City Council Passes Two Bills Aimed to Help Cultural Sector Access Public Spaces

The program follows the concept of the Open Restaurants program. On December 10, 2020, the City Council passed two bills designed to provide arts and cultural institutions across the city with more access to public spaces in response to the damage to the City’s cultural sector because of the COVID-19 pandemic. 


City Announces Plan to Reopen Schools After Temporary Halt to In-Person Learning

Elementary schools will reopen December 7th but middle and high schools will remain remote only for the foreseeable future. On November 29, 2020, Mayor Bill de Blasio and Department of Education Chancellor Richard Carranza announced a plan to reopen New York City public schools for in-person learning after temporarily shutting schools on November 19th after the City’s COVID-19 positivity rates exceeded three percent. 


City Announces Completion on Two Brooklyn Major Protected Bike Lanes

The recently completed projects are part of an effort to add more protected bike lanes in Brooklyn by the end of the year. The protected bike lanes are part of the City’s Green Wave plan for cycling. On November 5, 2020 Mayor Bill de Blasio announced the completion of two protected bike lanes in Brooklyn. The new Flatbush Avenue and 4th Avenue protected bike lanes add 3.2 miles of protected lanes.



DOB Launches Online Service Levels Tracker for Checking Wait Times

The tracker helps members of the public understand expected timelines. On October 14, 2020, the Department of Buildings launched an online Service Levels Tracker which allows New Yorkers to see average wait times for Department of Buildings Services. This tracker centralizes information that had previously been available to New Yorkers while also clearly setting forth the different Department of Buildings metrics allowing the public to better understand expected timelines for projects both citywide and by … <Read More>


DOB Announces New Energy Efficiency Ratings Posting Requirements

Buildings will be graded on a scale of A to F. On September 8, 2020, the Department of Buildings announced that starting on October 30, 2020, all NYC Buildings 25,000 square feet or larger will be legally required to post energy efficiency letter grade signs at their entrances. Similar to restaurant health grade signs, these energy efficiency signs will create greater transparency for the public about how each building operates.