For Immediate Release
July 23, 2018

Contacts:
Rachaele Raynoff, Joe Marvilli – press@planning.nyc.gov (212) 720-3471                                              

July 23, 2018 – City Planning Commission Chair Marisa Lago today announced that all formal City Planning Commission meetings, held at 120 Broadway in Lower Manhattan, are now being livestreamed.

• Livestreamed hearings are available for viewing during City Planning Commission meetings.
• City Planning Commission hearings are available for viewing online after a hearing has concluded. This page offers additional information, including agendas and calendars.

“Public participation in policy decisions is the cornerstone of American democracy, and increasing that participation in City Planning Commission decision making is critical to ensuring our growing, thriving and diverse city is the best that it can be. Livestreaming City Planning Commission hearings brings an extra level of transparency, since New Yorkers who can’t attend a City Planning Commission public meeting still have the opportunity to watch our proceedings live. I encourage all New Yorkers to get involved in planning our city’s future,” Chair Lago said. 

IMPORTANT NOTE: Members of the public may either:

• testify in person during a scheduled public hearing on an application at 120 Broadway, New York, NY OR
• submit testimony online. (Please note that  testimony can be submitted for a project after that project has been scheduled, typically two weeks prior to the hearing and until 11:59 p.m. on the day that is one week before the date of the City Planning Commission ’s vote; more information is available here.)  OR
• submit testimony by mail to City Planning Commission, Calendar Information Office – 31st Floor, 120 Broadway, New York, NY 10271

The 13-member City Planning Commission is responsible for planning for the orderly growth and development of the city, including its population’s needs for housing, business, industry, transportation, recreation, culture, health and more. The City Planning Commission meets regularly to hold hearings and vote on applications concerning the use, development and improvement of property subject to City regulation. The City Planning Commission ’s consideration of these applications includes an assessment of their environmental impacts where required by law.

The City Planning Commission meets twice a week, every other week, on Mondays, beginning at 1 p.m., and Wednesdays, beginning at 10 a.m. The City Planning Commission public hearings on Wednesday typically last until the last member of the public has been given an opportunity to speak.

The City Planning Commission ’s Monday meetings are known as “Review Sessions.” At these Review Sessions, which are open to the public, the City Planning Commission hears staff presentations on new land use applications, as well as summaries of recommendations by community boards and borough presidents regarding applications that are in the public review process. At these Review Sessions, the City Planning Commission also deliberates publicly on proposals that are up for a vote.

These Review Sessions also may include special informational presentations, such as today's DCP staff demonstration of its new Population Factfinder online search tool. The tool enables visitors to easily define study areas within New York City and then examine detailed population profiles showing critical demographic, social, economic, and housing statistics, and how these statistics have changed over time. At previous Review Sessions, the City Planning Commission saw staff present other projects aimed at increasing transparency through public access to useful data, including: 

• Community Portal – The Department of City Planning’s (DCP) gateway to data, maps, and other resources describing New York City’s 59 community districts.
• ZoLa– The zoning and land use map that provides a simple way to research zoning regulations, find the zoning for a property, discover new proposals in a neighborhood, and learn where DCP initiatives are happening throughout the city.
• Facilities Explorer– A comprehensive dataset of public and private facilities and program sites that shape the quality of city neighborhoods. Find libraries, parks, schools, health and social service providers and much more.

The City Planning Commission ’s Wednesday public hearings provide opportunities for the public to give oral testimony on land use applications and, for major projects, on environmental impact statements. Guidelines for speakers are available at the public hearings and may also be found in the public meeting calendars that are posted online in the days leading up to the public hearing.

You can also find the calendar of City Planning Commission meetings and schedule changes on that web page.

While City Planning Commission meetings have been videotaped and posted online for several years, the City Planning Commission ’s new public hearing space, on the lower level of 120 Broadway between Cedar and Pine streets in Lower Manhattan, is designed to give more room for the public and provide for livestream capability. It also includes other modern information sharing applications for conveying real time public information.

Those who prefer seeing the City Planning Commission meetings on TV can do so on NYC TV, the official television network of New York City, which cablecasts them on Channel 74's program "Shaping the City with the City Planning Commission ." Check the link for the program schedule.