City Planning Holds Public Hearing for Mixed-Use Building with Affordable Housing in Flatbush

On August 23, 2023, the City Planning Commission held a public hearing for the 534 Coney Island Avenue project, an application that would enable the construction of a mixed commercial and residential use building in the Flatbush and Kensington area of Brooklyn. The proposed building site is currently a fast-food restaurant. The applicant seeks to rezone part of the block surrounded by Hinckley Place to the north, Coney Island Avenue to the east, Beverly Road … <Read More>


DOT Announces Declines in Speeding, Injuries and Fatalities in Areas with Speed Cameras During First Year of 24/7 Enforcement

On August 28, 2023, the Department of Transportation announced the results following the end of the first year of 24/7 enforcement of speed cameras. Previously, speed cameras were only allowed to operate weekdays from 6 AM to 10 PM. Around-the-clock enforcement started August 1, 2022 after Governor Kathy Hochul signed the change into state law. The legislation was sponsored by State Senator Andrew Gounardes and Assemblymember Deborah J. Glick. 


NYCHA Announces Waste Containerization Pilot Program

On August 10, 2023, the New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA) announced the launch of a waste containerization pilot program for five NYCHA developments across South Brooklyn. The program, Clean Curbs for All, aims to reduce food sources from trash left out on curbs for pests like rats to consume and continue to grow. 


City Launches Automated Enforcement Against Overweight Trucks on BQE

On August 7, 2023, Mayor Eric Adams and Department of Transportation Commissioner Ydanis Rodriguez announced the launch of an automated enforcement program for overweight trucks on the Brooklyn-Queens Expressway (BQE). Transportation’s analysis has identified nearly ten percent of all trucks on the BQE as overweight, which can further add to the ongoing structural issues the BQE has experienced over the past few decades.


Mayor Announces Expansion of “Big Apple Connect” to 17 New NYCHA Developments

On August 1, 2023, Mayor Eric Adams and Office of Technology and Innovation Commissioner Matthew Fraser announced the expansion of “Big Apple Connect” to 17 new public housing developments across Manhattan, Brooklyn and the Bronx. The Big Apple Connect program provides NYCHA residents with a free bundle of high-speed internet, including equipment, basic cable TV service, and common area Wi-Fi hotspots. The program aims to enhance digital equity by enabling New Yorkers to have access <Read More>


Changes to Trash Set-Out Times Show Early Positive Impact on Rat Activity

On July 25, 2023, Mayor Eric Adams, Sanitation Department (DSNY) Commissioner Jessica Tisch, and Director of Citywide Rodent Mitigation Kathleen Corradi announced that changing to later trash set-out times have had a positive impact on reducing rat activity citywide. Compared to the same period in 2022, the number of 311 calls made about rat activity citywide decreased by 20 percent from May to mid-July 2023, and the City’s four rat mitigation zones—Bronx Grand Concourse, Harlem, … <Read More>