City’s POPS Reopen after COVID Restrictions Lifted

The spaces were closed to prevent the spread of COVID. As of July 1st, the Department of City Planning announced that all Privately Owned Public Spaces (POPS) have reopened to the public. POPS are public spaces owned and maintained by private property owners under various zoning regulations at no cost to the City. There are nearly 600 POPS in existence today, in the forms of indoor and outdoor atriums, plazas, walkways, and other … <Read More>


City Begins Construction on First of Borough-Based Jails in Kew Gardens

The structure will provide over 600 parking spaces and 25,000 square feet of flexible community space. On June 25, 2021, Mayor Bill de Blasio announced the start of construction at one of the City’s four borough-based jails sites in Kew Gardens, Queens. The borough-based jails are part of the City’s controversial solution to shut down Rikers Island and replace the complex with four smaller, locally based jails in Manhattan, the Bronx, Queens and Brooklyn. The <Read More>



DEP Announces Installation of Solar Panels on Schools, Water Treatment Facilities

The new solar power installations will help to generate over 22 megawatts of solar energy. On March 1, 2021, New York City and the New York Power Authority announced the installation of solar arrays at almost 50 public schools within New York City as well as at water treatment facilities in Manhattan, Westchester, Delaware, and Ulster counties. The power generated by the installations is enough to power approximately 5,600 City residences and reduce nearly 7,000 … <Read More>



City Awards $38 Million in Infrastructure Grants for City Science Institutions

Four New York City leading scientific research facilities are receiving infrastructure grants to advance innovation and public health. On January 21, 2021, Mayor de Blasio announced that Columbia University, Montefiore-Einstein, the New York Stem Cell Foundation, and Rockefeller University are the four winners of $38 million in infrastructure grants for research and development departments. These grants come as a part of LifeSci NYC, a $500 million project with the goal of establishing New York … <Read More>