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Council adopts Community Opportunity to Purchase Act after heated debate over property rights
Summary
The City Council approved Intro 9-02-B (COPPA), a program giving vetted nonprofits a first opportunity to buy certain distressed residential buildings, following sharp debate about whether the measure protects tenants or unlawfully restricts private property rights. Vote: 30–10–8.
The New York City Council on Dec. 18 adopted Intro 9-02-B, known as the Community Opportunity to Purchase Act (COPPA), which gives qualified preservation buyers — chiefly vetted nonprofits — a first chance to buy certain residential properties in physical distress before those properties go to market.
Proponent Council Member Sandy Nurse urged passage, calling COPPA “a landmark piece of social housing legislation” that targets a narrow universe of buildings already in enforcement programs and aims to keep homes affordable for tenants. “This is creating a program that will protect tenants and preserve permanently affordable homes,” Nurse said.
Opponents warned the bill could chill private transactions and raise constitutional concerns. Council Member Varnikov said COPPA is “an unacceptable state-imposed and potentially illegal intrusion into our private property rights,” arguing it could delay sales and discourage investment. Council Member Vicky Paladino called the measure “outrageous,” saying homeowners should be free to sell to the buyer of their choosing.
Deputy Speaker Diana Ayala defended the measure’s narrow scope and warned critics the bill was crafted to prioritize community-preserving purchasers for buildings already subject to enforcement programs: “There is a very small universe of buildings that would qualify for this program,” Ayala said, noting nonprofit stewardship has in some neighborhoods prevented displacement.
The clerk recorded the roll-call result for Intro 9-02-B as 30 in favor, 10 opposed, and 8 abstentions; the council announced the item was adopted as part of the general order calendar. The clerk’s roll-call recital and the final tally are part of the official record.
Next steps: the legislation was adopted by the full council and will proceed as required by city legislative process for final enactment and implementation details outlined in forthcoming agency rulemaking.
