DOT Releases Final Rules for Permanent Outdoor Dining Program

Almost two years after the City Planning Commission’s zoning text changes, applications for the permanent program are expected to open next month. On February 2, 2024, the Department of Transportation released the final rules for the permanent outdoor dining program, “Dining Out NYC.”  Through the new program, outdoor dining will be expanded citywide on sidewalks year-round and in roadways seasonally from April through November. 


City Breaks Ground on New Phase of Affordable Housing Development in Hunts Point

On November 29, 2023, the Department of Housing Preservation and Development, the New York City Housing Development Corporation, and the New York City Economic Development Corporation joined the development team to celebrate the groundbreaking of the next phase of the Peninsula, a 100 percent affordable housing mixed-use campus in the Hunts Point section of the Bronx. The development team included Gilbane Development Company, Hudson Companies, MHANY Management Inc, and Wells Fargo.  


City Continues Push in Crackdown Against Illegal Smoke Shops

On November 27, 2023, Mayor Eric Adams announced the City’s latest efforts in the push against illegal smoke shops citywide. The New York City Sheriff’s Office Joint Compliance Task Force to Address Illegal Smoke contacts landlords and owners whose tenants have previously received violations for selling tobacco or cannabis products without a proper license. The task force consists of the Sheriff’s Office, the NYPD, and the Mayor’s Office of Special Enforcement. 


“City of Yes for Economic Opportunity” Amendment Enters Public Review

On October 30, 2023, Mayor Eric Adams and Director of City Planning Dan Garodnick announced the launch of the public review process for the “City of Yes for Economic Opportunity” zoning amendment. The amendment is the second of three “City of Yes” proposals that aim to modernize or remove outdated provisions of the zoning text that limit the growth of housing, the development of small businesses, and the implementation of green technology, energy and infrastructure.



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.