Committee on Economic Development meeting
April 28, 2026, 1:00 PM
The Committee on Economic Development held hearings on three bills tied to the 2026 FIFA World Cup and large-scale events, including legislation to expand temporary public bathroom access at special events (Int 0807) and to create a World Cup events calendar highlighting connected small businesses (Int 0808). No votes were taken.
What was discussed
- Chair Maloney opens the hearing on three FIFA World Cup bills Council Member Virginia Maloney, Chair of the Committee on Economic Development, welcomed colleagues and opened the hearing on three bills tied to the 2026 FIFA World Cup: Int 807 on temporary public bathrooms at special events, Int 808 on a World Cup events calendar and small-business map, and Int
- Administration witnesses are sworn in Committee Counsel administered the oath to the administration witnesses testifying on the three bills before they gave their statements.
- Administration panel testifies on the World Cup bills A panel of administration witnesses testified: Emily Weidenhof (Assistant Commissioner of Public Realm, DOT), Matt Drury (Chief of Citywide Legislative Affairs, NYC Parks), Dawn Tolson (Executive Director of Citywide Event Coordination and Management, SAPO), Nancy Mammana (Chief Marketing Officer
- Can all three bills be implemented by the June 1st deadline? Chair Maloney asked whether the administration had concerns about meeting the proposed June 1st implementation date. Nancy Mammana (NYC Tourism) said the calendar was already in development and open for submissions, and Ellyn Canfield (World Cup Operations) said the cultural passport was also in
- How will Cultural Passport sites be selected and how many per borough? Chair Maloney pressed on site selection and whether the bill's minimum of five sites per borough was sufficient. Ellyn Canfield (World Cup Operations) said sign-up would be open to all cultural institutions, SIGs, parks and libraries in coordination with DCLA, and said she was confident the program
- How will the city ensure the boroughs share equitably in fan activations? Council Members Shanel Thomas-Henry and Amanda C. Farías questioned whether outreach and fan-zone investment would reach outer-borough communities, with Farías noting the Bronx appeared to have only two days of activation. Ellyn Canfield (World Cup Operations) said fan-zone dates depended on site
- How will safety and traffic be managed for events many times the size of the US Open? Council Member Shanel Thomas-Henry asked how the city would staff and secure events far larger than existing ones like the US Open. Dawn Tolson (SAPO) said the office was coordinating with NYPD, MTA and other agencies on safety and transportation but deferred questions about NYPD staffing levels to
- How were the five fan-zone sites chosen and do the contracts include local hiring? Chair Maloney asked how the five fan-festival sites were selected and whether their contracts carried local-hiring commitments. Dawn Tolson (SAPO) and Ellyn Canfield (World Cup Operations) said the host committee chose the locations before this administration, and that hiring is managed differently
- Which agency will maintain the events calendar and map, and how will it stay accurate? Chair Maloney asked who would own the calendar and map and how listings would stay current. Nancy Mammana (NYC Tourism) said NYC Tourism is building and maintaining the tool internally, taking submissions until July 1, with staff verifying each entry, and described an AI visitor concierge that also
- What is the current public-restroom capacity and will temporary restrooms be added? Chair Maloney and Council Member Gale A. Brewer asked about existing restroom capacity and plans for the fan zones. Matt Drury (NYC Parks) cited more than 700 public restroom buildings citywide, Dawn Tolson (SAPO) said event organizers are responsible for restrooms in the fan zones, and Emily
- How will new community events get permitted in time, and where can residents find free viewing? Council Member Gale A. Brewer asked how new block-level events would be approved and how residents would learn about free viewing options. Dawn Tolson (SAPO) said new events are reviewed case by case based on available resources, and Ellyn Canfield (World Cup Operations) and Nancy Mammana (NYC
- What will the three bills cost and how are they funded? Chair Maloney asked for a cost analysis of implementing the three bills. Ellyn Canfield (World Cup Operations) said the World Cup cultural passport is grant-funded through Team Wonder at no cost to the administration, and cited $20 million in host-committee funds allocated under the Adams
- Do all the testifying agencies support the bills? Wrapping up the administration panel, Chair Maloney asked whether all agencies that testified supported the bills. Matt Drury (NYC Parks) said the agencies support the intent of the legislation and look forward to working with the sponsor on the details.
- Christopher Leon Johnson backs all three bills Member of the public Christopher Leon Johnson testified in support of all the bills on the agenda and praised the committee's chairs.
- Manhattan Chamber of Commerce urges action for small businesses Jessica Walker of the Manhattan Chamber of Commerce, representing 125,000 businesses, testified that she had urged the Council in February to act so small businesses across all five boroughs could benefit from the World Cup.
- New Yorkers for Culture and Arts testifies on the cultural passport Lucy Sexton of New Yorkers for Culture and Arts testified on Intro 849, arguing that arts and culture are infrastructure and economic development, driving a significant share of the city's economy.
Agenda
3 items
- Int 0807-2026 A Local Law in relation to a plan to expand access to temporary public bathrooms at certain special events held during the World Cup Hearing Held by Committee
- Int 0808-2026 A Local Law in relation to the development of a World Cup events calendar and map of small businesses connected to the participating nations Hearing Held by Committee
- Int 0849-2026 A Local Law to amend the administrative code of the city of New York, in relation to requiring a designated agency to develop and implement a cultural passport program encouraging visitation to participating sites in each borough Hearing Held by Committee