The five social housing proposals, known together as the Community Land Act, are the latest attempt to create affordable housing by removing real estate from the speculative market.

Advocates held a “Social Housing Festival & Speak-Out” at Foley Square in Downtown Manhattan Tuesday, ahead of a City Hall hearing on the bills. (Photo by Adi Talwar)

Social housing advocates rallied in Foley Square on Tuesday ahead of a City Council hearing on a package of bills aiming to de-privatize residential properties across the five boroughs. 

The bills would, among other things, give qualifying nonprofits priority to buy privately held residential real estate that comes up for sale, and receive grants to develop affordable housing on government land. They would also establish a land bank through which the city could acquire distressed properties for public benefit.

The package, known as the Community Land Act, represents the latest attempt to create affordable housing by removing real estate from the speculative market. The New York City Community Land Initiative Coalition says this is vital to ensure the development of low-income housing, that rent stabilized apartments are properly maintained, and that tenants control their communities.

“When you own the land, you decide how and what’s developed on the land and how it’s dispersed out into the community,” said Debra Ack, special projects coordinator at the East New York Community Land Trust, a nonprofit that bought a dilapidated rent-stabilized building at 248 Arlington Ave. last year and is converting it to co-ops. “[Developers] say they’re building 200 units, but out of those 200 units, maybe 5 percent of them will go to very low income people. And that’s not fair. That’s total displacement in our neighborhood.”

If distressed properties or city land were in the hands of community groups, rather than private developers, they would be used for the benefit of the community, advocates say.

The first bill discussed at the hearing was the Public Land for Public Good Act, which was introduced by District 33 Councilmember Lincoln Restler. It would require the city to prioritize nonprofits when searching for outside parties to develop affordable housing on public land. 

When campaigning for the bill, Restler said his constituents are generally “shocked that there wouldn’t [already] be an incredibly high threshold that ensures that we are demonstrably achieving a public good every time public property is redeveloped.”

City Councilmember Lincoln Restler speaking at Tuesday’s rally. He’s the sponsor of the Public Land for Public Good Act, which would prioritize nonprofit developers to build on city-owned land. (Photo by Adi Talwar)

The New York Department of Housing Preservation and Development (HPD) opposes the bill, saying the measure would add barriers to an already bureaucratic process, and that for-profit developers are not necessarily worse for tenants if there are clear restrictions on how they use the land.

But advocates cite studies showing that nonprofit developers are almost twice as effective at creating deeply affordable housing as for-profit developers. “I feel like we keep having the same conversation but we don’t seem to be making progress,” Restler vented in response to HPD’s opposition.

Another proposal, introduced by District 2 Councilmember Carlina Rivera, is the Community Opportunity to Purchase Act (COPA), which would require property owners to report plans to sell residential buildings to HPD before listing them publicly. 

Qualifying non-profits would then have the opportunity to purchase the sites before private developers got a shot. The proposal is based on legislation enacted in San Francisco designed to ensure land is used for public benefit when possible, as nonprofits must demonstrate a commitment to affordable housing and community representation, as well as ability to pay, in order to qualify.

While the bill has the support of the majority of councilmembers, Council Speaker Adrienne Adams, who has the authority to bring it up for a vote, is not among its co-sponsors this year (though she was in previous legislative sessions). Her office said this is no indication of her level of support for the measure, though.

“The creation and preservation of affordable homeownership and housing continue to be Council priorities,” a spokesperson for the speaker said in a statement.

The New York Apartment Association, a trade group representing property owners, argues that the bill’s time requirements would be overly burdensome and throw the market into chaos. As written, property owners would have to offer buildings to qualifying nonprofits for 180 days before listing them to private developers, and would have to give nonprofits 90 days to match any private offers after that. 

“If the goal is to help nonprofits buy apartment buildings, then let’s create a bill that actually helps nonprofits,” said CEO Kenny Burgos in a statement.

The other major proposal of the day, Int. 0570, came from District 6 Councilmember Gale Brewer and would create a land bank, a government corporation that could buy and warehouse land, as over 30 municipalities across the state have created. It was first proposed over a decade ago, and if passed in conjunction with the Public Land for Public Good Act, would allow the city to more seamlessly funnel properties to nonprofit developers. 

This would also create an alternative to the city’s controversial lien sale, which took place the same day as the hearing for the first time since the COVID-19 pandemic. Without the land bank, liens placed on properties with outstanding debt are sold to the highest bidder, who then proceeds with foreclosure, rather than managed by the city, which could’ve helped the owner avoid foreclosure or developed the site for public benefit. Legislators also say a land bank would have enabled the city to purchase properties during the price crash of the COVID-19 pandemic.

“When you own the land, you decide how and what’s developed on the land and how it’s dispersed out into the community,” said Debra Ack, special projects coordinator at the East New York Community Land Trust. (Photo by Adi Talwar)

“If we’re able to pass the land bank bill and set it up in a way that it could take the liens that are delinquent and find a way to work with the homeowners to get them right, or if necessary, transition them to community control or permanently affordable housing, then that would be a good outcome,” said Will Spisak, senior policy strategist at the New Economy Project, a nonprofit leading the campaign. 

Much of the change needed to put housing in the hands of tenants is beyond the jurisdiction of the City Council, so lawmakers introduced two resolutions that call on the state to take action too. 

One introduced by Public Advocate Jumaane Williams advocates for passage of a state bill that would require landlords to sell buildings to tenants before third parties. The other, introduced by District 1 Councilmember Christopher Marte, calls for the state to establish a public authority that could actually build social housing directly, rather than depend on outside developers.

“Every politician talks about Mitchell Lama 2.0, but we won’t get there unless we have the authority to actually build that type of housing and build new public housing,” said Marte. “We are putting the building blocks together through these bills and resolutions.”

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

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The post Social Housing Supporters Revive Push to Boost Nonprofit & Community Ownership appeared first on City Limits.

Avery Muellner struck out seven batters in a complete-game victory as Forest Lake topped White Bear Lake 7-2 in the Class 4A third-place game Thursday in North Mankato, capping a season the junior ace dubbed “a dream.”

The St. Thomas commit and 2025 East Metro Softball Player of the Year went 18-2 in the circle with a sub-0.9 earned-run average for a Rangers team that sat atop the state rankings throughout the spring.

It was a stellar campaign for anyone, let alone a hurler whose pitching future was at one point in question.

Muellner has been a star in the circle for Forest Lake dating back to her seventh grade season. But her sophomore pitching season was largely taken away by a small tear in her unlnar collateral ligament. The initial prognosis was that surgery was required. Then another route was presented, one flush with physical therapy.

That was the path for which Muellner opted. Countless appointments and therapy sessions followed. Muellner conceded with a laugh that the experience wasn’t always “fun,” but she maintained a trust in the process and herself.

“I was surrounded by really good people that wanted the best for me,” the junior said. “I think what kept me going is that I needed to fight for myself so I was able to pitch again.”

After helping the Rangers have another stellar season last spring, in no small part because of her efforts in the field and at the plate, Muellner was back dabbling on the rubber by the end of the campaign. She pitched in the club season and, this year — with former primary pitching mate Hannah Tong off to college — was the arm upon which Forest Lake relied this spring.

The results were sensational.

“This season was one of a kind. We were 21-1 going into the state tournament. That’s something that’s pretty hard to do. I just lean on all my teammates. We’re all close, so it’s a good time,” Muellner said. “Although it didn’t work out our way (Forest Lake fell 3-2 to Bloomington Jefferson in the semifinals), I’m still so proud of everyone.”

She’s excited for what’s to come, noting the Rangers have a young core of talent. Muellner has one more year of high school softball before playing collegiately in St. Paul alongside her dear friend, Forest Lake teammate Bella Dowdall.

Only now does Muellner feel like she’s truly starting to hit her “groove” — a scary thought for opposing batters. Because all the dominant physical tools are meshing with a mind freed by sheer opportunity.

“I feel more grateful every time I’m out there because you never know when things can happen,” Muellner said. “It made me stronger. If someone gets a hit, it’s just whatever. They’re going to get hits. It’s just how you fight back and respond.”

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By JOSH FUNK, Associated Press

A fuel leak and several improperly installed parts were found inside the engine of an American Airlines plane that caught fire after the plane landed in Denver in March, according to a new report released Thursday.

The National Transportation Safety Board said one part inside the right engine of the Boeing 737-800 was loose and had been installed in an incorrect direction and that fuel was leaking from the fitting of another part that was incorrectly fastened.

The preliminary findings don’t identify the cause of the fire because the NTSB won’t reach that conclusion until after it completes its investigation sometime next year.

FILE – In this image taken from video provided by Justus Rainey, passengers move away from a plane as smoke surrounded the aircraft, in Denver, March 13, 2025. (Justus Rainey via AP, File)

But former NTSB and FAA investigator Jeff Guzzetti said the problems investigators found in the engine appear to be the source of the fuel that caught fire.

“To me, it looks like improper maintenance in the right engine leading to a fuel leak,” Guzzetti said after reading the NTSB report.

Photos and videos posted online showed billowing smoke and passengers standing on the plane’s wing after it taxied to a gate at Denver International Airport. Twelve people were taken to the hospital with minor injuries.

The plane carried 172 passengers and six crew. The NTSB said gate workers extinguished the fire within a minute even before firefighters arrived and doused lingering hot spots on the plane.

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Pictures included in the NTSB report show streaks on the outside of the engine from the leaking fuel, and airport video showed a trail of fluid leaking from under the right engine as the airplane taxied into the gate.

Guzzetti said he believes those streaks were probably made while the plane was flying. After it landed, he said, the fuel likely pooled inside the engine and caught fire.

The American Airlines flight had left Colorado Springs Airport and was bound for Dallas Fort Worth when it diverted to Denver on March 13 after the crew reported high engine vibrations. The plane’s right engine caught fire after it arrived at the gate.

Passengers started yelling “fire” and “smoke” shortly after the plane pulled up to the gate, and flight attendants saw smoke start to fill the cabin, according to the NTSB report.

The flight attendants tried calling the flight crew and knocking on the cockpit door, but didn’t get an answer. So the report said the flight attendants initiated the evacuation.

Passengers were able to use the jetway at the front left door and the escape slide at the right rear door as well as the left over-wing doors to evacuate. But the left rear door wouldn’t open, and maintenance personnel discovered afterward that the escape slide jammed in the door.

The faulty slide was sent to the manufacturer for further investigation.

The country has seen a recent spate of aviation disasters and close calls stoking fears about air travel, though flying remains a very safe mode of transportation.

By BERNARD CONDON, Associated Press

Shares of Elon Musk’s electric vehicle maker fell sharply Thursday as investors feared his dispute with President Donald Trump will hurt the company.

Tesla closed down more than 14% as a disagreement over the U.S. president’s budget bill turned nasty. After Musk said that Trump wouldn’t haven’t gotten elected without his help, Trump implied that he may turn the federal government against his companies, including Tesla and SpaceX.

“The easiest way to save money in our Budget, Billions and Billions of Dollars, is to terminate Elon’s Governmental Subsidies and Contracts,” Trump wrote on his social messaging service Truth Social. “I was always surprised that Biden didn’t do it!”

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The drop on Thursday wiped out nearly $150 billion from Tesla’s market value, partially reversing a big runup in the eight weeks since Musk confirmed that Tesla would testing an autonomous, driverless “robotaxi” service in Austin, Texas, this month.

Investors fear Trump might not be in such a rush to usher in a future of self-driving cars in the U.S., and that could slam Tesla because so much of its future business depends on that.

“There is a fear that Trump is not going to play Mr. Nice Guy when in come to autonomous,” said Wedbush Securities analyst Dan Ives. “The whole goal of robotaxis is to have them 20 or 25 cities next year. If you start to heighten the regulatory environment, that could delay that path.”

Trump’s threat to cut government contracts seem targeted more to another of Musk’s businesses, SpaceX, his privately held rocket company that received billions of dollars to send astronauts and cargo to the International Space Station, provide launches and do other work for NASA. The company is currently racing to develop a mega rocket for the space agency to sent astronauts to moon next year.

A subsidiary of SpaceX, the satellite internet company Starlink, appears to also have benefited from Musk’s once-close relationship with the president.

On a trip with Trump to the Middle East last month, Musk announced that Saudi Arabia had approved his satellite service for aviation and maritime use. Though its not clear how much politics has played a role, a string of other recent deals for the company in Bangladesh, Pakistan, India and elsewhere has come as Trump has threatened tariffs and sent diplomats scrambling to please the president.

One measure of SpaceX’s success: A private financing round followed by a private sale of shares recently reportedly valued it at $350 billion, up from an estimated $210 billion just a year ago. Tesla shares initially got a lift from his support of Trump. In the weeks after Trump was elected, Tesla shares soared, hitting an all-time high on Dec. 17. But they gave back those gains during Musk’s time as head of a government cost-cutting group as Tesla’s reputation took a hit. They’ve recently popped higher again after Musk vowed to focus much more on Tesla and its upcoming launch of driverless taxis.