On February 23, 2023, the New York City Department of City Planning announced the creation of the Community Planning and Engagement Division within the department. The new division will consist of seven members and is tasked with getting community input on new policy developments handled by the Department of City Planning and related agencies.
On January 24, 2023, the New York City Council Committee on Housing and Buildings held a public hearing on Introduction 150-2022. The bill, sponsored by Council Member Justin Brannan from Brooklyn, creates requirements for electric vehicle charging stations in open lots and garages.
On March 22, 2023, the Department of Housing, Preservation and Development (HPD) announced the release of a request for proposals (RFP) for tenant organizing groups to expand the Partners in Preservation program. The program preserves rent-regulated housing units and supports tenant organizers who work with the agency and tenants to fight harassment, displacement, and poor living conditions.
On March 23, 2023, Mayor Eric Adams announced the expansion of the “Big Apple Connect,” the nation’s largest municipal broadband program that provides free internet and basic cable TV service to NYCHA developments. The program, launched last fall, is designed to help bridge the “digital divide”; according to cable service providers, between 30 to 40 percent of NYCHA residents are not subscribed to a broadband service.
On March 20, 2023, the Parks Department announced that 240 new “second shift” employees had been recently hired to address park cleanliness issues on evenings and weekends. The new deployment of workers will operate on Thursdays through Sundays during evening hours to address trash, litter and graffiti at certain hotspots around the city. The staff’s efforts to clean up trash and litter will also serve as part of the city’s efforts to push back against … <Read More>
On March 21, 2023, officials from the New York City Department of Housing preservation and Development (HPD), Housing Development Corporation (HDC), and Economic Development Corporation (EDC) joined development partners to celebrate the opening of 1101 and 1089 President Street in Crown Heights, Brooklyn. New residents moved into the new two affordable buildings that were part of the redevelopment of the Bedford Union Armory.