The Bronx Community Land Trust rallied in University Heights Saturday to urge the city to make positive use of vacant land in the borough.

The land at 2275 Loring Pl. N. has sat vacant for years, but the Bronx Community Land Trust hopes to change that very soon.

Organizers say a community land trust is nonprofit entity that takes vacant land off the speculative real estate market. The land in the trust is then developed with the interests of the community in mind.

The group says this could mean turning the land into a community center, an after school space, a community garden or another type of space that would supply residents with resources they need.

The Bronx Community Land Trust is demanding that the city transfer vacant plots of land they've identified into the trust. They are also asking the city's Racial Justice Commission to propose a ballot initiative requiring the city to prioritize community land trusts when disposing of public land.

The group says the city has a responsibility to put the land in the hands of the community, not to sell it to a private developer to extract profit.

Companion rallies by community land trusts were also held in East New York and western Queens on Saturday.