Madison Square Garden has only been given a five year extension by the full City Council on a special permit it needs to continue to sit atop Penn Station. Photo: Keith J. Kelly Finally and Officially: Full City Council Gives MSG Its Shortest Permit Ever at 5 Years Saying it was starting a countdown to force a deal on improving Penn Station, the City Council voted unanimously to give... News 14 Sep 2023 | 10:26
Tall, well-lit construction sheds may become the norm for the city’s 9,000 scaffolding installations if new regulations proposed by City Council majority leader Keith Powers and council member Erik Bottcher, Shaun Abreu, and Chris Marte become law. Manhattan, with 4,000 of the sheds, has more than any other borough. Photo: Ralph Spielman Reach for the Sky: New Scaffold Bills Call for 50% Boost in Height and New LED Lighting New bills to overhaul scaffolds that now cover 280 miles of sidewalks in New York City would force builders to make them... News 19 Mar 2023 | 10:51
Cyclists and pedestrians in Riverside Park. Photo: Flickr (Howard Brier) Chelsea, Upper West Side Most Perilous to Cyclists and Pedestrians in Manhattan Chelsea and the Upper West Side neighborhoods were among the most dangerous in Manhattan in terms of traffic injuries for... News 13 Mar 2023 | 05:14
Councilmember Erik Bottcher is going to hire a full time person to help homeless in his district. Photo: City Council District 3. Council Member Erik Bottcher Unveils New Homeless Services Program Council member Erik Bottcher has unveiled a new initiative to create a community outreach liaison position, intended to improve... News 09 Mar 2023 | 10:48
Councilmember Erik Bottcher, who represents a district that includes Chelsea, Hudson Yards and parts of Greenwich Village, hosted an online conversation about the lack of affordable housing in New York that drew the head of the Planning Commission, Dan Garodnick, and the NYC chief housing officer Jessica Katz. Photo: Office of Erik Bottcher Politicos Warn NYC Could Be “Lost” Unless We Solve Housing Crisis Several top politicians warned in a virtual forum that the city we all know could be “lost” unless leaders start to take... News 17 Feb 2023 | 03:09
An hours-long virtual hearing attracted concerned New Yorkers. Photo via Mayor’s Office Webex Locals Find Fault With New Short-Term Rental Regulations Clandestine Airbnb rentals are doomed, thanks to the rollout of new legislation that more strictly governs stays under 30... News 12 Jan 2023 | 12:48
Two people were arrested for trespassing at Council Member Erik Bottcher’s apartment building on Monday, Dec. 19, according to an NYPD spokesperson. Photo via Erik Bottcher’s Twitter Hate At Erik Bottcher’s Doorstep Inside a Chelsea public library on Saturday, Dec. 17, children read “regular kids’ books,” sitting on the floor together,... News 22 Dec 2022 | 02:13
Council Member Erik Bottcher (left) with Eric Marcus, of the 300 West 20th Street Block Association, Pamela Wolff, of the Chelsea West 200 Block Association and NYC Parks Manhattan Borough Commissioner Anthony Perez (right). Photo courtesy of Erik Bottcher’s office 1,000 New Street Trees for District 3 On Wednesday, December 14, Council Member Erik Bottcher and the New York City Parks Department announced that 1,000 new street... News 14 Dec 2022 | 03:02
Workers from Wildcat Service Corporation, the nonprofit tapped to remove graffiti in Council Member Erik Bottcher’s district. Photo: Abigail Gruskin Graffiti Be Gone To camouflage oneself on the streets of New York City would mean to get dirty; a certain amount of graffiti would be required.... News 02 Dec 2022 | 12:31
The playground at P.S. 11. Photo: Abigail Gruskin An Influx Of Asylum-Seeking Students — and a Community’s Response When Mario’s two children started school on Friday, October 14, they hadn’t attended a class since March — and that was in... News 04 Nov 2022 | 04:43
From left to right: City Council Members Shaun Abreu, Erik Bottcher, Sandy Nurse, Chi Ossé and Carlina Rivera posed outside City Hall with two rats that were protesting new legislation passed on Thursday. Photo: Abigail Gruskin City Council’s ‘Rat Pack’ Says Rodents Are Ready to ‘Surrender’ In a city of millions, there’s an alarming number of unwelcome guests — ones that scurry, lurk and leap. Everyone’s seen... News 27 Oct 2022 | 05:54
Lunch on the street. Photo: David Axelbank ‘The Longest Table’ Lights Up West 21st Street It started with a simple idea - to gather neighbors and share a meal around a table down the middle of an NYC block. After... News 18 Oct 2022 | 12:11
Traffic on the West Side Highway near Hudson Yards. Photo: Abigail Gruskin The Crackdown On Loud Cars Is On A Roll Noise in New York City, like the vibrating drilling of construction or the booming sound of music coming from the apartment... News 30 Sep 2022 | 12:18
Council Member Erik Bottcher (at podium) hosted a rally with Assembly Members Linda Rosenthal (left) and Dick Gottfried (far right), State Senator Brad Hoylman (right of Bottcher), Congressman Jerrold Nadler (second from right) and others. Photo: Abigail Gruskin A New Subway Station? ‘Sexy,’ Manhattan Politicians Say Some of Council Member Erik Bottcher’s Hell’s Kitchen constituents walk not five or 10, but 15 or 20 minutes to get to their... News 10 Aug 2022 | 06:04
A proposed map of newly drawn City Council districts was released on July 15. Map screenshot from the NYC Districting Commission ‘Preliminary’ City Council Redistricting Is Just That, Council Members Say City Council districts are the latest to get a major overhaul as part of a redistricting process on the heels of the latest... News 22 Jul 2022 | 02:20