HPD Releases New Design Guidelines for Affordable Housing

The newly revised design guidelines will promote equity, health, and sustainability for affordable housing. On March 4, 2021, the Department of Housing Preservation and Development released newly revised design guidelines for affordable housing. The COVID-19 pandemic led the Department of Housing Preservation and Development to have stronger requirements to improve the standard of living, promote public health, and reduce the carbon footprint of New York City.


City Reaches Settlement Agreement with Verizon FiOS Regarding Expansion

The new agreement stresses the need for internet access. On November 24, 2020, Mayor Bill de Blasio announce efforts to tackle the digital divide in New York City by ensuring that Verizon builds out its FiOS footprint to 500,000 additional householders, making high-speed fiber broadband available to more New Yorkers. Verizon failed to meet the terms of its current cable franchise agreement made with the Bloomberg administration to build out its FiOS network.


City Launches Tenant Resource Portal to Help Renters Avoid Eviction

Tenants can answer questions on the portal to be directed to relevant resources. On August 10, 2020, Mayor Bill de Blasio announced the launch of the NYC Tenant Resource Portal, the first City-hosted online resource designed to help residential renters access free resources that assist in stabilizing housing situations and preventing evictions.


Tablet Computers To Aid Elections

City Board of Elections purchases 4,000 tablet computers to speed up election results and monitoring. The Board of Elections of the City of New York has introduced new technology to speed up election results and report problems at poll sites. The Board’s tablet program has grown since its implementation in 2013 when election monitoring teams started with 500 tablets. The Board now has more than 4,000 tablets housed in the Board’s Manhattan warehouse and available <Read More>


Michele Coleman Mayes, Vice President and General Counsel at the NY Public Library

Michele Mayes, a natural-born leader, has served a wide variety of institutions during her professional journey. Mayes was born in California and attended both college and law school at the University of Michigan. Her legal work experience included stints in the public sector, private sector, and today, at a non-profit. Mayes served as an Assistant U.S. Attorney both in Detroit, Michigan and Brooklyn, New York. Later in her career Mayes served as the executive vice … <Read More>


Maya Wiley: Civil Rights Lawyer Becomes Counsel to Mayor de Blasio

On February 18, 2014, Mayor Bill de Blasio appointed Maya Wiley, a civil rights attorney and co-founder of the Center for Social Inclusion, as counsel to the mayor. In addition to serving in the traditional role of the counsel, Wiley will also focus on investing in the City’s technology infrastructure and expanding broadband access across the City.

Maya Wiley was born in Syracuse, New York, and raised in Washington, D.C. Her parents, active in the … <Read More>