UPDATED: Parks Department Closes Some Facilities, Mayor and Governor Announce Rule Changes in Coronavirus Response

Team sports are prohibited and recreation centers are currently closed to the public, but parks remain open. City and State governments continue the fight to control the spread of the coronavirus, instituting policies to encourage and enable as many people to stay at home as possible. Understanding the challenges of asking citizens to spend as much time as possible indoors as the weather continues to improve, the City aimed to keep City parks open as … <Read More>


Coronavirus Puts Halt to Land Use Review Process

The executive order freezes land use applications so public meetings do not need to occur. On March 16, 2020, Mayor Bill de Blasio signed Emergency Executive Order #100, which laid out several steps of the City’s response to the coronavirus outbreak. In the interest of limiting public gatherings to reduce the spread of the coronavirus, Emergency Executive Order #100 freezes land use applications that have a timed review or vote requirement. This includes applications within <Read More>


City Establishes COVID-19 Checkpoints to Enforce State Quarantine Orders

On August 5, 2020, Mayor de Blasio announced that checkpoints will be placed at all major entry points into the City to ensure compliance with New York State quarantine requirements. Travelers who have visited 34 designated states, territories, or areas with high COVID-19 transmission rates must complete the New York State Department of Health traveler form and quarantine for a period of 14 days upon entering the City. These travel health forms help the City … <Read More>


City Planning Commission Resumes Hearings

The full ULURP process will resume on September 14th. On August 3, 2020, the City Planning Commission resumed hearings for the first time since March 16th. Hearings had been postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic after Mayor Bill de Blasio signed an executive order halting the ULURP process which allowed the City Planning Commission to cancel its meetings. While other agencies started resuming public hearings virtually in June and July, the City Planning Commission has <Read More>


City Announces Preliminary Plan for Upcoming School Year

The City’s plan offers three basic models schools can base their scheduling on to rotate students between in-person and remote learning. On July 8, 2020, Mayor Bill de Blasio and Department of Education Chancellor Richard Carranza announced the City’s preliminary plan to reopen public schools in September. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, schools have physically been closed since mid-March and operated remotely for the remainder of the school year. The “blended learning” approach will allow … <Read More>