The city’s public housing agency is calling for proposals from private partners to create new housing near NYCHA campuses.

A view of NYCHA’s St. Nicholas Houses near the intersection of Frederick Douglass Boulevard and West 127th Street in Harlem. (Adi Talwar/City Limits)

Being New York City’s largest landowner comes with some perks.

NYCHA is looking to leverage its large footprint together with private development to help address New York City’s housing crisis and the agency’s own deep rehabilitation needs.

NYCHA has 2,473 acres of land in the city and a population the size of Minneapolis. As of 2025, the aging NYCHA housing stock has a $78.6 billion backlog in physical repair needs after decades of federal disinvestment. 

Now, officials want to expand their footprint even further, developing housing projects on private land near NYCHA sites. The public-private partnerships would create new affordable housing and potentially help NYCHA address its deep repair needs.

“NYCHA will leverage private-sector partners which will lead to the development and expansion of deeply affordable housing,” said Deputy Mayor Adolfo Carrion in a statement.

Officials say it’s part of an all-hands-on-deck strategy to address the housing crisis in the city. 

NYCHA is already converting 38,000 units to private management under the city’s PACT program. PACT converts public housing subsidies to project-based vouchers, which command a higher payment from the federal government, generating revenue NYCHA plans to use on repairs. Another 1,700 units have voted to be part of NYCHA’s Preservation Trust pipeline, which retains NYCHA management while converting to Section 8.

With this initiative, NYCHA is seeking proposals from private developers that leverage new funding and development tools the agency has developed. That could include building new units that would join the federal government’s RAD program, supporting new affordable housing with project based vouchers, or selling development rights to fund repairs or new housing.

“Returning to its roots as a public developer, NYCHA must leverage available assets to serve current public housing residents while creating more affordable housing opportunities citywide,” added NYCHA Chair Jamie Rubin.

Councilmember Chris Banks, who runs the City Council Committee on Public Housing, expressed skepticism about the proposed effort.

He said that past private partnerships have not delivered what they promised.

“I don’t buy that,” said Banks. “I don’t trust NYCHA or these developers that it’s going to help and support the surrounding buildings.”

The proposals could include “build first” projects where new housing is constructed offsite and made available to current NYCHA residents who can move in with a voucher. It may also create vacancies that would enable NYCHA to make repairs in older buildings, and eventually move new tenants in from the agency’s long wait lists for housing assistance.

“Wouldn’t it be great if you could get access to that vacant lot [across the street] to help free up the space for the regeneration of that campus—that’s never been done before,” said Jessica Katz, former Chief Housing Officer for the city and leader of the NYCHA Regeneration Initiative.

Any redevelopment project is logistically difficult, especially when rehabilitation requires tenant relocation, but the conditions at NYCHA increasingly demand it, Katz says.

“The physical needs of the NYCHA portfolio have deteriorated very significantly over the last 10 years,” said Katz, who noted that rehab requires more money and longer relocations. “One goal of this new construction model is the fact that there just needs to be a place for people to go while the buildings are being rehabbed.”

It’s notably different from more controversial “infill” projects, where NYCHA partners with developers to build on parking lots or other open space within campuses, generating revenue that supports repairs at existing buildings.

NYCHA has tested infill projects recently, like when it sold a slice of land to fund repairs at the Manhattanville Houses in West Harlem or a contested plan to move NYCHA tenants to new buildings and demolish and rebuild the Fulton and Elliot-Chelsea Houses in Manhattan. 

Infill projects have garnered criticism from residents, but gained more vocal support from elected leaders in recent years, like Council Speaker Adrienne Adams. Zohran Mamdani and Andrew Cuomo also mentioned infill at NYCHA campuses in their primary election housing plans.

A spokesperson for NYCHA said that the Request for Expressions of Interest (RFEI) only seeks proposals for private land, not infill.

Banks said NYCHA’s priorities are in the wrong place. After a NYCHA apartment is vacated, it takes the housing authority an average of 339 days to move a new tenant in, while more than 173,000 applicants sit on a waitlist. 

“I find that very presumptuous of NYCHA when currently there’s about 5,000 vacancies… I think they should actually deal with that issue before they step outside to develop more, to be a part of these types of partnerships,” said Banks.

The tools used and the ownership structures of the plans NYCHA is soliciting may depend on the specific project.

Developers have other tools to play with in their proposals. NYCHA hopes that lending some of its affordable housing funding mechanisms to private development will chip in on filling a citywide affordable housing need.

NYCHA has some wiggle room under a federally-mandated cap on the number of public housing units in the city. Under one of the tools, it could build new public housing units up to the cap, then convert them to PACT, making room to build more under the cap, and doing it all again.

Another way is through a transfer of assistance, where public housing residents would switch to Project Based Section 8 assistance and move into a new development, freeing up vacancies in existing public housing that could facilitate repair and rehabilitation, or get people off the housing authority’s long wait list.

Because of its “towers in the park” design, many NYCHA campuses have a lot of land at their disposal. Where NYCHA campuses don’t have as much housing as zoning would allow on their lot, a transfer of development rights enables them to sell off that extra buildable area to an adjacent owner, who could build bigger than otherwise permitted.

Getting tenants on board will be a challenge no matter the project.

“We’re heavily focused on making sure that residents have input when these programs are being introduced to them,” said Banks.

“Trust is very hard won, and it is very easily lost, and NYCHA residents have lots of reasons not to trust that these projects are going to go forward,” said Katz.

To reach the reporter behind this story, contact Patrick@citylimits.org. To reach the editor, contact Jeanmarie@citylimits.org

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The post NYCHA Looks to Expand its Footprint With Private Partnerships appeared first on City Limits.

REDMOND, Wash. (AP) — Worker-led protests erupted at Microsoft headquarters this week as the tech company promises an “urgent” review of the Israeli military’s use of its technology during the ongoing war in Gaza.

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A second day of protests at the Microsoft campus on Wednesday called for the tech giant to immediately cut its business ties with Israel.

The police department began making arrests after Microsoft said the protesters were trespassing.

“We said, ‘Please leave or you will be arrested,’ and they chose not to leave so they were detained,” said police spokesperson Jill Green.

Microsoft late last week said it was tapping a law firm to investigate allegations reported by British newspaper The Guardian that the Israeli Defense Forces used Microsoft’s Azure cloud computing platform to store phone call data obtained through the mass surveillance of Palestinians in Gaza and the West Bank.

“Microsoft’s standard terms of service prohibit this type of usage,” the company said in a statement posted Friday, adding that the report raises “precise allegations that merit a full and urgent review.”

The company said it will share the findings after law firm Covington & Burling completes its review.

The promised review was insufficient for the employee-led No Azure for Apartheid group, which for months has protested Microsoft’s supplying the Israeli military with technology used for its war against Hamas in Gaza.

In February, The Associated Press revealed previously unreported details about the American tech giant’s close partnership with the Israeli Ministry of Defense, with military use of commercial AI products skyrocketing by nearly 200 times after the deadly Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas attack. The AP reported that the Israeli military uses Azure to transcribe, translate and process intelligence gathered through mass surveillance, which can then be cross-checked with Israel’s in-house AI-enabled targeting systems.

Following The AP’s report, Microsoft acknowledged the military applications but said a review it commissioned found no evidence that its Azure platform and artificial intelligence technologies were used to target or harm people in Gaza. Microsoft did not share a copy of that review or say who conducted it.

Microsoft in May fired an employee who interrupted a speech by CEO Satya Nadella to protest the contracts, and in April, fired two others who interrupted the company’s 50th anniversary celebration.

Wednesday’s practice at TCO Performance Center was the official end of training camp, the last workout before the last preseason game, set for 7 p.m. Friday against the Tennessee Titans in Nashville.

By all measures, it’s been a good camp for J.J. McCarthy, and the young quarterback went out with a bang, completing 26 of 33 passes — including a few highlight connections — in a roughly two-hour scrimmage under blue skies and a hot, late-August sun.

With the top offense and defense mostly playing against the second units — with many players subbing in and out of the latter — McCarthy was 7 for 7 with completions to four different receivers on the first drive, and completed three touchdown passes on a late red zone drill.

Confidence, McCarthy said, is “Extremely high. Highest it’s ever been.”

It was a good way to end camp for McCarthy who, despite missing all of last season because of a knee injury, will start the Sept. 8 opener at Chicago with just one preseason possession under his belt.

Most, if not all, starters will sit out Friday’s game as head coach Kevin O’Connell and his staff prepare to cut the roster to 53 active players before Tuesday’s 3 p.m. CDT deadline.

“I feel like just looking at the other guys, the coaching staff, that gives me all the confidence in the world,” McCarthy said. “They’ve got my back, and all of our backs. I get goosebumps right now just thinking about it.

“We put in the work, the rest is going to take care of itself. But the confidence, as a precursor to the work, it just makes me really excited.”

Here are more takeaways from the final day of training camp:

How is McCarthy?

Well, terrific. He was in control of the offense, hung tough in the pocket, and with the exception of one or two throws, hit receivers on the hands or the numbers. He did not throw an interception and hit a variety of receivers.

He mostly found Jordan Addison, who will miss the first three games because of an NFL suspension resulting from a DUI arrest last summer. But maybe his best play was a touchdown pass to Lucky Jackson on a red zone drill. He also found Thayer Thomas a few times at the tail end of his progression for gains over the middle.

His last connection — a long timing route to tight end Josh Oliver — was one of the best and, appropriately, the final play of the scrimmage.

Before practice, offensive coordinator Wes Phillips was asked if anything about McCarthy’s camp has surprised him.

“Well, we drafted him,” he said. “We thought he was good.”

Who stood out?

— Those were all big catches for Jackson and Thomas, two young receivers trying to make the team, if only to fill Addison’s role early — particularly as the Vikings are reportedly looking at a possible free-agent addition.

— In a two-man battle to be the team’s punt returner, Silas Bolden won the day, catching everything sent his way by punter Ryan Wright while his competition, Myles Price, fielded punts from Oscar Chapman and dropped the first one before recovering it near his own end zone.

Asked before practice what the team was looking for from its kick and punt returners, special teams coach Matt Daniels said, “Tracking the ball, catching the ball and decision making. Probably ball security is going to be at a premium.”

— Left tackle Christian Darrisaw, returning from a knee injury that prematurely ended a strong season, played a lot of snaps Wednesday, a good sign with the season opener three weeks away.

Quote of the day

“In season, it’s kind of difficult; I feel like every time I close my eyes I’m going to fall asleep.” — Offensive coordinator Wes Phillips, on practicing meditation

Injury report

— Tai Felton, hoping to catch on as a depth receiver and returner, appeared to injure his left hand early in Wednesday’s scrimmage and didn’t return. He left the field with a bandage on his left thumb.

— Linebacker Blake Cashman watched the scrimmage from the sidelines. Safety Harrison Smith also was absent.

What’s next?

After Friday’s 7 p.m. kickoff at Tennessee, the coaching staff has to trim down to an active roster of 53 players by 3 p.m. CDT on Tuesday.

J.J. McCarthy #9 of the Minnesota Vikings is tackled as he carries the ball in the second quarter of the preseason game against the Las Vegas Raiders at U.S. Bank Stadium on Aug. 10, 2024 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. (Photo by Stephen Maturen/Getty Images)

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The Vikings might have the best group of pass catchers in the NFL.

Not only do they have a talented trio in Justin Jefferson, Jordan Addison, and Jalen Nailor at receiver, they have a security blanket underneath in T.J. Hockenson at tight end.

The issue for the Vikings is they won’t be a full strength for the foreseeable future.

Though it appears Jefferson is nearly back to 100% after suffering hamstring injury early in training camp, Addison will open the season with a suspension that will keep him out until Week 4, and Nailor is dealing with a hand injury that could linger.

That might explain why NFL Network insider Tom Pelissero recently reported that the Vikings are exploring the trade market.

There’s no reason for the Vikings to overreact to their current situation, so a blockbuster deal with, say, the Washington Commanders for the disgruntled Terry McLaurin seems like a long shot.

That doesn’t mean the Vikings won’t try to improve their roster, either by flipping a pick in the middle rounds, or swapping a pick in the later rounds.

Here are five receivers that make sense for the Vikings:

Adam Thielen

This would be much more than the Vikings making a fun headline.

Never mind that Thielen isn’t as impactful as he was with the Vikings at the peak of his powers. He’s shown he still has tread on the tires with steady production since signing with the Carolina Panthers.

It’s not crazy to think the Panthers would be willing to part ways with Thielen if the price is right. They have a number of young receivers that need playing time, including Tetairoa McMillan, Xavier Legette and Jalen Coker.

The sticking point for the Vikings might end up being money. Are they willing to pay Thielen’s base salary of roughly $6 million if he will likely take a backseat as soon as Addison returns from his suspension?

The pros might outweigh the cons when considering everything Thielen brings to the table. He wouldn’t need much time to acclimate to the offense after playing for Kevin O’Connell in the past. He also caught passes from J.J. McCarthy over the summer during a workout at Woodbury High School.

Odell Beckham Jr.

This wouldn’t require the Vikings having to give up an asset as Beckman is currently a free agent. There have been multiple reports over the past couple of weeks indicating Beckham is hoping to continue playing in some way, shape or form.

Beckham isn’t the dynamic player he was in his prime. He struggled to produce during his most recent stint with Miami, for example, and probably can no longer be a player that drives winning by himself.

Could he still be a meaningful contributor in a lesser role? If the Vikings decide to engage with Beckham, O’Connell would be a big part of answering that question.

That Beckham already has some familiarity with O’Connell could go a long way in his potential recruitment, as they seemed to bring out the best in each other on their way to winning a Super Bowl together with the Rams.

Allen Lazard

If the Vikings are looking for experience, it’s worth keeping an eye on Lazard over the next couple of weeks. He has underwhelmed since signing with the New York Jets, so a change of scenery could be in order if the Vikings show interest.

The most intriguing part about Lazard is that he probably wouldn’t cost much.

There’s still a lot to like about Lazard on paper, however, as he’s a proven pass catcher, and his 6-foot-5, 225-pound frame makes him a legitimate threat in the red zone. That’s how he made a name for himself with the Packers early in his career.

Kendrick Bourne

Unfortunately for the Vikings, they didn’t get an opportunity to see Bourne in person during joint practices with the New England Patriots. He’s still working through a leg injury that has kept him off the field for the past few weeks.

There’s a chance Bourne gets cut by the Patriots in the near future, so the Vikings could get him without giving up an asset. If they decide they want to jump the line, they could probably swap a pick in the later rounds to make it happen.

Dallas Cowboys wide receiver Jalen Tolbert (1) warms up before playing against the Los Angeles Rams in an NFL preseason football game, Sunday, Aug.11, 2024, in Inglewood, Calif. Rams defeated the Cowboys 13-12. He could be a potential trade candidate for the Vikings. (AP Photo/Jeff Lewis)

Jalen Tolbert

There have been examples of Kwesi Adofo-Mensah buying the dip in the past. He did it early in his tenure with the Vikings, acquiring Jalen Reagor from the Philadelphia Eagles without paying a premium.

Could the Vikings do something similar with the Dallas Cowboys? Just because it didn’t work out with Reagor doesn’t mean it won’t with Tolbert.

It’s worth noting Tolbert would probably cost the Vikings a little bit more than some other players out there. He was selected in the third round of the 2022 NFL Draft and could be in position to take on more responsibility for the Cowboys.

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