Broadway Junction Commercial Development, 125th Street Subway Stop Homes, Empire 1 Wind Project Restored, 9-11 Memorial Honoring Fallen Servicemembers, Fifth Avenue Transformation: Mayor Adams

NEW YORK – New York City Mayor Eric Adams, New York City Department of Social Services (DSS) Commissioner Molly Wasow Park, New York City Economic Development Corporation (NYCEDC) President and CEO Andrew Kimball, and New York City Department of Citywide Administrative Services (DCAS) Commissioner Louis A. Molina today announced the opening of 2440 Fulton Street, a 400,000 square-foot commercial building located in the heart of East New York, Brooklyn, which further builds on public-space developments, affordable housing, and good-paying jobs in and around the Broadway Junction transit hub. The transit hub serves as an anchor project for the broader investments in the community through the East New York Neighborhood Plan that Mayor Adams participated in as Brooklyn borough president. Designed by Marvel Architects and developed by the Leser Group and NYCEDC, this world-class facility will be primarily occupied by DSS’ Human Resources Administration (DSS-HRA), which will consolidate nearly a dozen programs that were previously located across multiple sites throughout Brooklyn under one roof at this easily accessible location. Over 1,100 DSS-HRA employees will ultimately occupy the site. The realization of 2440 Fulton Street builds on work Mayor Adams started in 2017 when he was Brooklyn borough president to create a more accessible and dynamic transit hub and economic center for Broadway Junction and the surrounding communities through his role as co-chair of the Broadway Junction Working Group and participation in the East New York Neighborhood Plan under Mayor Bill de Blasio’s administration. 

“Today’s announcement brings us one step closer to making Broadway Junction a thriving hub for East Brooklyn, and the entire borough,” said Mayor Adams. “With the opening of this 400,000 square-foot building at 2440 Fulton Street, we are bringing 1,100 Department of Social Services employees to offer services like Cash Assistance, SNAP, Medicaid, and Fair Fares and opening 80,000 square-feet of retail space to bring good-paying jobs and quality retail options to the neighborhood. This announcement also delivers on our CARE pledge, first announced in 2022, to revitalize underserved neighborhoods with the strategic placement of city office space and services — leveraging our resources as an employer and driving growth in local economies. This is part of more than $300 million in investments made in the Broadway Junction area and surrounding communities that deliver on the vision I first contributed to in 2017 for East New York when I was Brooklyn borough president. Today, I am proud that, as we realize the plans we set in place nearly a decade ago, we continue to make New York City safer, more affordable, and the best place to raise a family, especially in historically underserved communities like East Brooklyn.”

“The opening of 2440 Fulton Street represents another milestone in creating a vibrant, mixed-use Broadway Junction,” said Deputy Mayor for Housing, Economic Development, and Workforce Adolfo Carrión Jr. “It’s another step in the right direction to bring to reality the vision to transform Broadway Junction into a new economic hub for the city.” 

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“It’s a win for our city when we can leverage our position as the city’s real estate negotiator to help advance this administration’s efforts to bring economic opportunity and equity to all communities,” said DCAS Commissioner Molina. “This project in the heart of East New York — the first to use the CARE strategy — represents what we can do when we work collaboratively, think innovatively, and prioritize creating opportunities for all New Yorkers.”

“This beautiful, state-of-the-art facility will serve as the new home for over 1,100 dedicated DSS-HRA employees who will play a vital role in their communities by helping New Yorkers in-need apply for critical services like SNAP, Cash Assistance, Medicaid, Fair Fares, and more,” said DSS Commissioner Park. “It’s my pleasure to welcome them to their first day of work in a location that delivers geographic convenience for employees and accessibility of services for clients living in East New York and the surrounding communities. The wonderful amenities and new features of this facility will improve the client and employee experience. We are proud to collaborate with our partners to realize the mayor’s vision of his CARE pledge, which will benefit countless New Yorkers.” 

“Just three years ago, I stood here alongside Mayor Adams, DCAS, and DSS to break ground on this state-of-the-art commercial development and am thrilled to be back here today to celebrate the opening of 2440 Fulton Street — a hub that will serve Broadway Junction for decades to come — and a symbol of investment in a community that has long been neglected,” said NYCEDC President and CEO Kimball. “NYCEDC remains steadfast in its commitment to fostering economic opportunities in East New York. Recently, we awarded $1.4 million to five local organizations to establish an economic mobility network, are spearheading a $130 million public realm investment around Broadway Junction, and are activating additional spaces within the Industrial Business Zone to bolster local business growth.”

Just east of Broadway Junction station is the future site of Herkimer-Williams, a mixed-use project that will deliver 1,000 affordable homes, 85,000 square foot community space, 100,000 square foot of light industrial space, office and retail space, and 25,000 square feet of open space to the area. This private development, expected to certify into Unified Land Use Review Procedure (ULURP) later this spring, compliments the work this Adams administration is doing to bring more jobs and improved infrastructure to East New York and establish the area as a hub for economic development — continuing the work Mayor Adams started in this community nearly a decade ago.

Delivering Services and Benefits for New Yorkers

The Broadway Junction Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) Station serves 100,000 passengers a day on the A, C, J, Z, and L subway lines, along with various MTA bus routes and the East New York Long Island Rail Road station. The new building will allow DSS-HRA to streamline access to critical programs administered by the agency, encourage inter-program collaboration and teamwork, and enhance client experience with rapid electronic check-in systems, upgraded self-service technology, expanded waiting areas, and superior amenities. These improvements will allow the agency to improve its efficiency and deliver its services directly to people who rely on them in their own communities. 

The programs relocating to this facility are largely focused on providing services to East New York residents and surrounding communities, which will greatly increase access for these clients. DSS-HRA programs at 2440 Fulton will be phased-in over the remainder of this year, and, upon full transition, will include:

• Adult Protective Services 

• Community Alternative Systems Agency 

• Domestic Violence Services 

• Fair Fares 

• Family Independence Administration– Cash Assistance 

• FIA – Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP)

• IDNYC

• Medicaid 

• Office of Child Support Services 

The Adams administration has strengthened access to critical benefits and is reaching a record number of New Yorkers in need. Nearly 600,000 New Yorkers receive cash assistance today, reflecting the highest number of recipients in two decades and a 45 percent increase since the start of this administration. DSS has made it easier for New Yorkers to apply for benefits by implementing remote capabilities across every step of the application process for Cash Assistance and SNAP, with 90 percent of New Yorkers applying for these benefits doing so online. The city also continues to retain a comprehensive network of brick-and-mortar locations with Benefits Access Centers, SNAP Centers, and IDNYC Centers in every borough. As a result of increased efficiencies and strengthening the delivery of services across in-person Benefits Access Centers and SNAP locations, the average customer wait time decreased by 11 percent in the first four months of Fiscal Year 2025 compared to the same period in Fiscal Year 2024, and appointment capacity at IDNYC Centers went up by 27 percent at the start of 2025 compared to the same time last year. These developments also build on the Adams administration’s work to connect victims of benefits theft to nearly $48 million in replacement funds to help ensure New Yorkers are able to keep their families healthy, house, and fed. 

Investing in East New York’s Economic Development

The development of 2440 Fulton Street realizes Mayor Adams’ City Agencies Revitalizing the Economy (CARE) strategy — first released at Broadway Junction in April 2022 — to create jobs hubs across the city by strategically locating city agency offices in key neighborhoods. Today’s announcement realizes the completion of the first major project under this plan, which leverages long-term city commercial leases to brings jobs closer to communities and catalyze new commercial development outside of the city’s traditional central business districts. 

Mayor Adams has a long history of investing in Broadway Junction stretching back to his time as Brooklyn borough president when he chaired the Broadway Junction Working Group, which resulted in the report: “Broadway Junction: A Vision for the Future,” released in 2019, that informed the city’s plans to revitalize this vital commercial and transit hub. In 2023, Mayor Adams and the MTA announced a nearly $500 million commitment for accessibility upgrades to the Broadway Junction station complex and additional investments to activate underutilized public spaces around the subway complex, improve street safety, and create new open space. NYCEDC is overseeing a $130 million publicly-funded public realm investment to create a safer and more welcoming area around the station complex. With the public commitments and planned private investments around the Broadway Junction complex, the city is expected to see over $11.6 billion in economic impact over the next 30 years, including opportunities for local businesses, nonprofits, and minority- and women-owned business enterprises.

Additionally, NYCEDC recently advanced a series of leasing opportunities on public sites around the East New York Industrial Business Zone (IBZ) to dive economic growth. These opportunities include releasing a multi-site East New York Industrial Business Zone request for proposals for business development, completing a $9 million renovation and full tenanting of the IBZ Industrial Building, and cleaning up additional IBZ sites to bring online. 

To complement the ongoing real estate and public realm improvements in East New York, NYCEDC is working with city agencies to build the area’s workforce and develop an employment hub in Brooklyn. This includes awarding $1.4 million across five workforce development organizations to expand job training and connect jobseekers to both existing industrial and emerging construction and green-economy jobs. 

In addition to the DSS-HRA offices and client spaces, 2440 Fulton will also feature approximately 80,000 square feet of private-market, commercial space, including ground floor retail space along Fulton Street, Herkimer Street, and Van Sinderen Avenue, which will generate economic opportunities and jobs for East New York residents while also providing the community with a range of new, high-quality retail options. 

NEW YORK – New York City Mayor Eric Adams and New York City Department of City Planning (DCP) Director and City Planning Commission (CPC) Chair Dan Garodnick today announced the start of the public review process on the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) 125th and Lexington Rezoning application, an MTA proposal to transform a vacant lot at the corner of East 125th Street and Lexington Avenue in East Harlem into a mixed-use tower with nearly 700 new homes, including over 150 affordable homes. The proposal — which marks the first non-city led land use application to begin public review using the new, high-density zoning districts enabled by Mayor Adams’ “City of Yes for Housing Opportunity” plan — will sit above the future terminus of the Second Avenue Subway. Finally, the proposal will help achieve Mayor Adams’ “Manhattan Plan,” first announced in his fourth State of the City address earlier this year, to review zoning across the whole of Manhattan, unlock potential housing sites for development, and add 100,000 new homes to the borough.

“From our historic ‘City of Yes’ plan to our sweeping neighborhood rezonings, this is the most pro-housing administration in New York City history — full stop,” said Mayor Adams. “These generational initiatives are already making a difference in our city, with proposals like this one in East Harlem taking advantage of ‘City of Yes’ to bring hundreds of homes to the neighborhood. Thank you to the MTA for submitting this ambitious idea that will bring together housing and transit, and for working with the city to deliver the homes that New Yorkers need.”

“With great access to transportation and a thriving commercial corridor, this corner of East Harlem is exactly the right place to build high-destiny, mixed-income housing, and retail opportunities,” said Deputy Mayor for Housing, Economic Development, and Workforce Adolfo Carrión, Jr. “This kind of development is possible through the changes our administration has secured through ‘City of Yes,’ and I commend the MTA for being a partner with us to transform this site into a place of high-quality homes and business opportunity.”

“The new zoning districts we created through ‘City of Yes’ to allow more housing are designed for central, transit-rich locations — and there’s no place closer to transit than directly above a subway station,” said DCP Director and CPC Chair Garodnick. “I look forward to the City Planning Commission’s review of this proposal, which has the potential to transform a vacant site in the heart of Harlem into hundreds of urgently needed homes.”

“Access to transit makes living in New York more convenient and affordable, and this area has all kinds of subway, bus, and commuter rail access,” said MTA Chair and CEO Janno Lieber. “With the coming Second Avenue Subway extension, this area continues to become even more attractive.”

Located directly above the site of the future East 125th Street Q train station, the proposed building would rise to 38 stories high and include approximately 680 new homes, with roughly 150 permanently affordable and income-restricted units.

This centrally located site has sat undeveloped since the closure of the Pathmark supermarket in 2015, saddled with lower-density zoning that did not fully reflect the site’s location on the iconic and transit-rich 125th Street. By shifting to a C6-11 zoning district with a residential Floor Area Ratio (FAR) of 15, the proposal takes advantage of new zoning districts created through “City of Yes” and new tools from Albany to lift the outdated “FAR cap,” opening the door to more housing units on the location. Following successful advocacy in Albany, New York City created new, higher-density zoning districts like this one, which require Mandatory Inclusionary Housing and are powerful tools to create urgently-needed homes for New Yorkers at a wide range of income levels.

Today’s certification by the CPC marks the beginning of the roughly seven-month public review process for the proposal, which will include reviews by Manhattan Community Board 11 and Manhattan Borough President Mark Levine, followed by hearings and binding votes at the CPC and the New York City Council.

Proposals like the one at East 125th Street and Lexington Avenue that take advantage of new zoning tools will be crucial to realizing Mayor Adams’ Manhattan Plan that will add 100,000 new homes to the borough over the next decade. Additionally, Mayor Adams’ Midtown South Mixed-Use Plan would map new, higher-density zoning districts across 42 Manhattan blocks where housing today is largely not permitted, creating around 9,700 homes — including up to 2,800 of them income-restricted and permanently affordable — in Midtown and helping fulfill Mayor Adams’ Manhattan Plan goals.

Since entering office, Mayor Adams has made historic investments toward creating affordable housing and ensuring more New Yorkers have a place to call home. DCP is advancing several robust neighborhood plans that, if adopted, would deliver more than 40,000 units over the next 15 years, including plans in Midtown South in Manhattan, and both Jamaica and Long Island City in Queens. Earlier this month, the New York City Council Land Use and Zoning Committees unanimously voted in favor of the Atlantic Avenue Mixed-Use Plan, while, last year, the City Council approved the Bronx-Metro North Station Area Plan, which will create approximately 7,000 homes and 10,000 permanent jobs in the East Bronx.  

Moreover, last December, Mayor Adams celebrated the passage of City of Yes for Housing Opportunity, the most pro-housing proposal in city history that will build 80,000 new homes over 15 years. Last month, Mayor Adams announced that New York City will invest $24.7 billion in housing as part of its 10-Year Capital Strategy — including $1 billion as part of City of Yes — as well as make new investments to create and preserve nearly 6,000 units of supportive housing, renovate thousands of New York City Housing Authority units, provide legal services for tenants, and more. Mayor Adams celebrated back-to-back record breaking fiscal years, as well as back-to-back calendar years in both creating and connecting New Yorkers to affordable housing. Last spring, the city celebrated the largest 100 percent affordable housing project in 40 years with the Willets Point transformation. 

Further, the Adams administration is using every tool available to address the city’s housing crisis. Mayor Adams announced multiple new tools, including a $4 million state grant, to help New York City homeowners create accessory dwelling units that will not only help older adults afford to remain in the communities they call home but also help build generational wealth. 

In addition to creating more housing opportunities, the Adams administration is actively working to strengthen tenant protections and support homeowners. The Partners in Preservation Program was expanded citywide in 2024 through an $11 million investment in local organizations to support tenant organizing and combat harassment in rent-regulated housing. The Homeowner Help Desk, a trusted one-stop shop for low-income homeowners to receive financial and legal counseling from local organizations, was also expanded citywide in 2024 with a $9.85 million funding commitment.

Finally, Mayor Adams and members of his administration successfully advocated for new tools in the 2024 New York state budget that will spur the creation of urgently needed housing. These tools include a new tax incentive for multifamily rental construction, a tax incentive program to encourage office conversions to create more affordable units, lifting the arbitrary “floor-to-area ratio” cap that held back affordable housing production in certain high-demand areas of the city, and the ability to create a pilot program to legalize and make safe basement apartments.    

NEW YORK — New York City Mayor Eric Adams and New York City Department of Veterans’ Services (DVS) Commissioner James W. Hendon today continued “Veterans and Service Members’ Week,” as part of national Military Appreciation Month and the lead up to Memorial Day, by unveiling initial designs for a new memorial honoring the at least 100 fallen post-9/11 service members from New York City who made the ultimate sacrifice during their service in Iraq and Afghanistan. The memorial — titled “Flames of Honor” and which will be located in the Whitestone neighborhood of Queens — was first announced during last year’s Fleet Week reception and will be designed by artist Douwe Blumberg. During Veterans and Service Members’ Week, Mayor Adams is paying special tribute to the over 13,000 active service members who call New York City home, the 210,000 veterans who live in the five boroughs, and all those who lost their lives while serving their nation and who resided in New York.

“Flames of Honor” — designed by nationally-recognized artist Douwe Blumberg — will pay tribute to the 100 service members who lost their lives in the post-9/11 wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. Credit: Douwe Blumberg.

“Our fallen soldiers gave their last measure of devotion defending the American Dream, and we could not call ourselves the greatest city on the globe if we did not give them the tribute they deserve,” said Mayor Adams. “With this memorial, we will honor a new generation of souls who gave their lives far too early in the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and say ‘thank you’ to our service members and veterans every day of the year with a beautiful space for remembrance and reflection. Thank you to Douwe Blumberg for his thoughtful design and, above all, to our service members who put their lives on the line every day to protect our freedom, especially in this post-9/11 world.”

“This memorial will stand as a permanent reminder that the cost of war is not measured in years or deployments but in lives forever changed, birthdays missed, memories unshared, and time with loved ones that can never be reclaimed,” said DVS Commissioner Hendon. “‘Flames of Honor’ will give New Yorkers a sacred space to grieve, to reflect, and to remember those we’ve lost since 9/11 — not just as service members, but as sons, daughters, neighbors, and friends.”

“To the New Yorkers and all service members who gave their lives for our country, we owe a debt of gratitude that can never be repaid,” said New York City Department of Cultural Affairs (DCLA) Commissioner Laurie Cumbo. “We’re delighted and honored to work with artist Douwe Blumberg to realize his vision of ‘Flames of Honor,’ which will pay tribute to our fallen soldiers while providing everyone with a contemplative space to reflect on their lives and honor their sacrifice.”

“I am humbled and honored to use my artistic gifts to help the City of New York pay tribute to those who have sacrificed everything for their nation. My hope is that this piece of fine art reminds us and future generations of their humanity and personhood,” said Douwe Blumberg. “This work is a unique fusion of artistic visions, which will impact and engage a diverse audience with the legacy of these fallen heroes for generations to come.” 

Following an open call for submissions by DVS and DCLA, the city received dozens of submissions for the new memorial. A diverse advisory panel of individuals from New York City’s veteran community reviewed these submissions, ultimately choosing Blumberg’s design for its mixture of modern and traditional styles, its deep and meaningful symbolism, and its use of space to promote reflection and remembrance.

Flames of Honor will be built on the waterfront in the Whitestone neighborhood of Queens, the borough home to the largest number of post-9/11 service members who were killed in action. Queens is also the borough with the highest population of living veterans. The new memorial is part of the Utopia Parkway Seawall Replacement and Street Improvements project led by the New York City Department of Transportation and the New York City Economic Development Corporation that will incorporate a bike path, pedestrian walkway, and rebuilt bulkheads to revitalize the area and mitigate storm risk for the surrounding neighborhood.

In addition to commemorating the nearly 100 service members from New York City, as well as the total 7,064 service members, who lost their lives in the post-9/11 wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, Flames of Honor will also serve as a lasting “thank you” and “welcome home” to the post-9/11 veteran community. This site will provide a space for future commemorations, honoring both the fallen and the broader veteran community.

The son of a World War II veteran, Blumberg has been widely recognized for his work as a sculptor and artist. After attending the University of Southern California’s Idyllwild School of Music and the Arts, as well as four additional years of sculpture and metal working study, he shifted his career to focus on horse training before eventually returning to the arts. Douwe has since completed well over 200 private and public commissions across New York, California, Colorado, Kentucky, and other states. In addition to numerous awards, residencies, and shows to his credit, Blumberg has been hailed by former U.S. President Joseph Biden as being “America’s Greatest Sculptor.” He previously designed “America’s Response Monument” currently located at the World Trade Center site to pay tribute to U.S. Army Special Forces who responded to the 9/11 attacks.

“I welcome news that a memorial will be erected on our beautiful Northeast Queens waterfront to honor the 99 fallen post-9/11 service members from New York City,” said New YorkState Assemblymember Edward C. Braunstein. “With one-third of these service members having hailed from Queens, and with the largest population of living veterans in the city, Queens is a fitting future home to this tribute. The memorial will not only serve as a lasting reminder of these service members’ ultimate sacrifice, but it will also function to educate New Yorkers about all post-9/11 service members and their families. As our country prepares to commemorate Memorial Day, I thank New York City Department of Veterans’ Services Commissioner Hendon and Mayor Adams for announcing the next step in seeing this memorial become a reality.”

“The noble and heroic contributions of those who have served in the military after the devastating 9/11 attacks have helped keep our nation safe and secure,” said Queens Borough President Donovan Richards. “But that safety has come at a painful cost, as far too many of our post-9/11 service members have been killed in action. That’s why Queens is especially proud to be the site of the post-9/11 Fallen Service Member Memorial, and I am deeply honored to be allocating $3 million in capital funds toward its construction. Because the least we can do as Americans is given proper recognition to those service members who made the ultimate sacrifice in defense of our country.”

 “Veterans have been overlooked by City Hall for far too long, so these announcements are a meaningful step in the right direction,” said New York City Councilmember Robert Holden. “I look forward to working with both sides of City Hall to deliver what our veterans have earned — including supportive housing, investment in our VSOs, relief from burdensome bureaucratic regulations and fines on our Posts and Halls, and real funding for groundbreaking PTSD treatments like Reconsolidation of Traumatic Memories.”

“This memorial is more than just stone and sculpture – it’s a lasting tribute to the 99 heroes from our city who answered the call after 9/11 and never came home,” said New York City Councilmember Vickie Paladino. “These men and women gave everything in defense of our country, and now, right here in Whitestone, we’re giving them a place of honor that will stand for generations. I’m proud that ‘Flames of Honor’ will be built in my district, and even prouder that our city is taking this moment to reflect, remember, and show unwavering gratitude.”

NEW YORK – New York City Mayor Eric Adams today announced that total investments of over $400 million to fully fund the city and the Future of Fifth Partnership’s plan to transform Fifth Avenue — between Bryant Park and Central Park — into a world-class, pedestrian-centered boulevard, cementing the iconic corridor’s status as a catalyst for economic growth and job creation in New York City. Mayor Adams is providing an additional $250 million in new investments today to build on the –$152.7 million initial investment he first announced in December 2024. Part of Mayor Adams’ Fiscal Year 2026 Executive Budget — referred to often as the city’s “Best Budget Ever” — the total $402 million project represents the first major redesign in the avenue’s 200-year history and is projected to pay for itself in less than five years through increased property and sales tax revenue. The project is the culmination of years of support building through the administration’s remarkably successful Holiday Open Streets along Fifth Avenue. The event temporarily pedestrianized the avenue and nearby streets for the holiday season and boosted the sales of nearby businesses.  

“Fifth Avenue is a bustling boulevard of shopping, restaurants, businesses, and tourism, with more people walking down the street every hour than fill Madison Square Garden during a sold-out Knicks game. Thanks to hundreds of millions of new dollars we are infusing into Fifth, we are finally making what has been called ‘America’s Street of Dreams’ a pedestrian paradise by making it more walkable, greener, and safer,” said Mayor Adams. “Thanks to our ‘Best Budget Ever,’ we are bringing total investments up to over $400 million as we reclaim space for New Yorkers, their families, and tourists, and cement Fifth Avenue’s status as an economic engine and job creator for all five boroughs. What’s more is that these investments will pay for themself within five years of completion, marking a huge win for New York City. Thank you to the Fifth Avenue Association, Grand Central Partnership, Central Park Conservancy, and the Bryant Park Corporation, as well as our local elected officials, for their partnership throughout this generational project.”