Mayor Appoints Keri Butler as Acting Executive Director of the Public Design Commission

Butler has been serving the Public Design Commission in various roles for 15 years. On December 16, 2020, Mayor Bill de Blasio appointed Keri Butler as the Acting Executive Director of the Public Design Commission (PDC). The Public Design Commission serves as the City’s design review agency. The Commission oversees the design of permanent structures, landscape architecture and art proposed on City-owned property, and considers the appropriateness of the design, the materials used, how the … <Read More>


DDC and DEP Complete $106 Million Project to Restore Pugsley Creek

The project is designed to improve the health of New York Harbor. On October 27, 2020, the New York City Department of Environmental Protection and Department of Design and Construction announced that a $106 million project to clean up Pugsley Creek in the South Bronx had been completed. This project reduced sewer overflows into the Creek by 98 percent and was completed 14 months ahead of schedule.


RFP Issued to Develop Climate Solutions Work Hub on Governors Island

The center would be a part of advancing the City’s Recovery Agenda. On October 21, 2020, Mayor de Blasio and the Trust for Governors Island issued a request for proposals to develop a hub for businesses and non-profits working on the climate and the environment in Building 301 – a historic waterfront building located on the Northern section of Governors Island. This project is an early step to establish Governors Island as a leading center … <Read More>


City Planning Approves Application for Open Space and Resilient Housing on Sandy Affected Properties

The City uses ingenuity to make use of City owned spaces in flood plain. On September 25, 2019 City Planning unanimously approved an application to facilitate the construction of resilient housing and create open spaces on 141 city-owned properties, purchased in the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy. The properties involved sustained a level of storm and flood damage equal to at least half their respective value.


City Planning Approves Two Applications to Facilitate the East Side Coastal Resiliency Project

The project is predicted to protect over 110,000 Lower Manhattan residents from flood and storm impacts. On September 23, 2019, the City Planning Commission voted to approve two applications regarding the East Side Coastal Resiliency Project which addresses coastal flood vulnerabilities in Lower Manhattan. The project area is bounded by East 25th Street to the north, Montgomery Street to the south, and the East River to the east. The area runs along the FDR Drive … <Read More>


City Develops Plan to Protect Lower Manhattan’s Shoreline from Climate Change Impacts

The project will include the expansion of the Lower Manhattan shoreline and four capital projects devoted to the resiliency of Lower Manhattan neighborhoods. On March 14, 2019, Mayor Bill de Blasio announced the Lower Manhattan Coastal Resiliency (LMCR) Project. The project is one of the City’s responses to the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy. Hurricane Sandy was a turning point for the City to tackle infrastructure resiliency. Hurricane Sandy resulted in $19 billion of devastation for … <Read More>