Study Finds 2022 Fifth Avenue Holiday Open Streets an Economic Success

On October 10, 2023, Mayor Eric Adams announced that the ‘Open Streets’ holiday initiative along Fifth Avenue in Manhattan last holiday season was an economic success. During the initiative, the Department of Transportation and the Fifth Avenue Association created pedestrianized stretches of Fifth Avenue, Sixth Avenue, West 49th Street, and West 50th Street between 12:00 pm and 6:00 pm on select Sundays in December.



Comptroller Proposes City Establish Housing First Program in Response to Audit of Failed Outcomes of Encampment Sweeps

A new audit by NYC Comptroller Brad Lander found that the Adams Administration’s homeless sweeps failed to meet their goals and proposes that NYC establish a large-scale “Housing First” program instead. On June 28, 2023, City Comptroller Brad Lander released an audit of NYC Department of Homeless Services (DHS)’s role in the Adams Administration’s sweeps of homeless encampment sites between March and November 2022. The audit found that the sweeps failed to meet their primary … <Read More>


Jackie Robinson Park Playground Tennis Courts Receive a Million Dollar “Green” Makeover

On June 23, 2023, the New York City  Department of Environmental Protection (DEP), the Parks Department, and the New York City Economic Development Corporation (NYCEDC) announced the completion of newly renovated tennis courts at Jackie Robinson Park in Bedford-Stuyvesant, Brooklyn. The DEP-funded project necessitated $1,000,000 in capital and involved painting the courts vibrant purple and blue colors, upgrading them with new surfacing and nets, and installing green infrastructure.


Council Passes Bill to Further Crack Down on Illegal Smoke Shops

The Council passed the bill the same day Governor Hochul announced additional state measures to address illegal smoke shops. On June 22, 2023, the City Council Committee on Public Safety passed a new bill to address New York City’s ongoing problem with unlicensed smoke shops. Int. 1001-B (2023), sponsored by Council Member Lynn Schulman from Queens, will hold landlords accountable for knowingly leasing a commercial premises to an unlicensed tenant who sells controlled substances or … <Read More>