New community garden preservation rules released

Parks intends to preserve community gardens under its jurisdiction. There are more than 600 community gardens participating in the City’s GreenThumb Program. Since 2001, gardens on City-owned lots have been administered pursuant to practices memorialized in a 2002 agreement between the City and the State Attorney General’s Office, which expired on September 17, 2010. Prior to its expiration, the Department of Parks and Recreation published a new set of rules that codified and strengthened the … <Read More>


DOT Releases Final Rules for Permanent Outdoor Dining Program

Almost two years after the City Planning Commission’s zoning text changes, applications for the permanent program are expected to open next month. On February 2, 2024, the Department of Transportation released the final rules for the permanent outdoor dining program, “Dining Out NYC.”  Through the new program, outdoor dining will be expanded citywide on sidewalks year-round and in roadways seasonally from April through November. 



City Expands Trash Containerization Rules to Most Residential Buildings

On October 11, 2023, New York City’s Department of Sanitation Commissioner Jessica Tisch and Mayor Eric Adams announced the next phase of Mayor Adams’ war on rats: a new multi-part plan requiring residential buildings to begin securing all trash in waste containers. Beginning in Fall 2024, all residential buildings with nine or fewer units will be required to put all trash and waste in containers. By the summer of 2026, residential buildings will be required … <Read More>