Mayor Adams holds a copy of “Get Stuff Built,” the administration’s proposal for streamlining parts of the land use process and Buildings requirement. Image Credit: Michael Appleton/Mayoral Photography Office.

On December 8, 2022, Mayor Eric Adams unveiled New York City’s latest land use roadmap, Get Stuff Built, a complement to his City of Yes zoning proposals announced earlier this year. Get Stuff Built represents a collaborative effort among more than two dozen agencies serving on the Building and Land use Approval Streamlining Taskforce (BLAST), which held 18 working group sessions and four roundtable discussions with more than 50 external stakeholders. Designed to address housing affordability, support small businesses, and facilitate capital projects, Get Stuff Built lays out 111 initiatives to streamline development in the City in three categories identified for reform: environmental review, land use processes, and building permitting.

Rendering of design for the Steps at Saratoga. Image Credit: MARVEL Architects/HPD.

On January 12, 2023, the Department of Housing Preservation and Development announced the selection of a plan and partners for the creation of a new affordable housing development for seniors and low-income families in Bedford-Stuyvesant, Brooklyn. The development, “The Steps at Saratoga,” will also be the first New York City development to build a community-owned local network plant to provide more affordable internet access to local residents and businesses.The team selected includes RiseBoro, IMPACCT Brooklyn and Urbane Development, and designs from minority-owned architecture firm MARVEL. The site is currently a vacant lot. 

Mayor Eric Adams. Photo Credit: facebook.com/NYCMayor

Storm events like 2021’s Hurricane Ida highlight the importance of implementing stormwater mitigation measures in flooding-prone areas. On January 9, 2023, Mayor Eric Adams announced the expansion of the Cloudburst Program, a program to construct clustered stormwater management projects in flood-prone communities. The program will expand to Corona and Kissena Park in Queens, Parkchester in the Bronx, and East New York, Brooklyn. Through the program, work has already started in South Jamaica and St. Albans in Queens and in East Harlem in Manhattan. 

On December 30, 2022, Mayor Eric Adams announced the appointment of Shampa Chanda as the new Chair of the Board of Standards and Appeals (BSA) and Salvatore Scibetta as the new Vice Chair. The Board of Standards and Appeals hears individual applications for exceptions and changes to zoning regulations that may overly restrict specific properties where a broader change to the zoning text and map is unnecessary. 

The Cross-Bronx Expressway. Image Credit: Michael Appleton/Mayoral Photography Office.

On December 19, 2022, Mayor Eric Adams announced the launch of a community-driven study to improve the Cross-Bronx Expressway. The Cross-Bronx Expressway, which was constructed in the 1950s and 60s, cut through communities across the borough, disrupting neighborhoods and local economies, and bringing noise and air pollution. 

Julius’ Bar. Image Credit: LPC.

On December 6, 2022, the Landmarks Preservation Commission voted unanimously to designate Julius’ Bar at 159 West 10th Street in Greenwich Village as an Individual Landmark. While the building is already located within the Greenwich Village Historic District, the designation of Julius’ Bar recognizes the importance of the location as part of LGBTQ+ history.