City Council Holds Hearing on Open Restaurants Plan

Open Restaurants Plan intended for Phase 2 start. On June 4, 2020, New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio announced the Open Restaurants seating program and the Council Committee on Consumer Affairs and Business Licensing held the public hearing on Intro 1957, a bill that would create the temporary outdoor dining space. The bill is sponsored by Council Member Antonio Reynoso and was introduced at the May 28th, 2020 Stated Meeting.


City Council Passes Two Bills Aimed to Help Cultural Sector Access Public Spaces

The program follows the concept of the Open Restaurants program. On December 10, 2020, the City Council passed two bills designed to provide arts and cultural institutions across the city with more access to public spaces in response to the damage to the City’s cultural sector because of the COVID-19 pandemic. 



City Planning Hears Application for Arts Center and Affordable Housing Development in Brownsville

On December 13, 2023, the City Planning Commission held a meeting on the City’s Brownsville Arts Center and Apartments project, an application that would enable the development of a mixed-use residential and community space at 376 Rockaway Avenue in the Brownsville neighborhood of Brooklyn. The proposed site is currently a vacant city-owned lot. The applicant, the Department of Housing Preservation and Development, seeks to rezone the area that is located mid-block between East New York … <Read More>


DOT Announces Return and Expansion of “Trick or Streets” for Halloween 2023

Image Credit: DOT

On October 11, 2023, the Department of Transportation announced the return of “Trick or Streets,” the Halloween-season expansion of the Open Streets program. Last year, “Trick or Streets” restricted car access on nearly 100 streets on Halloween night to provide more open space for pedestrian access when many families would be out for trick or treating. 


HPD Reveals Plans for Almost 600 Affordable Units and New Performing Arts Center in East Harlem

The two developments will have almost 600 affordable units between them. On August 13, 2021, the New York City Department of Housing Development and Preservation (HPD) announced its plan to develop nearly 600 affordable homes, a new Afro-Latin Music and Arts (ALMA) Center and to renovate the East Harlem Multi-Service Center in East Harlem. The project will include two mixed-use developments, located at 413 East 120th Street and at the former 25th Precinct … <Read More>