On February 23, 2023, the New York City Department of City Planning announced the creation of the Community Planning and Engagement Division within the department. The new division will consist of seven members and is tasked with getting community input on new policy developments handled by the Department of City Planning and related agencies. (more…)

Mayor Eric Adams. Photo Credit: facebook.com/NYCMayor

Storm events like 2021’s Hurricane Ida highlight the importance of implementing stormwater mitigation measures in flooding-prone areas. On January 9, 2023, Mayor Eric Adams announced the expansion of the Cloudburst Program, a program to construct clustered stormwater management projects in flood-prone communities. The program will expand to Corona and Kissena Park in Queens, Parkchester in the Bronx, and East New York, Brooklyn. Through the program, work has already started in South Jamaica and St. Albans in Queens and in East Harlem in Manhattan.  (more…)

Rendering of the new Shirley Chisholm Recreation Center. Image Credit: NYC Parks Dept.

On December 22, 2022, the Parks Department and the Department of Design and Construction revealed the schematic design for the new Shirley Chisholm Recreation Center in East Flatbush, Brooklyn. The new center will be located in Nostrand Playground on Nostrand Avenue between Foster Avenue and Farragut Place.  (more…)

The ribbon cutting at Chestnut Commons. Image Credit: HPD.

The building includes a community center with a variety of programs to promote economic growth and youth development. On October 4, 2022, the Department of Housing Preservation and Development (HPD) joined other city agencies, MHANY Management, Urban Builders Collaborative and Cypress Hills Local Development Corporation to celebrate the opening of Chestnut Commons Apartments in East New York, Brooklyn. Chestnut Commons Apartments, located at 110 Dinsmore Place, is a new 275-permanently affordable unit building.  (more…)

NYC public pools are open for the summer. Image Credit: Ed Reed/Mayoral Photography Office

New York City provides free access to spray showers in 584 parks and to 79 pools at 56 different locations throughout the five boroughs. With summer in NYC comes warm weather and the need to cool down and have fun in the sun. For children, fun means running through sprinklers, or as the City calls them: spray showers, and swimming in pools. (more…)