City Receives Over $10 Million in Grants to Support Electrification of Governors Island Ferry, Operation of Staten Island Ferry

On December 1, 2023, Mayor Eric Adams announced that the city has received over $10 million from the U.S. Federal Transit Administration to support ferry services to Staten Island and Governor’s Island. The funding includes a $7.5 million grant to install shoreside rapid charging infrastructure for the new hybrid-electric Governors Island Ferry and $3 million to rehabilitate the City’s Department of Transportation offsite storage facility that supports the Staten Island Ferry. 


City Council Votes to Approve the City of Yes for Carbon Neutrality Zoning Text Amendment

On December 6, 2023, the City Council voted to approve the City of Yes for Carbon Neutrality zoning text amendment. The amendment, the first of three proposed by the Adams administration last year, fixes outdated provisions within the zoning text that inhibit the growth and use of green infrastructure and technology in New York City. The zoning text, as is, could not accommodate many types of modern green infrastructure and technology, which did not exist <Read More>


Small Business Services Launches “Live NYC Map” Tool to Show Small Businesses and Public-Facing Locations Citywide

On November 22, 2023, the Department of Small Business Services announced the launch of Live NYC Map, an interactive database that includes a searchable map of the city’s small businesses and public-facing locations. The map launches ahead of Small Business Saturday, the part of the Thanksgiving holiday weekend where consumers are encouraged to explore and support local businesses for their holiday shopping. 


DOT Begins Enforcement for Overweight Trucks on BQE

On November 9, 2023, Department of Transportation (DOT) Commissioner Ydanis Rodriguez announced that the City will start to issue violations for its weigh-in-motion enforcement program that targets overweight trucks on the Brooklyn Queens Expressway (BQE). In August, a 90-day warning period about the violations was launched. The program’s goal is largely to limit the wear and tear on the Expressway’s cantilever.


Governor Celebrates Opening of 96-Unit All-Electric Affordable Housing Development in Fordham Heights

On November 3, 2023, Governor Kathy Hochul announced the completion of a new all-electric affordable and supportive housing development in the Fordham Heights neighborhood of the Bronx. The housing development, named the 2050 Grand Concourse, was awarded funding from the State’s Buildings of Excellence Competition. The aim of the Competition was to advance zero-carbon multifamily buildings in the State.


City Council Votes to Approve Additions to DOT Master Street Plan

On October 19, 2023, the City Council voted to approve Int. 1164A-2023. The bill was sponsored by Council Member Selvena Brooks-Powers. This bill seeks to make additions to the Department of Transportation’s Master Street Plan by, in the words of Council Member Brooks-Powers, adding equity through “an investment roadmap to the streets plan law.”