Almeda Playground Renovations Completed in Rockaway

Almeda Playground’s $8.1 million renovation have been completed as a part of the Community Parks Initiative to build a more equitable park system. On May 12, 2021, Commissioner Mitchell J. Silver announced the completion of the renovations to Almeda Playground, located in Rockaway, Queens. The playground is located on the southern half of the block bounded by Thursby Avenue to the north, Beach Channel Drive to the south, Beach 66th Street to the west … <Read More>



The Brooklyn-Queens Expressway: Time is Running Out

One year ago, in January 2020, the Expert Panel assigned by Mayor Bill de Blasio to study the Brooklyn-Queens Expressway issued its Final Report. Mayor de Blasio in 2019 appointed the seventeen-person Expert Panel* of which I was a member, following the angry rejection of New York City DOT’s plan for reconstructing the section of the BQE adjacent to Brooklyn Heights, Dumbo and Downtown Brooklyn. City DOT presented its plan publicly September 2019. The … <Read More>


Century-Old West Tremont Avenue Step Street Restoration Complete

The Step Street renovation took approximately two years to complete. On April 7, 2020, the Department of Design and Construction and the Department of Transportation announced that the restoration of West Tremont Avenue Step Street, connecting Cedar Avenue to Sedgwick Avenue, has been completed. The project was funded by Transportation and managed by Design and Construction. The restoration of the century-old stairs cost $7 million.


Mount Morris Fire Watchtower Restoration Complete

The Fire Watchtower is the only one remaining of its kind in New York City. On October 28, 2019, NYC Parks Commissioner Mitchell J. Silver was joined by elected officials and members of the community to cut the ribbon on the renovated Mount Morris Fire Watchtower at Marcus Garvey Park in Harlem. Comptroller Scott Stringer, Congressman Adriano Espaillat, Assembly Member Inez Dickens, Manhattan Borough President Gale Brewer, New York City Council Member Bill Perkins, Community … <Read More>


Council Subcommittee Approves Phased Construction Plan for East Side Coastal Resiliency Project

Despite the project’s phased construction schedule, concerns with the project still exist among elected officials and community members. On November 4, 2019, the City Council Subcommittee on Landmarks, Public Siting, and Dispositions approved two land use applications for the East Side Coastal Resiliency Project, the City’s flood protection plan for Lower Manhattan. The Project will include a system of floodgates and walls along the project area, sewage improvements, and will elevate East River Park … <Read More>