DEP Announces Drainage and Green Infrastructure for Five City Playgrounds

On April 17, 2024, the New York City Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) and the Trust for Public Land (TPL) announced that construction has commenced on the five new Green Infrastructure playgrounds at schools in Queens, Manhattan, Brooklyn, and the Bronx. The playgrounds are designed to absorb more than 3.5 million gallons of stormwater every year to curb runoff that floods nearby streets and overwhelms local sewer systems in addition to polluting the East River.



“Streets for Recovery” Report Details Success of Outdoor Dining on Open Streets

The report uses data aggregated by Department of Finance to highlight the economic benefits of open streets laws. On October 25, 2022, Department of Transportation (DOT) Commissioner Ydanis Rodriguez announced the release of Streets for Recovery, a report on Open Streets policy developed in collaboration with Bloomberg Associates. This first-in-the-nation report uses Department of Finance data to highlight the economic benefits of Open Streets during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic.


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.



Mayor Announces $80 Million to Rebuild 70 Mulberry Street After Fire

The fire displaced several non-profits that served the Chinatown community. On July 2, 2020, Mayor de Blasio and Department of Citywide Administrative Services (DCAS) Commissioner Lisette Camilo announced $80 million in funding and the creation of an advisory committee to rebuild 70 Mulberry Street, the historic building and social service center that was ravaged by a five-alarm fire on January 23, 2020. 70 Mulberry Street, lovingly referred to as “The Heart of Chinatown,” housed five … <Read More>