Malcolm Pinckney/NYC Parks

The $30 million reconstruction project brings brand new amenities to the historically underserved Brownsville park. On March 19, 2019, Department of Parks and Recreation Commissioner Mitchell J. Silver, Council Member Alicka Ampry-Samuel, Brooklyn Community Board 16, and local students and residents broke ground on the reconstruction of Betsy Head Park in Brownsville, Brooklyn. Betsy Head Park’s reconstruction is one of the five projects of Mayor Bill de Blasio’s Anchor Parks Initiative, a $150 million project to reconstruct five major parks around the City. The project plans to bring major amenities to the parks such as new soccer fields, comfort stations, running tracks, and hiking trails. (more…)

Image Credit: Department of Buildings

The map provides a 12-month snapshot of building permits, complaints, inspections, violations, and accident reports for every property in the city. On March 8, 2019, Buildings released the DOB Buildings Profiles Map, a new, interactive map that provides insight into Buildings’ interactions with the nearly 1.1 million buildings and 45,000 active construction sites it regulates. The map is Buildings’ latest tool in a series of interactive dashboards, reports, and data tools to give the public information about the City’s buildings and construction sites. The map’s information will allow the user to better understand the recent movement in the construction industry and DOB compliance activities in the City. (more…)

Image Credit: NYC DOB.

Despite increase in developments, construction in New York City has leveled. On January 22, 2019, Department of Buildings Commissioner, Rick D. Chandler, released a report on the City’s construction in 2018. The most significant finding from the report was that the City’s construction activity has leveled off after its real estate and development boom. The number of construction permits Buildings issued decreased in 2018. In 2018, Buildings issued 165,908 construction permits while in 2017, they issued 168,243. This was the first decline in permits since 2009. Despite the decrease, 2018’s permit totals were the second highest on record. In response to the report’s findings, Commissioner Chandler states that the building boom “may have finally reached its peak.” (more…)

The Doe Fund breaks ground on affordable housing development at 3188 Villa Avenue in the Bronx. Image credit: The Doe Fund.

The development will provide onsite supportive services for residents. On December 7, 2018, The Doe Fund broke ground at 3188 Villa Avenue, located in the Bedford Park/Special Grand Concourse District of the Bronx to begin construction of a 68-unit affordable and supportive housing development. The Doe Fund is partnering with Chase Community Development Banking to finance the construction, as well as the Department of Housing Preservation and Development, NYCHA, the Corporation for Supportive Housing, and the Human Resources Administration. (more…)

Rendering of development. Image credit: HPD/Handel Architects LLP.

The mixed-use development will include affordable units, deployable food barriers, and retail frontage. On November 1, 2018, New York City’s Department of Housing Preservation and Development (HPD) announced that the start of construction of a block-sized development on Surf Avenue in Coney Island that will provide below-market-rate housing, retail, and office space to the community. The mixed-use development is projected to cost $253.9 million and will offer 446 affordable units, ranging from studios to two-bedrooms, to formerly homeless and low-income locals. The complex will have two other structures that will add approximately 500 more units of affordable housing, totaling nearly 1,000 units. The development is being led by HPD along with the Housing Development Corporation, BFC Partners, L+M Development Partners, and Taconic Investment Partners. (more…)