Small Business Services Awards $3.8 Million in Nonprofit Grants

Funding from the Avenue NYC and Neighborhood 360 grant programs will be awarded to 24 nonprofits working towards pandemic recovery in low to moderate income neighborhoods. On July 13, 2022, the NYC Department of Small Business Services (SBS) announced it will award $3.8 million in multi-year grants through the Avenue NYC and Neighborhood 360 programs. This investment will be divided among 24 community-based development organizations working in low-to-moderate income neighborhoods.


City Finances 30,000 Affordable Homes in 2020

The newly financed homes keep New York City on track to meet its goal to provide 300,000 affordable homes by 2026. On February 9, 2021, Mayor Bill de Blasio announced that the City financed the construction and preservation of 29,521 affordable homes in 2020. Fifty-seven percent of the affordable homes financed in 2020 will serve families of three that earn less than $52,000 per year. The city has financed over 177,000 homes through the Housing … <Read More>


Mayor’s Office Expands Free Legal Help to Fight Evictions

The expansion provides free legal assistance for tenants in five additional ZIP codes. On December 13, 2019, the Mayor’s Office announced an expansion of the Right to Counsel program that provides free legal assistance to New Yorkers fighting eviction. The Right to Counsel program, implemented by a ZIP code by ZIP code approach, will be expanded to five more ZIP codes across the City.


City Planning Approves Application for Development on Former Peninsula Hospital Site

Edgemere Commons receives mixed reaction from the Rockaway community. On September 25, 2019, City Planning unanimously approved the Rockaway Limited Partnership’s application to redevelop an existing superblock in the Edgemere neighborhood of Far Rockaway, Queens.  The site, which formerly housed Peninsula Hospital, is a paved over, impermeable surface lot located north of Rockaway Beach Boulevard, south of Beach Channel Drive east of Beach 53rd Street and west of Beach 50th Street. The development … <Read More>


Private right of action under Federal law rejected

Beachfront bungalow owner sued City agencies claiming violations of the Federal Coastal Zone Management Act. Ankor Shacaf obtained permits to demolish four bungalows and construct four homes in Far Rockaway, Queens. Shacaf erected a fence around the construction site, which obstructed a private right-of-way to the beach. Neighbor Richard George, owner of a bungalow on Beach 26th Street in Far Rockaway, sued Buildings and City Planning, claiming that the agencies violated the Coastal Zone Management … <Read More>


DOT Announces Completed Intersection Redesign

This project is part of the Adams administration’s commitment to fixing 1,000 intersections a year. On July 29, 2022, Department of Transportation (DOT) Commissioner Ydanis Rodriguez announced the completion of an intersection redesign at Highland Boulevard and Vermont Place. Located in Highland Park near the Ridgewood Reservoir, the intersection was redesigned to improve pedestrian safety and greenspace access for the many Brooklyn and Queens residents who enjoy the park.