The Hugo Boss store at Columbus Circle. Image Credit: Google Maps.

Hugo Boss store at Columbus Circle which was forced to close by COVID-19 executive order sought rent relief. Hugo Boss operates a retail store in The Shops at Columbus Circle in New York City. A/R Retail LLC is the landlord for this luxury indoor mall. Hugo Boss entered into a 13-year lease at the location as a way to gain visibility in the heavily trafficked location catering to premium market customers. Hugo Boss’s rent was $692,026.07 per month. (read more…)

Hybrid hearings will allow members of the public to either attend public meetings in person or virtually. However, the state of emergency will keep meetings virtual for now. Image Credit: CityLand

Community boards often do not have the same resources as City agencies to have hybrid hearings. The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic resulted in many changes on how state and city governments conducted business, including public hearings. New York’s Open Meetings Law was originally designed to promote transparency, requiring hearings to be held in person and open to the public, with notice about how to participate. After meetings went virtual due to the pandemic, discussions began about how the open meetings law should better reflect modern circumstances. (read more…)

Mayor Adams announces changes to the City’s COVID-19 protocols in Times Square. Image Credit: Michael Appleton/Mayoral Photography Office.

The announcements come after data supports that New York City is currently experiencing low level spread of COVID-19. On March 4, 2022, Mayor Eric Adams announced changes to the City’s COVID-19 protocols in response to the decline of COVID-19 cases citywide. The changes go into effect today, Monday, March 7th. (read more…)

3-Year Old Daycare Program.

Mask and vaccine mandates are being rolled back by Mayor Eric Adams, Governor Kathy Hochul, and New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy. They are moving too fast. Mandates should not be universally lifted until 100% of our populations including children younger than five had an opportunity to at least choose to be vaccinated and that is not the case right now. (read more…)

Mayor Adams announces push to promote available tenant protections upon the impending end of the state’s eviction moratorium. Image Credit: Michael Appleton/Mayoral Photography Office

The Mayor joins a collective call from New York leadership at the federal, state and municipal levels to help New Yorkers avoid evictions with federal rental assistance. On January 13, 2022, Mayor Eric Adams announced a new push to promote tenant protections that are available in New York City and called for an infusion of funds from the US Department of Treasury into the state’s Emergency Rental Assistance Program. The announcement comes as the state’s eviction moratorium is set to expire on January 15th.  (read more…)

Panelists discuss options on how to organize and plan for Tribeca’s future post pandemic. Image credit: CityLand

Panel welcomed small business owners, residents, and other interested parties for a discussion regarding Tribeca and the neighborhood’s ongoing economic recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic.  On March 4th, New York Law School’s Dean Anthony Crowell published an open letter in the Tribeca Citizen that discussed the economic impact of the pandemic on the Tribeca community and NYLS’s commitment to helping the neighborhood navigate its recovery following Covid-19. Dean Crowell wrote: (read more…)