Top Image: Council Member Fernando Cabrera/Image Credit: Jeff Reed
Bottom Image: Council Member Ben Kallos/Image Credit: John McCarten

The four proposed bills would provide the community and elected officials with the tools to make informed decisions about developments in their neighborhoods. On September 26, 2019, the City Council’s Land Use and Governmental Operations Committees held a hearing on four proposed bills that will increase transparency regarding new developments in the City, specifically with the transfer of development rights and testimony at the Board of Standards and Appeals. The four bills are a response to the recent development of supertall out-of-context skyscrapers in the City and the lack of information provided to the community during the development process.

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Image Credit: City Planning

City continues to increase accessibility to information with online capital budget platform. On October 7, 2019, the Department of City Planning announced the launch of the City’s first digital version of the Ten-Year Capital Strategy. Produced with the Mayor’s Office of Management and Budget, the new platform highlights the goals, policies, constraints, assumptions and criteria used to assess the City’s capital needs. The platform also lays out anticipated sources of funding. This interactive version of the plan is intended to make the information more accessible to community boards, policy makers, and the public at large. It utilizes interactive project spotlights, illustrative graphs, maps and pictures to achieve this goal. To view the online platform, click here.

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DCP’s new interactive tool for community boards. Image Credit: DCP

New and improved online platform will help Community Boards advocate for public priorities. On August 26, 2019, Department of City Planning (DCP) Director Marisa Lago announced a new and improved online platform which will help Community Boards advocate for public priorities more easily. The new, user-friendly digital platform will allow Community Boards to formally submit their annual needs and budget requests to the City with easier access to relevant City data to assist with their requests. (more…)

DCP released a new interactive tool to identify areas in need of supermarkets. Image Credit: NYC DCP

Newest interactive tool helps communities evaluate supermarket needs. On August 2, 2019, the Department of City Planning launched the Supermarket Needs Index, a new interactive online map that shows fresh food store access across New York City. The map highlights which neighborhoods are underserved or lacking grocery store options. (more…)

NYC Department of City Planning

The City’s zoning laws are now instantly accessible to New Yorkers. On February 6, 2019, Department of City Planning Director Marisa Lago announced the release of the City’s digital Zoning Resolution online platform. The online platform will serve as a green replacement for the 1,570-page physical copy of the Resolution, which will no longer be printed to save money, increase government transparency, and fight climate change. It will also be a more interactive replacement for the static PDFs currently on the City Planning website. The platform will make the City’s Zoning Resolution more accessible for New Yorkers.

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