E-Bike Crash Bills, Pied-à-Terre Surcharge Plan, Mamdani Housing Sites

Politics & Policy

• City Council leaders float a raft of bills to curb e-bike and other micromobility device crashes · City Council proposed 17 bills to reduce crashes involving e-bikes and e-scooters, with a public hearing set for Sept. 30 to address safety concerns. (AM New York)
• What’s a pied-à-terre tax and why do people care? · New York City’s pied-à-terre tax imposes charges on high-value second homes, triggering panic among homeowners uncertain about their tax liability. (Sahalie Donaldson)
• Deadline to apply for exemption from second home tax extended to Sept. 18 · The city extended the exemption application deadline for the new $5M+ second home tax on non-primary residents to Sept. 18 amid rollout criticism. (Spectrum News Staff)
• NYC home healthcare workers stop week-long hunger strike over 24-hour workdays, vow to continue fighting · Home health care workers ended a weeklong hunger strike pressing the City Council to vote on a bill banning shifts longer than 12 hours but pledged ongoing advocacy. (AM New York)
• Court transcripts complicate Frank Seddio’s testimony that he lacked basic knowledge of real estate case he was litigating · Former Brooklyn Democratic boss Frank Seddio’s third-day testimony revealed inconsistencies about his claimed ignorance in a real estate fraud case, intensifying allegations of legal abuse. (AM New York)

Housing, Transportation & Infrastructure

• A Smarter Way To Roll Out the Pied-à-Terre Surcharge · The Department of Finance published a list including 900,000 properties, causing panic by conflating all homes with those subject to the pied-à-terre surcharge, confusing owners about actual tax obligations. (Vital City)
• OPINION: Mamdani Is Making a Catastrophic Mistake on QueensLink · Queens faces worsening commutes and subway congestion amid an 8% population rise since 2010, with criticism of the administration’s QueensLink transportation proposal. (Streetsblog NYC)
• New York City’s Buses Are About to Grow Up · Next Stop, a bus improvement plan by Mayor Mamdani and Governor Hochul, aims to boost bus speeds by 20% on 50 major corridors, enhancing transit efficiency citywide. (Streetsblog NYC)
• Bronx Foreclosures Have Doubled. Experts Say Many More Are Coming. · Bronx homeowners facing foreclosures nearly doubled year-over-year despite citywide declines, signaling economic distress in the borough’s housing market. (Nancy Jiang)
• Bensonhurst Tenant Union Gets Boost From City, And What Else Happened This Week in Housing · Bensonhurst residents formed a tenant union addressing unsafe housing conditions, supported by a city program funding organizers in problematic rental buildings. (City Limits)

Culture & Lifestyle

• POPSICLE, The Inaugural Harlem Fashion Show, Kicks off HARLEM WEEK · The POPSICLE streetwear show launched Harlem Week by spotlighting Black culture, creativity, and community through fashion. (New York Amsterdam News)
• Yoasobi’s New Narrative · Japanese J-pop duo Yoasobi embarks on an arena tour including a Barclays Center stop on August 6, expanding their rising popularity in the US. (Brooklyn Magazine)
• J. Cole’s Victory Lap · J. Cole credits New York, especially Queens, for his rise to fame after relocating there in 2003 to pursue music, now headlining major tours. (Brooklyn Magazine)
• The Best New Restaurants in Manhattan, According to Eater Editors · Eater’s two-decade-old Heatmap highlights Manhattan’s latest and most exciting restaurant openings, including hidden gems worth visiting now. (Eater NY)
• A British Indian Chophouse Is Coming to NYC · Chef Sujan Sarkar, known for Chicago’s Michelin-starred Indian cuisine, opens a British Indian chophouse in NYC, adding to his recent local restaurant expansions. (Eater NY)

Business & Economy

• Complexity on the Menu: The State of NYC’s Restaurant Industry · NYC’s restaurant industry employs 250,000 workers, generates $2.8B in sales tax, but faces rising costs amid a $30 minimum wage, risking turning $100K profits into $380K losses for some. (After Hours with Jamie Rubin)
• After All That, Ken Griffin Is Not Leaving New York · Vornado CEO Steven Roth announced no exit plans for 350 Park Avenue, keeping billionaire Ken Griffin’s firm in New York despite speculation of departure. (Matthew Sedacca)

Civic Services & Government

• Child poisoned as NYC special education classrooms lag in lead-paint inspections · A 5-year-old autistic NYC boy suffered lead poisoning amid delays in inspecting lead paint hazards in special education classrooms. (Gothamist)
• 1 out of 3 NYC families who applied for 2-K will get a seat. Parents find out today. · NYC’s inaugural 2-year-old preschool program received 5,700 applications for just over 2,000 seats, with families learning placements this week. (Gothamist)
• Historic Harlem public defenders strike ends after 11 days · Harlem’s public defenders concluded an 11-day strike after reaching a tentative contract agreement addressing wages and healthcare. (AM New York)
• NYC and EmblemHealth Settle Senior Care Co-Pay Class Action for $53 Million · NYC and EmblemHealth agreed to pay $53M to resolve a class action suit for over 250,000 elderly and disabled retired City workers over senior care co-pay disputes. (Norwood News)

Civic Engagement

• CB3 Manhattan is accepting applications for three open seats through April 15 · Residents of the Lower East Side, East Village, or Chinatown can apply online by April 15 to fill three open seats on Manhattan’s Community Board 3. (NYC.gov)

DEEP DIVE

The Mamdani Administration Wants to Build Housing Here. And Here. And Here.

Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s administration identified over 100 city-owned sites to construct 50,000 units of affordable housing, aiming to deliver a significant portion of the 200,000 affordable homes promised in his housing plan. These sites include vacant lots, parking areas, underutilized buildings, and public facilities slated for redevelopment, with projects like the eight-year-delayed Claremont House in the Bronx now slated for renewed progress.

This ambitious plan marks a departure from past delays and stalled projects by speeding up development on city land using reforms designed to simplify the process. Mamdani’s housing task force, established immediately upon taking office, prioritizes projects in all five boroughs and commits to soliciting new proposals for at least five sites annually, signaling a sustained citywide housing push that builds on prior rezoning efforts disrupted by the pandemic.

If successful, this strategy promises to transform neighborhoods by finally delivering long-awaited affordable homes to residents, but it faces complex challenges around project delays and local engagement. Each site involves unique obstacles, highlighting the ongoing tension between urgency, community input, and bureaucratic hurdles. The city’s next steps in moving projects from plans to keys in hand will determine whether Mamdani’s housing vision can overcome historic barriers to expansion.

(City Limits)