsuits seeking to strike down the program.
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Policy

NYC subway saw over 3.1 million riders on Marathon Sunday, busiest in MTA history

Photo © 6sqft

November 4, 2026

NYC subway saw over 3.1 million riders on Marathon Sunday, busiest in MTA history

By Aaron Ginsburg

The New York City subway carried 3.14 million riders during the New York City Marathon last weekend, setting a new record for Sunday ridership. Gov. Kathy Hochul and the MTA on Monday announced the milestone, which coincided with the 50th anniversary of the event's five-borough race that closes roads across the city and encourages New Yorkers and visitors alike to use public transit. The November 1 total surpasses the previous Sunday record of 2.8 million riders last year.
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NYC voters approve all five Mamdani ballot proposals. Here’s what changes

Credit: Open Journalism Network by InOldNews on Flickr

November 4, 2026

NYC voters approve all five Mamdani ballot proposals. Here’s what changes

By Aaron Ginsburg

All five ballot proposals put forward by Mayor Zohran Mamdani's Charter Revision Commission passed on Tuesday, with New Yorkers voting to streamline city government and cut red tape around everything from outdoor dining to bike lanes and construction permits. The mayor's Commission on Government Efficiency (COGE), a charter commission he appointed to help advance his agenda, put forward the proposals. Ahead, find out what the approved proposals mean for city government moving forward.
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Policy

Floyd Bennett Field’s historic hangars get $10M in state funding for redevelopment

Floyd Bennett Field’s Hangers 3 and 4. Image courtesy of the National Park Service.

November 3, 2026

Floyd Bennett Field’s historic hangars get $10M in state funding for redevelopment

By Aaron Ginsburg

New York State is providing $10 million to help restore and reactivate two historic hangars at Brooklyn’s Floyd Bennett Field for the first time in nearly a century. Gov. Kathy Hochul announced on Monday the funding for the Jamaica Bay-Rockaway Parks Conservancy’s (JBRPC) efforts to transform hangars 3 and 4 into a year-round public space at what was once New York City’s first municipal airport.
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Policy

NYC unveils latest sidewalk shed designs

Photos by Patrick Sullivan

November 3, 2026

NYC unveils latest sidewalk shed designs

By Aaron Ginsburg

A new generation of sidewalk sheds has debuted in New York City, ushering in a less unsightly way to protect pedestrians from falling debris. Two innovative scaffolding structures designed by Practice for Architecture and Urbanism (PAU) are now on view outside the city’s Department of Buildings headquarters at 280 Broadway in Lower Manhattan. The designs were first revealed last month, when Mayor Zohran Mamdani announced that the city had reduced the number of active sidewalk sheds across the five boroughs by roughly 1,200 since January, a 15 percent decline.
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Mamdani threatens to sue ICE for ‘illegal’ use of city-owned parking lots

Mayor Mamdani held a press conference on ICE shooting in Marble Hill on October 8, 2026. Photo courtesy of Kara McCurdy | Mayoral Photography Office on Flickr

November 2, 2026

Mamdani threatens to sue ICE for ‘illegal’ use of city-owned parking lots

By Aaron Ginsburg

Mayor Zohran Mamdani on Monday threatened to sue federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) unless its agents immediately stop using city-owned property as staging grounds for its operations. The mayor sent a letter to the Trump administration demanding that ICE cease its “illegal” use of city-owned lots for immigration enforcement operations, arguing that the activity endangers New Yorkers and “sows fear” among those seeking to access city property. Mamdani also called on the federal agency to issue guidance barring agents from using city-owned lots to stage operations, warning that the city would pursue legal action if ICE fails to comply.
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Policy

October 30, 2026

Upper East Side movie theater Cinema 123 by Angelika has closed after 60+ years

By Devin Gannon

Manhattan's East Side has lost another movie theater. Cinema 123 by Angelika closed on Thursday after more than 60 years on the Upper East Side. Reading International, the owner of the theater, agreed to sell the property in September for $41 million. The closure follows the announcement that an AMC theater in Kips Bay would shutter by the end of the year.
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Policy

Brooklyn gets its first on-street trash containers for apartment buildings

Photo courtesy of Michael Appleton/Mayoral Photography Office on Flickr

October 30, 2026

Brooklyn gets its first on-street trash containers for apartment buildings

By Aaron Ginsburg

Brooklyn's first residential on-street trash containers were installed on Thursday in the city's latest effort to get rid of piles of trash on sidewalks. Mayor Zohran Mamdani announced that Brooklyn Community District 2 will receive 700 on-street trash containers, known as Empire Bins, with full containerization targeted for completion by the end of fall. The announcement follows Mamdani’s April plan to expand the program to six additional community districts and builds on the success of a pilot in West Harlem, which became the first neighborhood in North America to containerize its trash in June 2025.
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Policy

City will redesign Sunset Park’s deadly Third Avenue

Photo courtesy of NYC DOT

October 28, 2026

City will redesign Sunset Park’s deadly Third Avenue

By Aaron Ginsburg

Nearly two months after a nurse was killed by a hit-and-run driver, a notoriously dangerous stretch of Third Avenue in Sunset Park is set for a major redesign. On Wednesday, Mayor Zohran Mamdani announced that the Department of Transportation will overhaul a 2.1-mile stretch of the avenue next year, from 62nd to 20th Streets, with pedestrian islands, improved intersections, and protected bike lanes. The plan responds to years of calls from Sunset Park residents for street safety improvements following multiple fatal traffic incidents, demands that failed to move forward under former Mayor Eric Adams’ administration.
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NYC wants your input on plans to create 40 miles of greenways in the outer boroughs

Credit: NYC DOT on Flickr

October 28, 2026

NYC wants your input on plans to create 40 miles of greenways in the outer boroughs

By Aaron Ginsburg

New Yorkers are being invited to weigh in on the city’s plans to create more than 40 miles of greenways across the outer boroughs. Department of Transportation (DOT) Commissioner Mike Flynn on Monday announced that the planning process for four greenways in the Bronx, Brooklyn, Staten Island, and southern Queens will begin this fall. Residents interested in shaping the projects can attend a series of workshops. The first workshop, focused on the Bronx greenway, is slated for November 4.
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Central Park breaks ground on new $35.7M stormwater system

Credit: Ed Reed/Mayoral Photography Office on Flickr

October 27, 2026

Central Park breaks ground on new $35.7M stormwater system

By Aaron Ginsburg

Work began this week on a $35.7 million project to reduce flooding across Harlem by improving stormwater management in northern Central Park. Gov. Kathy Hochul, Mayor Zohran Mamdani, and the Central Park Conservancy on Monday broke ground on the North End Recirculation Project, which will ease pressure on the combined sewer system serving the park and surrounding neighborhoods while conserving the city’s drinking water supply. Slated for completion in fall 2028, the project is expected to divert 132 million gallons of water from local sewers and save 175 million gallons of drinking water annually.
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Policy

City Council votes to ban horse-drawn carriages in Central Park

Photo credit: Bee on Unsplash

October 23, 2026

City Council votes to ban horse-drawn carriages in Central Park

By Michelle Cohen

The New York City Council on Thursday voted to end the use of horse-drawn carriages in Central Park by June 2028. The bill in question, drafted with the cooperation of Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s office, passed by a veto-proof margin of 40 to 7, as expected.
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Policy

NYC Council passes bill giving nonprofits first dibs on buying distressed apartment buildings

Photo courtesy of Alex Krales/NYC Council Media Unit on Flickr

October 23, 2026

NYC Council passes bill giving nonprofits first dibs on buying distressed apartment buildings

By Devin Gannon

The New York City Council on Thursday passed a bill that gives nonprofit groups first dibs on buying certain distressed properties, six years after the original legislation was introduced. Lawmakers voted to approve the Community Opportunity to Purchase Act (COPA), which gives qualified nonprofit organizations, including community land trusts, the first opportunity ahead of for-profit developers to bid on troubled apartment buildings, which supporters say will preserve affordable housing.
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NYC installs red light cameras at 600 intersections

Photo by Billie Grace Ward on Flickr

October 22, 2026

NYC installs red light cameras at 600 intersections

By Devin Gannon

The city has installed red light cameras at 450 more intersections, bringing the total to 600 intersections across the five boroughs, the maximum allowed under state law. The cameras have reduced red-light running by more than 80 percent at camera locations, with injuries from rear-end collisions cut by 60 percent and injuries from T-bone crashes by 70 percent.
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Coney Island’s 1890 lighthouse could be landmarked

Photo by Dennis Fraevich on Flickr

October 20, 2026

Coney Island’s 1890 lighthouse could be landmarked

By Devin Gannon

A historic lighthouse in Brooklyn may become a New York City landmark. The Landmarks Preservation Commission on Tuesday voted to calendar the Coney Island Light, an iron-framed lighthouse built in 1890, for consideration as an individual landmark. One of the oldest structures in Coney Island, the lighthouse sits within the private community, Sea Gate. Since the neighborhood is closed off to non-residents, most New Yorkers have never been able to access the historic building, which is owned by the U.S. Coast Guard and leased to the community's homeowners association. It's unclear whether a landmark designation would make it open to the public.
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New York designates ‘Little Yemen’ in the Bronx as a cultural district

Photo by Darren McGee/Office of Governor Kathy Hochul on Flickr

October 19, 2026

New York designates ‘Little Yemen’ in the Bronx as a cultural district

By Devin Gannon

One of New York City's fastest-growing immigrant enclaves was officially recognized by the state over the weekend. Gov. Kathy Hochul on Sunday signed legislation that establishes Little Yemen in the East Bronx as a cultural district, honoring the heritage and contributions of Yemeni Americans. The official designation also allows local organizations to become eligible for state grants and other assistance. Located within the Van Nest neighborhood, the new district is bordered by White Plains Road, Bronxdale Avenue, and Van Nest Avenue, where there are more than 500 businesses owned by people of Middle Eastern descent within a one-mile area.
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Federal judge rejects Trump challenge to NYC sanctuary laws

Photo credit: via Pixabay

October 16, 2026

Federal judge rejects Trump challenge to NYC sanctuary laws

By Michelle Cohen

A federal judge this week tossed out a lawsuit from the Trump administration challenging New York City's laws that restrict local law enforcement from cooperating with federal immigration authorities. On Thursday, Judge Ramón E. Reyes Jr., a U.S. District Court judge in Brooklyn, rejected a lawsuit brought by the White House against New York City’s sanctuary laws. The ruling held that the U.S. government can’t force police and other city agencies to aid in enforcing civil immigration laws. The ruling is the latest blow to the administration's efforts to compel cities and states to cooperate with the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agency's aggressive mass deportation campaign.
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Policy

Citi Bike completes expansion with 230 new stations in seven NYC neighborhoods

Photo by Amaury Laporte on Flickr

October 15, 2026

Citi Bike completes expansion with 230 new stations in seven NYC neighborhoods

By Devin Gannon

Citi Bike is now available to more New Yorkers. Mayor Zohran Mamdani, the city's Department of Transportation, and Lyft announced on Thursday the completion of a major expansion of the bike-share program, with 230 stations and 3,700 docks added to seven neighborhoods. The expansion was first announced under former Mayor Eric Adams as a way to reach underserved neighborhoods and add more stations to high-demand areas.
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6 NYC subway stations begin ADA upgrades funded by congestion pricing

Photo by Angeline Wagner on Unsplash

October 15, 2026

6 NYC subway stations begin ADA upgrades funded by congestion pricing

By Devin Gannon

The first subway station elevator built with funds from congestion pricing began construction this week. Gov. Kathy Hochul on Thursday announced the groundbreaking for the accessibility upgrade project at the 42nd Street-Bryant Park/5th Avenue complex, which includes four new elevators, a stair-free corridor in the station, accessible bathrooms, and new fare gates. Bryant Park is one of six station accessibility projects that kicked off this week, paid for using revenue from the city's congestion pricing program.
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Policy

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