Comptroller’s DOB Audit Reveals Failures to Combat Illegal Curb Cuts and Driveways

Buildings facilitated the installation of illegal curb cuts and driveways by approving work permit applications that did not meet Zoning Resolution requirements. On July 1, 2021,  New York City Comptroller Scott Stringer released an audit of the Department of Buildings, finding widespread deficiencies in Buildings’ efforts to combat illegal curb cuts and driveways.


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>


New York Law School Hosts Open Community Meeting on the Future of Tribeca Following the Pandemic

Panel welcomed small business owners, residents, and other interested parties for a discussion regarding Tribeca and the neighborhood’s ongoing economic recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic.  On March 4th, New York Law School’s Dean Anthony Crowell published an open letter in the Tribeca Citizen that discussed the economic impact of the pandemic on the Tribeca community and NYLS’s commitment to helping the neighborhood navigate its recovery following Covid-19. Dean Crowell wrote:



City Council Approves Changes to Street Vendor System

The new bill releases 4,000 new street vendor permits over the course of ten years. On January 28, 2021, the City Council voted to approve Int 1116-B, which provides significant changes to the street vendor system. Prior to the legislation, the number of street vendor permits had been capped at 3,000 since 1983. Given the high demand for permits, limiting the number of permits opened an illegal market for renting out permits. Int 1116-B, sponsored <Read More>


Mayor Appoints Two Co-Executive Directors for Mayor’s Fund to Advance New York City

Last year the Mayor’s Fund helped immigrant families access relief funds and provided healthcare workers with food and essential care products. On January 19, 2021, Mayor Bill de Blasio appointed Daniele Baierlein and JL Paniagua Valle as Co-Executive Directors of the Mayor’s Fund to Advance New York City. The Mayor’s Fund is a non-profit organization that works with City agencies and hundreds of institutional funders to advance initiatives that improve equity across New York City.