City Planning Hears Application for New Affordable and Supportive Housing, Arts Center in East Harlem

On November 29, 2023, the City Planning Commission held a public hearing for an application to create a mixed-use 100 percent affordable building at 101 East 118th Street in East Harlem. The proposed 19-story building, called Timbale Terrace, will also be the new home for Afro Latin Jazz Alliance. The site is currently a parking lot for the New York Police Department’s 25th Precinct. The application was presented by the Department of Housing Preservation and <Read More>


NYCHA Discontinues Over 31,000 Non-Payment Cases in Housing Court

The pandemic and eviction moratorium provided NYCHA with an opportunity to reassess the agency’s approach to non-payment cases. On February 3, 2022, the New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA) announced that the agency has discontinued over 31,000 rental non-payment cases in housing court without judicial intervention. There were approximately 34,000 non-payment cases from NYCHA before the housing court; the discontinuance will result in a resolution of 90 percent of these cases. 


City Launches Landlord-Tenant Mediation Project for Housing Security

The Community Dispute Resolution Centers will be available in all five boroughs. On July 21, 2020, Mayor de Blasio and the Taskforce on Racial Inclusion and Equity announced the start of a new mediation program for small landlords and tenants across the City. The Citywide Landlord-Tenant Mediation Project will provide both parties with an opportunity to resolve rent-related disputes outside of the housing court system to prevent evictions during the pandemic.


Chief Administrative Judge Issues Statewide Moratorium on Eviction Proceedings in Wake of Corona Crisis

REBNY, Legal Aid and all parties united against evictions during Corona outbreak. On March 15, 2020, the New York State Court System issued an indefinite moratorium on eviction proceedings, effectively allowing many people and families throughout the state to stay in their homes and off the streets or in shelters. Tenant advocates and numerous elected officials argued housing insecurity and homelessness will only exacerbate the COVID-19 threat. The proceedings which a New York City … <Read More>


Council Member Melinda Katz Shares Her Insights on Land Use Issues

Council Member Melinda Katz is Chair of the Land Use Committee, a position she has held since 2002, when she was first elected to the City Council. The City’s land use review process requires that almost all major land use initiatives, with few exceptions, pass her desk for review. During her tenure as Chair, Katz “worked as a team” with the Bloomberg administration on the City-initiated rezonings, the largest rezoning initiative since 1961, covering roughly … <Read More>


Mayor Appoints Jimmy Oddo as DOB Commissioner; Molly Wasow Park as DSS Commissioner

On April 27, 2023, Mayor Eric Adams announced his appointments for Commissioners for the Department of Buildings and Department of Social Services. Jimmy Oddo will be the new commissioner of the Department of Buildings, and Molly Wasow Park will be the new commissioner for the Department of Social Services, after serving as Acting Commissioner since March 2023. 

Jimmy Oddo – Department of Buildings Commissioner

Jimmy Oddo received a bachelor’s degree in history from Fordham University <Read More>