Mayor de Blasio and Council Member Espinal Announce First Wave of Major East New York Investments

April 28, 2016

In this year’s budget: park and playground improvements, street reconstruction, new 1,000-seat school, broadband for businesses

NEW YORK––Fulfilling pledges in the East New York Neighborhood Plan, Mayor Bill de Blasio and Council Member Rafael Espinal today announced the first wave of major investments to improve the community’s parks, streets and schools. All told, $239 million worth of improvements were included in the Executive Budget announced Tuesday.

“The East New York neighborhood plan represents a new contract with our communities, whereby for the first time in a rezoning, protecting tenants and building truly affordable housing are the top priorities. The investments we promised in this neighborhood are real, and today we are committing the funding that they require, ensuring that promises made are promises kept,” said Mayor de Blasio.

“I supported the final East New York Community Plan because I believed this rezoning would take a new approach in neighborhood planning and it would not repeat the same mistakes of past administrations. From day one I made it clear that we need more than just affordable housing in East New York, we needed real capital commitments to protect and rebuild the community. The Executive Budget shows that the Mayor is doing right by East New Yorkers and fulfilling those commitments. The neighborhood should feel confident that the City will deliver on its promise to bring long overdue resources to our community,” said Council Member Rafael L. Espinal, Jr. 

“Zoning is only one tool to help neighborhoods grow. Together with Council Member Espinal and the community, we have identified essential public investments to support growth, improve the quality of life of current and future residents of East New York, enhance economic opportunities and foster a livable thriving neighborhood. The release of the Executive Budget should reinforce to the people of East New York that they can take that to the bank,” said City Planning Commission Chair Carl Weisbrod.

The East New York Neighborhood Plan includes 1,200 deeply affordable apartments to be built over the next two years, free legal representation for tenants, assistance for homeowners and resources for local businesses.

The targeted investments in the Executive Budget include allocations by the School Construction Authority, Economic Development Corporation, City agencies and from the Neighborhood Development Fund – a fund solely dedicated to meeting the capital needs of growing communities. The following represent an initial round of investments. Further commitments will be allocated and reflected in future budgets and modifications as plans are developed, sites for services are identified and designs are finalized. Within 30 days, the City will also be posting a commitment tracker for commitments made in conjunction with East New York and future neighborhood rezoning actions as part of a commitment by the city to provide an unprecedented level of transparency and accountability around major City land use actions.

*1,000 seat school included in capital plan. Total allocation pending design process.
**Figures above do not include childcare center funding to be determined with the Council, $17,450,000 for improvements to schools still pending final project designation, and additional contingency available to community center project.