Landmarks Announces Historic Preservation Grant Recipients

Recipients will receive between $15,000 and $35,000 for repairs and restorations, the Landmarks Preservation Commission will also be providing hands-on assistance with the project. On March 2, 2021, the Landmarks Preservation Commission announced five new grant awards through the Historic Preservation Grant Program. The Grant Program is set up to assist homeowners and non-profit organizations with building restoration.


City Reaches Settlement Agreement with Verizon FiOS Regarding Expansion

The new agreement stresses the need for internet access. On November 24, 2020, Mayor Bill de Blasio announce efforts to tackle the digital divide in New York City by ensuring that Verizon builds out its FiOS footprint to 500,000 additional householders, making high-speed fiber broadband available to more New Yorkers. Verizon failed to meet the terms of its current cable franchise agreement made with the Bloomberg administration to build out its FiOS network.


Housing Rights Civic Tech Competition Winners Announced

NYC[x] Co-Labs challenge hopes to address housing rights of NYC’s most vulnerable communities. On November 12, 2020, the New York Mayor’s Office of the Chief Technology Officer, the New York City Economic Development Corporation, the NYC Department of Housing Preservation and Development, the NYC Mayor’s Office to Protect Tenants, and the communities of Inwood and Washington Heights announced the winners and the honorable mentions for the NYC[x] Co-Labs Housing Rights Challenge. This challenge invited innovative … <Read More>


Landmarks Designates Angel Guardian Home as Individual Landmark

The landmark highlights the history of social services in Brooklyn. On November 10, 2020, the Landmarks Preservation Commission voted to designate the Angel Guardian Home as an individual landmark. The Angel Guardian Home, located at 6301 12th Avenue in Dyker Heights, Brooklyn, is a former orphanage operated by the Sisters of Mercy. It is the first individual landmark in Dyker Heights.


City Council Holds Hearing to Address Deed Fraud Crisis

Proposed legislation would include requirements to provide information about how to respond to suspected deed fraud. On October 13, 2020, the City Council Committee of Housing and Buildings and the Committee on Finance held an oversight hearing examining the City’s deed theft and deed fraud crisis, and discussed two bills and a resolution aimed at combatting deed theft: Int 1913, Int 1919, and Res 1427.


HPD Releases Stats and Guidance as City’s Heat Season Begins

The agency received over 98,000 unique complaints about heat or hot water last season. On October 1, 2020, the Department of Housing Preservation and Development announced the start of the 2020 – 2021 heat season, in which all residential building owners are required to maintain specific indoor temperatures. From October 1, 2020 through May 31, 2021, building owners must maintain indoor temperatures at 68 degrees when outdoor temperatures are below 55 degrees during the daytime <Read More>