The Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual & Transgender Community Center. Image Credit: NYC LPC

The designation of the six historic sites received strong public support. On June 18, 2019, the Landmarks Preservation Commission voted to designate five buildings in Manhattan and one building in Staten Island as individual landmarks. The buildings – the Gay Activists Alliance Firehouse, the Women’s Liberation Center, Caffe Cino, the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Community Center, the James Baldwin Residence and the Audre Lorde Residence – all reflected pieces of New York City’s LGBT civil rights history. The designations come as New York City celebrates Pride Month and the 50^th anniversary of the Stonewall Riots. For CityLand’s prior coverage of these six buildings, click here.

Rowhouses along 50th Street in Sunset Park 50th Street Historic District. Image Credit: LPC.

The four historic districts contain the most cohesive intact concentrations of high-quality architecture in Sunset Park, representing its primary periods of development. On June 18, 2019, the Landmarks Preservation Commission voted unanimously to designate four areas of Sunset Park, Brooklyn as historic districts: Sunset Park North, Sunset Park South, Central Sunset Park, and Sunset Park 50^th Street. Sunset Park North, South, and Central Sunset Park Historic Districts are areas where coherent historic streetscapes continue across several blocks and together create a strong sense of place. The Sunset Park 50^thStreet historic district contains two complete rows of browstones designed by Henry Spicer and Thomas Bennet and is the most consistent block in Sunset Park. The district boundaries were determined following extensive analysis of over 4,000 buildings between 40^th and 60^th Streets and 4^th and 7^th Avenues. Landmarks calendared the districts on January 22, 2019, and held a public hearing on May 7, 2019.

An example of a pop-up window detailing the legislative history of a section of the Zoning Resolution. Image Credit: NYC DCP

The update includes legislative history dating from 1961. On June 19, 2019, the Department of City Planning announced an update to the online Zoning Resolution that provides the code’s legislative history. Earlier this year, DCP launched the digital Zoning Resolution online platform, which replaced the paper edition. The digital version provides users with the ability to use keyword searches, one-click sharing, navigation, and the option to subscribe for updates. This legislative history update provides information on all substantive changes from when DCP adopted the Zoning Resolution in 1961 to the present day.

The new play equipment at Saw Mill Playground in Mott Haven. Image Credit: NYC Parks Department

The playground provides new community amenities and improves the health of the Harlem River. On June 7, 2019, the Department of Parks and Recreation announced the completion of an $8 million upgrade to Saw Mill Playground in the Mott Haven section of the Bronx. The playground is located on East 139^th Street between Brook and Willis Avenues.

Gregory Russ is the new NYCHA Chair. Image Credit: Minneapolis Public Housing Authority

Russ has worked with municipal housing authorities across the country, including in Chicago, Philadelphia, and Minneapolis. On June 18, 2019, Mayor Bill de Blasio and U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Secretary Ben Carson announced Gregory Russ as the new Chair of the New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA). The national search for a new chair began in January after an agreement was made between NYCHA, HUD and the Southern District of New York (SDNY). Under the agreement, a federal monitor was appointed to supervise the reform of NYCHA’s operations. The agreement resolved federal claims against NYCHA for violating health and safety regulations.

Image Credit: New York Senate.

The law places limits on various mechanisms through which landlords of rent-regulated units can raise rent and provides many other protections for tenants. On June 14, 2019, Governor Andrew M. Cuomo signed into law the Housing Stability and Tenant Protection Act of 2019, which Cuomo called “the most sweeping, aggressive protections in state history.” The legislation extends and strengthens rent protections for tenants across the state and went into effect before the expiration of the existing rent regulations on June 15, 2019.  The new legislation makes the rules permanent, repeals high-rent vacancy deregulation and vacancy and longevity bonuses, reforms rent increases for major capital improvements and individual apartment improvements, creates protections for tenants across the state, and allows communities outside of the City to opt into rent stabilization. Assembly Speaker Carl E. Heastie and Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins sponsored the bills with many co-sponsors in both the State Senate and State Assembly.