New York Note – DOC Commissioner, Green Fast Track, Council Hearing on November Plan

December 18, 2023

Adams Appoints New Department of Correction Commissioner

Mayor Adams announced Lynelle Maginley-Liddie as the new Commissioner of the NYC Department of Correction (DOC). Maginley-Liddie currently serves as First Deputy Commissioner and Chief Diversity Officer of DOC, and will become the second Black woman to hold the Commissioner position. She will report to Deputy Mayor for Public Safety Philip Banks.

“Green Fast Track” to Streamline Environmental Review Process

Mayor Adams and Department of City Planning Director Dan Garodnick rolled out the “Green Fast Track” as part of the City’s plan to build more sustainable housing. The new plan will include a streamlined environmental review process for small- and medium-sized housing projects across NYC. Smaller qualifying projects will be designated as “Type II” actions under the City Environmental Quality Review process, with the goal of reducing redundant processes and speeding up environmental review. To qualify, projects must use all-electric heating, be located outside of vulnerable coastal areas, areas with industrial emissions, or away from major roads, and meet specific mitigation standards for areas with hazardous materials or in high-ambient noise.

Council Holds Oversight Hearing on Mayor’s November Plan

Last Monday, the NYC Council held an oversight hearing on the Mayor’s November financial plan. Representatives from the Mayor’s Office of Management and Budget (OMB) indicated that this round of the Program to Eliminate the Gap (PEG) is the first of several in the coming months. Mayor Adams will also be calling for two additional rounds of 5% cuts in the January preliminary budget and April executive budget plans for FY25. All members of the Council advised against cutting key services for New Yorkers.

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