Mayor de Blasio signs new bills on February 25, 2021. Image Credit: Ed Reed/Mayoral Photography Office.
The bills include a study of renewable energy generation and storage on Rikers Island. On February 25, 2021, Mayor de Blasio signed two bills regarding energy usage, sustainability and prospective planning on Rikers Island. Both bills were sponsored by Council Member Costa Constantinides. (more…)
The project is expected to cost $366 million and will take four years to complete. On October 29, 2020, on the 8th Anniversary of Hurricane Sandy, Mayor Bill de Blasio, Governor Andrew M. Cuomo, and U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Colonel Matthew W. Luzzatto announced the Atlantic Shorefront Project. This project will protect communities and strengthen the shoreline along six miles of the Rockaway Peninsula. The Atlantic Shorefront component is the first of two U.S. Army Corp of Engineers major coastal infrastructure projects to strengthen the Rockaway Peninsula. (more…)
Map of the Battery Playscape once it is completed. Click map for larger image. Image Credit: NYC Parks
The Battery Playscape will cover 1.5 acres of waterfront space at the east end of Battery Park in lower Manhattan. On March 12th, 2020 NYC Parks Commissioner Mitchell J. Silver, Battery Conservancy President Warrie Price, and local elected officials and community members broke ground on the Battery Playscape reconstruction project. The Battery Playscape will be located at State Street and Peter Minuit Plaza in lower Manhattan. (more…)
Added public space that was part of the 2004 Hunts Point Vision Plan. Public feedback is now being requested to update the plan. Image Credit: NYCEDC
The New York City Economic Development Corporation (NYCEDC) selected a team at the Pratt Center for Community Development to facilitate community outreach for a plan to redevelop Hunts Point. Starting this spring, NYCEDC and the Pratt Center for Community Development will host public workshops and meetings for the Hunts Point community as part of its engagement plan. Over the next 18 months, residents and businesses will share their opinions on the current state of Hunts Point and where they want improvements, which will help to inform City investments in parks, street safety, pollution reduction and job opportunities. The Pratt Center has 30 years of experience working in the South Bronx, facilitating workshops with local stakeholders to identify community needs including affordable housing, commercial corridors infrastructure, public health and environmental sustainability. (more…)
Map of Floodplain/Zoning Text Amendment Area. Image Credit: NYC City Planning Commission.
The Department of City Planning is seeking input on special flood resilience zoning from residents of the City’s floodplain. City Planning released a video explaining their flood resiliency goals. Resiliency is the “ability to withstand, recover, and emerge even stronger after a storm.” The City has adopted a multitude of approaches that, in combination, make the floodplain more resilient. The City is increasing emergency services, building breakwaters and wetlands to reduce the force of waves, building seawalls and bulkheads to block floodwaters from spreading inland, hardening utilities and infrastructure to prevent power outages, and making strides in resilient construction. Resilient construction of buildings is integrated in the City’s Building Code.
The Federal Emergency Management Agency (“FEMA”) defines flood risk, floodplains, and insurance rates. The City Department of Buildings enforces FEMA’s guidelines by adopting them into the City’s Building Code. The Building Code requires residential buildings to have space below the flood elevation line that allows water to enter and exit without causing damage. Commercial buildings must have ground floors impermeable to water entry. Buildings constructed using the more recent resiliency standards survived Hurricane Sandy with minimal damage. However, many buildings in the floodplain were built before the adoption of these Building Code regulations and the 1961 Zoning Resolution. (more…)
