City’s POPS Reopen after COVID Restrictions Lifted

The spaces were closed to prevent the spread of COVID. As of July 1st, the Department of City Planning announced that all Privately Owned Public Spaces (POPS) have reopened to the public. POPS are public spaces owned and maintained by private property owners under various zoning regulations at no cost to the City. There are nearly 600 POPS in existence today, in the forms of indoor and outdoor atriums, plazas, walkways, and other … <Read More>



New Appointments to Governors Island Board of Directors Announced

The six new appointees will help oversee the Trust’s planning , operations, and development decisions. On April 14, 2021, Mayor de Blasio announced new appointments to the Trust for Governors Island Board of Directors. The appointments are Donnel Baird, Alice Blank, Lisa Garcia, Grace Lee, Michael Oppenheimer, and Matthew Washington. The appointed members have a combined wealth of knowledge and backgrounds in the fields of green technology, climate science, environmental justice, architecture, business, government, and … <Read More>


Mayor Appoints Meisha Porter as New DOE Chancellor as Richard Carranza Departs

Bronx Executive Superintendent Meisha Porter is the incoming Chancellor. On February 26, 2021, Mayor Bill de Blasio appointed Meisha Porter as the next Chancellor of the New York City Department of Education (“DOE”), the largest school system in the nation. Porter was appointed after Chancellor Richard A. Carranza announced his resignation.


Mayor Appoints Lorraine Grillo as City “Recovery Czar”

Grillo has prior experience managing recovery efforts from after Superstorm Sandy. On February 22, 2021, Mayor Bill de Blasio announced the appointment of Lorraine Grillo as the City’s Senior Advisor for Recovery. As “Recovery Czar”, Grillo will coordinate the City’s recovery agenda, “Recovery for All,” across City agencies and work with non-profits and the private sector. The “Recovery for All” agenda highlights vaccination efforts, addressing unemployment, inequality, neighborhood policing, environmental justice issues and <Read More>


City Announces Plan to Reopen Schools After Temporary Halt to In-Person Learning

Elementary schools will reopen December 7th but middle and high schools will remain remote only for the foreseeable future. On November 29, 2020, Mayor Bill de Blasio and Department of Education Chancellor Richard Carranza announced a plan to reopen New York City public schools for in-person learning after temporarily shutting schools on November 19th after the City’s COVID-19 positivity rates exceeded three percent.