City Planning Holds Public Hearing for Development of Four Buildings in Boerum Hill

On September 7, 2022, the City Planning Commission held a public hearing for the 280 Bergen Street Rezoning project, an application that would enable the construction of a four-building mixed use development in the Boerum Hill section of Brooklyn. The applicant seeks to rezone the majority of the block surrounded by Bergen Street to the north, Wyckoff Street to the south, Nevins Street to the west and Third Avenue to the east. 


Council Committee Holds Hearing for Utility Advocate Legislation

The new office would advocate for New Yorkers who struggle with utility companies, but some question if another office is necessary. On June 30, 2022, the City Council’s Committee for Consumer and Worker Protection held an oversight hearing to discuss recent utility rate hikes and Int. 372-2022, a bill that would establish an Office of the Utility Advocate within the Department of Consumer and Worker Protection (DCWP). The bill is sponsored by City Council Speaker … <Read More>


Assault Rifles and The Impact of New York State’s SAFE Act (REPRINTED FROM 2018)

***THIS ARTICLE ORIGINALLY RAN FOUR YEARS AGO IN CITYLAW*** The SAFE Act, the acronym for the Secure Ammunition and Firearms Enforcement Act – New York State’s January, 2013 omnibus gun control law – provides an excellent opportunity to assess the potential impact of maximally politically feasible gun control, an exercise all the more relevant in the wake of the mass shooting in Las Vegas.  The SAFE Act did not have to be negotiated or compromised.  … <Read More>


City Council Passes Package of Fire Safety Related Bills in Response to Twin Parks Fire

The bills aim to prevent the circumstances that took 17 lives from occurring again in the future. On May 19, 2022, the City Council voted to approve a package of five bills to improve fire safety and prevention measures in residences as part of the City’s response to the tragic Twin Parks high-rise fire which killed 17 people in the Bronx this past January. The fire was a result of a space heater, and the <Read More>


City Planning Hears Application for Two Mixed-Use Buildings in Ravenswood

The buildings would provide residential, commercial, and industrial spaces. On May 11, 2022, the City Planning Commission held a public hearing for an application that would facilitate the development of two eight-story mixed use buildings that will offer residential, commercial, industrial and office spaces in Ravenswood, Queens. The rezoning area consists of the entire block bounded by 33rd Road to the north, 34th Avenue to the south, 11th Street to the west and 12th Street <Read More>