City Council Votes to Approve Outdoor Dining Plan

After a year and a half since the bill was introduced, the Council finally votes to create a permanent outdoor dining program. On August 3, 2023, the City Council voted to approve Int 31-C, which establishes a permanent outdoor dining program. The program will allow sidewalk cafes to operate annually and roadway cafes to operate seasonally, with removable furniture and decor replacing solid dining shed structures. The program follows the temporary outdoor dining program that <Read More>


Mayor and DOB Announce Overhaul of Sidewalk Construction Shed Rules

Sidewalk sheds stay up for an average of over 500 days, but some stay up for several years. On July 24, 2023, Mayor Eric Adams and Department of Buildings Commissioner Jimmy Oddo announced “Get Sheds Down,” an overhaul of the rules relating to sidewalk construction sheds (scaffolding). While the sheds are required for construction, facade inspections, and repairs, existing laws often enable property owners to leave up the construction sheds for a long time, and <Read More>


Unlicensed plumber fined

Worker on a Queens jobsite cited for working on plumbing installation without a license. The Department of Buildings performed a safety inspection of a worksite at 210-19 Richland Avenue in Hollis Hills, Queens, on December 1, 2020, and found respondent Khalim Sharipov, along with two other workers, engaged in plumbing work. The workers were on a scaffold with tools including a gas torch, tape measure, and copper fittings and copper piping. Buildings saw Sharipov and … <Read More>



City Agencies Announce Water Supply Improvements and Traffic Redesigns Along Ninth Avenue in Midtown

On March 21, 2023, elected officials and agency officials from the Department of Design and Construction, Transportation, and Environmental Protection announced the completion of a $231 million upgrade in the water distribution system and road reconstruction along Ninth Avenue, one of Midtown’s major corridors. The investment also included safety improvements and street redesign enhancements to reclaim more space for pedestrians and decrease congestion.