A portion of the transformed Westchester Avenue near the Pelham Bay station. Image Credit: NYC DOT.

On January 23, 2023, NYC Department of Transportation Commissioner Ydanis Rodriguez joined MTA President Richard Davey, elected officials and transportation advocates to celebrate the completion of transit improvements around the Pelham Bay Park station in the Bronx. The Pelham Bay Park station is the terminal stop for the 6 train in the northeast Bronx. Outside the station, commuters can transfer to the Bx12 Select Bus, and five other transit lines. The area serves as an important transfer point for residents in Co-Op City, City Island, and Pelham Bay. The bus routes around the station served 64,000 riders prior to the pandemic.

Comptroller Brad Lander. Image Credit: Office of the Comptroller.

On January 9, 2023, the Office of Comptroller Brad Lander released a new report “Turn Up the Heat,” which reviews the City’s efforts in addressing chronic heat complaints. By law, from October 1 through May 31, landlords are required to maintain indoor temperatures at 68 degrees in the daytime when outdoor temperatures are below 55 degrees, and at least 62 degrees indoors at night, regardless of the outdoor temperature. Hot water must also be provided at 120 degrees year-round. When landlords fail to meet these requirements, tenants can file complaints with 311, which can result in interventions by city agencies. The new Comptroller’s report examines the effectiveness of these interventions and what the city can do to improve its response, especially for the worst offending buildings. 

A Parks employee holds a small bag of mulch at a previous Mulchfest. Image Credit: Parks Dept.

On January 17, 2023, the Department of Parks and Recreation announced the results of the most recent Mulchfest, where the agency collected live Christmas trees that were recycled into mulch to be used for mulching plant beds and community gardens across the city. According to the agency, 58,309 trees were collected for this year’s Mulchfest. 

Mayor Adams holds a copy of “Get Stuff Built,” the administration’s proposal for streamlining parts of the land use process and Buildings requirement. Image Credit: Michael Appleton/Mayoral Photography Office.

On December 8, 2022, Mayor Eric Adams unveiled New York City’s latest land use roadmap, Get Stuff Built, a complement to his City of Yes zoning proposals announced earlier this year. Get Stuff Built represents a collaborative effort among more than two dozen agencies serving on the Building and Land use Approval Streamlining Taskforce (BLAST), which held 18 working group sessions and four roundtable discussions with more than 50 external stakeholders. Designed to address housing affordability, support small businesses, and facilitate capital projects, Get Stuff Built lays out 111 initiatives to streamline development in the City in three categories identified for reform: environmental review, land use processes, and building permitting.

Rendering of design for the Steps at Saratoga. Image Credit: MARVEL Architects/HPD.

On January 12, 2023, the Department of Housing Preservation and Development announced the selection of a plan and partners for the creation of a new affordable housing development for seniors and low-income families in Bedford-Stuyvesant, Brooklyn. The development, “The Steps at Saratoga,” will also be the first New York City development to build a community-owned local network plant to provide more affordable internet access to local residents and businesses.The team selected includes RiseBoro, IMPACCT Brooklyn and Urbane Development, and designs from minority-owned architecture firm MARVEL. The site is currently a vacant lot. 

Mayor Eric Adams. Photo Credit: facebook.com/NYCMayor

Storm events like 2021’s Hurricane Ida highlight the importance of implementing stormwater mitigation measures in flooding-prone areas. On January 9, 2023, Mayor Eric Adams announced the expansion of the Cloudburst Program, a program to construct clustered stormwater management projects in flood-prone communities. The program will expand to Corona and Kissena Park in Queens, Parkchester in the Bronx, and East New York, Brooklyn. Through the program, work has already started in South Jamaica and St. Albans in Queens and in East Harlem in Manhattan.