Mamdani Auto-Delete Reversal, NYC Rent Freeze Uncertain, Crown…

Politics & Policy

• Mamdani Team Deletes Auto-Delete in Influencer Chats · Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s chief counsel disabled auto-delete on Signal chats after discovering City Hall communications staff used the setting to erase official messages. The move follows scrutiny from Columbia Journalism Review researchers exposing the practice. (The City Reporter)
• New York’s Shadow Workforce · City Hall oversees an 80,000-person nonprofit workforce that shapes the local political system, spotlighted in a Labor Day analysis of its scale and impact. (The Bigger Apple)
• Council working on bill to push back Rikers closure deadline · The City Council is drafting legislation to extend the deadline for closing Rikers Island and opening four borough-based jails, delaying the city’s criminal justice reform timeline. (Queens Daily Eagle)
• Should NYC Have Open Primaries? · Mayor Zohran Mamdani, having energized the electorate, now advocates for retaining closed primaries as part of his political strategy going into the fall season. (Hell Gate)

Housing, Transportation & Infrastructure

• NYC rent freeze for 1 million stabilized apartments hangs in balance after court hearing · A Manhattan Supreme Court judge is expected to rule soon on the Rent Guidelines Board’s decision to freeze rents for nearly 1 million stabilized apartments starting October 1. (PoliticsNY)
• Can NYC Have A Right To Housing? · Housing activist Sam Stein’s new book explores NYC’s ongoing struggle for a legal right to housing, aiming to equip readers for sustained organizing and advocacy. (City Limits)
• Short-Term Rental Registrations Surpass 3,500 for First Time Since City Overhaul · More than 3,500 short-term rental hosts are now registered citywide, marking the highest total since regulations were overhauled three years ago to crack down on illegal listings. (City Limits)
• 40-story South Bronx tower launches lottery for 227 apartments, from $1,936/month · The tallest building in the South Bronx, 355 Exterior Street in Mott Haven, started a lottery this week for 227 mixed-income units, with rents beginning at $1,936 per month. (6sqft)

Culture & Lifestyle

• 9/11 25 Years Later: Remembering Windows on the World, the iconic restaurant in the sky lost in tragedy · The historic Windows on the World atop the North Tower of the World Trade Center is commemorated 25 years later for its unique place in New York’s skyline and cultural memory. (AM New York)
• Kips Bay neighbors rally to save beloved movie theater from closure · Residents and tenant groups in Kips Bay are pressuring NYU Langone to keep a cherished neighborhood movie theater open amidst threats of closure. (Gothamist)
• Bryant Park’s stunning 9/11 tribute will feature 2,753 empty chairs spread across its lawn—and here’s how you can participate · Bryant Park’s 25th anniversary tribute features 2,753 empty chairs representing victims, culminating in a free American Symphony Orchestra concert. (Time Out)
• 9/11 Shaped Their Lives, Even Though They’re Too Young to Remember It. · Young adults born after 9/11 reflect on the enduring legacy of the attacks despite never witnessing the skyline without the Twin Towers. (The New York Times)
• Ugly Baby is Back (and Spicy as Ever) · Williamsburg’s Ugly Baby restaurant reopened at 364 Grand Street, continuing its reputation for bold flavors and extended evening hours. (Brooklyn Magazine)

Tech & Startups

• NVIDIA to Acquire Hugging Face in $12.93B Deal to Cement Open AI Infrastructure Leadership · NVIDIA secured Hugging Face in a $12.93 billion acquisition, the largest NYC VC-backed tech deal ever, gaining control of a major open-source AI platform used by 18 million developers globally. (AlleyWatch)

Civic Services & Government

• ‘Time for Warnings Is Over’: Fines for NYC Bin-Less Buildings Land After Labor Day · Starting Tuesday after Labor Day, the Sanitation Department will fine owners of residential buildings with up to nine units who leave trash bags on curbs without city-approved bins. (The City Reporter)
• NYC announces one-year ban on generative AI for public school students through 8th grade · Mayor Mamdani and Schools Chancellor Samuels banned generative AI use in classrooms for roughly 600,000 public school students from preschool through 8th grade for at least one year. (6sqft)
• Rikers monitor rips DOC leadership over ‘grave concerns’ about transparency · The federal monitor overseeing Rikers Island sharply criticized Department of Correction officials for undermining court-ordered transparency reforms. (Queens Daily Eagle)
• NYPD ramps up security for West Indian Day parade as past shootings remain unsolved · Police Commissioner Tisch announced increased NYPD presence for Brooklyn’s West Indian American Day Carnival, one of the city’s largest events, amid unresolved previous year shootings. (Gothamist)
• Cop Left Pedestrian To Die After Hit-and-Run — And Told His Pals To Lie About It: DA · An off-duty cop in Queens faces seven years in prison for critically injuring a pedestrian in a hit-and-run and coaching friends to lie about the incident. (Streetsblog NYC)

DEEP DIVE

Three Crown Heights buildings transferred from negligent landlord

Three rent-stabilized buildings in Crown Heights, totaling 88 apartments and burdened with nearly 1,000 open code violations, have officially changed hands from landlord Rubin Dukler to Mark Schwartz’s Brooklyn Affordable Housing Associates. Mayor Zohran Mamdani announced the transfer and pledged city Department of Housing Preservation and Development (HPD) collaboration to fix decades-long hazardous conditions. Despite public claims, ownership details remain complex and unsettled, with no landlord fully accepting responsibility.

The buildings’ troubles began in 2017 when the Duklers tried to sell a stake to Iris Holdings, which backed out after uncovering undisclosed problems. Underlying the legal limbo was a 2010 lead poisoning lawsuit that led to a $2.2 million judgment against Rikud Realty, one of the previous owners. Iris acquired that debt but ultimately did not take control, instead opting to auction the properties. Schwartz’s firm paid $7.6 million for ownership, securing city loans and tax exemptions to maintain affordability and carry out urgent repairs.

This transfer marks a significant intervention in a neighborhood plagued by neglect and health hazards, promising major improvements for hundreds of tenants long waiting for basic safety and habitability conditions. The city’s direct involvement signals a tougher stance on negligent landlords and an emphasis on preserving affordable housing. How effectively the new owner and HPD deliver on these commitments will shape Crown Heights residents’ quality of life in the coming years.

(6sqft)