“Proposals 2 through 5 are common-sense, targeted reforms that will help us build the smaller, more affordable housing New Yorkers need—across every borough.”

A poll site in The Bronx during the primaries in June. (Adi Talwar/City Limits)

As I travel across the city and talk to New Yorkers in every borough, I hear over and over again the anguished stories of families who can’t afford the rent. Parents who fear their children will never be able to live in the neighborhood they grew up in. Lifelong residents wondering if New York is pushing them out.

We are in the midst of the worst housing affordability crisis in our city’s history. And unless we act boldly, the future is grim: the city that never sleeps risks becoming the city where no one can afford a place to rest their head.

For low-income families, the stakes are heartbreaking. Sky-high rents are driving our homelessness crisis. Families are in shelters today because they can’t afford a home. And it’s not just impacting low-income households. Nurses, teachers, bus drivers and middle class New Yorkers are getting priced out of the boroughs where they live, work and raise a family. 

There’s no skirting the truth: we need more housing. And we need it now. On Nov. 4, New Yorkers will have a chance to approve four ballot measures that will strengthen our ability to build more, faster and better homes in our city. New Yorkers can’t afford to say no if we are to meet this crisis head-on. That’s why I’ll be voting yes on ballot proposals 2 through 5.

Right now, we are seeing a citywide vacancy rate of just 1.4 percent. That means just over one in every 100 apartments in our city is available to rent. That’s a disaster for affordability and is pushing New Yorkers out of their homes. 

Meanwhile, cities across the country—and the world—are showing that it can be done right. Jersey City built 13 new homes for every 1,000 residents in 2024. New York City? Just four. Any self respecting New Yorker can agree New Jersey shouldn’t beat us at anything.

We’re also falling behind cities like Denver, Austin, Washington D.C., Houston, and Boston, all of which are leaving us in the dust. We can and must do better. We have no choice.

Proposals 2 through 5 are common-sense, targeted reforms that will help us build the smaller, more affordable housing New Yorkers need—across every borough.

Proposal 2 speeds up approvals for deeply affordable housing. It puts 100 percent affordable projects—and those with at least 25 percent affordability in the 12 community districts that have built the least housing in the past five years—on a faster track: a 90-day clock instead of the current 240-day process. Community Board input is fully preserved, but unnecessary delays are not.

Proposal 3 unlocks low-rise, local-scale housing, like a few apartments above a bodega or laundromat. It makes it easier to add modest, well-integrated buildings in low- and medium-density neighborhoods, and to build smarter in areas already zoned for higher density. It’s about gentle growth, not giant towers.

Proposal 4 creates a new “housing appeals board” made up of elected officials (the mayor, City Council speaker, and the relevant borough president) to revisit only the housing components of projects that may have been blocked in the Council.

This relieves Council members of undue pressure from opponents who exploit the process to stall or kill affordable housing. Members would still have full negotiating power on critical community benefits like parks, schools, and infrastructure.

Proposal 5 brings our zoning into the 21st century. It consolidates over 8,000 physical zoning maps into one digitized official version, making it easier, faster, and clearer to plan for more housing where it makes sense.

If you support the great work the city and state have already done to address the housing crisis, you should also support the Yes on Affordable Housing proposals—because they build upon these critical efforts.

If you want New York City to continue to be the place that firefighters, nurses, teachers and families can call home, flip your ballot and vote yes on ballot measures 2 through 5 this November. 

Mark Levine is a former City Council member, the current Manhattan borough president and incoming city comptroller.

The post Opinion: Vote Yes on Housing Ballot Proposals 2-5 appeared first on City Limits.

Early voting kicks off Saturday in the general election—the culmination of what’s been a dramatic 2025 race for the city’s next mayor, where much of the conversation has centered around housing and affordability. 

An early voting site in The Bronx during the June primaries. (Adi Talwar/City Limits)

Early voting kicks off Saturday in the general election—the culmination of what’s been a dramatic 2025 race for the city’s next mayor, where much of the conversation has centered around housing and affordability. 

The cost of housing is the top issue New Yorkers want the city’s next leader to address, a recent voter survey found, followed by street homelessness. The survey, conducted by the nonprofit Community Service Society (a City Limits funder), questioned 2,000 city residents in September and October. Reducing crime and expanding access to mental health care were also top priorities. 

“I wish that elected officials understood that public housing and even low income housing is still very high for renters to be able to afford,” one survey respondent wrote. “When your monthly rent is over half of your monthly salary, it’s impossible to get ahead,” said another. 

The three mayoral candidates—Democratic nominee and Queens Assemblymember Zohran Mamdani; former Gov. Andrew Cuomo, running as an independent; and Guardian Angels founder and Republican Curtis Sliwa—have each laid out their own plans to address the housing crisis.

In addition to casting a vote for mayor and other elected officials, voters can flip their ballots to weigh in on six ballot measures, three of which modify the city’s process for permitting new housing.

Ballot proposal 1 would amend the New York State Constitution to allow new ski trails in Essex County, New York.

Ballot proposal 2 would fast track publicly financed affordable housing projects and affordable housing projects in the 12 city community districts with the lowest rates of affordable housing development.

Ballot proposal 3 would create a faster review for smaller housing projects that increase housing by less than 30 percent. It would also speed up review for some climate resiliency projects, like raising streets.

Ballot proposal 4 would allow a tribunal of the mayor, City Council speaker, and representative borough president to override City Council decisions that reject or change affordable housing projects.

Ballot proposal 5 would create a single digitized city map for planning.

Ballot proposal 6 would move election dates for city offices to the same year as federal presidential elections.

Proposals two through four, which touch on affordable housing, have generated significant debate. On one side, many housing groups and citywide public officials say that the changes will accelerate housing growth in the city.

“We have a system now that allows communities that are politically and economically powerful to stop housing,” said Manhattan Borough President and incoming comptroller Mark Levine in a rally for the housing proposals last week.

The City Council opposes the measures, saying they would weaken lawmakers’ ability to negotiate with developers to secure benefits for their districts in housing deals. “They eliminate communities’ power,” City Council Speaker Adrienne Adams countered in a rally earlier this month.

Cuomo has come out for the housing proposals. Sliwa has urged voters to vote no. Mamdani has yet to take a stance.

Early voting will run from Saturday, Oct. 25 to Sunday, Nov. 2. Election Day is Nov. 4.
Here are some helpful links if you’re headed to the polls this weekend:

Check here to make sure you’re registered to vote, or call 1-866-868-3692. The last day to register online or by mail is Saturday, Oct. 25. You can do so here. The last day to register in person at your county board of elections is Nov. 3. 

Find your poll site and view a sample ballot here (note: your early voting site is typically a different location from your Election Day site).

If you experience trouble voting, call the Attorney General’s Election Protection Hotline at (866) 390-2992, or report an incident online here. 

Here’s what else happened this week in housing—

ICYMI, from City Limits:

The number of homeless children attending New York City public schools increased again in 2024-2025, surpassing 150,000 for the first time. Here’s a look at the latest data by neighborhood.

The partial building collapse at NYCHA’s Mitchel Houses earlier this month is a grim reminder of the precarious state of the city’s public housing stock. But most NYCHA developments have the same or an even greater level of repair needs than those at Mitchel, a City Limits investigation found.

New Yorkers’ heating bill rates are going up. But a program that helps low-income households pay their winter utility costs is being delayed thanks to the government shutdown.

Last year, 4,655 New York City children under the age of 6 tested positive for elevated lead levels in their blood. Here’s what tenants should know about their risk of lead paint exposure.

ICYMI, from other local newsrooms:

A growing number of government subsidized and nonprofit-operated affordable housing developments are in financial distress, according a new analysis from the Association for Neighborhood and Housing Development, The City reports.

The Adams administration is looking to rezone a flood-prone neighborhood that straddles Brooklyn and Queens dubbed “The Hole,” the New York Times reports.

Efforts to expand rent stabilization beyond the five boroughs are hitting hurdles, according to City and State.

Climate disasters are among the factors driving migration to New York, according a Documented investigation.

To reach the reporter behind this story, contact Patrick@citylimits.org. To reach the editor, contact Jeanmarie@citylimits.org. Want to republish this story? Find City Limits’ reprint policy here.

The post Your Early Voting Guide, And What Else Happened This Week in Housing appeared first on City Limits.

NEW YORK (AP) — The stunning indictment that led to the arrest of more than 30 people, including Miami Heat guard Terry Rozier and other NBA figures, on charges of illegal sports betting has drawn new scrutiny of the booming business of professional sports gambling across the U.S.

Since widespread legalization, the multibillion-dollar industry has made it easy to place wagers on everything from the outcome of games to that of a single play with just a few taps of a cellphone. It’s just about impossible to go to a basketball, football, baseball or other pro game today — or watch a matchup on TV — without seeing ads for sports betting.

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Fans can place wagers from their stadium seats, while “Bet” tickers scroll on TV sports broadcasts. Star athletes are frequently at the center of ads promoting it all.

Regulating sports wagering has proven to be a challenge — and experts warn about the ramifications for gamblers who typically lose money. Professional leagues’ own role in promoting gambling has raised eyebrows.

Sports betting also faces criticism for opening the door to addictive gambling.

“The fact that it’s normalized, the advertising is aggressive, it’s available 24/7, the micro bets — all of this is adding up to tremendous increase in usage across individuals,”  Wayne Taylor, a professor of marketing at Southern Methodist University, told the Associated Press, citing algorithms and other incentives betting platforms use to increase engagement.

Isaac Rose-Berman, whose research focuses on sports betting as a fellow at the American Institute for Boys and Men, noted that platforms make the most off of returning “biggest losers.” Recent research suggests that young men in low-income communities are particularly affected by financial consequences tied to sports gambling.

“Upwards of 90% of sports bettors are not really going to experience significant negative impacts — but it’s really concentrated among those big losers and it’s going to be devastating for them,” he said.

So, how do you know if you have a gambling problem?

If you’re hiding the fact that you gamble to your friends and family, do it when you’re stressed and experience mood changes, you may be showing warning signs of a gambling addiction. The Associated Press explains in the video below:

Once the Gophers men’s basketball team completed its runaway 80-56 exhibition win over North Dakota State on Oct. 16 and Niko Medved wrapped up his news conference, the new head coach shared a parting thought as he left the Williams Arena interview room.

Gophers wing Cade Tyson poured in a game-high 28 points in Minnesota’s 80-54 exhibition win over North Dakota State at Williams Arena on Oct. 16, 2025. Tyson is a senior transfer from North Carolina. (Brad Rempel / Gophers Athletics)

“Wish it counted,” Medved said with a laugh.

Minnesota played well over the final 30 minutes in its first of two tune-up games. That was especially true for transfer wing Cade Tyson, who scored a game-high 28 points.

The Gophers’ second exhibition game is noon Saturday against North Dakota at The Barn. The season opener is Nov. 3 against Gardner-Webb.

Among the U’s nine new transfers, Tyson represents one of the most intriguing incoming players this season. The Monroe, N.C., native started his career at Belmont in Nashville, averaging 16.2 points and shooting 46% from 3-point range as a sophomore in 2023-24.

His first transfer move was to North Carolina, but didn’t play much while putting up 2.6 points in eight minutes per game, while shooting 29% from deep. So he hit the portal a second time.

“We always talk about fit matters,” Medved said after the NDSU win. “For whatever reason, it didn’t work out for him. If you remember a couple of years ago, he was one of the top transfers in the transfer portal. … North Carolina has a great program. It just wasn’t working out fit-wise. We thought he would be a great fit here. I think you are seeing that.”

Tyson didn’t look like a player searching for confidence after a down year with the Tar Heels. Against the Bison, he went 6 for 9 from behind the arc and made all four of his free throws.

“I felt confident out there on the floor,” Tyson said. “The most important thing that I felt was just having fun out there with my teammates. That was the best feeling.”

Tyson scored 11 straight points against NDSU, which is picked to finish in fourth of the Summit League this season.

“Every time he put up a three ball, I’m like, ‘Man, that’s money,” said guard Isaac Asuma said. “I’ve seen him rep it in practice.”

Medved listed a few things he likes about the 6-foot-7 Tyson, whose brother Hunter played at Clemson and is a reserve for the Denver Nuggets.

“(Cade’s) got great skill, great size,” Medved said. “He can shoot it. He’s a tough guy and you don’t see a kid that didn’t have confidence (vs. NDSU). He puts in the work and he believes in himself, and I think he’s going to have a really good year for us.”

Medved didn’t stop there. He said Tyson “kind of reminded” him of Nique Clifford, a guard who transferred from Colorado to Colorado State to play for Medved the previous two seasons.

Clifford, who was the Sacramento Kings’ 24th overall pick in the 2025 NBA draft, shot 40% from 3-point land for the Buffaloes in 2021-22, but that number dipped to 28% the following year.

Clifford’s 3-point shooting improved 38% across his two years in Fort Collins, Colo., but so did his overall game, with jumps in scoring and rebounding and assist numbers.

The Gophers would love to see a similar bounce back from their new wing over the course of the upcoming campaign.

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