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NYC Eyes $136M Shelter Deal While Williamsburg and the Bronx Face a Rezoning Push
Tens of millions in city contracts are flowing to firms in New Jersey, Texas, Philadelphia, and Canada. Plus major rezonings in Williamsburg and Bed-Stuy, a $136M homeless shelter deal open for public comment, and NYC’s first major truck route redesign in years.
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Debt Gala 2026 Brooklyn: Fashion, Drag & Medical Debt Relief
The fourth annual Debt Gala returned to Music Hall of Williamsburg in Brooklyn on May 3, 2026 — the night before the Met Gala — with jaw-dropping looks, powerhouse performers, and a mission to erase medical debt for families across America. Photographer Howard Weiss was on the ground for all of it.
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How do you know if you suck? Dealing with Competition and Insecurity in Street Photography
New York City is a street photographer’s dream—and sometimes a nightmare. The energy, the moments, the characters… it’s all right there at your fingertips. I fell in love with photography exactly this way: just walking down the street in Brooklyn, camera in hand, capturing random life as it unfolded. After years of shifting genres, I’ve…
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NYC This Week: May 4–8, 2026 — 35+ Events Across 5 Boroughs
From the star-studded red carpets of the Met Gala to the solemn, silent history of Hart Island, this week in New York is a study in extremes. Discover 35+ events across all five boroughs, including major art openings, free fitness in the parks, and the street-level grit that makes this city move. Whether you’re chasing…
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NYC Events: May 2026 — 5 Boroughs, One Month, Zero Excuses
May 2026 brings over 200 events across all five New York City boroughs — from the TD Five Boro Bike Tour opening the month on May 3rd to the Israel Day Parade closing it out on Fifth Avenue May 31st. Our complete five-borough guide covers every parade, street fair, free fitness class, farmers market, and…
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NYC This Week: May 2–3, 2026 — 40+ Events, 5 Boroughs
The weekend that flips NYC into summer mode — 32,000 bikes take the Five Boro Tour on Sunday while Saturday brings the 54th Annual Cannabis Parade to Washington Square, the Columbia University Powwow to Central Park, and the Great Saunter circling the entire island on foot. Forty-plus events across all five boroughs, most of them…
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NYC Opens New Front Against Deed Theft as City Plows $35M Into Homeless Shelters and Queens Bridge Repairs
Mayor Mamdani signed an executive order creating a new Office of Deed Theft Prevention while the city approved millions in contracts for Queens bridge repairs, homeless shelters, and sanitation trucks. Plus: rezoning hearings in the Bronx and Brooklyn you can still weigh in on.
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$31.5M in Bonds, $1 Bronx Lot, and $1M for Midtown Ramps
Public notices show Port Authority paying over $1M a year for Midtown ramps, a Bronx lot selling for $1, and $31.5M in bonds moving.
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South Jamaica Street Erased Thursday, $60M Saves DV Shelters
South Jamaica faces a street elimination hearing Thursday. DV shelters get a $60.1M extension. NYPD emergency-buys 9,500 barricades. Two city emergencies extended.
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Queens Gets Three, Brooklyn Gets The Beach: Four New Housing Zones and $150M in Contracts Moving Now
Four NYC neighborhoods — Fresh Meadows, Corona, Middle Village, and Coney Island — are moving to mandatory affordable housing at once, while the city quietly advances $150M in contracts for shelters, wastewater upgrades, and youth programs.
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Three Neighborhoods, One Rule Change: Fresh Meadows, Middle Village, and Coney Island Set for Mandatory Affordable Housing
Three new mandatory affordable housing zones are advancing in Fresh Meadows, Middle Village, and Coney Island — while the city simultaneously moves more than $150 million in contracts for homeless shelters, youth services, and wastewater infrastructure.
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NYC This Week: April 27–May 1, 2026 — 30+ Events, 5 Boroughs
Macy’s Flower Show takes over Herald Square, District 3 votes Tuesday, and May Day brings marches to Washington Square. Your insider guide to 30+ free events across all five boroughs April 27-May 1.
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The Unsettling Side of Street Photography:When Strangers Push Back
Vol. XLII · No. 17 New York City · Saturday, April 25, 2026 Free at NYCFocus.com NYCFocus New York’s Independent Eye · Est. 1984 · All the City, All the Time ■ Photography Corner The Personal Side of Shooting ■ Photography Corner — Street Dispatch — No. 1 The Unsettling Side of Street Photography: When…
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NYC This Week: April 25–26, 2026 — 30+ Events, 5 Boroughs
Earth Day weekend 2026 lands with parade season in full swing — the Sikh Day Parade takes Midtown on Saturday, Car-Free Earth Day opens Broadway to foot traffic citywide, and the Greek Independence Day Parade anchors Sunday on the Upper East Side. Thirty-plus events across all five boroughs, most of them free, all of them…
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The $30 Million Snow Job: Why NYC is Betting its Winter on a Baltimore Firm While Agency Personnel Flee
While City Hall hands a $30 million snow removal contract to a firm in Baltimore, internal personnel records reveal a massive talent exodus from the DOT and Department of Finance. From the literal deletion of streets in Queens to strategic parking cuts in Coney Island, independent analysis shows a city redrawing its map while its…
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Final Boundaries: Fresh Meadows, Corona, and Coney Island MIH Maps Confirmed for April 29 Vote
I am publishing the final MIH boundaries for Fresh Meadows, Corona, and Coney Island. The maps show a 100×140 foot site in Fresh Meadows, a full-block triangle in Corona, and a 12-block conversion from voluntary to mandatory in Coney Island. All three go to City Planning April 29.
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The Maps Are Official: Fresh Meadows, Corona, Coney Island MIH Boundaries Published
The official MIH maps for Fresh Meadows, Corona, and Coney Island are now published. No new applications — just the final boundaries for the three rezonings going to City Planning April 29. All include MIH Option 1 and Option 2, requiring 25-30% permanently affordable housing.
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THE DENSITY BLITZ: THE TRIBECA TOWER LOOPHOLE AND THE REPARATIONS STUDY
Independent analysis reveals a coordinated push for higher density across Queens and Brooklyn, a legal loophole allowing a new 24-story Tribeca tower to bypass environmental reviews, and the hidden procurement machinery behind the NYC Reparations Study.
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NYC Quietly Rezoned Flushing, Corona, and Coney Island — 600 Units Next Week
City Council votes Wednesday 4/22 on Flushing’s 147-14 Northern Blvd rezoning. City Planning votes 4/29 on five more: Fresh Meadows, Corona, Ridgewood, and Coney Island. All include MIH. 600+ apartments on the table next week.
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NYC This Week: April 20–24, 2026 — 38 Events, 5 Boroughs
arth Day week collides with 4/20, a private wedding procession on Madison Avenue, and one of the rarest access opportunities in the five boroughs — a full island tour of Hart Island. Thirty-eight events across Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queens, the Bronx, and Staten Island, April 20–24, 2026.