Prison Populations, The Census, and Prison Gerrymandering

Prison gerrymandering manipulates the boundaries of electoral districts by inflating the districts with incarcerated individuals who have no real relationship to the districts where the prisons are located. Incarcerated individuals in New York are not allowed to vote. As a result, in districts with prisons and large prison populations the votes of the voters who can vote become more powerful compared to the vote of the voters in districts without a prison population. At the … <Read More>



Homeless project survives challenge

A not-for-profit proposed to convert two buildings in Ozone Park into homeless services facilities. In July 2016, Common Ground Management Corporation, a not-for-profit organization, applied to the City of New York for approval of a homeless shelter and services project. The non-for-profit organization intended to convert two multistory adjacent buildings in Ozone Park into temporary housing for homeless adults that would provide medical and psychiatric services, meals, laundry, and showers for stays of up to … <Read More>


City Planning Hears Application for Supportive Housing and Shelter Redevelopment in East Midtown

The new building will allow Project Renewal to continue to operate its shelter while also offering permanent supportive and affordable housing. On January 19, 2022, the City Planning Commission heard an application from the Department of Housing Preservation and Development (HPD) and Department of Homeless Services (DHS) to facilitate the construction of a new 21-story building at 225 East 45th Street in East Midtown. The new building, which will provide supportive and affordable housing and <Read More>


DDC Announces Six Firms to Compete for Borough-Based Jails Projects

Design-build teams have already been selected to handle the demolition of structures on the current sites. On December 29, 2021, the Department of Design and Construction announced that six teams have been approved to develop detailed proposals for the design and construction of four smaller borough-based jails in Manhattan, Queens, Brooklyn, and the Bronx. The borough-based jails project aims to replace the facilities on Rikers Island permanently with smaller jails that will allow for populations <Read More>