Council member Mark Levine. Image credit: William Alatriste/NYC Council

If enacted into law, Intro 214 would make New York City the first municipality in the nation to provide free legal representation to low-income tenants in Housing Court.  On March 26, 2014, the “Right to Counsel” bill was introduced in the New York City Council by co-sponsors Council members Mark Levine and Vanessa Gibson.  The proposed law would provide free legal representation to low-income City tenants and homeowners earning income that is not in excess of 125% of the federal poverty line and facing eviction and foreclosure proceedings in Housing Court.

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(l to r) Councilmembers Rosie Mendez, Ben Kallos, and Corey Johnson speak at a rally against Mayor Bill de Blasio’s proposed citywide rezoning plan. Image credit: William Alatriste/New York City Council

Speakers argued the plan eliminates residential zoning protections with little affordable housing benefit.  On March 25, 2015 the Greenwich Village Society for Historic Preservation held a press conference on the steps of City Hall to protest Mayor Bill de Blasio’s proposed citywide rezoning plan, “Zoning for Quality and Affordability”.  According to the Department of City Planning, the plan was created in response to zoning barriers identified by DCP and the Department of Housing Preservation and Development that constrain new housing creation and impede Mayor de Blasio’s Housing New York plan to create and preserve more affordable housing in the city.

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Roadway dining, like at this restaurant in Bay Ridge, will look like this and move away from enclosed sheds under the proposed permanent open restaurant plan. Image Credit: NYC DOT

Many elected officials raised concerns about DOT’s ability to handle the scale and capacity of a citywide permanent open restaurants program. On February 8, 2022, the City Council Subcommittee on Zoning and Franchises held a joint hearing with the Committee on Consumer and Worker Protection on the proposed permanent open restaurant program. The proposed permanent open restaurant program will replace the temporary program and establish a new streamlined program for the creation, management and enforcement of sidewalk and roadway cafes operated by the Department of Transportation.  As of the writing of this article, 12,133 restaurants and cafes are participating in the temporary open restaurant program, which is set to expire at the end of 2022. For CityLand’s prior coverage of the permanent open restaurants program approval process, click here. (more…)

Image credit: New York City Council.

The bill furthers the City’s goals of reducing greenhouse gas emissions citywide. On August 26, 2021, the City Council voted to approve a bill that requires the New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA) to report the greenhouse gas emissions for NYCHA’s buildings. Int. 2283-A, sponsored by Council Member Helen Rosenthal, aims to promote transparency and further the City’s goals of reducing greenhouse gas emissions citywide. The bill helps strengthen the efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions established in Local Law 97 of 2019, which established greenhouse gas emission limits for existing buildings. (more…)

Image credit: New York City Council.

The bill reduces or eliminates some fines. On June 17, 2021, the City Council voted to pass a bill that reduces fines and allows opportunities to remedy certain violations for 185 civil penalties. Int. No. 2233-A, sponsored by Council Member Vanessa Gibson, provides civil penalty relief from 185 different sanitation, health, transportation, consumer affairs, noise control and buildings violations. (more…)