Councilmember Donovan Richards. Image credit: William Alatriste/NYC Council
Donovan Richards was elected to the City Council from the 31st District in February 2013. When you speak with City Council member Donovan Richards, two things become readily apparent: an encyclopedic knowledge of the needs of his Southeast Queens Council district and the drive to pursue solutions for each of those needs simultaneously.
Image credit: Stroock & Stroock & Lavan LLP
At the CityLaw breakfast on August 28, 2015, Carl Weisbrod provided an update on the de Blasio Administration’s housing plan, which Weisbrod described as now in its “toddler” stage. The de Blasio program is the most ambitious of its kind in the country, and the biggest in New York since the Koch Administration. Today, the City is managing the problems of success: continued growth and a shortage of housing. Conversely, in the Koch era, the City was planning for shrinkage, had abundant vacant land, and much abandoned housing.
Mayor Bill de Blasio delivers the 2015 State of the City address at Baruch College. Image Demetrius Freeman/Mayoral Photography Office
Affordable housing issues, including rent-regulation, mandatory inclusionary zoning, and more were highlighted in the speech. On February 3, 2015 Mayor Bill de Blasio delivered his second State Of The City address from Baruch College. The Mayor spoke at length about the affordable housing crisis facing New York City and the programs his administration has begun or will propose to address the problem.
