Sunnyside Yard Master Plan Released by City and Amtrak

The plan calls for 100 percent affordable housing with emphasis on lowest incomes, transportation, new parks and open space. On March 4, 2020, the New York City Economic Development Corporation announced Mayor Bill de Blasio’s and Amtrak’s Sunnyside Yard Master Plan. The Plan’s framework will focus on building new public transit and making all housing affordable, especially for New Yorkers earning less than $50,000 per year. Sunnyside Yard is bounded by Northern Boulevard to … <Read More>


Bicycle Riding and Injuries, Tort Claims and Defenses

Bike riding is enjoyable, healthy and fun. It can also be dangerous. The City is heavily invested in encouraging bike riding and bike safety. Yet, accidents happen, and when they do bike riders may opt to sue. Bike riders receive no special status as tort plaintiffs. Bike riders in court live by the same rules that govern tort claims by pedestrians and car drivers. As New York courts have repeatedly stated, a “bicyclist is required … <Read More>


NYCEDC Announces Community Outreach Phase of Hunts Point Redevelopment Plan

The New York City Economic Development Corporation (NYCEDC) selected a team at the Pratt Center for Community Development to facilitate community outreach for a plan to redevelop Hunts Point. Starting this spring, NYCEDC and the Pratt Center for Community Development will host public workshops and meetings for the Hunts Point community as part of its engagement plan. Over the next 18 months, residents and businesses will share their opinions on the current state of Hunts … <Read More>


DDC Annouces Request for Qualifications for Borough-Based Jail Construction

Contracting for the construction of the Borough-Based Jails under way. On February 4, 2020, the Department of Design and Construction announced the issuance of four Request for Qualifications for the Design-Build teams that might construct the new borough based jails.  The four jails will be located at 24-125 White Street in Manhattan, 745 East 141st Street in the Bronx, 126-02 82nd Avenue in Queens and at 275 Atlantic Avenue in Brooklyn.


Landmarks Awards Five Grants to Repair Protected Properties

Recipients in all five boroughs received anywhere from $10,000 to $35,000 to restore, repair or rehabilitate the facades of their buildings. On January 16, 2020, the Landmarks Preservation Commission (LPC) awarded five grants to low and moderate-income homeowners and nonprofits to offset the cost of repairs to their landmarked properties as part of the Historic Preservation Grant Program. The program is funded by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s Community Development Block Grant … <Read More>


CityLaw Profile: Allen P. Cappelli: City Planning Commission Member

On October 17, 2019, the City Council approved a plan to replace Rikers Island.  A month earlier, Allen P. Cappelli, a member of the City Planning Commission, had voted with the 9-3 majority in favor of the application. Cappelli called Rikers Island an “absolute abomination” and in need of “shuttering.” Cappelli’s vote reflected four decades of public service.