Three days into his term, Mayor Zohran Mamdani stopped in the West Bronx to announce a new effort to tackle the city’s housing crisis and a new housing commissioner to help lead the work.
At a press conference at 1520 Sedgwick Ave. —widely regarded as the birthplace of hip-hop— Mamdani announced forthcoming “Rental Ripoff” hearings in each borough within his first 100 days.
He also announced his appointment of Dina Levy, a state housing official and former community organizer, as Commissioner of the Department of Housing Preservation and Development (HPD). Levy takes the post from interim Commissioner Ahmed Tigani, whom Mamdani appointed to the Department of Buildings.
In the 1970s, early hip-hop performances were held in the rec room at 1520 Sedgwick Ave., which was a Mitchell-Lama property providing stable housing for low and moderate-income residents. But as the owners left the program, the building fell into disrepair.
Levy was a community organizer who, in 2010, helped Sedgwick Ave. tenants secure a responsible landlord rather than have the property sold to a private equity investor.
Safe, affordable homes allow residents to make impacts far beyond their own walls, Mayor Mamdani said.
“When New Yorkers can afford a home, New Yorkers can afford to make great art.”
Today, however, Sedgwick tenants again face problems in the aging 102-unit building. Records show the property has 194 open housing code violations dated as recently as Dec. 31 for issues including broken plaster and doors, roaches, mold, mice and smoke alarms needing replacement.
Mamdani was joined at the historic site by Borough President Vanessa Gibson, State Senator Robert Jackson, Assembly Member Landon Dais and Council Member Pierina Sanchez, who chairs the City Council’s Housing and Buildings Committee.
Sanchez praised Mamdani for kicking off the work in the West Bronx, which she called the “epicenter of New York City’s housing crisis.” Under Mamdani and Levy, she said negligent landlords will be met with “aggressive” enforcement and inspections, but the city will partner with responsible landlords to preserve homes whenever possible.
“Families here are living with unsafe conditions, crushing rents, and constant instability—tens of thousands one missed paycheck away from eviction. Starting here sends a clear signal about this administration’s priorities,” Sanchez said.
Levy said the city must employ innovative solutions to address housing supply and quality challenges.
“A willingness to rethink how we do business” will be necessary, she said. “I know that we will not overcome this crisis by setting a low bar.”
Fitzroy Christian, an activist with Community Action for Safe Apartments (CASA), expressed excitement for the Mamdani era but also said, “We are going to hold our new mayor’s feet to the fire.”
CASA said in a statement that the new mayor will likely boost their decades of work.
“We’ve been fighting for over 20 years against unlivable conditions and the tricks that our landlords use to inflate rent bills. We’re going to keep working and building power and we’re hoping that the next four years are our biggest yet.”
More information on the “Rental Ripoff” hearings is expected soon, but in the meantime, Mamdani called on New Yorkers to “start taking notes” on problems at their buildings, such as unfair fees, pests, lack of heat, peeling tiles and dripping pipes.
The mayor said the hearings will be “not just listening sessions” but will inform city policy decisions and possible action against negligent landlords. “I want these hearings to expose the ugly underbelly of our city,” he said.
Reach Emily Swanson at eswanson@schnepsmedia.com or (646) 717-0015. For more coverage, subscribe to our newsletter and follow us on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram!
