On October 10, 2024, the City Council passed Int. 956-C, an amendment allowing approved or alternative artwork to be painted directly on sidewalk sheds or construction fences. The bill transforms unsightly sheds and scaffolding into artistic expressions while the City maintains its efforts to Get Sheds Down and incentivize property owners to expedite building façade repairs.
Council Votes to End Forced Broker Fees for Tenants
On November 13, 2024, the City Council voted to approve the FARE Act, which requires brokers to be paid by the party who hired them. The bill was sponsored by Council Member Chi Ossé.
Council Passes Bill Legalizing Jaywalking
On September 26, 2024, the City Council passed Introduction Number 346-A which would legalize “jaywalking,” the practice of a pedestrian crossing a roadway outside of a marked or unmarked crosswalk or against traffic signals. The legislation allows pedestrians to legally cross a road from any point, even outside of a marked or unmarked crossword, regardless of traffic signals. The local law specifies that jaywalking will not violate the administrative code and cannot be used as … <Read More>
NY Elections, Census and Redistricting Update 11/12/24
By Jeff Wice, Alexis Marking, & Jennifer Hutz.
This week- NYS Voting Rights Act Stricken; Election Turnout, Louisiana Redistricting
N.Y. VOTING RIGHTS ACT LITIGATION
New York Voting Rights Act Struck Down in Clarke v. Newburgh (Orange County)
The New York Voting Rights Act (NYVRA) was struck down in a decision from the Orange County Supreme Court. In January, three Black and three Hispanic residents of Newburgh filed this lawsuit. The residents alleged that … <Read More>
Could Public Space Stewards Help Make New York City More Livable?
By Mark Chiusano
For obvious reasons I was recently revisiting a small controversy over the usage of public space in a certain midtown Manhattan building: Trump Tower.
In 2016, Donald Trump and New York City went back and forth over whether the building had to keep some public benches in the lobby. During construction decades earlier, the tower had been allowed to rise higher in exchange for a little bit of public space (some of … <Read More>
Landmarks Designates Jacob Day House as Individual Landmark
On October 22, 2024, the Landmarks Preservation Commission (Landmarks) voted unanimously to designate the Jacob Day House, located at 50 West 13th Street in the Greenwich Village neighborhood of Manhattan, as an individual landmark. Jacob Day, a prominent Black businessman, abolitionist, and property owner, lived and operated his catering business out of the home from 1859 until his death in 1884. Day also rented apartments and rooms on the building’s upper two floors to other … <Read More>