Image credit: NYC Department of Parks & Recreation.

The improvements to Faber Park provide a more open and welcoming experience and assists in the Department of Parks and Recreation’s goal to create a more equitable park system. On April 22, 2021, New York City Department of Parks and Recreation Commissioner Silver announced the completion of improvements to Faber Park in the Richmond Terrace neighborhood in Staten Island. Funded by Mayor de Blasio and Council Member Deborah Rose, the improvements to Faber Park come as a part of the 800 capital projects completed under Commissioner Silver to establish a more equitable park system in New York City.

Image Credit: NYC SBS

The Fair Share NYC: Restaurants Program helps to provide funds to restaurants that were hit hardest by the COVID-19 pandemic by connecting them to federal grants. On April 28, 2021, Mayor Bill de Blasio and the Department of Small Business Services announced the launch of Fair Share NYC: Restaurants. This new program will help connect restaurants to federal relief funds.

Mayor Bill de Blasio. Image credit: CityLand

Geothermal heating and cooling are a very efficient and environmentally clean technology and energy that has been in use for decades but has gone underutilized by New York City. On April 21, 2021, Mayor de Blasio announced the first steps that will be taken to advance New York City’s transition to district geothermal systems. These geothermal systems will help replace fuel oil and natural gas, fundamentally changing how New York City heats and cools its buildings.

Image from DCP Open House website, comparing a stretch of Eastchester Road in the Bronx with what it could possibly look like after the Metro-North train station construction and other land use changes. Image Credit: NYC DCP

The Department’s ongoing study uses community feedback to assess land use needs in the East Bronx. On April 30, 2021, the Department of City Planning released a new public engagement website for four new future Metro-North train stations in the east Bronx. The Metro-North Stations are planned for the Hunts Point, Parkchester/Van Nest, Morris Park and Co-Op City neighborhoods and will connect with Penn Station and locations further north. Currently, there is information for the Morris Park and Parkchester/Van Nest stations, with information about the Co-Op City and Hunts Points stations to be provided at a later date.

Image credit: New York City Council.

Free representation in housing court for low income tenants will now be available citywide. On April 29, 2021, the City Council passed three bills advancing tenants rights. Two of the bills focus on expanding the right to counsel in housing court for tenants citywide and an outreach program to notify tenants of their rights. The third bill focuses on tenant data privacy. All three bills were sponsored by Council Member Mark Levine. 

13-15 Christopher Street. Image Credit: Google Maps

Tenant used property as an illegal short-term rental. On April 12, 2019, the owner purchased a single-family dwelling with a rear building at 13-15 Christopher Street in the West Village in Manhattan.  The tenant had been advertising the property on Homeaway.com, a vacation rental website owned by the Expedia Group. At the time of the purchase, the owner claimed not to have knowledge of the illegal transient use. On May 10, 2019, Buildings issued a transient use summons against the owner for the front building—a different building at the same address. Subsequently on July 3, 2019, a Department of Buildings officer observed that the owner’s rear building was occupied by six short-term guests. The officer issued four summonses to the owner charging an Aggravated I penalty for a recurring condition.