Mayor Adams visits the Times Square vaccination site, which serves children under five. Image Credit: Michael Appleton/Mayoral Photography Office.

On June 17, 2022, NYC Mayor Eric Adams and NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (DOHMH) Commissioner Dr. Ashwin Vasan announced a roll out for COVID-19 vaccines for babies and children, aged six-months to five years. Health Commissioner Dr. Vasan stated, “As the city’s doctor, and as a father of a three-year-old, I have confidence in this vaccine, and I can’t wait to get my child vaccinated. I encourage parents to call their child’s pediatrician today or call 877-VAX-4NYC to make an appointment at one of our city sites next week. We’re ready for shots for tots!” (more…)

Image Credit: Office of the Mayor

Mayor Adams Addresses the Issue of Affordable Housing and Works Towards Building More Affordable Housing. On June 14, 2022, Mayor Eric Adams released Housing Our Neighbors: A Blueprint for Housing and Homelessness, his administration’s plan to address New York City’s affordable housing crisis. The Blueprint discusses making the City a welcoming and homely place where people can stay and grow together as a family by creating housing that is available and affordable for people from all walks of life. The Blueprint speaks to five key housing pillars: (1) Transforming the New York City Housing Authority; (2) Addressing the Homelessness and Housing Instability; (3) Creating and Preserving Affordable Housing; (4) Improving the Health and Safety of New Yorkers; and (5) Reducing the Administrative Burden. (more…)

Ross Sandler, Director of the Center for New York City Law.

Since January 1, 2017, when Governor Andrew Cuomo led the celebration to open the Second Avenue Subway, much has happened. A pandemic undermined subway ridership, Governor Cuomo resigned, and a new governor and mayor took office. And now the second phase of the Second Avenue Subway has begun. This will provide the next chapter of the wonderful book by Philip Mark Plotch’s on the Second Avenue Subway, Last Subway: the Long Wait for the Next Train in New York City (Cornell U. 2020). (more…)

The Zoning for Housing Opportunity text amendment may enable the creation of smaller units like the one above to provide more options for housing. Image Credit: Mayor’s Office

Still in its early stages, Mayor Adams’ proposed zoning text amendment aims to increase affordable housing in the city. On June 1, 2022, Mayor Adams announced his “City of Yes” plan consisting of three citywide zoning text amendments. One of these initiatives, “Zoning for Housing Opportunity,” addresses the city’s housing shortage. Although the text amendment has not yet been drafted, Mayor Adams listed four key housing proposals in his announcement. (more…)

Hybrid hearings will allow members of the public to either attend public meetings in person or virtually. However, the state of emergency will keep meetings virtual for now. Image Credit: CityLand

Community boards often do not have the same resources as City agencies to have hybrid hearings. The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic resulted in many changes on how state and city governments conducted business, including public hearings. New York’s Open Meetings Law was originally designed to promote transparency, requiring hearings to be held in person and open to the public, with notice about how to participate. After meetings went virtual due to the pandemic, discussions began about how the open meetings law should better reflect modern circumstances. (more…)