Mayor Bill de Blasio at the announcement of the new Medgar Evers College Preparatory School building. Image Credit: Ed Reed/Mayoral Photography Office.

The new building will replace eight Transportable Classroom Units. On November 23, 2020 Mayor Bill de Blasio announced the groundbreaking on the 681-seat new school building for the Medgar Evers College Preparatory School in Brooklyn. This project will be adjacent to the school’s current site at 1186 Carroll Street in Crown Heights. This project was undertaken by the Mayor’s Office in partnership with the Department of Education, the School Construction Authority, and the City University of New York.

Acting Transportation Commissioner Margaret Forgione. Image Credit: NYC DOT

The new Acting Commissioner is a 26-year veteran of the Department of Transportation. On December 4, 2020, Mayor Bill de Blasio announced that Margaret Forgione will be the Acting Commissioner of the Department of Transportation after Commissioner Polly Trottenberg departs on December 11th.

Artist’s rendering of the redesign of Morrison Plaza. Image Credit: NYC DDC

The upgrade is scheduled to be completed in winter 2021. On October 30, 2020, the NYC Department of Transportation, NYC Department of Environmental Protection, and the NYC Department of Design and Construction announced the beginning of a $9 million project to expand and beautify Morrison Avenue Plaza located at the southeast corner of Morrison Avenue and Westchester Avenue in the Soundview neighborhood in the Bronx.

Ross Sandler, Center for New York City Law Director

A new book recalls the glory of Bryant Park before the Covid-19 shutdown: the movable chairs, the green grass, magazine racks and ping pong tables, shady paths and, most of all, the large numbers of people enjoying Bryant Park.

Landlord sued to evict tenants from six-unit building in order to provide apartment for son. Shlomo Karpen owns a six-unit, rent-stabilized building in Brooklyn comprised of two rented units on the first, second and third floors. In June 2018, Karpen notified the tenants in the rented apartments that he would not renew their leases and intended to take over the apartments to make a four-bedroom apartment for his son. In October 2018, Karpen commenced an eviction proceeding against the tenants. Before the case could be completed, the State Legislature passed the Housing Stability and Tenant Protection Act of 2019, which amended Rent Stabilization Law Section 26-511(c)(9) to provide that a landlord can recover only one apartment in a building for owner occupancy and must show compelling necessity.

James E. Johnson, Corporation Counsel, speaks at the 170th CityLaw Breakfast.

On December 3, 2020 James E. Johnson, Corporation Counsel, spoke at the 170th CityLaw Breakfast. Mr. Johnson spoke on “The Common Good and the Municipal Lawyer: Managing Risk and Building Trust.” Professor Ross Sandler, Director of the Center for New York City Law provided opening remarks and Dean Anthony W. Crowell provided closing remarks. This Breakfast was sponsored by ConEdison, Greenberg Traurig, and Verizon. This was the fourth virtual CityLaw Breakfast as in-person events are not feasible at this time due to the COVID-19 pandemic.