Image credit: NYC Department of Parks & Recreation.
Fialkoff recently served as the Senior Advisor for COVID Relief Efforts to the Mayor. On September 24, 2021, Mayor Bill de Blasio appointed Gabrielle Fialkoff as the new Commissioner of the Department of Parks and Recreation. She succeeds Acting Commissioner Margaret Nelson, who took the helm after former Commissioner Mitchell Silver stepped down earlier this summer. (more…)
Cadman Plaza Park, Brooklyn, almost completely empty on a sunny spring day. Image Credit: CityLand
Team sports are prohibited and recreation centers are currently closed to the public, but parks remain open. City and State governments continue the fight to control the spread of the coronavirus, instituting policies to encourage and enable as many people to stay at home as possible. Understanding the challenges of asking citizens to spend as much time as possible indoors as the weather continues to improve, the City aimed to keep City parks open as an outlet for physical exercise. (more…)
Lincoln Center, with properties valued at $1.1 billion, is exempt from property tax as a cultural institution. Image credit: Matthew Bisanz
A long-standing feature of American tax policy is the exemption granted to nonprofit organizations, the largest of which is the exemption from local property taxes. The exemption, with origins back to the 18th century, is widespread. Among the 50 states, 17 state constitutions mandate property tax exemptions for charitable organizations, 25 authorize the legislature to give exemptions, and eight do not address the issue. New York State establishes two classes of exemptions for nonprofits: mandatory property tax exemptions apply to religious, educational, hospital, mental health and certain other charitable institutions; permissive exemptions are given to most other nonprofits, but localities may remove them. New York City has not passed any limiting local legislation.
Depression-era pools and play centers considered for individual designation. In the 1930s, under the guidance of Mayor Fiorello LaGuardia and Parks Commissioner Robert Moses, the City built dozens of parks and swimming pools using federal Works Progress Administration funds. In the summer of 1936 alone, the City opened eleven large pool-oriented play centers.
On January 31, 2007, Landmarks heard public testimony on the proposed designation of nine of these WPA play centers, including the Bronx Crotona Play Center, McCarren Play Center in Brooklyn and three Manhattan locations. Landmarks previously designated Queens Astoria Play Center and the Orchard Beach Bathhouse in the Bronx, the remaining two recreation centers opened by LaGuardia and Moses in the summer of 1936. 3 CityLand 95 (July 15, 2006). (more…)
The Comprehensive Waterfront Plan promotes the expansion of the ferry system. Image Credit: NYC DCP.
A new plan is released every ten years. On December 19, 2021, the Department of City Planning released the Comprehensive Waterfront Plan, a 10-year vision for the 520 miles of waterfront citywide. The plan aims to provide more equitable access to waterfronts. (more…)
