Posted on July 27, 2026
STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. — Mayor Zohran Mamdani announced a major investment in the city’s coastal defense infrastructure on Friday, committing $43.2 million to expand the Bureau of Coastal Resilience as New York faces increasing climate threats.
The expansion will transform a bureau, which has operated with just six staff members and borrowed Department of Environmental Protection personnel, into a fully staffed agency capable of managing flood protection projects. The city will spend $10.6 million in the current fiscal year to fill 69 additional positions, including engineers, city planners, field crews and other flood experts.
“As climate change accelerates, so too must our efforts to protect our communities from flooding and extreme weather,” Mamdani said. “This investment ensures the bureau can keep pace with the billions of dollars in flood prevention and mitigation infrastructure being built and mobilized in the next few years. Staffed with engineers, flood-risk management experts and maintenance crews, the Bureau of Coastal Resilience will drive resiliency job opportunities while making sure our city is prepared for whatever comes our way.”
The bureau oversees 15 active infrastructure projects across New York’s 520 miles of coastline. Among them is the $1.45 billion East Side Coastal Resiliency project, which will protect 110,000 New York residents when it comes online next year. The project includes raised parkland, floodwalls and 18 flood gates aimed at providing a continuous line of protection. Additional coastal flooding protection system projects including Brooklyn Bridge-Montgomery Coastal Resilience, Seaport Coastal Resilience and Red Hook Coastal Resiliency are slated for completion within four years.
Department of Environmental Protection Commissioner Lisa F. Garcia said the expansion will strengthen the city’s ability to address climate threats.
“Expanding the Bureau of Coastal Resilience strengthens our ability to safeguard our shoreline, prepare for climate impacts and protect the communities, businesses and critical facilities that power our city,” she added.
The announcement follows other significant climate investments, including $108 million for citywide sewer improvements and $95 million to protect flooding hotspots in Brooklyn. The city also recently completed the first phase of the $200 million Battery Coastal Resilience project in Lower Manhattan.
The expanded bureau will coordinate with several city agencies including NYC Parks, the Economic Development Corporation and the Department of Transportation to advance projects across the five boroughs.
“For a family, a flooded home means a repair bill they can’t afford and an insurance premium that spikes,” said Chief Climate Officer Louise Yeung. “By funding the Bureau of Coastal Resilience, the City will have the in-house engineering, planning and capacity to build, operate and maintain our flood protection systems now and into the future.”
The new funding will also support several studies to develop a long-term strategy for protecting the city’s extensive coastline.
