City Awards Nonprofits Over $200,000 to Help People with Disabilities Access Affordable Housing

On August 17, 2020, The New York City Department of Housing Preservation and Development, along with Citi Community Development and Investment, awarded nine community-based organizations over $200,000 to help disabled New Yorkers apply for affordable housing. This assistance is provided through the Department’s Housing Ambassador Program, which connects nearly two million users on Housing Connect with community organizations that assist with the housing application process.


Plans for Broadway Junction’s Transformation and Revitalization are Revealed

The Vision Document represents the first effort by the City and the Brooklyn community to solely focus on Broadway Junction. On August 15, 2019, Council Member Rafael L. Espinal, Brooklyn Borough President Eric L. Adams, and the New York City Economic Development Corporation (NYCEDC) commissioned a Vision Document, Broadway Junction: Vision for the Future that serves as a guide to supporting the transformation of Broadway Junction in Brooklyn. The Vision Document is the first step … <Read More>


$200 Million for New Boilers and Heating Systems Upgrade For NYCHA Developments

A $200 million investment will be used to replace boilers and upgrade heating systems at 20 NYCHA developments. On January 31, 2018, Mayor de Blasio announced the investment aimed at assisting NYCHA developments experiencing chronic outages. The $200 million investment is part of the Mayor’s investment in NYCHA including $2.1 billion in capital infrastructure and $1.6 billion in operating funds. The upgrades are expected to save NYCHA approximately $5 million per year in energy costs.


City Moves Forward with New School in East New York

The Mayor’s Office announced the public review period for the construction of a new 1,000 seat school in East New York. On January 3, 2016, Mayor Bill de Blasio, joined by City Council Member Rafael Espinal, announced the start of the public review process for a new 1,000 seat school in the East New York section of Brooklyn. The proposed school comes as part of the larger East New York Neighborhood Plan which was adopted<Read More>


City Council Hears Testimony on Mayor de Blasio’s East New York Rezoning Proposal

Council Members expressed concern-ridden comments on the proposal’s plans for neighborhood job programs and the proposed housing’s lack of deep affordability levels.  On March 7, 2016, the New York City Council Subcommittee on Zoning and Franchises held a public hearing on the East New York Community Plan. If approved, the Plan would make East New York, and portions of Cypress Hills and Ocean Hill, located in Brooklyn, the first area to be rezoned under Mayor … <Read More>


Comptroller Releases Report Critical of East New York Rezoning Plan

The report predicts that almost 50,000 residents of the affected Brooklyn neighborhoods would be priced out of neighborhood.  On December 3, 2015, Comptroller Scott M. Stringer issued a report—Mandatory Inclusionary Housing and the East New York Rezoning: An Analysis—on the proposed East New York rezoning plan’s effect on housing affordability in the East New York and Cypress Hills neighborhoods of Brooklyn.  The report claims while supply of housing units in the rezoned areas … <Read More>