The new commercial containerization rules go into effect starting September 5th. Image Credit: DSNY.

On September 5, 2023, chain businesses with five or more locations citywide will be required to use rigid containers with secure lids when setting out trash curbside for collection. The rule is a part of the city’s ongoing push to control the rat population by restricting sources of food. The rule was finalized and published in the City Record on August 2nd.  (more…)

Mayor Eric Adams. Photo Credit: facebook.com/NYCMayor

On August 8, 2023, Mayor Eric Adams signed Executive Order 34 as part of his ongoing commitment to the Minority and Women-Owned Business Enterprise (M/WBE) Program, which expands opportunities for minority and women entrepreneurs to access government contracts and grow their businesses. (more…)

Mayor Adams and agency officials announce a $40 million investment to improve streets and public spaces in Downtown Brooklyn. Image Credit: Michael Appleton/Mayoral Photography Office.

On July 20, 2023, Mayor Eric Adams, Department of Parks & Recreation (Parks) Commissioner Sue Donoghue, and Department of Transportation (Transportation) Commissioner Ydanis Rodriguez announced a $40 million investment to improve public spaces and street safety along Fulton Street and across Downtown Brooklyn—the borough’s largest economic hub. The project, which is part of Mayor Adams’ $375 million investment in improving public spaces citywide, aims to support Brooklyn’s economy by delivering streetscape improvements, transportation and public space upgrades, and pedestrian and roadway user safety enhancements. (more…)

Roadway dining will be allowed under the new program but only seasonally. Sidewalk and roadway cafes must have removable furniture and equipment, instead of the dining shed structures that caused much controversy over the past few years. Image Credit: NYC DOT

After a year and a half since the bill was introduced, the Council finally votes to create a permanent outdoor dining program. On August 3, 2023, the City Council voted to approve Int 31-C, which establishes a permanent outdoor dining program. The program will allow sidewalk cafes to operate annually and roadway cafes to operate seasonally, with removable furniture and decor replacing solid dining shed structures. The program follows the temporary outdoor dining program that removed barriers for restaurants to incorporate outdoor sidewalk and roadway dining during the pandemic. The bill was sponsored by Council Member Marjorie Velázquez, Chair of the Committee on Consumer and Worker Protection.   (more…)

Mayor Adams announcing changes to containerization requirements for certain businesses this past June as part of the city’s ongoing efforts to address the rat population. Image Credit: Ed Reed/Mayoral Photography Office.

On July 25, 2023, Mayor Eric Adams, Sanitation Department (DSNY) Commissioner Jessica Tisch, and Director of Citywide Rodent Mitigation Kathleen Corradi announced that changing to later trash set-out times have had a positive impact on reducing rat activity citywide. Compared to the same period in 2022, the number of 311 calls made about rat activity citywide decreased by 20 percent from May to mid-July 2023, and the City’s four rat mitigation zones—Bronx Grand Concourse, Harlem, Bedford-Stuyvesant/Bushwick, and East Village/Chinatown—saw rat sighting calls decrease by more than 45 percent on average. (more…)