Kathy Hochul

June 26, 2023

Plan for better bus service to LaGuardia Airport rolls forward

The board of the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey last week approved $30 million in funding to plan and design better bus service to LaGuardia, officially kicking off a project to improve mass transit options to the Queens airport. Recommended by an expert panel in March, the plan involves scrapping the controversial AirTrain and instead improving the existing bus service and adding a new non-stop airport shuttle.
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Greenwich Village block named for LGBTQ rights activists Edie Windsor and Thea Spyer

Image courtesy of Darren McGee/ Office of Governor Kathy Hochul on Flickr

June 21, 2023

Greenwich Village block named for LGBTQ rights activists Edie Windsor and Thea Spyer

By Aaron Ginsburg

A Greenwich Village intersection has been co-named after the couple who won a historic battle in the U.S. Supreme Court for gay marriage rights. In a ceremony on Tuesday, the intersection of Fifth Avenue and Washington Square North, right behind Washington Square Park's Arch, was renamed "Edie Windsor and Thea Spyer Way" in honor of the couple who lived on the corner for 43 years. In 2010, Windsor, who died in 2017, sued the U.S. government over a federal policy that barred same-sex married couples from claiming the estate of deceased spouses, which led the Supreme Court to grant same-sex married couples the same right to federal benefits as heterosexual married couples, according to Patch. Tuesday's ceremony coincided with what would have been Windsor's 94th birthday.
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Policy

Elevated pathway connecting the High Line and Moynihan Train Hall opens

Photos courtesy of © Andrew Frasz

June 21, 2023

Elevated pathway connecting the High Line and Moynihan Train Hall opens

By Devin Gannon

A new elevated pedestrian path connecting the High Line to Moynihan Tran Hall opens to the public this week. The 600-foot-long High Line-Moynihan Connector consists of two bridges, one full of lush landscape that runs along West 30th Street and another made of Alaskan yellow cedar wood that is suspended over Dyer Avenue. Officially opening on June 22, the $50 million project connects Manhattan West's public plaza to a pedestrian pathway at West 31st Street, allowing commuters to easily and safely access the train station and the rest of Midtown West.
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New York lawmakers fail to reach a deal on housing

Photo of New York State Capitol by wadester16 on Flickr CC

June 9, 2023

New York lawmakers fail to reach a deal on housing

By Aaron Ginsburg

Despite New York lawmakers claiming they reached a deal on a comprehensive package of housing proposals, the state legislature has failed to pass any meaningful bills during this legislative session, as first reported by the New York Times. Negotiations between state Democrats and Gov. Kathy Hochul on Thursday fell apart as the two bodies failed to reach a deal before the end of the legislative session on Friday. Lawmakers blamed Hochul for opposing their housing proposals, including those that protect tenants from eviction and major rent hikes, and the governor claimed lawmakers never presented her with any housing bills to approve.
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Green-Wood Cemetery’s $34M welcome center that wraps around historic greenhouse breaks ground

All renderings courtesy of Architecture Research Office (ARO)

May 24, 2023

Green-Wood Cemetery’s $34M welcome center that wraps around historic greenhouse breaks ground

By Aaron Ginsburg

Construction has begun on a new welcome center that will teach visitors about Green-Wood Cemetery's rich history. Located across from the cemetery's main entrance on 25th Street and Fifth Avenue in Brooklyn, the new $34 million Education and Welcome Center will feature two exhibition galleries for Green-Wood's art and archival collections, host educational events and programs, and serve as a hub for scholarly research, staff offices, and meeting and event spaces. The new building, which will be built around the historic Weir Greenhouse, will be completed by June 2025.
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Architecture And Design

$416M mixed-use development will bring 700 new apartments to Inwood

Renderings courtesy of the New York Governor’s Office

May 10, 2023

$416M mixed-use development will bring 700 new apartments to Inwood

By Aaron Ginsburg

A massive mixed-use development project will bring nearly 700 mixed-income housing units to Upper Manhattan. Gov. Kathy Hochul on Tuesday announced the two buildings, located at 405 and 407 West 206th Street in Inwood, will feature all-electric heating and cooling and other sustainable features to help the state reach its carbon reduction goals. The $416 million complex includes a mix of studio, one, two, and three-bedroom apartments, 281 of which will be reserved for residents earning at or below 80 percent of the area median income.
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NYC subway tops 4 million daily riders for the first time since March 2020

Photo by(vincent desjardins) on Flickr

April 24, 2023

NYC subway tops 4 million daily riders for the first time since March 2020

By Aaron Ginsburg

For the first time since the start of the coronavirus pandemic, the New York City subway system served more than four million riders in a single day. Gov. Kathy Hochul on Friday announced the NYC subway system recorded 4,002,961 paid riders on April 20, the highest tally reached since March 12, 2020. OMNY, the transit system's contactless fare system, also set a single-day subway record on Thursday with 1,699,914 taps, representing 42.5 percent of the day's subway rides.
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New York reimagines Milton Glaser’s ‘I ♥ NY’ campaign for post-pandemic NYC

All images courtesy of WeLoveNYC

March 20, 2023

New York reimagines Milton Glaser’s ‘I ♥ NY’ campaign for post-pandemic NYC

By Aaron Ginsburg

New York officials announced a new campaign using an adaptation of Milton Glaser's iconic "I ♥ NY" slogan. Gov. Kathy Hochul and Mayor Eric Adams on Monday kicked off the new "We ♥ NYC" campaign, aimed to "inspire optimism and civic action" among New Yorkers post-pandemic.
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New York lawmakers clash with Hochul’s housing plan in budgets

Photo courtesy of Darren McGee/Office of Governor Kathy Hochul on Flickr

March 15, 2023

New York lawmakers clash with Hochul’s housing plan in budgets

By Aaron Ginsburg

The New York State Assembly and Senate on Tuesday released their budget proposals, which both deviate from the priorities of Gov. Kathy Hochul and set the stage for negotiations over the next two weeks. As first reported by City & State, the Senate's budget discarded some of Hochul's top goals, including the "New York Housing Compact," a plan to build 800,000 new homes over the next 10 years to address the state's looming housing crisis. The Senate did show support for "good cause" eviction protections and the creation of a Housing Voucher Program, two proposals omitted by the governor in the past.
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Plans for AirTrain to LaGuardia have been scrapped

Photo by Tdorante10 on Wikimedia

March 14, 2023

Plans for AirTrain to LaGuardia have been scrapped

By Aaron Ginsburg

Plans to build an AirTrain to LaGuardia Airport are officially dead after the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey on Monday released the results of a 17-month-long analysis of mass transit options to the Queens airport. A panel of experts recommended the Port Authority abandon the proposed 1.5-mile elevated rail line and instead move forward with improving existing bus service and adding a new non-stop airport shuttle. Estimated costs for the bus options are just under $500 million, according to the report, compared to estimates of between $2.4 billion and $6.2 billion for light rail options.
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NYC’s redesign of Broadway blocks into pedestrian-friendly stretch begins

By Aaron Ginsburg

New York City will begin its transformation of an iconic stretch of Broadway into a pedestrian-friendly corridor this week, Mayor Eric Adams announced Sunday. The work is part of the first phase of "Broadway Vision," a plan to make the chaotic and crowded streets between Madison Square and Herald Square safer by banning cars on some blocks and creating more space for pedestrians. As part of the first phase, the city will add two new plazas, shared streets, and a two-way bike lane on Broadway from West 25th Street to West 32nd Street.
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Full LIRR service begins at Grand Central Madison

Image courtesy of Marc A. Hermnan / MTA on Flickr

February 27, 2023

Full LIRR service begins at Grand Central Madison

By Aaron Ginsburg

Grand Central Madison finally opened with full Long Island Rail Road service on Monday, with a totally new schedule for commuters and a 41 percent increase in service levels. Starting February 27, an additional 271 LIRR trains per day have been added to the system for a total of up to 936 trains per day; 296 of these trains will be traveling to and from Grand Central Madison, with the remaining to Penn Station. According to officials, the new terminal will make commutes for LIRR riders up to 40 minutes shorter.
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Final phase of JFK Airport’s $18 billion transformation kicks off with groundbreaking of Terminal 6

Renderings courtesy of Gov. Kathy Hochul’s office

February 24, 2023

Final phase of JFK Airport’s $18 billion transformation kicks off with groundbreaking of Terminal 6

By Aaron Ginsburg

Construction has officially begun on the new $4.2 billion Terminal 6 at John F. Kennedy International Airport, marking the final project of the airport's $18 billion transformation. The 1.2 million square foot, state-of-the-art terminal will include 10 new gates and a new home for JetBlue and create 4,000 new jobs, including 1,800 union construction jobs. The first new gates at the terminal will open in 2026, with a completion date scheduled for 2028.
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Vornado pauses plan to redevelop area around Penn Station

Rendering courtesy of Gov. Kathy Hochul’s office

February 16, 2023

Vornado pauses plan to redevelop area around Penn Station

By Devin Gannon

The plan to redevelop the area around Penn Station with several new skyscrapers is officially on hold. During a conference call this week, Steven Roth, the chief executive officer at Vornado Realty Trust, the developer behind the project, said new construction is "almost impossible" because of current market conditions, as Crain's first reported.
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Policy

In New York, Biden touts $300M investment for Hudson River rail project

President Biden hosted a press conference in NYC to discuss the Hudson River Tunnel Project on 1/31/23; Photo: Michael Appleton/Mayoral Photography Office

February 1, 2023

In New York, Biden touts $300M investment for Hudson River rail project

By Aaron Ginsburg

President Joe Biden made an appearance at Hudson Yards on Tuesday to announce a $292 million investment for a project that would fix a century-old rail tunnel and build a new one under the river between New York and New Jersey. The $16 billion Hudson River tunnel project is just one part of the broader $30 billion Gateway Project, which includes new bridges and the expansion of Penn Station. The funding announced by Biden will go toward a $649 million project that extends the concrete casing for the tunnels between Penn Station and the Hudson River before any work on the tunnels can actually begin.
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January 20, 2023

New York’s second legal weed dispensary is opening on Bleecker Street

By Aaron Ginsburg

New York's second legal recreational cannabis shop is set to open in Greenwich Village next week, Gov. Kathy Hochul announced Thursday. Smacked LLC, located inside a nearly 200-year-old building at 144 Bleecker Street, will open its doors to the public on January 24 at 10 a.m. The store is the first in the state to be opened by an entrepreneur with a cannabis conviction, as part of a program to ensure equity in licensing. Owned and operated by Roland Conner, Smacked LLC will operate as a soft "popup" through February 20 and re-open as a long-term business at a later date.
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Policy

Hochul proposes new housing targets for every locality in New York

Photo courtesy of Gov. Kathy Hochul’s Office on Flickr

January 11, 2023

Hochul proposes new housing targets for every locality in New York

By Devin Gannon

To spur housing development in New York, Gov. Kathy Hochul on Tuesday unveiled a proposal that would require every locality in the state to meet home creation targets. During her 2023 State of the State address, the governor announced plans to build 800,000 new homes over the next decade to address the current housing crisis. The new initiative, dubbed the New York Housing Compact, requires all cities, towns, and villages to hit home creation goals on a three-year cycle.
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Hochul’s 14-mile ‘Interborough Express’ connecting Brooklyn and Queens will use light rail

View of the Bay Ridge Branch from below 5th Ave, which would be incorporated in the proposed Interborough Express. Image courtesy of Marc A. Hermann/MTA on Flickr

January 11, 2023

Hochul’s 14-mile ‘Interborough Express’ connecting Brooklyn and Queens will use light rail

By Aaron Ginsburg

The Interborough Express, a highly-anticipated train line that will connect Brooklyn and Queens, will use light rail, Gov. Kathy Hochul announced in her State of the State address on Tuesday. While the Metropolitan Transportation Authority is still conducting its environmental review of the project, Hochul stated that selecting light rail would "provide the best service for customers at the lowest cost per rider," according to a press release.
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NYC subway surpasses 1 billion riders for the first time since 2019

Photo by Charles16e on Flickr

December 28, 2022

NYC subway surpasses 1 billion riders for the first time since 2019

By Devin Gannon

Ridership on the New York City subway hit 1 billion this year for the first time since the pandemic. The Metropolitan Transportation Authority and Gov. Kathy Hochul on Tuesday announced the subway carried more than a billion passengers in 2022, up from 760 million riders in 2021 and 640 million in 2020. While it's a significant milestone for the system as it recovers from Covid, ridership remains at roughly 60 percent of pre-pandemic levels.
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Transit

New York’s first legal weed dispensary will open near Astor Place

Photo of 1 Astor Place by Beyond My Ken on Wikimedia

December 22, 2022

New York’s first legal weed dispensary will open near Astor Place

By Devin Gannon

New York's first legal recreational cannabis dispensary is opening in Manhattan next week. Housing Works, a local nonprofit founded in 1990 to address the HIV/AIDS and homelessness crises, will launch sales at 1 Astor Place on December 29, Gov. Kathy Hochul announced Wednesday. The dispensary is the first to open of the 36 licenses approved so far by the New York State Cannabis Control Board.
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Policy

Proposal calls for transforming NYC’s commercial districts into 24/7 destinations

Photo by Patrick Tomasso on Unsplash

December 15, 2022

Proposal calls for transforming NYC’s commercial districts into 24/7 destinations

By Aaron Ginsburg

Gov. Kathy Hochul and Mayor Eric Adams on Wednesday announced a new plan to improve New York City as a place to live and work and help prepare it for a post-pandemic world. An essential part of the plan involves the reimagination of the city's central business districts, Midtown and Lower Manhattan, by transforming them into dynamic, mixed-use neighborhoods that will draw more residents, businesses, and tourists. The plan also includes proposals to transform public space by expanding preexisting pedestrian spaces and envisioning new projects for the public realm.
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Along with electing Hochul, New York voters approve $4.2B in climate spending

In 2021, Hochul toured several homes in the East Elmhurst section of Queens that flooded from torrential rains brought on by Hurricane Ida. Photo: Kevin P. Coughlin / Office of the Governor on Flickr

November 9, 2022

Along with electing Hochul, New York voters approve $4.2B in climate spending

By Aaron Ginsburg

In addition to electing Gov. Kathy Hochul, voters in New York on Tuesday approved four new ballot measures that focus on fighting climate change and improving racial equity. Nearly 70 percent of voters said yes to the landmark "Clean Water, Clean Air, and Green Jobs Environmental Bond Act," which gives the state permission to borrow $4.2 billion for funding projects that will protect New Yorkers from future extreme weather due to climate change. It's the largest initiative for environmental protection in New York State history.
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MTA selects design team for Penn Station renovation

Photo by Danazar on Wikimedia

September 22, 2022

MTA selects design team for Penn Station renovation

By Aaron Ginsburg

The Metropolitan Transportation Authority has selected a group of architects and engineers for the $7 billion redesign of Penn Station, with the agency's board voting to approve the contract on Wednesday. The agency tapped FXCollaborative Architects and WSP USA to bring their Penn Station Master Plan to life, with further assistance from London-based John McAslan + Partners as collaborative architects. According to Gov. Kathy Hochul, work will begin "in the coming months."
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MTA to install security cameras in every subway car

Photo courtesy of Marc A. Hermann / MTA on Flickr

September 20, 2022

MTA to install security cameras in every subway car

By Aaron Ginsburg

Two security cameras will be installed in every subway car in New York City, under a new initiative announced by Gov. Kathy Hochul and the MTA on Tuesday. The $5.5 million project, paid in part by a grant awarded by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, includes the installation of nearly 13,000 cameras on 6,355 train cars by 2025. The enhanced security measure is an expansion of a pilot program that launched this summer following a mass shooting on the subway in Brooklyn in April. There are surveillance cameras in the more than 470 subway stations across the city, but none in cars before the program.
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All renderings courtesy of Port Authority of New York and New Jersey

September 8, 2022

Work begins on JFK Airport’s new $9.5B international terminal

By Devin Gannon

Construction officially kicked off on Thursday on John F. Kennedy International Airport's new 2.4 million-square-foot terminal, set to be the largest at the Queens airport. In December, Gov. Kathy Hochul first unveiled plans for the state-of-the-art Terminal One, which is estimated to cost $9.5 billion, up from the projected cost of $7.4 billion in 2019.
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Kathy Hochul

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