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New York City Unveils $146 Million Plan to Drain ‘The Hole’ and Unlock Housing

The plan launches a climate‑ready sewer buildout with optional buyouts under a decade-long timeline.

Overview

  • The Jewel Streets Neighborhood Plan would add sewers, a pump station, raised streets, and bluebelt ponds designed for roughly a third more rainfall than typical systems.
  • The city’s proposed rezoning could enable up to about 5,000 homes, including as many as 1,400 units on a 17-acre city-owned site near the area.
  • Officials have begun soliciting interest for voluntary buyouts while promising retrofit assistance for homeowners who choose to remain.
  • Land-use and environmental reviews are required, the rezoning process is slated to start in 2026, and the effort could be altered by the next administration.
  • The plan also targets Linden Boulevard and Conduit Avenue for safer streets, better transit access, and redevelopment of vacant lots into mixed-use buildings.