Sunnyside Yard and the Quest for Affordable Housing in New York
This is why trust is collapsing.
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Current Issue
Books & the Arts
/ February 10, 2026
City Limits
Sunnyside Yard and the quest for affordable housing in New York
Sunnyside Yard and the Quest for Affordable Housing in New York
Constructing new residential buildings, let alone those with rental units that New Yorkers can afford, is never an easy task.
Karrie Jacobs
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This article appears in the
March 2026 issue.
One of the most memorable promises that new York City’s newly inaugurated Mayor Zohran Mamdani made during his campaign was to freeze the rent for tenants of the city’s 1 million rent-stabilized apartments. The idea sounds simple, suggesting that there’s a quick and easy way for a mayor to tackle one of the city’s most insoluble problems.
But nothing in New York is ever quick and easy. One of the complicating factors is that the mayor can’t freeze the rents himself. He needs the approval of the city’s nine-member Rent Guidelines Board, which votes annually on whether landlords can increase the rents on regulated apartments and, if so, by how much. The board is appointed by the mayor, but it’s largely regarded as independent and data-driven. This is not to say that a rent freeze can’t be done. Under Mayor Bill de Blasio, the Rent Guidelines Board froze the rent three times during his two terms: in 2015, in 2016, and in 2020, during the Covid pandemic.
The proposal also faces a backlash from those in the real estate industry, who argue that a rent freeze will undermine the solvency of the landlords who typically own what are known as “naturally occurring” rent-stabilized buildings: smaller, older buildings that are in perennial need of expensive maintenance.
However, the real issue when it comes to Mamdani’s signature housing proposal is straightforward: It’s not enough. On its own, it’s not big enough or radical enough to tackle the real problem, which is one of supply and demand. New York City, after all, has a population of 8.5 million and a rental vacancy rate of 1.4 percent.
Mamdani clearly knows this. In a position paper issued back in February 2025, when he was still a blip on the political radar, he vowed to “triple the City’s production of publicly subsidized, permanently affordable, union-built, rent-stabilized homes, constructing 200,000 new units over the next 10 years.” He also promised to “triple the amount of housing built with City capital funds,” creating “200,000 new affordable homes over 10 years for low-income households, seniors and working families.” Four hundred thousand new units may not be enough either, but it’s a start—and building this housing would surely be one measure of his success as …
This is why trust is collapsing.
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Sunnyside Yard and the Quest for Affordable Housing in New York
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Current Issue
Books & the Arts
/ February 10, 2026
City Limits
Sunnyside Yard and the quest for affordable housing in New York
Sunnyside Yard and the Quest for Affordable Housing in New York
Constructing new residential buildings, let alone those with rental units that New Yorkers can afford, is never an easy task.
Karrie Jacobs
Share
Copy Link
X (Twitter)
Bluesky Pocket
Ad Policy
This article appears in the
March 2026 issue.
One of the most memorable promises that new York City’s newly inaugurated Mayor Zohran Mamdani made during his campaign was to freeze the rent for tenants of the city’s 1 million rent-stabilized apartments. The idea sounds simple, suggesting that there’s a quick and easy way for a mayor to tackle one of the city’s most insoluble problems.
But nothing in New York is ever quick and easy. One of the complicating factors is that the mayor can’t freeze the rents himself. He needs the approval of the city’s nine-member Rent Guidelines Board, which votes annually on whether landlords can increase the rents on regulated apartments and, if so, by how much. The board is appointed by the mayor, but it’s largely regarded as independent and data-driven. This is not to say that a rent freeze can’t be done. Under Mayor Bill de Blasio, the Rent Guidelines Board froze the rent three times during his two terms: in 2015, in 2016, and in 2020, during the Covid pandemic.
The proposal also faces a backlash from those in the real estate industry, who argue that a rent freeze will undermine the solvency of the landlords who typically own what are known as “naturally occurring” rent-stabilized buildings: smaller, older buildings that are in perennial need of expensive maintenance.
However, the real issue when it comes to Mamdani’s signature housing proposal is straightforward: It’s not enough. On its own, it’s not big enough or radical enough to tackle the real problem, which is one of supply and demand. New York City, after all, has a population of 8.5 million and a rental vacancy rate of 1.4 percent.
Mamdani clearly knows this. In a position paper issued back in February 2025, when he was still a blip on the political radar, he vowed to “triple the City’s production of publicly subsidized, permanently affordable, union-built, rent-stabilized homes, constructing 200,000 new units over the next 10 years.” He also promised to “triple the amount of housing built with City capital funds,” creating “200,000 new affordable homes over 10 years for low-income households, seniors and working families.” Four hundred thousand new units may not be enough either, but it’s a start—and building this housing would surely be one measure of his success as …
Sunnyside Yard and the Quest for Affordable Housing in New York
This is why trust is collapsing.
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Sunnyside Yard and the Quest for Affordable Housing in New York
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Current Issue
Books & the Arts
/ February 10, 2026
City Limits
Sunnyside Yard and the quest for affordable housing in New York
Sunnyside Yard and the Quest for Affordable Housing in New York
Constructing new residential buildings, let alone those with rental units that New Yorkers can afford, is never an easy task.
Karrie Jacobs
Share
Copy Link
Facebook
X (Twitter)
Bluesky Pocket
Email
Ad Policy
This article appears in the
March 2026 issue.
One of the most memorable promises that new York City’s newly inaugurated Mayor Zohran Mamdani made during his campaign was to freeze the rent for tenants of the city’s 1 million rent-stabilized apartments. The idea sounds simple, suggesting that there’s a quick and easy way for a mayor to tackle one of the city’s most insoluble problems.
But nothing in New York is ever quick and easy. One of the complicating factors is that the mayor can’t freeze the rents himself. He needs the approval of the city’s nine-member Rent Guidelines Board, which votes annually on whether landlords can increase the rents on regulated apartments and, if so, by how much. The board is appointed by the mayor, but it’s largely regarded as independent and data-driven. This is not to say that a rent freeze can’t be done. Under Mayor Bill de Blasio, the Rent Guidelines Board froze the rent three times during his two terms: in 2015, in 2016, and in 2020, during the Covid pandemic.
The proposal also faces a backlash from those in the real estate industry, who argue that a rent freeze will undermine the solvency of the landlords who typically own what are known as “naturally occurring” rent-stabilized buildings: smaller, older buildings that are in perennial need of expensive maintenance.
However, the real issue when it comes to Mamdani’s signature housing proposal is straightforward: It’s not enough. On its own, it’s not big enough or radical enough to tackle the real problem, which is one of supply and demand. New York City, after all, has a population of 8.5 million and a rental vacancy rate of 1.4 percent.
Mamdani clearly knows this. In a position paper issued back in February 2025, when he was still a blip on the political radar, he vowed to “triple the City’s production of publicly subsidized, permanently affordable, union-built, rent-stabilized homes, constructing 200,000 new units over the next 10 years.” He also promised to “triple the amount of housing built with City capital funds,” creating “200,000 new affordable homes over 10 years for low-income households, seniors and working families.” Four hundred thousand new units may not be enough either, but it’s a start—and building this housing would surely be one measure of his success as …
