City Receives Over $10 Million in Grants to Support Electrification of Governors Island Ferry, Operation of Staten Island Ferry

On December 1, 2023, Mayor Eric Adams announced that the city has received over $10 million from the U.S. Federal Transit Administration to support ferry services to Staten Island and Governor’s Island. The funding includes a $7.5 million grant to install shoreside rapid charging infrastructure for the new hybrid-electric Governors Island Ferry and $3 million to rehabilitate the City’s Department of Transportation offsite storage facility that supports the Staten Island Ferry. 


Mayor’s Office Announces Governors Island Will Be Open Year-Round for the Public Starting in the Fall

The island has seen large growth in visitors over the past several years. On September 28, 2021, Mayor Bill de Blasio and the Trust for Governors Island announced that Governors Island will now be open year-round to the public starting November 1st. Governors Island, a 172 acre island in New York Harbor, was previously only open seasonally from May to October. 


New Appointments to Governors Island Board of Directors Announced

The six new appointees will help oversee the Trust’s planning , operations, and development decisions. On April 14, 2021, Mayor de Blasio announced new appointments to the Trust for Governors Island Board of Directors. The appointments are Donnel Baird, Alice Blank, Lisa Garcia, Grace Lee, Michael Oppenheimer, and Matthew Washington. The appointed members have a combined wealth of knowledge and backgrounds in the fields of green technology, climate science, environmental justice, architecture, business, government, and … <Read More>


RFP Issued to Develop Climate Solutions Work Hub on Governors Island

The center would be a part of advancing the City’s Recovery Agenda. On October 21, 2020, Mayor de Blasio and the Trust for Governors Island issued a request for proposals to develop a hub for businesses and non-profits working on the climate and the environment in Building 301 – a historic waterfront building located on the Northern section of Governors Island. This project is an early step to establish Governors Island as a leading center … <Read More>


Mayor Appoints Anita Laremont as City Planning Commission Chair

Laremont has worked with the Department of City Planning since 2014. On September 23, 2021, Mayor Bill de Blasio announced that Anita Laremont will serve as the next Chair of the City Planning Commission and Director of the Department of City Planning. The appointment is effective immediately, and Chair Laremont succeeds outgoing Chair Marisa Lago, who will be joining the U.S. Department of Commerce after being selected by the Biden Administration. 


Jamie Torres-Springer Appointed New Commissioner of Design and Construction

Torres-Springer, the former First Deputy Commissioner of the department, will be succeeding Senior Advisor for Recovery and outgoing Commissioner Lorraine Grillo. On March 23, 2021, Mayor Bill de Blasio appointed Jamie Torres-Springer as Commissioner of the New York City Department of Design and Construction. Torres-Springer will be succeeding Lorraine Grillo. Former Commissioner Grillo left the position earlier in March to serve as the City’s Senior Advisor for Recovery.