Manhattan Community Board 3 Mar 2026 Report
Delivery bike hub tensions, ICE legislation, and a push to slow down the district's streets
As always, the below summary of the Full Board Meeting is not complete but represents my best attempt to highlight key takeaways from the meeting. If you attended the meeting and believe I missed or misstated any important points, please comment below or reach out!
Any opinions expressed below are solely my own and do not represent the views of Manhattan Community Board 3.
Find your community district and key information about it here.
Manhattan Community Board 3 Mar 2026 Full Board Meeting
Tuesday, Mar 24, 2026 - 6:30pm
PS 20 - 166 Essex Street
Meeting Highlights:
City budget pressures dominate elected officials’ reports — Councilmembers Martre and Epstein both flagged the need for new City revenue sources, with Epstein advocating for expanded DCWP enforcement and Martre noting the Council is exploring alternatives to Mayor Mamdani’s proposed property tax increase; participatory budgeting runs April 11–19th.
Immigration enforcement response ramps up — Multiple elected officials reported new legislative and community efforts around ICE activity, including Assemblymember Grace Lee’s ICE Contact Transparency Act, the MELT Act, and the RADAR Act, while Borough President Hoylman-Sigal’s office is hosting ICE preparedness trainings.
MCB3 eyes district-wide slow zone — The Transportation committee advanced a resolution to lower speed limits to 20 MPH across MCB3 and 15 MPH near schools, building on the City’s recent implementation of Sammy’s Law in the borough.
Notes from board meeting:
Public Session
request for MCB3 to pass a resolution calling for action
Primary care physician working in the East Village is concerned about their patients’ safety given the City’s proposed plan to move an intake shelter next door
additional responsibilities of the next-door shelter may affect level of care provided to existing vulnerable population already served by the clinic
there will be a public forum on April 7th at 5:30 PM at E 12th St
Elected Officials Reports
Borough President Brad Hoylman-Sigal’s Liaison
Office will be in touch soon with Manhattan CB applicants regarding their applications
Partnering with BetaNYC to produce community report cards tracking community complaints and stats
Working on how to respond to ongoing ICE activity in Manhattan, hosting ICE preparedness trainings
Monitoring the situation at E 11th Street closely
Congressmember Dan Goldman’s Liaison
Assemblymember Grace Lee’s Liaison
Introduced the ICE contact transparency act - creates a public database of contracts ICE is a member of
MELT Act - holds ICE agents accountable by prohibiting agents from wearing masks while performing duties
RADAR Act - requires reporting of data regarding federal immigration enforcement activity in NY
Assemblymember Deborah Glick’s Liaison
Bill passed to protect State lands from oil and gas development
April 9th - shredding event - 9-12 PM at NYCAids Memorial
State Senator Brian Kavanagh’s Liaison
Free tax preparation event on 4/2 3-6 PM
Mobile legal clinic on 4/17 10AM-3PM
Councilmember Christopher Martre - attended!
Budget process in the City has started - you can watch agency oversight hearings in the City Council!
Speaker and the Council are looking into ways to generate revenue that won’t involve Mayor Mamdani’s proposed property tax increase
Participatory budgeting will occur April 11-19th, CM Martre’s team working with Henry Street Settlement on outreach
Councilmember Harvey Epstein - attended!
Supports increasing DCWP enforcement - hiring more lawyers in this agency brings in more revenue for the City, more than the salaries of the new lawyers
City needs to find new sources of revenue to close the budget gap
Merchant’s House, landmarked site that was part of the Underground Railroad, is raising concerns about an application for a next-door development that could threaten its stability
Board Reports
Board Chair’s Report
Looking at economic, educational, public health, environmental, etc outcomes for MCD3 and how they vary for our district versus others
District Manager’s Report
MCB3 now sending out a newsletter every other Monday - subscribe!
Preparing for term limits, creating timelines and documents by committee
first time limits will kick in next year, exactly one year from now
Working with several elected officials’ offices to resolve the issues regarding E 11th Street delivery bike hub
DOT/SLA virtual informational session open to any business in MCB3 being organized - more information to come
MCB3 is one of the top 5 districts in the city for rat findings, mostly concentrated on public properties
Committee Reports
See Committee Meeting recordings here!
Transportation, Public Safety, & Environment
IBO talked about NYC DOT’s progress on the Streets Plan - some parts great, others not so much
NYC's Streets Are Getting Better. Just Not Fast Enough.
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On Tuesday, March 3rd, 2026 at 10 AM, the New York City Council Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure kicked off its hearing. The meeting consisted of discussion of several important pieces of legislation, dealing with streetscape policies from daylighting crosswalks to changing sidewalk cafe regulations. Each of these topics is worthy of its o…
Resolution supporting a regional slow zone in MCD3 - lower the speed limit on all applicable streets in Manhattan Community District 3 to 20 miles-per-hour, and to 15 miles-per-hour on all streets adjacent to schools in the District
Health, Seniors, & Human Services / Youth, Education, & Human Rights
Federal budget cuts, especially to SNAP, are worsening food security in the City
Land Use, Zoning, Public & Private Housing
Resolution for NYC EDC to consider conducting a study on Essex Market to better understand its challenges, opportunities, etc
