City Limits rounds up the latest housing and land use-related events, public hearings and affordable housing lotteries that are ending soon.

Welcome to City Limits’ NYC Housing Calendar, a weekly feature where we round up the latest housing and land use-related events and hearings, as well as upcoming affordable housing lotteries that are ending soon.

Know of an event we should include in next week’s calendar? Email us.

Upcoming Housing and Land Use-Related Events:

Tuesday, Aug. 27 at 11 a.m.: The NYC Council’s Subcommittee on Landmarks, Public Sitings and Dispositions will meet about several landmark designation applications, including for the Heckscher Building, Beekman Hotel, Frederick Douglass Memorial Park and Malcolm Shabazz Harlem Plaza. More here.

Tuesday, Aug. 27 at 12:30 p.m.: The NYC Council’s Subcommittee on Zoning and Franchises will meet about the following land use applications: 150 Mill Street Rezoning, 31-17 12th Street Rezoning, 250 86th Street Rezoning. More here.

Wednesday, Aug. 28 at 2 p.m.: State Sen. Brian Kavanagh’s office will host a clinic on how to apply for the Senior Citizen Rent Increase Exemption (SCRIE) / Disability Rent Increase Exemption (DRIE) at Greenwich House’s Older Adult Center at Our Lady of Pompeii in the West Village. More here.

Tuesday, Aug. 27 at 2 p.m.: The Department of Housing, Preservation & Development (HPD) will host a screening of “Segregated By Design,” a short film exploring the United State’s history of housing discrimination, at the New Amsterdam Library in Manhattan. More here.

Thursday, Aug. 29 at 10 a.m.: New York Housing Conference and the Rising Leaders Network will host a virtual seminar on “risk sharing to lower housing financing costs.” More here.

NYC Affordable Housing Lotteries Ending Soon: The New York City Department of Housing Preservation and Development (HPD) are closing lotteries on the following subsidized buildings over the next week.

165 Broome Street, Manhattan, for households earning between $18,480 – $154,080

Belmont Daniel LP (Waiting List), Staten Island, for households earning between $33,087 – $192,855

Seaview Estates (Waiting List), Staten Island, for households earning between $34,732 – $231,120

It has been a while since star tight end T.J. Hockenson has talked to reporters. He spoke publicly back on April 15 with the Vikings in the process of starting organized team activities.

As his teammates were readying themselves to get back on the field, Hockenson was still in the early stages of his recovery process as he worked his way back from a torn anterior cruciate ligament. He wasn’t exactly sure of a timeline back then. All he knew was that the adversity was going to make him stronger in the long run.

“The dark times make the bright times better,” Hockenson said at the time. “You’ve got to go through it sometimes.”

Though it seems as if Hockenson is getting closer to returning, it wouldn’t be surprising to see the Vikings place him on injured reserve in the interim. A new rule in the NFL this year allows teams to place a pair of players on injured reserve with a designation for return during roster cuts.

If the Vikings decide to make use of this new rule, Hockenson still will be required to miss at least a month.

It raises the question: Who steps up in his absence? The answer might surprise even the most diehard fans.

As much as star receiver Justin Jefferson and fellow receiver Jordan Addison will be a focal point of the passing game, veteran tight end Johnny Mundt is somebody worth keeping an eye on. Not only has Mundt seamlessly stepped into Hockenson’s spot, he has flourished in all phases throughout training camp at TCO Performance Center.

Sometimes he’s making a big catch deep downfield. Sometimes he’s laying a nice block in the trenches.

“He’s got such a good feel,” head coach Kevin O’Connell said. “He always seems to be in the right spot doing the right thing with great technique. and those players tend to be favorites of coaches. I think Johnny has been great. There’s a reason why he has been here every day since I’ve got here.”

It’s true. As soon as O’Connell was hired by the Vikings a couple of years ago, he made it a point to go out and sign Mundt. After working together with the Los Angeles Rams, O’Connell knew he wanted Mundt to be a part of what he was trying to build with the Vikings.

The impact has been rather modest across 34 games with the Vikings as Mundt has recorded 36 catches for 312 yards and a pair touchdowns while playing behind Hockenson and fellow tight end Josh Oliver. The production will likely increase now that Mundt is stepping into a larger role in the offense.

“Every time he goes in, he produces,” offensive coordinator Wes Phillips said. “He’s where he’s supposed to be. He’s strong through the catch point. He’s hard to get hands on through the route. He just kind of does everything right. He’s a very valuable piece of our offense.”

Minnesota Vikings tight end Johnny Mundt (86) slips a attempted tackle from Kansas City Chiefs linebacker Willie Gay (50) in the fourth quarter of a football game at U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis on Sunday, Oct. 8, 2023. (John Autey / Pioneer Press)

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Afton officials are warning residents to stay out of the St. Croix River at Steamboat Park due to a potentially toxic blue-green algae bloom.

Blue-green algae was discovered in Steamboat Park by city officials on Monday morning, and residents — and their pets — are advised to avoid contact with the river until further notice.

Afton officials on Monday, Aug. 26, 2024, posted warnings at Steamboat Park about a potentially toxic blue-green algal bloom found in the St. Croix River. (Courtesy of the City of Afton)

“I’ve never seen it like this,” Mayor Bill Palmquist said. “It’s like a bright-green sheen. No person would swim in this, but we want to make sure they keep their pets out, just to be safe.”

Not all blue-green algae blooms produce toxins, but there is no way to predict if or when a bloom will produce toxins. For this reason, it is best to avoid contact and stay out of the water, Palmquist said. “Better safe than sorry,” he said.

Signs have been placed at Steamboat Park to advise people to stay out of the river until it clears, he said.

Harmful blooms of blue-green algae often look like “pea soup or spilled green paint,” and they often have a bad odor, according to the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency.

Any person or pet experiencing adverse health effects due to contact with or ingestion of lake water or algae should seek immediate medical or veterinary attention, according to the PCA.

“Pets, especially dogs, are susceptible to harmful algae because they are relatively small and tend to swallow more water while swimming and playing (e.g., retrieving a ball from the water),” according to the PCA. “Dogs may ingest algae if they lick their coats after leaving the water. They are also less deterred by green, smelly water that may contain harmful algae.”

In order to reduce your animal’s exposure to blue-green algae, do not let them swim or drink where there is noticeable algae in the water or scum on the shore. Any pet that swims in water that could have harmful algae should be rinsed off with fresh water immediately, according to the PCA, and should not be allowed to lick their fur, PCA officials said.

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The 2023 season was an outlook-changing campaign for Two Rivers. After accruing just 15 wins over the previous nine years, the Warriors went out and won eight games last fall.

The result, per senior running back Ramzi Rislove:  “We’re more confident, I think, than we’ve ever been.”

For good reason. The Warriors brought back a high number of key contributors from a year ago. Their junior class consists of north of 30 players, the largest number in co-coach Tom Orth’s long tenure. On the surface, Two Rivers – which opens its season Thursday at Minneapolis Southwest – appears primed for another successful fall.

That’s certainly the outside expectation.

“There’s more buzz around the program, there certainly is,” said Bruce Carpenter, who’s entering his second season as co-coach. “And when I talk to parents and people, there’s that expectation.”

Frankly, that’s only a positive. Expectation is often a byproduct of excitement, which is palpable.

“I feel like there’s going to be a lot more fans coming (to games),” Rislove said. “Just because in past years, no one likes to see their teams get blown out or lose. So now that they’re winning games, I feel like they have more of a reason to come now.”

Momentum is building in the right direction. That was evident in offseason workouts, and maybe even earlier than that.

Senior lineman Caleb Koury noted at the conclusion of the 2023 campaign, players were already eager to return to the gridiron for the following season.

“We usually have a lot of guys quitting between seasons, because when they see a losing program, they don’t want to be a part of that,” Koury said. “This year, after having a winning program, a really good record last year, there’s a lot of guys coming back.”

Senior lineman Carter Garland said much of the talk a year ago centered on earning the right to expect to win. That mindset is carrying forward into this campaign.

Carpenter noted Two Rivers still has “a long ways to go” as a program, but steps are consistently being taken. The Warriors are always looking to sharpen up their attention to detail and general approach to the way they practice and prepare.

Last year provided direct evidence to players that if you put in the proper work, the desired results can follow. Which likely played a role in the offseason dedication that was on full display in recent months.

“I hope that’s part of the reason for the confidence, too – not just some of the results from last year, but really looking back at the work that they’ve done over the last nine months,” Carpenter said. “Taking pride and confidence for that, and how that prepares them.”

Players expressed optimism that everything has only improved from a year ago, from the connectedness present across the roster to the pace with which things have been attacked in practice.

Garland noted last season put Two Rivers “on the map for other schools, seeing us as real competitors now.”

That seems to be a trend taking hold across the school, as the Warriors see strides taken within numerous programs.

“In general, we’ve got a good vibe going on in our building and our school community,” Orth said. “I hope that some of the things that we were able to do last year contributed to that.”

That doesn’t automatically mean the football program will continue to surge forward at some exponential rate. Results are never guaranteed.

But Carpenter will take confidence over pessimism every day of the week.

“There’s no doubt about that,” he said. “So I think it’s great that they have that confidence, and it’s the coaches’ job to continue to point out that the work is what continues to make it happen. Not just thinking it, but both of those things put together.”

And confidence isn’t some assumption that you’re going to walk onto the field and blow the doors off your opponent every week.

Koury said to him, confidence means being able to step onto the field without a worry in his mind, because he has full trust in his teammates and coaches, and the work all of them have put in to be in the best possible position to succeed.

“So just leave it all on the field,” he said, “and play as hard as you can.”

Orth noted if the team improves every day and competes with a sense of joy, “I’ll be perfectly good” with any result. But yeah, the players have a goal in mind.

When asked what that was last week, there was a slight sense of hesitation.

“Hmmm,” Garland said. “What do we want to say?”

Then an unspoken agreement was reached – it was, indeed, OK to believe.

“Section finals,” he said, “then probably win section finals and get to state.”

Added Rislove: “Shoot for the stars.”

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