As holiday crowds return to NYC, Rockefeller Center will have expanded pedestrian space to accommodate large crowds. Image Credit: CityLand.

Vehicle access will be restricted to protect pedestrians and provide them with more space. On November 24, 2021, Mayor Bill de Blasio announced that temporary expanded pedestrian space would be added around Rockefeller Center and Radio City Music Hall to accommodate holiday crowds. As the pandemic limited holiday crowds last year, more crowds are expected to return to New York City to enjoy holiday festivities.

Click to open PDF.

CityLand tracks these applications through the review process to a final decision. The majority of these decisions are available on the Center for New York City Law’s CityAdmin database (found at http://www.cityadmin.org/).

Image Credit: NYC DOT.

The public engagement process will continue into the new year. On November 18, 2021, the de Blasio administration announced the schedule for the Permanent Open Restaurant Program public engagement process. The proposed permanent open restaurant program will establish a new streamlined program for the creation, management and enforcement of sidewalk and roadway cafes operated by the Department of Transportation.

Mayor de Blasio announces a $50 million capital investment in the Brooklyn Museum. Image Credit: Ed Reed/Mayoral Photography Office.

The art museum has served as a community gathering and support space. On November 22, 2021, Mayor Bill de Blasio announced a $50 million capital investment in the Brooklyn Museum. The Brooklyn Museum is an art museum located on Eastern Parkway near Prospect Heights.

Jay Street Busway. Image Credit: NYC DOT.

DOT data shows increase in speeds along the busway by 47 percent. On November 19, 2021, Mayor Bill de Blasio and DOT Commissioner Hank Gutman announced that the Jay Street Busway in Downtown Brooklyn will now be permanent. The busway runs on Jay Street between Tillary Street and Livingston Street. The busway was in a pilot program as part of the Better Buses Restart Plan since August 2020. 

The cover of the Right to Counsel Progress Report. Image Credit: NYC DSS.

The implementation of the program citywide happened ahead of the scheduled 2022 goal. On November 17, 2021, the de Blasio administration released the Right to Counsel Progress Report for Fiscal Year 2021. The Right to Counsel Program works to address the gap in access to legal representation for tenants in eviction cases.