Welcome back to The Weekly Wrap, our Friday roundup of stories that explain the problems oppressing people in cities and elevate the solutions that bring us closer to economic, environmental, and social justice. If you enjoy this newsletter, share it with a friend or colleague and tell them to subscribe.
Landmark Bipartisan Federal Housing Legislation Passes
The federal ROAD to Housing Act became law on July 11 after President Trump declined to either sign it or veto it. It’s the largest new housing legislation in decades despite including no new funding — the result of a bipartisan focus in recent years on permitting reform to address the housing shortage and affordability crisis.
According to the Bipartisan Policy Center, the law streamlines federal environmental review, creates a $200 million competitive grant program for localities that increase housing supply, and directs HUD to provide guidance on permitting multifamily buildings with single stairwells, meant to conserve space and allow for denser housing.
The law exempts infill housing, or new housing on vacant or underused lots, from certain federal environmental review. It directs HUD to support state and local Whole Home Repair grants programs, and enacts dozens of other reforms and pilot programs.
The law “[c]larifies that no additional funds are authorized to implement the bill,” leaving dangling the largest barrier to new housing construction, which is capital. Still, as Next City’s Oscar Perry Abello notes, the legislation does include notable changes to strengthen community banks and CDFIs, which are a significant source of capital for housing and other economic development.
New York State Declares One-Year Data Center Moratorium
New York Gov. Kathy Hochul says the state will pause environmental permits for large data centers for one year while regulators develop a way to evaluate the environmental and energy costs. It makes the state the first to pause data center construction, after a similar measure passed in Maine was vetoed by Gov. Janet Mills earlier this year.
Hochul said she directed the state Department of Public Service to design a Generic Environmental Impact Statement, a government document describing potential harms of proposed projects. The process will take a year, after which, “the moratorium will be lifted, allowing new data center projects to proceed as long as they follow state, zoning code and other local approvals,” according to the governor’s announcement.
NYC Announces Reforms Tied to “Rental Ripoff” Hearings
This week in New York, the Mamdani administration released a report summarizing findings from its Rental Ripoff Hearings – held in all five boroughs – along with actions it plans to take.
Over the course of the hearings, over 850 residents directly testified to the Mamdani administration officials about their conditions, and another 880 submitted online testimony. “They described how unresolved repairs, from reoccurring leaks to pest infestations, leave them feeling angry and hopeless,” the report said. Pests and mold were the most common complaints. Tenants reported lack of responsiveness from landlords as well as retaliation for complaints.
The mayor’s office announced some solutions and actions, including investigating all heat and hot water complaints instead of just the first complaint from each building; allowing small elevators to be installed in walkup buildings; and implementing an easier process for tenants to schedule inspections. The city is also looking into developing an eviction diversion program, similar to one that has shown results in Philadelphia.
Perhaps the biggest news is that the administration plans to create legal guidance for recognizing tenant associations. With the exception of public housing tenants, NYC’s tenant unions have no guaranteed right to organize without retaliation.
Canadian Wildfire Smoke Is Hurting U.S. Air Quality and Solar Production
With more than 800 wildfires burning in Canada right now, acrid smoke is choking cities from the U.S. Midwest to the East Coast, pushing air quality levels to levels ranging from “unhealthy” and “hazardous” in multiple states.
The gray, yellow, or even orange haze blanketing many states has also impacted output of solar arrays, WBUR reports. ISO New England, the organization that manages New England’s electric grid, says the region’s solar fleet produced 2,500 megawatts less than expected during peak hours: “That’s essentially like losing a resource greater than Millstone Power Plant [a nuclear plant in Connecticut]. It’s a big drop.” But the smoke also lowered temperatures, reducing electricity demand, the organization noted.
States Sue To Block Warner Bros. Paramount Merger
Twelve states, led by California Attorney General Rob Bonta, are suing to stop a merger between Paramount, which owns CBS, and Warner Bros. Discovery, which owns CNN, HBO and multiple cable channels.
California, Arizona, Colorado, Connecticut, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Oregon, and Washington have joined the lawsuit, along with the Writers Guild of America. The states then asked the court for a temporary restraining order after Skydance, the David Ellison-owned brand that owns Paramount, refused to pause the $111 billion acquisition while the lawsuit goes forward.
The U.S. Department of Justice never intervened in the merger, which some analysts have attributed to Ellison’s friendship with President Trump.
MORE NEWS
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Santa Fe County exploring creation of a publicly owned power utility. Santa Fe New Mexican
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ICE orders an end to vehicle stops after deadly shootings by federal agents. The Intercept
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Social housing in America: Is the nascent movement gaining steam, or running out of track? Tax Credit Advisor
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A $100 million fund could spell more affordable housing in Kansas City. The Beacon News
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How has the World Cup affected Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside? The Tyee
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Consumer Financial Protection Bureau director defends cuts, calls for congressional reforms. HousingWire
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Knicks run boosted NYC hotels as industry crawls back from Covid. Crains New York
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How cops use the Flock camera network to track people, not cars. 404 Media
OPPORTUNITIES & RESOURCES
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DEADLINE TODAY: GreenLight Fund is accepting Expressions of Interest from U.S. nonprofits to be considered for up to $600,000 in unrestricted funding and other strategic support. Submit by July 17.
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DEADLINE TODAY: Smart Growth America is accepting applications for its Community Connectors program from locally-led initiatives to reconnect communities and improve street safety. Apply by July 17.
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Borealis Philanthropy’s new Just Futures Initiative is accepting funding applications on a rolling basis from organizations advancing community safety, reform, justice, and belonging. Fill out an eligibility quiz to receive access to the Letter of Interest form.
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Goldman Sachs’ Community Development Grants Program is accepting applications from organizations improving economic mobility and strengthening low- and moderate-income communities across eligible U.S. regions. Apply by July 24.
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The University of Pennsylvania’s Lipman Family Prize is accepting applications from nonprofits around the world that are showing leadership and innovation in the social sector. Awards range from $150,000 to $300,000. Apply by July 31.
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The Pratt Center for Community Development’s new Community Planning & Research Accelerator will support four community-based organizations working on housing, climate, economic justice, planning, and land use with project funding in technical assistance. Attend an info session July 16 or July 22 and apply by August 31.
This article is part of The Weekly Wrap, a newsletter rounding up stories that explain the problems oppressing people in cities and elevate the solutions bringing us closer to economic, environmental and social justice. Click here to subscribe to The Weekly Wrap newsletter.
Roshan Abraham is a contributing editor for housing and homelessness at Next City. Based in Queens, New York, he has written extensively about city policy, including prisons and policing, housing and homelessness for The Guardian, The New York Times, Slate, The Baffler, Village Voice, The Verge, Pacific Standard, The Appeal, Vice and other outlets. At Vice, he was formerly a staff writer covering the housing beat. He is a former Open City Fellow and Witness Fellow at the Asian American Writers Workshop and a former Equitable Cities Fellow at Next City.
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Facts Only
* The federal ROAD to Housing Act became law on July 11 after President Trump declined to sign or veto it.
* The law streamlines federal environmental review.
* The law creates a $200 million competitive grant program for localities to increase housing supply.
* HUD is directed to provide guidance on permitting multifamily buildings with single stairwells.
* The law exempts infill housing from certain federal environmental review.
* New York State paused environmental permits for large data centers for one year.
* The NYC Rental Ripoff Hearings involved over 850 resident testimonies and 880 online submissions regarding issues like leaks, pests, and landlord responsiveness.
* NYC plans to investigate all heat and hot water complaints and explore an eviction diversion program.
* The states of California, Arizona, Colorado, Connecticut, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Oregon, and Washington sued to block a merger between Paramount and Warner Bros. Discovery.