At the City Council’s last stated meeting of 2025, lawmakers passed bills requiring city-funded housing projects to include a certain number of family-sized apartments and deeply affordable units—against opposition from the mayor’s office, which says the new rules will stymie development.

City Council Speaker Adrienne Adams presides over the last stated meeting of the year on Thursday. (Gerardo Romo / NYC Council Media Unit)

The City Council held its last meeting of 2025 on Thursday where lawmakers passed a flurry of bills, including a dozen housing-related measures that aim to overhaul the controversial tax lien sale, ensure tenants have access to air conditioning in hot weather, and give nonprofits an early shot to buy troubled buildings.

Several pieces of new legislation that create mandates for city-funded housing—requiring the production of more family-sized apartments and deeply affordable units, among other changes—have drawn the ire (and potential veto) of outgoing Mayor Eric Adams’ administration, which says they’ll stymie development.

Affordable housing developers issued similar warnings about two of the bills, and Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani also “has concerns” about the measures and how they could impact his ability to carry out his campaign pledge to build 200,000 new “truly affordable” apartments, a spokesperson told the Times.

But Council Speaker Adrienne Adams, who is term-limited this year and presided over her final session Thursday night, said the bills are “are meant to ensure that the city’s public dollars are used wisely to actually create housing that is affordable and can support working families.”

“Our city is experiencing an exodus of working class and middle-income families due to the affordability crisis,” she said.

The dispute is the latest between Mayor Adams and the current Council over housing policy. The two sides have previously sparred over expanding the CityFHEPS voucher program and changes to the land use review process. In November, New York City voters passed a slate of ballot measures—proposed by a mayoral-convened Charter Revision Commission—that curtailed some of the Council’s powers to approve and shape development projects.

The housing-related bills passed by lawmakers Thursday include:

Intro. 958-A requires that at least 4 percent of all newly constructed affordable units subsidized by the city be for homeownership opportunities, what officials say will double the current rate.

Intro. 1433-A requires 25 percent of city-financed rental apartments be two-bedroom units and 15 percent be three-bedroom units starting in July 2027, an effort to address a lack of affordable housing for larger families.

Intro. 1443-A requires at least half of all city-financed rentals starting in July 2027 be set aside for very low-income households (equivalent currently to four-person families earning between $48,600 to $81,000 per year) and at least 30 percent for extremely low-income households (below $48,600 a year for a four-person family).

Intro. 910-B sets higher wage standards for construction workers on certain city-funded housing projects.

A spokesman for Mayor Adams called the bills “irresponsible” and said City Hall officials are “reviewing our next steps” in terms of a potential veto. They point to an estimate from the city’s Department of Housing, Preservation and Development which said the four measures would cost the city an additional $600 million a year—about one-third of the agency’s annual budget—or without the extra funding, result in 3,275 fewer new apartments.

“The Council passed a suite of housing bills today that will add red tape, drive up rents, and deplete critical city resources at a time when our housing budget faces significant threats from the federal government,” spokesman Fabien Levy said. “These short-sighted bills will not only worsen the affordability crisis, but will also sandbag the incoming mayor and speaker.”

Should the mayor veto any pieces of new legislation, the Council has the option to vote to override him—a decision that will likely fall to the body’s new Speaker Julie Menin, who will take over the post in the new year, and the 2026 members of the Council.

Here’s what else happened in housing this week—

ICYMI, from City Limits:

Learn more about the revised version of the Community Opportunity to Purchase Act that the Council also adopted Thursday, five years after it was first proposed. The bill will give certain nonprofits—and for-profits, if they team up with a nonprofit—an early shot to bid on certain residential properties that go up for sale.

The New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA) says it made progress this year in chipping away at its multibillion dollar repair backlog through two—at times, controversial—initiatives that convert properties to the federal Section 8 program as means to drum up new funds.

A transgender former shelter resident is suing the city, saying it failed to place her in a homeless shelter for women or transgender people, putting her at risk of assault on multiple occasions. Advocates say she is not alone.

ICYMI, from other local newsrooms:

Mayor Eric Adams is expected to appoint four new members to the city’s Rent Guidelines Board, an effort to block Mayor-elect Mamdani from delivering on his promised rent freeze for stabilized apartments, according to Gothamist. Tenant advocates have vowed to protest any new appointees, as City Limits previously reported.

Mamdani named Leila Bozorg, the city’s former housing czar under Mayor Adams, as his deputy mayor for housing and planning, the New York Times reports.

New York State approved all three of the remaining bids for downstate casinos, paving the way for two projects in Queens and another in the Bronx, according to The City.

Immigration right advocates are outraged that federal immigration enforcement agents were previously able to access some of the city’s homeless shelters, amNY reports.

The city will study the feasibility of building new housing on Wards Island, according to 6sqft.

The post Council Passes Flurry of Bills in Last Meeting, And What Else Happened This Week In Housing appeared first on City Limits.

PARK RAPIDS, Minn. — A portion of 3M’s former corporate retreat in northern Minnesota has been sold for $4 million.

Billion Real Estate Holdings LLC of Sioux Falls, South Dakota, acquired 154.25 of 187.2 acres at 3M Wonewok, on Big Mantrap and Petit lakes north of Park Rapids, according to the Minneapolis-St. Paul Business Journal.

The $4 million deal closed on Nov. 13, according to the Journal. The title was recorded on Dec. 8, according to the Hubbard County Property Records Department. The county’s total estimated value of the four parcels and commercial buildings was $10,056,800.

Originally a 680-acre executive getaway, the property was first placed on the market in 2023.

The sale includes 15 primary buildings dispersed throughout the property, with a gross combined building area of 58,622 square feet. According to Colliers, where the property was listed, this includes 36 fully appointed guest rooms, six cottages and numerous activity facilities, such as a trap-shooting range, tennis courts, lodge, restaurant, driving range and putting green.

In February 2025, Minnesota Land Trust and Northern Waters Land Trust purchased 431 acres from 3M. The 16 parcels have been donated to the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources to create a new Mantrap Lake Wildlife Management Area.

3M, a Minnesota-based Fortune 500 company, relisted the remaining property in July 2025.

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After missing practice this week with the Vikings preparing to play the New York Giants, star left tackle Christian Darrisaw has been placed on injured reserve. He is officially out for the season as a result.

It had been trending in this direction for Darrisaw as he’s been dealing with the lingering effects of a significant knee injury. He has missed games here and there while trying to navigate a recovery process that has extended longer than anybody saw coming.

Asked about Darrisaw earlier this week, head coach Kevin O’Connell said he doesn’t think this will be an issue long term. He added that they have tried to put together a plan to manage the ups and downs short term.

“I don’t think this is going to be anything that will be a part of his future,” O’Connell said. “I do think we’re going to be able to put this in the rear view mirror here.”

The fact that Darrisaw is out for the season means the Vikings will have backup left tackle Justin Skule starting in his place. That will at least provide some certainty for the Vikings when constructing a game plan, even if it comes at a cost of losing a premier player at the position.

“The most challenging times are when there’s some uncertainty about whether he’s going to be able to go,” offensive coordinator Wes Phillips said. “That’s the nature of going into a game plan saying, ‘OK. We may have him. We may not have him.’”

A big part of the game plan without Darrisaw available has been having tight end T.J. Hockenson chip on the edge before going out to run a route. It’s the most he’s been asked to chip on the edge it in his career and it likely be much of the same moving forward.

“We’ve had some injuries on the offensive line so I’ve been asked to do some protection stuff,” Hockenson said. “I’m going to do whatever I can do to help this team win.”

The decision to place Darrisaw on injured reserve came after a lot of dialogue with everybody involved. As he addressed the situation, O’Connell emphasized that the Vikings are 100% behind Darrisaw as he continues to work through the recovery process.

“I’ve admired the way the way that Christian has attacked this,” O’Connell said. “He’s wanted to be out there for every possible snap he could be with his teammates.”

Briefly

The injury report for the Vikings isn’t very lengthy heading into the game against the Giants on Sunday afternoon at MetLife Stadium. It includes defensive tackle Javon Hargrave (thigh) being ruled out and right tackle Brian O’Neill (heel) being listed as questionable.

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The Scandia City Council voted unanimously this week to extend the popular Gateway State Trail into downtown Scandia.

The new two-mile trail will connect the city with William O’Brien State Park in Marine on St. Croix. But it could do a lot more than that for Scandia, the mayor says.

Scandia Mayor Steve Kronmiller (John Autey / Pioneer Press)

“This will, ultimately, have a very large impact on the community,” said Mayor Steve Kronmiller. “Scandia has looked at itself for a long time to be a tourist and recreational destination, and completing this trail will allow us to take a step in the right direction to achieving that objective.”

The council voted Tuesday to award the first phase of the two-part project to Chisago City-based Peterson Cos., which submitted the lowest bid of $3.6 million.

That one-mile section of trail will be built next year. It will start at a trailhead on city-owned land northwest of Meister’s Bar & Grill and run to a realigned Oakhill Road, where a tunnel will be built underneath the road.

Plans call for trail sections on both sides of Oakhill to accommodate bicycles, pedestrians and horseback riders. The tunnel crossing is designed for pedestrians and bicyclists. Horseback riders will be directed to a dirt trail section on the south side of the road, so horses do not have to go through the tunnel; they will use an at-grade crossing farther northwest on Oakhill Road.

A map shows the Gateway Trail route between Scandia and William O’Brien State Park, including a tunnel under Oakhill Road. (Kathryn Kovalenko / Pioneer Press)

The second phase — the remaining mile of trail from the tunnel at Oakhill to the north side of William O’Brien State Park — is currently being designed. Minnesota Department of Natural Resources officials are seeking funding to build that section, which is expected to be completed in 2028 or 2029.

Funding sources

The city got a $2.68 million grant from the Legislative-Citizen Commission on Minnesota Resources to extend the trail from Scandia to the Oakhill Road tunnel. The money also will cover a realignment of 2,000 feet of Oakhill Road and the raising of the road by 6 feet to accommodate the tunnel, said City Administrator Kyle Morell.

Washington County and the DNR also are contributing to the project.

The county is providing $800,000 for work related to the tunnel and the realignment of Oakhill. While horses will cross the road without a tunnel, county officials will not allow the bike and pedestrian trail to cross Oakhill, also known as Washington County Road 52, at grade. To support a grade separation, county officials agreed to contribute financially toward a tunnel option, County Engineer Wayne Sandberg said.

The DNR is contributing $650,000 to the first phase of the project.

Growing in segments

The Gateway Trail is one of the state’s most heavily used trails, attracting an estimated 314,000 users in 2024. It currently runs 19 miles from St. Paul to Pine Point Park in Stillwater Township.

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Eventually, the trail will connect from Pine Point Park to William O’Brien State Park, but that could take years, officials said.

The trail is being built in segments as money and land become available, said Kent Skaar, the senior development project manager for the DNR’s parks and trails division.

All long trails in the state are built in phases, and it makes sense to do the Scandia segment first, Skaar said.

“It is really a circumstance of funding and the interest of local communities,” he said. “When it comes to state trails, we are building incrementally when funding and the corridor is available.”