NYC Civic Corps Expansion, Brooklyn Marine Terminal Transformation, Climate Week”Good Clean Fun” Initiative, Challenging Climate Science Rollbacks, e-Bike/Scooter Speed Limits, New Utrecht Library To Add Affordable Housing, New Homes On City-Owned Sites: Mayor Adams

NYC Civic Corps Expansion, Brooklyn Marine Terminal Transformation, Climate Week”Good Clean Fun” Initiative, Challenging Climate Science Rollbacks, e-Bike/Scooter Speed Limits, New Utrecht Library To Add Affordable Housing, New Homes On City-Owned Sites, 

The following questions were asked of DOE and DSNY about the Chromebook giveaway program and the highway cleanup takeover by DSNY (presumably causing changes to the Adopt a Highway program): 

First,  will any Staten Island school students be receiving Chromebooks during the new rollout? How are students determined to be eligible, and is there any application process for those who believe they qualify?

On background, students across all boroughs, including Staten Island, will receive Chromebooks. The initiative prioritizes equity and student needs. The rollout will begin with schools that currently do not have a one-to-one device-to-student ratio to close the digital divide. Following that, the initiative will prioritize students in historically underserved communities and those with limited access to technology and reliable internet to provide support to those who need it most.

We also have a question about something the mayor mentioned a couple of weeks ago about the highways now being cleaned by DSNY exclusively.  Does this have any effect on the Adopt a Highway program, where local businesses were taking care of the cleanup and beautification?  Have their tasks been changed to active beautification only (planting shrubs, flowers, etc) rather than cleaning up an area, or has this program been discontinued for city highways? Or is it still in operation, but when cleaning is necessary the DSNY steps in? 

 

DSNY took over cleaning of the highways in 2023. This is one of Mayor Adams’ signature cleaning initiatives, ensuring that our highway shoulders and medians are cleaned on a regular basis. We are out on the highways almost every day of the week, with Sanitation Workers manually sweeping and raking litter, and removing large pieces of debris. We also have mechanical brooms as part of the convoy. Our August announcement noted a milestone in this work, namely our removal of more than 15 million pounds of litter and debris from highway shoulders and medians.

This work is separate from any Adopt-a-Highway signs you may see on the roads. We do not administer that program.

 

ADAMS ADMINISTRATION COMMITS $3.2 MILLION TO EXPAND NYC CIVIC CORPS SERVICE PROGRAM TO ALL FIVE BOROUGHS

Best Budget Ever Expands NYC Civic Corps Program to All Five Boroughs with 150 Positions Available at More than 80 Participating Organizations and Agencies

NYC Service Now Accepting Applications to Serve 10-month Terms in the City, Building Capacity of Public and Nonprofit Sector Organizations

 

NEW YORK, NY — NYC Service is now recruiting 150 individuals to serve full-time at one of more than 80 public sector organizations due to the Adams Administration’s $3.2 million dollar investment to scale and supplement its AmeriCorps grant. In the June 2026 Best Budget Ever, the Adams Administration allocated funding to safeguard NYC Civic Corps, a service-based workforce program for individuals 18 years and older, after nationwide cuts to AmeriCorps. Since the City’s initial commitment to protect service and volunteerism in June, NYC Service received a formula AmeriCorps grant through the New York State Commission on National and Community Service to continue offering key benefits for those participating in NYC Civic Corps, such as education awards. The Adams Administration’s investment allows for six-times more opportunities for individuals to support the delivery of social services with more organizations than the AmeriCorps grant alone.

 

“From day one, we’ve fought to protect programs that strengthen communities and open doors for public service careers,” said Deputy Mayor for Administration and Chief of Staff to the Mayor Camille Joseph Varlack. “Today, we celebrate a hard-won victory to keep NYC Civic Corps strong with maximum support for nonprofits, expanded opportunities for New Yorkers, and proving once again that AmeriCorps members are the lifeline of this city, from classrooms to clinics to community centers.”

 

“NYC Civic Corps is a program that bridges divides, makes communities healthier, and creates a sense of belonging to this city we all love and champion. Organizations depend on the support of NYC Civic Corps members to reach New Yorkers in underserved communities with dignity and crucial resources,” said Chief Service Officer Laura Rog. “The City’s $3.2 million dollar investment to expand on our AmeriCorps program is a commitment to strengthening New York City communities. This investment means we will be able to support to more than 80 nonprofit and City agency partners across all five boroughs and offer 150 opportunities for individuals to enter and grow in the workforce.”

 

“AmeriCorps has long been an essential program in fostering civic engagement and delivering services to build a New York where everyone can thrive,” said Deputy Chief of Staff to the Mayor and Chief Engagement Officer Crystal Price. “For every $1 invested in these programs, we see a $17 return in community value. By strengthening our commitment to service, we are galvanizing the city’s civic infrastructure to continue to deliver essential services for New Yorkers.”

 

As the first City of Service and a leading municipality in service programming, New York City is offering a model of how local governments can preserve vital service programs. NYC’s investment shows how local action can safeguard impacts for residents and strengthen the public workforce pipeline. NYC Civic Corps members get things done for New Yorkers, such as supporting education programs for youth or formerly incarcerated individuals, helping families access resources, and strengthening community organizations with volunteer programming, while also gaining valuable skills from NYC Service’s support team and workforce experience at their service site. NYC Service programs have significant impact on social service delivery and public engagement with members directly impacting 88,033 New Yorkers, recruiting and managing 14,050 volunteers at more than 50 organizations, and coordinating 893 events/trainings to deliver essential resources and programming from September 2024 through March 2025 alone.

 

This year, NYC Service is offering 150 full-time opportunities for eligible individuals to serve a 10-month term at a community-based organization or City agency through the NYS AmeriCorps Formula grant and investment from the City. Interested applicants have until September 28th, 2025 to complete an application at nyc.gov/servenyc.

 

“For over 30 years, AmeriCorps New York programs have exemplified resilience and community. Despite facing some difficult challenges this year, the service community in New York State stands proud and ready to transform obstacles into opportunities for service and growth. The mission of the New York State Commission on National and Community Service is to strengthen communities and improve lives through service and volunteerism, and NYC Service has been a valued partner in that effort for more than 15 years,” said Beth Tailleur, Acting Executive Director of the New York State Commission on National and Community Service. “I greatly appreciate NYC Service’s commitment to serving others. I congratulate them on being awarded a new AmeriCorps grant for the NYC Civic Corps program, and I look forward to our continued partnership.”

 

The cohort of NYC Civic Corps members will begin their 10-month service term in October and will receive 150 hours of training, a living allowance, and other added benefits such as free metro cards, Citi bike memberships and eligibility to test into a new civil service application designation for those serving in the program. Individuals who complete their service term are also eligible to receive an Eli Segal AmeriCorps Education Award valued at approximately $5,176 to be applied to future or prior educational costs.

 

NYC Service has ushered more than 2,200 individuals into service to the city and public sector careers over the last 16 years through AmeriCorps programs. A longitudinal study of NYC Service’s AmeriCorps program alumni found they were well-prepared for their jobs or careers and highly rated their service-site experience with 83% of alumni citing their NYC Service AmeriCorps experience as helping them succeed in their lifelong career plans. In addition to the experience gained, more than 20% of public service organizations that host AmeriCorps members hire members upon completion of the service year commitment.

 

For more information on NYC Civic Corps, visit nyc.gov/servenyc.

 

 

 

 

MAYOR ADAMS, GOVERNOR HOCHUL, REPRESENTATIVE GOLDMAN, SENATOR GOUNARDES ANNOUNCE PASSAGE OF HISTORIC $3.5 BILLION VISION PLAN TO TRANSFORM BROOKLYN MARINE TERMINAL INTO MODERN MARITIME PORT, CREATE NEW, VIBRANT MIXED-USE COMMUNITY ALONG WATERFRONT 

Ambitious Plan Will Build 60-Acre Modern All-Electric Port, 6,000 Homes, 28 Acres of New Open Space, Over 275,000 Square Feet of Industrial Space, Resiliency Measures, and Dedicated Spaces for Workforce, Community, and Culture

Planned Investments and Redevelopment Will Generate Over $18 Billion in Economic Impact, Create 37,000 Construction and 2,000 Permanent Jobs Across Maritime, Industrial, Commercial, and Residential Sectors  

Plan Approved by More Than Two-Thirds of BMT Task Force Following Year of Extensive Engagement With Over 4,200 Community Members and Stakeholders, Project Now Moves to Environmental Review, Creation of Advisory Task Force to Refine Plan and Continue Community Engagement, and RFEI for Port Optimization 

Generational Plan Part of Adams Administration’s Efforts to Turn New York City’s Waterways into the “Harbor of the Future,” Create Tens of Thousands of Jobs, Support Innovative Industries Across All Five Boroughs

 

 

NEW YORK – New York City Mayor Eric Adams, New York Governor Kathy Hochul, New York City Economic Development Corporation (NYCEDC) President and CEO Andrew Kimball, U.S. Representative Dan Goldman, and New York State Senator Andrew Gounardes today announced that the Brooklyn Marine Terminal (BMT) Task Force has passed a historic vision plan to turn BMT into a modern, maritime port and create a vibrant, mixed-use community along the Brooklyn waterfront. The proposal — which is backed by $418 million in city, state, and federal investments — will transform the dilapidated marine terminal into a 60-acre, all-electric maritime port that can, once again, serve as a key economic driver for the community and city. In addition to a revitalized port, the plan passed today will also create 6,000 new homes — including over 2,400 permanently-affordable units — as well as at least 28 acres of public space, 275,000 square feet of commercial space, 250,000 square feet of community facility space, and 275,000 square feet of light-industrial and industrial space at discounted rents. The plan, which covers a total of 122 acres, will also deliver vital resiliency and infrastructure upgrades for the area while generating an estimated $18 billion in economic impact, 37,000 temporary construction jobs, and 2,000 permanent jobs. The Vision Plan adopted by the BMT Task Force serves as the foundation for all future investments and redevelopment at BMT.

 

After assuming control of BMT in May 2024, the Adams administration convened a BMT Task Force to lead an extensive community engagement process and develop a shared vision for the site. Following a year of engagement with over 4,200 community members, today’s landmark vote continues Mayor Adams’ vision to turn New York City’s waterfront into a “Harbor of the Future;” establish New York City as the global destination for green technology, innovation, and opportunity; and create approximately 53,000 temporary and permanent jobs and $95 billion in economic impact.

 

“Today, our city took a massive step towards the future. By approving this $3.5 billion vision plan, we will turn a crumbling marine terminal into a modern maritime port while creating thousands of affordable homes and tens of thousands of good-paying jobs. We’ll deliver the open space our city needs and keep New York at the front of the green economy,” said Mayor Adams. “For years, naysayers have told us that the days of big ideas and bold initiatives were over, but New York City is proving them wrong. We’re turning our waterfront into a ‘Harbor of the Future’ and unlocking opportunity for generations to come. When I came into office, I promised to ‘Get Stuff Done,’ and, today, we are doing it in a big way. Thank you to all the members of the BMT Task Force who took their responsibility seriously and to all the community members and experts who weighed in along the way.”

 

“This bold, $3.5 billion vision will transform the Brooklyn Marine Terminal into a modern, all-electric maritime hub and a thriving new neighborhood — delivering good-paying jobs, affordable homes, and public amenities for generations to come,” said Governor Hochul. “New York state is proud to stand with the city to make this once-in-a-generation investment in our waterfront, our economy, and our communities. Together, we’re proving that growth, resiliency, and equity can go hand in hand.”

 

“Today is a historic day for New York City. The Brooklyn Marine Terminal Task Force, which is comprised of city, state, and federal elected officials, and representatives ranging from local neighborhoods to regional agencies, voted to advance the $3.5 billion vision-plan to create a modern, all-electric 60-acre port and mixed-use community with 6,000 units of housing in the heart of the ‘Harbor of the Future,’” said Deputy Mayor for Housing, Economic Development, and Workforce Adolfo Carrion, Jr. “I appreciate and thank all BMT Task Force members for their hard work on the planning process over the past year and look forward to the first ribbon cutting on the BMT site in just a few short years.”

 

“The passing of the Brooklyn Marine Terminal Vision Plan is a historic, transformative investment in New York City’s economic future — unlocking thousands of jobs, modernizing critical infrastructure, and creating a resilient, mixed-use waterfront that drives inclusive growth,” said NYCEDC President and CEO Kimball. “This plan positions the city as a national leader in maritime innovation with a critical node in the city’s Blue Highways network that will get trucks off our streets, while delivering lasting benefits to the Red Hook community and beyond. I would like to extend my deepest gratitude to the entire task force for their steadfast commitment to working with NYCEDC to create this monumental vision.”

 

“For the first time in two generations, the Brooklyn Marine Terminal is on track to once again become a vital and vibrant economic, maritime, environmental, and community asset,” said U.S. Representative Goldman. “For decades, the port and surrounding area was allowed to fall into disrepair, and every attempt to revitalize it failed. Today, we have taken a truly historic step forward in finally realizing a plan that will save, modernize and expand the port, create an industrial and commercial hub for the future, address climate change and spearhead the blue highway, connect our neighborhoods to the waterfront, and build thousands of affordable homes to tackle the housing crisis. I am grateful for the time, energy and effort spent by all Task Force members, regardless of how they voted, and I am grateful that this community-centered project was able to achieve so much for so many. I look forward to continuing to work with my colleagues, the city, state and EDC to build a brighter future for the Brooklyn waterfront.”

 

“For decades, the Brooklyn Marine Terminal has been allowed to decay and become a barrier between our communities and the waterfront,” said State Senator Gounardes. “Now, we have a unique chance to transform the terminal into something that actually meets our needs: a mixed-use neighborhood with a modernized port, new parks, industrial and community space, and thousands of new affordable homes. This is a complex project with a lot of different stakeholders, and this vision plan reflects the many good ideas and difficult decisions generated by the Task Force process. If we’re serious about creating a city that works for all of us, we need to actually get things done. This plan is an important step in doing just that.”

 

The BMT Task Force — which is chaired by U.S. Representative Dan Goldman and co-chaired by New York State Senator Andrew Gounardes and New York City Councilmember Alexa Avilés — is comprised of wide range of experts, including federal, state, and local elected officials, the local community board, local resident organizations, maritime and industrial stakeholders, unions, planning and environmental justice organizations, and representatives of the local business community. The BMT Task Force voted in favor of a Vision Plan that creates a high-level framework in nine distinct areas:

• Port: Under the plan, the BMT will be transformed into a 60-acre modern and sustainable all-electric port with a new marginal pier to promote water-to-water freight, remove trucks from local streets and New York City roadways, and serve as a key node in the Adams administration’s Blue Highways initiative to move more goods along the city’s waterways.
• Affordable Housing: The plan will deliver 6,000 housing units on the site, with 40 percent, or 2,400 units, permanently affordable at an average of 60 percent of the Area Medium Income. A total of 200 affordable units will be reserved on-site for New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA) Red Hook Houses East and West residents, and 50 affordable units will be reserved for NYCHA Wyckoff and Gowanus Houses residents. Additionally, a $75 million fund to preserve or create affordable units off-site in Community Board 6 will be created, and $200 million will be allocated to NYCHA Red Hook Houses East and West.
• Atlantic Basin: The Brooklyn Cruise Terminal will also be redeveloped with new public open space, industrial and commercial space, and up to a 400-key hotel, transforming the area around Pier 11 and Pier 12 into an attractive waterfront destination district open to the community.
• Industrial: The plan will create over 275,000 square feet of industrial space available at discounted rents, more than 275,000 square feet of commercial space across the site to enliven and support community retail corridors, and a $10 million development fund to support the industrial sector within the broader Red Hook neighborhood.
• Education and Workforce: The plan promotes a comprehensive workforce strategy, including a Project Labor Agreement; targeted community hiring; a dedicated world-class experiential learning center at Pier 11; and funding to establish an economic mobility network in Red Hook and a maritime career readiness program for residents of NYCHA Red Hook Houses East and Red Hook Houses West. Over 250,000 square feet of community facilities and cultural space, including space for a new public school at BMT North will also be included.
• Open Space: The vision plan includes at least 28 acres of public open space and approximately one mile of new public waterfront access and greenway.
• Resiliency: The plan calls for a comprehensive resiliency strategy, including a raised site to protect against future sea level rise, a floodwall designed to withstand a 2,100, 100-year storm, and on-site stormwater management.
• Connectivity and Transit: The plan puts pedestrians and public transit first, prioritizing pedestrian mobility while also improving bus speeds to rider destinations and reducing truck traffic. It will include pedestrianized streets, no parking maximums, district-wide garages, micromobility and freight hubs, bus priority lanes, increased ferry services, and a $50 million commitment for electric shuttle service as a bridge towards the Metropolitan Transportation Authority evaluating the restoration of historic bus service such as the B71, or establishing enhanced and/or new bus service for improved intra and inter-neighborhood mobility.
• Governance and Implementation: The plan will create a new legal entity — the Brooklyn Marine Terminal Development Corporation (BMTDC) — to realize the vision plan, ensure development is financially viable and self-sustaining, and implement a phased redevelopment delivering community benefits in partnership with the mixed-use development. The board of the BMTDC will include appointees of the mayor, governor, and local elected officials, as well as representation from the local community, such as NYCHA Red Hook East and West, as well as maritime and industrial expertise.

In the coming weeks, NYCEDC will form a Brooklyn Marine Terminal Advisory Task Force to guide the project through environmental review and development of a General Project Plan. NYCEDC will continue engaging with this new task force to refine the specifics of the site plan, ultimately leading up to NYCEDC’s release of a draft Environmental Impact Statement and Empire State Development’s adoption of a draft General Project Plan in 2026.

NYCEDC will also launch a Request for Expressions of Interest (RFEI) in the coming weeks to solicit proposals from port operators, developers, and maritime industry experts on how to optimize maritime operations at BMT. As part of this RFEI, NYCEDC will seek input on optimal size, layout, and economically viable uses of the commercial port, including Blue Highways connections to Hunts Point. NYCEDC is aiming to release the first request for proposal for a long-term port operator by the end of 2026.

The plan passed today represents a wide range of community and stakeholder input. Over the past year, NYCEDC has engaged over 4,260 community members, received 915 survey responses, and held 47 public engagements, including 27 workshops, 15 feedback and info sessions, three town halls, and two surveys. Additionally, NYCEDC conducted 11 site tours with 198 members of the public, NYCHA residents, elected officials, and city agencies; 23 advisory group meetings; 32 task force meetings, office hours, and small group discussions; 13 stakeholder focus groups and project briefings with small businesses, community associations, and organizations; nine NYCHA Red Hook Houses East and West tabling events, focus groups, and feedback sessions; and five canvassing efforts in Red Hook with Green City Force. This vision plan incorporates feedback heard across each of these sessions and delivers commitments addressing key themes heard from the community, such as a need for a modern and sustainable port and container operations, expanded waterfront open space, creation of workforce training and career pipelines, increased public transit, and resiliency protections from climate change.

 

The Adams administration is already delivering on its commitment to modernize and electrify the port. In March, NYCEDC announced an $18 million investment and the execution of three contracts to upgrade the port, including the removal of four out-of-service cranes across Piers 9A and 10, the purchase of a new electric ship to shore crane to serve the Red Hook Container Terminal at Pier 10, and crucial fender repairs to Pier 10 to protect the pier from future vessel damage. To date, NYCEDC has secured nearly $418 million in public capital to rebuild and modernize the port; this includes an early $80 million city capital commitment, $65 million in state funding, a $164 million grant from the U.S. Department of Transportation — the largest ever received by NYCEDC — and a corresponding $109 million city capital match.

 

Today’s announcement also marks major progress toward realizing NYCEDC’s “Blueprint for Blue Highways” released earlier this month, which provides a strategy to create up to 8,000 new jobs by moving freight by waterways instead of roadways, for a total of 117,000 jobs across Blue Highways sectors by 2035. The Adams administration’s Blue Highways initiative works to reduce truck traffic and increase freight capacity across the five boroughs by shifting the movement of more goods onto the city’s waterways. More progress has been made on Blue Highways in the last two years than in the 20 previous, including prior announcements of a new Hunts Point Marine Terminal and a micro-freight facility at Downtown Skyport.

 

Today’s vote marks a major step forward in the Adams administration’s efforts to build the Harbor of the Future — a reimagined network of innovation and growth across New York City’s waterways. In addition to a modern maritime port and vibrant mixed-use community hub at BMT in Red Hook, the Harbor of the Future includes emerging innovation centers such as the Hunts Point Produce Market in the Bronx; the newly-announced climate innovation hub “BATWorks” at the Brooklyn Army Terminal in Sunset Park; the country’s largest offshore wind port at the South Brooklyn Marine Terminal; the Science Park and Research Campus in Kips Bay in Manhattan; new sustainable housing and public space on the North Shore of Staten Island; and an anchor research and educational partnership with the New York Climate Exchange on Governors Island. Additionally, today’s announcement fulfills a key commitment in Mayor Adams’ “Green Economy Action Plan,” a first-of-its-kind plan that lays out a roadmap to growing the city’s green economy, invests in jobs and sectors that help the city combat climate change, and positions New Yorkers to benefit from the nearly 400,000 projected ‘green-collar’ jobs in New York City by 2040.

 

 

 

MAYOR ADAMS ANNOUNCES “GOOD CLEAN FUN” INITIATIVE DURING CLIMATE WEEK TO MAKE NEW YORK CITY EVENTS MORE SUSTAINABLE

New Guidelines Will Help Event Producers Cut Waste, Reduce Emissions, and Improve Environmental Impact Citywide

NEW YORK – New York City Mayor Eric Adams today marked Climate Week by announcing the launch of “Good Clean Fun,” a citywide initiative to make New York City’s thousands of public events more environmentally sustainable. Good Clean Fun provides practical guidance and resources to reduce waste, cut emissions, and protect public spaces without sacrificing the energy that makes New York City’s events iconic.

The guidelines were developed based on input from the New York City Mayor’s Office of Citywide Event Coordination and Management (CECM), city agencies, and various major event producers.

From street fairs to major concerts to cultural parades and more, New York City hosts thousands of events each year that draw millions of attendees, and generate significant carbon emissions and landfill waste. Good Clean Fun offers a new path forward, helping event organizers make smarter, greener choices around energy, transportation, food, materials, and waste. If every major New York City event adopted these practices, the city could divert thousands of tons of waste and cut millions of pounds of carbon emissions each year.

“New Yorkers know how to have a good time and now we’re making sure it is not as harmful to our environment,” said Mayor Adams. “With ‘Good Clean Fun,’ we’re turning down the carbon emissions and turning up climate consciousness. We are making it easier for event producers to reduce their carbon footprint, meet our city’s climate goals, and keep the parties going for generations to come.”

The Good Clean Fun sustainable event guidelines include:

• A sustainable event checklist covering planning, food and beverage, waste, energy, transportation, and venue selection.
• Templates for waste and energy plans to help track and measure impact.
• Sample sustainability commitments to align vendors with sustainability standards.
• Resources from partner agencies, including the New York City Department of Sanitation’s donateNYC platform.
• A metrics tracker to help event producers measure impact of waste diversion, energy use, and emissions.

 

Good Clean Fun builds on New York City’s “PlaNYC: Getting Sustainability Done” climate goals, including protecting New Yorkers from climate threats, improving quality of life, and building the green economic engine. The Adams administration continues to focus on cutting greenhouse gas emissions, specifically from large buildings through the Local Law 97 mandate. The implementation of this law aims to significantly reduce carbon emissions from large buildings, targeting nearly 6 million tons of carbon dioxide-equivalent emissions by 2030.

 

“It’s an honor for Global Citizen to contribute to the ‘Good Clean Fun’ sustainable event guidelines,” said David Beame, vice president, global events and experiences, Global Citizen. “Over the past 13 years, we have developed all aspects of the Global Citizen Festival — from production to catering — by employing battery power and carbon offsetting to become the most sustainable music festival in New York City. Working with incredible partners across many industries to harness best practices and innovate toward an ever-shrinking carbon footprint has been a high priority from the start of our movement to end extreme poverty and defend the planet, and we’re proud to share our learnings with music festivals across the city and the world.”

 

“Kudos to Mayor Adams and CECM for launching such an important initiative. Event producers of all sizes will benefit from the guidelines put forth in ‘Good Clean Fun,’” said Tom Russell, co-founder, Governor’s Ball Music Festival. “We applaud everyone involved for working collaboratively and creatively toward a more sustainable city.”

 

“As a global championship that’s redefining our sport, SailGP is underpinned by purpose, always racing for a better sport and planet,” said Fiona Morgan, chief purpose officer, SailGP. “We are therefore excited to support New York’s citywide ‘Good Clean Fun’ initiative, having contributed our best practices and expertise to support the development of the guidelines to help other event organizers make smarter and greener choices.”

 

“At New York Road Runners, sustainability isn’t just a goal, it’s a responsibility we embrace with every event we produce,” said Rob Simmelkjaer, CEO, New York Road Runners. “Year-round, we collaborate with vendors and our city agency partners to be environmentally conscious and leave New York City’s streets and parks cleaner than we found them. We’re proud to contribute to the ‘Good Clean Fun’ initiative and share best practices to ensure all New York City events are not only world-class but also sustainable.”

 

“We’re thrilled to be part of the New York City mayor’s office ‘Good Clean Fun’ program. Special events are a defining part of New York City’s culture and identity, and this program gives us the opportunity to make them greener, smarter and more responsible,” said Amir Shayegan, partner and executive vice president, permitting and logistics, IDEKO.

 

“Usually, when someone tells us to clean up after ourselves, it’s because we’ve left behind confetti, pizza boxes, or the occasional traffic cone. This time, it’s about building a real path toward sustainability in events — and we couldn’t be more excited to roll up our sleeves to make it happen. Big thanks to the New York City mayor’s office for letting us be part of the fun.”

 

“We are honored to share our event experiences and wisdom with the City of New York in order to increase our industry’s sustainability practices,” said Robert Barwick, president, Barwick Marketing & Events Group.

 

“Cities across the world are creating innovative and exciting ways to reduce trash, keep public spaces clean and reduce emissions,” said Kate Johnson, regional director, North America, C40 Cities. “New York City’s new event guidelines demonstrate how local governments can push progress forward — ensuring world-class, high-quality events that help sustain our world.”

 

“The Good Clean Fun initiative demonstrates that New York City’s leadership in sustainability goes hand in hand with being an iconic destination to host events,” said Victoria Cerullo, director of urban engagement, New York Climate Exchange. “This Climate Week NYC, the New York Climate Exchange supports the city’s efforts to cut emissions and waste from events by launching guidelines that help event producers take action for a cleaner, more sustainable city. We look forward to sharing this solution with other global cities.”

 

 

NEW YORK – The City of New York today announced that — as part of a coalition of dozens of cities, counties, and states from across the nation — it has filed three comment letters opposing the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) proposed reversal of its 2009 “Endangerment Finding.” The landmark 2009 finding holds that greenhouse gas emissions — including those from motor vehicles — drive climate change and endanger public health and welfare. The new proposal — issued on August 1, 2025 — would deny the EPA’s authority to regulate harmful air pollution that contributes to climate change, harms public health, and would eliminate all existing EPA vehicle emission standards.

 

 

 

Additionally, earlier this month, the City of New York and a coalition of 19 attorneys general filed an amicus brief in the U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts in Environmental Defense Fund v. Wright, supporting the plaintiffs in a case challenging the authority of the Climate Working Group, convened by the U.S. Department of Energy in violation of Federal Advisory Committee Act requirements, to prepare a report that purports to undermine the scientific consensus on climate change.

 

 

 

This announcement builds on the work the Adams administration has done to address climate change and comes at the start of “Climate Week NYC,” the world’s biggest climate event of its kind. In 2024, Mayor Adams introduced the city’s first-ever climate budgeting publication through the city’s Fiscal Year 2025 Executive Budget. Climate budgeting is a process that incorporates science-based climate considerations into the city’s budget decision-making process by evaluating how actions and spending today contribute to meeting longer-term climate targets and needs. New York City is the first big city in the United States to adopt climate budgeting, joining other global cities, such as London, Oslo, and Mumbai, to utilize the process.

 

 

 

“New York City is no stranger to the devastating effects of natural disasters. With more extreme weather events hitting the five boroughs more often, for our safety and to protect our economy, we must be prepared for the effects of climate change, including by putting in place stronger federal regulations of greenhouse gases,” said Mayor Adams. “Attempts to undermine this scientific consensus should not be the basis for undoing important regulations that mitigate future environmental damage that threatens lives, brings harm to our communities, and hampers our economies. We are proud to stand with our partners from across the nation in taking multiple actions supporting long-held scientific findings that protect against environmental disasters in our communities.”

 

 

 

“More than a decade ago, the EPA formally determined that greenhouse gases threaten the public health and welfare of the American people, and that emissions from motor vehicles and engines contribute to the greenhouse gas pollution that threatens public health and welfare,” said New York City Corporation Counsel Muriel Goode-Trufant. “Now, over the span of a few months, the U.S. Department of Energy and the EPA have sought to manufacture a basis to reject this overwhelming scientific consensus, endangering all Americans and all New Yorkers.”

 

 

 

The 2009 Endangerment Finding was the direct result of the landmark 2007 U.S. Supreme Court opinion in Massachusetts v. EPA, which confirmed the EPA’s authority under the Clean Air Act to regulate greenhouse gas emissions that threaten public health and welfare. In direct response to that opinion, and after more than two years of scientific review, the EPA determined, in 2009, that greenhouse gas emissions from motor vehicles contribute to air pollution that harm public health and welfare.

 

 

 

2009 Endangerment Finding Comment Letter  

 

 

 

In their letter submitted to the EPA today, the coalition argues that rescinding the 2009 Endangerment Finding would violate settled law, Supreme Court precedent, and scientific consensus, endangering the lives of hundreds of millions of Americans, particularly those in communities disproportionately impacted by environmental harms.

 

 

 

Scientific research has proven that every region of the country is experiencing harms of climate change and motor vehicle pollution, including changes in temperature, precipitation, and sea level rise. Extreme summer heat — driven by climate change — is leading to increased rates of heat-related illnesses and deaths, particularly among vulnerable populations like children, the elderly, low-income individuals, and workers. Increasing rates of natural disasters — like wildfires, hurricanes, flooding, and droughts — not only have a devastating effect on public health and safety, but on state and local economies as well.

 

 

 

Climate change poses existential risks to New Yorkers’ health and safety. Sea level rise in New York City is putting communities and infrastructure at risk of regular flooding. Extreme weather events — such as Superstorm Sandy in 2012 and Hurricane Ida in 2021 — can result in injury and loss of life due to exposure, interrupted utility service, or lack of access to emergency services. Additionally, warming temperatures exacerbate or introduce health problems. On average, more than 500 New Yorkers die prematurely because of extreme heat in New York City each year.

 

 

 

Not only does the EPA’s proposed reversal ignore those facts, but it also violates the EPA’s legal obligations under the federal Clean Air Act to regulate greenhouse gas emissions to address climate change.

 

 

 

The coalition argues, in today’s letter, that the EPA’s new legal interpretations are inconsistent with the Clean Air Act and binding Supreme Court precedent, and that the proposal would mark a drastic reversal of its own longstanding findings without any explanation grounded in science. To make matters worse, the Climate Working Group report on which the EPA relies is substantively flawed, yet the EPA blindly accepts its findings and disregards the scientific consensus, which was just reaffirmed by the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine last week.

 

 

 

In filing this comment letter, the coalition urges the EPA to abandon its proposal to rescind the 2009 Endangerment Finding.

 

 

 

Motor Vehicles Comment Letter 

 

 

 

In withdrawing the 2009 Endangerment Finding, the EPA also proposes to repeal all existing federal greenhouse gas emissions standards for all motor vehicle classes and all years. In a second letter submitted to the EPA today, the coalition explains that this unprecedented disruption to the regulatory norms of the last 15 years will harm states and local governments’ residents, industries, natural resources, and public investments.

 

 

 

Regulatory enforcement for greenhouse gas emissions is also crucial to vehicle affordability, consumer choice, and to the success of the American automotive industry. The greenhouse gas program for vehicles incentivizes automakers to innovate and create better cars, saving drivers hundreds of billions of dollars in fuel and maintenance costs, and helps support domestic manufacturing and jobs. Repealing that program, as the EPA now proposes, will shutter factories, kill jobs, and wipe out billions of dollars in investments by Congress, states, and local governments to keep the American auto industry thriving and globally competitive.

 

 

 

Climate Working Group Comment Letter

 

 

 

Earlier this month, on September 2, the City of New York joined another coalition of 27 localities from around the nation in filing a comment letter opposing the Climate Working Group report that EPA relied on in its proposed recission of the 2009 Endangerment Finding.

 

 

 

In that comment letter, the coalition identified several legal flaws in the Climate Working Group report. In creating the Climate Working Group, the U.S. Department of Energy selected five widely known climate change skeptics, ignored well-established scientific integrity standards, and failed to comply with the Federal Advisory Committee Act’s procedures, which require the disclosure of all committee-related records and that committee meetings be open to the public.

 

 

 

The report — written in less than two months and filled with inaccuracies, factual omissions, and mischaracterizations of climate science research — attempts to critique decades of peer-reviewed scientific research establishing that the emission of greenhouse gases cause climate change and endanger public health and welfare.

 

 

 

In filing the comment letter, the coalition urged the Department of Energy to withdraw the unlawful and misguided Climate Working Group report.

 

 

 

Joining the City of New York in filing all three comment letters were the attorneys general of Arizona, California, Connecticut, Colorado, Delaware, the District of Columbia, Hawaii, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont, Washington, Wisconsin, and the chief legal officers of the city and county of Denver, Colorado, Chicago, Illinois, and Martin Luther King Jr. County, Washington.

 

 

 

Climate Working Group Amicus Brief 

 

 

 

On August 29, the City of New York and 19 attorneys general from around the nation filed an amicus brief in the U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts in Environmental Defense Fund v. Wright, supporting the plaintiffs in their effort to declare the Climate Working Group’s report unlawful.

 

 

 

In their brief, the coalition argued that the Department of Energy violated the Federal Advisory Committee Act by establishing and utilizing the Climate Working Group, and that this violation will harm state and local governments’ strong interest in ensuring that the federal government rely on the best available science to guide its climate policy decisions. In New York City, the New York City Panel on Climate Change uses federal climate data to develop its own reports and mapping tools, which inform many city policies, including the Climate Resilience Design Guidelines and zoning rules related to current and future flood conditions.

 

 

 

On September 17, the district court held that the federal government is not exempt from the Federal Advisory Committee Act.

 

 

 

Joining the City of New York in filing this amicus brief were the attorneys general of California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, the District of Columbia, Hawaii, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Oregon, Vermont, Washington, and Wisconsin.

 

 

 

In addition to the actions described above, Elijah Hutchinson, Executive Director of the New York City Mayor’s Office of Climate and Environmental Justice, testified before EPA on August 21 to oppose its proposed recission of the 2009 Endangerment Finding and motor vehicle greenhouse gas standards.

 

 

 

These four actions build on the numerous actions the Adams administration has taken to protect New Yorkers from the effects of climate change. Just last week, Mayor Adams broke ground on a $218 million public safety project to protect Red Hook from coastal flooding and save hundreds of millions of dollars for residents in lost property costs. And, as announced in the Mayor’s Management Report last week, in Fiscal Year 2025, the city saw major environmental gains and savings, largely due to composting and recycling. Overall recycling tonnage increased 4 percent, and the diversion rate of recyclables rose for a third consecutive year to 21.8 percent, the highest since Fiscal Year 2011. Tons of refuse disposed to landfills decreased to the lowest level in at least 15 years, largely due to the tons of organic waste that were diverted, which increased nearly 29 percent. In 2023, Mayor Adams celebrated the passage of the “City of Yes for Carbon Neutrality” proposal, a historic set of citywide zoning changes that will facilitate climate action, clean energy, and resiliency.

 

 

MAYOR ADAMS ANNOUNCES CITYWIDE SPEED LIMIT FOR E-BIKES TO GO INTO EFFECT ON OCTOBER 24 

E-Bikes and E-Scooters to Be Prohibited from Traveling
Faster Than 15 Miles-Per-Hour on City Streets  

15 Miles-Per-Hour Speed Limit for E-Bikes and E-Scooters is Latest Step by
Adams Administration to Enhance Public Safety for All New Yorkers 

 

NEW YORK – New York City Mayor Eric Adams today delivered on a commitment made earlier this summer by announcing a citywide 15 mile-per-hour (mph) speed limit for electric bikes on city streets, effective October 24, 2025, following today’s publication of the final rule in the City Record. Once implemented, the 15 mph speed limit for e-bikes, e-scooters, and pedal-assist commercial bicycles will match the same speed limit that currently applies to stand-up e-scooters. The new rule mirrors best practices for e-bike speeds in many other areas of the world, including the European Union, which has implemented speed restrictions for e-bikes of 25 kilometers-per-hour (approximately 15 mph) in bike lanes.

 

“This new 15 miles-per-hour speed limit for e-bikes is about keeping New Yorkers safe while continuing to keep our city moving,” said Mayor Adams. “As more New Yorkers turn to e-bikes and e-scooters to get around our city, New Yorkers have asked us to set clear, consistent rules to address this issue and protect everyone. Starting October 24, whether you’re riding, walking, or driving, we know that everyone will be safe and protected on our streets. We’re proud of the work we’ve done to expand biking across the five boroughs while setting clear rules of the road that will improve public safety and New Yorkers’ quality of life.”

 

“With record bike ridership and a historic expansion of our protected bike lane network, we’re making it safer and easier than ever for the record number of New Yorkers choosing cycling by building infrastructure and providing education to meet the moment,” said New York City Department of Transportation (DOT) Commissioner Ydanis Rodriguez. “We are using every tool and studying worldwide best practices, to ensure every New Yorker is traveling at safe speeds on our streets.”

 

Today’s announcement is the latest step Mayor Adams has taken to enhance public safety for all New Yorkers on city streets. Other safety measures have included implementing targeted traffic enforcement against reckless driving, and the creation of the Department of Sustainable Delivery within the DOT. The Adams administration has also built a record 87.5 miles of new protected bike lanes, upgraded more than with sturdier barriers, and has begun building wider bike lanes along the city’s busiest routes to meet record demand for bike infrastructure throughout New York City.

 

Department of Sustainable Delivery

Recently, Mayor Adams announced the Department of Sustainable Delivery. Fulfilling a promise from his 2024 State of the City Address, the Department of Sustainable Delivery will consist of a team of data analysts, policy analysts, and peace officers who will focus on methods to improve traffic and vehicle safety and work to hold delivery app companies accountable for public safety. Funded as part of Fiscal Year 2026 Adopted Budget, which builds on Mayor Adams’ “Best Budget Ever,” the Department of Sustainable Delivery will bring order to New York City streets as the number of app-based deliveries and delivery workers have soared with little accountability in place for app-based companies. The Adams administration continues to call on the New York City Council to take up the administration’s comprehensive legislation to crack down on the root cause of reckless e-bike riding by regulating the app companies that incentivize dangerous behavior.

 

The Adams administration continues to call on the New York City Council to take up the administration’s comprehensive legislation to crack down on the root cause of reckless e-bike riding by regulating the app companies that incentivize dangerous behavior.

 

 

 

 

 

“Earlier this year, I told New Yorkers that we would make our city the best place to raise a family; projects like New Utrecht are how we get it done. This ambitious project will deliver affordable housing, high-quality services, and a state-of-the-art library, all in one location,” said Mayor Adams. “With our historic ‘City of Yes for Housing’ initiative, we said yes to more housing all across the city, and with ‘City of Yes for Families,’ we are saying yes to keeping families in the five boroughs, year after, generation after generation.”

 

 

 

“Today, with the city’s help, we are taking a step forward for the Bensonhurst community. The Living Library redevelopment project will allow us to reinvigorate the aging New Utrecht Library building and provide the community with a modern branch for the 21st century,” said Linda E. Johnson, president and CEO, Brooklyn Public Library. “I extend my sincere thanks to Mayor Eric Adams, Deputy Mayor Adolfo Carrión, Jr. and Acting Commissioner Ahmed Tigani for advancing this project. We saw the promise of this model in Sunset Park, where New York City’s first library redevelopment to include affordable housing has proven a resounding success. Building on that achievement, we now have the opportunity to deliver a brand-new library for this community while also advancing the city’s goals of expanding affordable housing- a true win for all New Yorkers.”

 

 

 

New Utrecht Library is located at 1743 86th Street in the Bensonhurst neighborhood of Brooklyn, next to a New York City Department of Transportation municipal parking lot that will also be part of the project, and around the corner form the 18th Avenue D train station. With this redevelopment, the New Utrecht branch will join the city’s “Living Libraries” program, which focuses on building new libraries and housing together to better support families and address the city’s housing crisis. Mayor Adams has committed to building more Living Libraries as part of his “City of Yes for Families Plan,” with the Adams administration advancing Living Library projects at the Bloomingdale Library in Manhattan, the Grand Concourse Library in the Bronx, and more.

 

 

 

Following today’s announcement, the Adams administration and BPL will lead a robust community engagement process, inviting library patrons and community members to provide feedback and suggestions via the project questionnaire, available online and in print. In addition to the questionnaire, HPD and BPL will lead an in-person community workshop at the library as well as plan local tabling events and meetings with the local community board and stakeholders. Feedback from those surveys and events will be incorporated into a community visioning report and published as part of a request for proposals asking development teams to submit proposed plans for the site. Submissions from developers must be responsive to the community priorities laid out in the community visioning report.

 

 

 

The community visioning process will run throughout the fall of this year, with an in-person community workshop to be announced soon. Project updates and upcoming public tabling events will be shared on the project website and social media. The branch will continue to serve the public until construction begins, and the city and BPL will ensure critical library services are not interrupted during construction.

 

 

 

Since entering office, Mayor Adams has made historic investments to create more affordable housing and ensure more New Yorkers have a place to call home. Earlier this year, Mayor Adams announced that his administration has created, preserved, or planned approximately 426,800 homes for New Yorkers through its work to date. Mayor Adams also announced that, in Fiscal Year 2025, the Adams administration created the most affordable rental units in city history and celebrated back-to-back-to-back record-breaking years for producing permanently-affordable homes for formerly-homeless New Yorkers, placing homeless New Yorkers into housing, and connecting New Yorkers to housing through the city’s housing lottery.

 

 

 

In addition to creating and preserving record amounts of affordable and market-rate housing for New Yorkers, the Adams administration has also passed ambitious plans that will create tens of thousands of new homes as well. 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 and invest $5 billion towards critical infrastructure updates and housing.

 

 

 

The Adams administration is also advancing several robust neighborhood plans that, if adopted, would deliver nearly 50,000 homes over the next 15 years to New York neighborhoods. In addition to the Bronx-Metro North Station Area Plan, the Midtown South plan, and the Atlantic Avenue Mixed-Use Plan — all of which have been passed by the New York City Council — the Adams administration is also advancing plans in Jamaica and Long Island City in Queens.

 

 

 

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 a $24 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 $13 million funding commitment.

 

 

 

Finally, Mayor Adams and members of his administration successfully advocated for new tools in the 2024 New York state budget that are already helping 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 today announced that — since issuing his historic Executive Order 43 in August 2024 requiring city agencies to review their portfolios and identify potential city-owned sites for housing — the Adams administration has advanced plans for 9,750 new homes across 11 properties. After releasing his executive order, Mayor Adams established the City Housing Activation Task Force (CHAT) to bring together representatives from over 20 city agencies, select promising city-owned locations for housing, and help create homes on those sites.

 

 

 

The 11 projects advanced through CHAT include two new projects on city-owned sites unveiled for the first time today. Mayor Adams announced that his administration will begin public engagement and issue requests for proposals (RFPs) to create over 900 new homes at 390 Kent Avenue in Brooklyn as well as approximately 800 new homes at 1880 First Avenue in Manhattan; at least a quarter of the housing on each site will be affordable. Today’s announcement reinforces Mayor Adams’ ongoing commitment to creating new homes across the entire city, with over 426,000 homes already created, preserved, or planned through the Adams administration’s efforts to date. Today’s announcement also kicks off Mayor Adams’ “Affordable Autumn” initiative, a series of announcements throughout the season focused on the Adams administration’s work to put money back into the pockets of working-class New Yorkers and create a more affordable city.

 

 

 

“Where past administrations saw vacant lots and old office buildings, our administration saw housing. That’s why we issued a historic executive order requiring every agency to look for places where we could build homes and advanced nearly 10,000 new homes on city sites over the past year alone,” said Mayor Adams. “We have been clear that the only way out of our housing crisis is to build more housing, and that is exactly what we are doing. From creative initiatives like this one to ambitious plans like ‘City of Yes,’ our administration is using every tool we have to create the homes that New Yorkers need and proving we are the most pro-housing administration in city history.”

 

 

 

“In just one year since Mayor Adams’ executive order creating the City Housing Activation Task Force, we are already advancing nearly 10,000 new homes on city-owned properties,” said Deputy Mayor for Housing, Economic Development, and Workforce Adolfo Carrion, Jr. “The two sites we are announcing today not only add to that accomplishment; they show that every city agency is dedicated to addressing our housing crisis, including the folks at DOT who keep us moving, at DCAS who keep the city running smoothly, and at NYC Health + Hospitals who keep us healthy. It is truly all hands on deck for housing.”

 

 

 

In the coming months, the Adams administration will begin the public engagement process to redevelop both the 390 Kent Avenue property and the 1880 First Avenue property into new housing. Ultimately, the city will issue two RFPs to create at least 1,700 homes across both locations through the CHAT initiative.

 

 

 

First, at 390 Kent Avenue in Brooklyn, the Adams administration will redevelop one of Williamsburg’s only remaining underutilized waterfront sites into 900 new units of housing, at least a quarter of which will be affordable. The 72-year-old building, which requires extensive repairs, currently houses operations by the New York City Department of Transportation and the New York City Department of Citywide Administrative Services. As part of the redevelopment of the site, the city will not only create new housing, but address its aging building stock by replacing the facility and provide public open space along the waterfront. Second, at 1880 First Avenue in Manhattan, the Adams administration will seek to redevelop a city-owned parking lot across from NYC Health + Hospitals (H+H) Metropolitan to create approximately 800 new homes, at least a quarter of which will be affordable; the project builds on the work of “Housing for Health,” which connects patients experiencing homelessness to permanent housing. Parking access for city employees who currently use the lot will remain continuous throughout construction and project completion.

 

 

 

With the two new projects announced today, the Adams administration is now actively advancing nearly 10,000 new homes across 11 city-owned sites through CHAT. These include:

 

• 390 Kent Avenue: This year, the Adams administration will begin the public engagement process, and then will ultimately issue an RFP to create over 900 new homes on the Williamsburg waterfront.
• 1880 First Avenue: Next year, the Adams administration will begin the public engagement process, and then will ultimately issue an RFP to create approximately 800 new homes in East Harlem on a parking lot next to Metropolitan Hospital.
• Grand Concourse Library: This past January, the Adams administration issued an RFP to redevelop the Grand Concourse Library in the Bronx with a brand-new library and 100-percent affordable housing. The administration is now actively reviewing proposals for the project, which is part of the city’s Living Library initiative to build more homes and libraries together.
• Gansevoort Square: This past January, the Adams administration issued an RFP to create up to 600 units of mixed-income housing and ground-floor retail space at Gansevoort Square.
• Coney Island West Parcel A: This past February, the Adams administration issued an RFP to create around 500 units of housing and ground-floor retail space across an 80,000-square-foot city-owned site located on Surf Avenue between West 21st and West 22nd Streets, west of the iconic Coney Island Amusement District.
• 100 Gold Street: This past March, the Adams administration issued an RFP to replace a deteriorating city-owned office building near City Hall with over 1,000 mixed-income homes.
• 395 Flatbush Avenue Extension: This past August, the Adams administration began public review on a plan to create over 1,200 new homes in the heart of Downtown Brooklyn.
• Hunter’s Point South Parcel E: This past June, the Adams administration issued an RFP to redevelop a previously-industrial site in Hunter’s Point South, Queens as approximately 900 new homes.
• Flushing Airfield: This past July, Mayor Adams unveiled a sweeping proposal to build approximately 3,000 new homes and 60 acres of public space on the site of the former Flushing Airport in College Point, Queens.
• Bloomingdale Library and Health Clinic: Also through the Living Library initiative, the Adams administration recently launched a community engagement process to redevelop the New York Public Library Bloomingdale Branch with a new library and up to 850 new homes, along with a replacement health clinic in the neighborhood. The city is expected to issue an RFP in the fall of 2025.
• New Utrecht Library: This week, as part of the Living Library initiative, the Adams administration kicked off public engagement to redevelop the New Utrecht Library into a state-of-the-art library branch and build new, 100-percent affordable housing on the adjacent city-owned parking lot.

Since entering office, Mayor Adams has made historic investments to create more affordable housing and ensure more New Yorkers have a place to call home. Earlier this year, Mayor Adams announced that his administration has created, preserved, or planned approximately 426,800 homes for New Yorkers through its work to date. Mayor Adams also announced that, in Fiscal Year 2025, the Adams administration created the most affordable rental units in city history and celebrated back-to-back-to-back record-breaking years for producing permanently-affordable homes for formerly-homeless New Yorkers, placing homeless New Yorkers into housing, and connecting New Yorkers to housing through the city’s housing lottery.

 

 

 

In addition to creating and preserving record amounts of affordable and market-rate housing for New Yorkers, the Adams administration has also passed ambitious plans that will create tens of thousands of new homes as well. 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 and invest $5 billion in critical infrastructure updates and housing.

 

 

 

The Adams administration is also advancing several robust neighborhood plans that, if adopted, would deliver nearly 50,000 homes over the next 15 years to New York neighborhoods. In addition to the Bronx-Metro North Station Area Plan, the Midtown South plan, and the Atlantic Avenue Mixed-Use Plan — all of which have already been passed by the New York City Council — the Adams administration is also advancing plans in Jamaica and Long Island City in Queens.

 

 

 

Building on the success of City of Yes for Housing Opportunity, Mayor Adams unveiled his “City of Yes for Families” strategy in his State of the City address earlier this year to build more homes and create more family-friendly neighborhoods across New York City. Under City of Yes for Families, the Adams administration is advancing more housing on city-owned sites, creating new tools to support homeownership, and building more housing alongside schools, playgrounds, grocery stores, accessible transit stations, and libraries.

 

 

 

Further, the Adams administration is actively working to strengthen tenant protections and support homeowners. The “Partners in Preservation” program was expanded citywide in 2024 through a $24 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 $13 million funding commitment.

 

 

 

Finally, Mayor Adams and members of his administration successfully advocated for new tools in the 2024 New York state budget that are already helping 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.

 

Banner Image:  An Italian Heritage reception is held at Gracie Mansion on Tuesday, October, 7, 2025. Image Credit – Michael Appleton/Mayoral Photography Office