At the Gotham Housing Alliance resource fair, everyone is looking for help.
The fair, run Thursday by Brooklyn landlord and social media personality Humberto Lopes, was advertised as an opportunity for landlords to get in front of city housing agencies. The Mamdani administration sent representatives from several departments to the event in Industry City, including buildings, finance and housing preservation and development.
It was in some ways an unlikely pairing. Lopes is known for his brash and sometimes profanity-laden videos criticizing aspects of the Mamdani agenda, including the rent freeze on stabilized apartments and the Community Opportunity to Purchase Act. He’s also behind several attention-grabbing publicity stunts, including hiring dozens of actors dressed as zombies to accompany his group to a government hearing. Behind Gotham’s booth at the fair were signs like “RGB Freeze Deez Nuts,” presumably referring to the city’s Rent Guidelines Board, which approved the freeze.
Ahmed Tigani, Mamdani’s buildings commissioner, seemed to anticipate this tension. In a video with Lopes advertising the event, Tigani said that the buildings department would be at the event, “while we may not agree on everything.”
At the fair itself, Tigani similarly said that it was the agency’s responsibility to get in front of landlords and ensure compliance. This is the second time the department has attended a Gotham event, but the agency attends fairs and events for lots of different groups, he said, including past ones held by the New York Apartment Association and by tenant advocates.
“When it comes to protecting tenants, one of the best ways we have to do that is making sure people know what the laws and regulations are,” Tigani told me.
Lopes was at the event, mic’d up and flanked by two cameramen filming his content.
Landlords in attendance seemed mostly interested in getting their issues in front of city agencies without making an appointment. One landlord and developer said he was there to get help clearing decades-old building code violations attached to his recent 40-unit project in Jackson Heights, Queens. He followed Lopes on social media, but wasn’t sure if he wanted to become a member of his landlord group, Gotham Housing Alliance, just yet.
Another landlord, Peter Pychynski, said he just wanted to get in front of HPD to talk about the violations process. Asked if HPD might help him out, Pychynski responded, “I don’t think so.”
What we’re thinking about: Are any nonprofits likely to mobilize to purchase distressed buildings now that COPA has passed? Send thoughts to lilah.burke@therealdeal.com.
A thing we’ve learned: Manhattan Borough President Brad Hoylman-Sigal declared Oct. 30, 2026, as “Harry Styles Appreciation Day,” according to a press release from his office.
Elsewhere…
— A steam leak deposited asbestos-laden residue onto two buildings in Brooklyn’s Marcy Houses, a New York Housing Authority complex, Gothamist reports.
— Queens Borough President Donovan Richards Jr. sent letters this week to the mayor and two government agencies asking them to mobilize to transition a parking lot built on top of an African burial ground into a memorial, the City Reporter reports.
— New Yorkers enrolled in the SNAP will receive more money to use at farmers markets and farm stands next year, Gothamist reports.
Closing time
Residential: The most expensive residential sale recorded Thursday was $9 million for a 4,950-square-foot townhouse at 309 West 80th Street on the Upper West Side. Eric Brown and Zeve Salman with Compass had the listing.
Commercial: The most expensive commercial transaction was $16.9 million for 714 Lexington Avenue and 720 Lexington Avenue in Midtown East. Each retail property traded for $8.425 million.
New to the Market: The highest price for a residential property hitting the market is $15 million for an 8,451-square-foot condominium at 535 West End Avenue on the Upper West Side. Philip Fatta and Alexandra Fatta with Nest Seekers International have the listing.
Breaking Ground: The largest new building permit filed was for a proposed 105,076-square-foot, 99-unit project at 228 West 29th Street in Chelsea. Jacob Goldman of BEAM Architects filed the permit on behalf of Jack Wolcowitz of Joyland Group.
— Matthew Elo
