Mayor Announces Settlement with Landlord Over Illegal Evictions and Unlawful Short-Term Rentals

The property will be turned over to the City to be converted to affordable housing as part of the settlement. On February 23, 2022, Mayor Eric Adams announced that a settlement had been reached between the City and Gennaro Brooks-Church and Loretta Gendville, the owners of 1214 Dean Street in Crown Heights, Brooklyn. The settlement comes after tenants were illegally evicted in 2020 and the couple operated illegal short-term rentals across nine buildings for four <Read More>


Mayor Adams Appoints Parks Leadership

On February 4, 2022, Mayor Eric Adams announced his appointments to lead the Department of Parks and Recreation. The appointments are Susan M. Donoghue as Commissioner of the Parks Department, and Iris Rodriguez-Rosa as First Deputy Commissioner. The appointments are the latest in Mayor Adams’ new administration. 


Mayor Announces Affordable Housing Leadership Appointments

The three appointments are the latest to the new Adams administration. On January 30, 2022, Mayor Eric Adams announced his appointments for his administration’s affordable housing administration and policy team. The new appointees are Jessica Katz as the Chief Housing Officer; Adolfo Carrión Jr. as the new Commissioner of the Department of Housing and Preservation (HPD); and Eric Enderlin, who will continue to serve as the president of the Housing Development Corporation (HDC). The <Read More>


Mayor Announces New Measures to Bolster Tenant Protections, Outreach

The Mayor joins a collective call from New York leadership at the federal, state and municipal levels to help New Yorkers avoid evictions with federal rental assistance. On January 13, 2022, Mayor Eric Adams announced a new push to promote tenant protections that are available in New York City and called for an infusion of funds from the US Department of Treasury into the state’s Emergency Rental Assistance Program. The announcement comes as the state’s <Read More>


Mayor Announces $40 Million Allocation to Restore Prospect Park Vale

A previous public engagement process revealed the desire for flexible community space, restrooms, and an amphitheater. On December 16, 2021, Mayor Bill de Blasio announced an allocation of $40 million to restore parts of the Vale in Prospect Park. The Vale is a 26-acre stretch in the northeast corner of Prospect Park. The allocation is the largest in history for the Prospect Park Alliance, the non-profit that maintains the park in partnership with city government. 


Mayor’s Office Announces Jay Street Busway to be Permanent

DOT data shows increase in speeds along the busway by 47 percent. On November 19, 2021, Mayor Bill de Blasio and DOT Commissioner Hank Gutman announced that the Jay Street Busway in Downtown Brooklyn will now be permanent. The busway runs on Jay Street between Tillary Street and Livingston Street. The busway was in a pilot program as part of the Better Buses Restart Plan since August 2020.