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…)

Director of DCP Marisa Lago holds review session as the sole Commissioner in physical attendance on March 16, 2020.  Other Commissioners attended the meeting remotely, in an attempt to keep the ULURP process moving before Mayor de Blasio’s Executive Order was signed. Image Credit: NYC CPC

The executive order freezes land use applications so public meetings do not need to occur. On March 16, 2020, Mayor Bill de Blasio signed Emergency Executive Order #100, which laid out several steps of the City’s response to the coronavirus outbreak. In the interest of limiting public gatherings to reduce the spread of the coronavirus, Emergency Executive Order #100 freezes land use applications that have a timed review or vote requirement. This includes applications within the Uniform Land Use Review Procedure (ULURP) as well as applications before the Landmarks Preservation Commission. The Emergency Executive Order also waived the City Charter’s requirement to hold at least two City Council stated meetings per month. As a result, Landmarks, community boards, Borough Presidents, the City Planning Commission and the City Council do not have to meet to take action on active land use applications.  (more…)

Mayor Bill de Blasio at his August 5 Press Conference Image Credit: Mayor’s Press Office

Mayor’s affordable housing announcement appears more retrospective than optimistic. On August 5, 2020, The Mayor’s Press Office released a statement touting the amount of affordable housing created in fiscal year 2020. The announcement states that the City preserved 23,520 homes and constructed 6,503 new units, totaling 30,023 affordable City financed homes. More than 50 percent of these homes serve families earning less than $52,000 and 3,600 people received voucher increases to ameliorate income lost from the COVID-19 pandemic.

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Mayor de Blasio announces COVID-19 travel checkpoints with Dr. Ted Long and NYC Sheriff Joseph Fucito. Image Credit: Ed Reed/Mayoral Photography Office

On August 5, 2020, Mayor de Blasio announced that checkpoints will be placed at all major entry points into the City to ensure compliance with New York State quarantine requirements. Travelers who have visited 34 designated states, territories, or areas with high COVID-19 transmission rates must complete the New York State Department of Health traveler form and quarantine for a period of 14 days upon entering the City. These travel health forms help the City with contact tracing efforts. (more…)

CPC Chair Marisa Lago speaks during the August 3rd Review Session, the CPC’s first meeting in months. Image Credit: CPC

The full ULURP process will resume on September 14th. On August 3, 2020, the City Planning Commission resumed hearings for the first time since March 16th. Hearings had been postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic after Mayor Bill de Blasio signed an executive order halting the ULURP process which allowed the City Planning Commission to cancel its meetings. While other agencies started resuming public hearings virtually in June and July, the City Planning Commission has been a notable holdout until now. For CityLand’s prior coverage of the COVID-19 impact on the ULURP process, click here.  (more…)