A curated, public-facing collection of memos, testimony, research, and reporting supporting Commercial Rent Stabilization in New York.
Last updated: 2026-03-02
Contact / submissions: contact@FairRentNYC.com
Note on scope: This page hosts or links only to materials that are already public or explicitly “public-share OK.”
If you’re a coalition partner and you’re unsure whether a document is public-share, please assume internal and email first.
Start here (2–5 minutes)
If you’re new to Fair Rent NYC or Commercial Rent Stabilization, we recommend starting with:
- TakeRoot Justice — Testimony on Commercial Rent Stabilization + Storefront protections (Sept 17, 2021)
A clear legal/policy framing of why commercial tenant protections are urgently needed, and how they can be designed to serve low-income communities, immigrants, and communities of color.
PDF: 2021.9.17-Commercial-Rent-Stabilization_TakeRoot.pdf
Citation: Segal, Paula Z. (Senior Staff Attorney, TakeRoot Justice), 2021-09-17. - ANHD — The State of Storefronts 2023: Beyond Recovery (Summary)
A concise, credible snapshot of storefront conditions and why “recovery” has been uneven—especially in communities of color and immigrant neighborhoods.
PDF: state_of_storefronts_2023_summary.pdf
Citation: ANHD, 2023. - Explainer / campaign hub (Action Lab / Small Business United)
Website: https://smallbizunited.com/
(If you’re a small business owner and want to get involved, start here.)
Legal + policy memos and testimony (public)
TakeRoot Justice
- Testimony: Intro 1796-2019 / Intro 2299-2021 (Sept 17, 2021)
PDF: 2021.9.17-Commercial-Rent-Stabilization_TakeRoot.pdf
Use for: legislative conversations, legal framing, narrative grounding.
Legal scholarship (law review articles)
- Julian M. Hill — "Commercial Rent Stabilization: One Local Response to Skyrocketing Rents" (NYU Journal of Legislation & Public Policy, Vol. 25)
A detailed legal + policy analysis of Commercial Rent Stabilization as a local response, including design considerations and common legal questions.
PDF (publisher): JLPP-25.3-Hill.pdf
Use for: legal alignment conversations, home rule / preemption analysis, briefing legislators and counsel.
Citation: Hill, Julian M., Commercial Rent Stabilization: One Local Response to Skyrocketing Rents, 25 N.Y.U. J. Legis. & Pub. Pol’y 603 (2023). - Guy Yedwab — “The Stable Legal Foundation of Commercial Rent Stabilization” (Rutgers Journal of Law & Public Policy, Vol. 20, Fall 2022)
A focused legal argument for the constitutional and statutory footing of CRS, addressing common objections and litigation posture.
PDF (publisher): yedwab_final_formatted.pdf
Use for: concise legal defense, Q&A prep, and countering opposition legal narratives.
Citation: Yedwab, Guy, The Stable Legal Foundation of Commercial Rent Stabilization, 20 Rutgers J.L. & Pub. Pol’y 1 (Fall 2022).
Additional legal/policy items (to be added)
We are actively collecting other public legal memos and testimony (including historic City Council legislative analyses and coalition partner memos) and will add them here as permissions are confirmed.
Official legislative record (bill text + actions)
Use these official pages for the definitive bill text, sponsor lists, actions/history, and attachments.
NYC Council (Legistar — official record)
- 28 NYC Council Co-Sponsors
Int 1796-2019 (Intro 1796): “Regulation of commercial rent” (Commercial Rent Stabilization)
https://legistar.council.nyc.gov/LegislationDetail.aspx?GUID=B2FF2D24-F642-42A1-BEBB-D8D59E079D99&ID=4230081 - 25 NYC Council Co-Sponsors
Int 0093-2022 (Intro 93): “Regulation of commercial rent” (Commercial Rent Stabilization)
https://legistar.council.nyc.gov/LegislationDetail.aspx?GUID=0FA34310-33D2-4090-9A39-2396910C9EB5&ID=5534186
New York State (official bill pages)
- NYS Senate — S8319 (2025–2026)
Carried by NY Senator Julia Salazar
https://www.nysenate.gov/legislation/bills/2025/S8319 - NYS Assembly — A05568 (A5568A) (2025–2026)
Carried by NY Assembly Member Emily Gallagher
https://assembly.state.ny.us/leg/?default_fld=&leg_video=&bn=A05568&term=2025&Summary=Y
Research + data (public)
- ANHD — The State of Storefronts 2023: Beyond Recovery (Summary)
PDF: state_of_storefronts_2023_summary.pdf
Use for: baseline context on storefront vacancy, recovery, and neighborhood impacts. - Neighborhood commercial district needs assessments (CDNAs)
We will add public CDNAs (by neighborhood/borough) as we confirm which reports are public-share OK.
Submit a CDNA: contact@FairRentNYC.com
Reporting + narrative context (public links)
- The New York Times — “Small Businesses Helped New York Rebound. Their Rent is Surging.” (May 8, 2023)
By Stefanos Chen.
Link: https://www.nytimes.com/2023/05/08/nyregion/small-businesses-rent-hikes-nyc.html
Use for: mainstream narrative and public-facing messaging.
(We prefer linking to publishers rather than hosting full article PDFs, to respect copyright.)
Coalition references (public)
- Fair Rent NYC Coalition
Link: https://FairRentNYC.com - Action Lab — Partners & supporters list (context on infrastructure partners)
https://www.actionlabny.org/partners-and-supporters
How to cite these materials
If you’re preparing a one-pager, testimony, or press pitch, include:
- Title, author/organization, date
- A stable link
- A one-sentence description of why it matters
What we are not posting here (by design)
- Internal strategy documents, draft bills, working memos, or anything not explicitly public-share OK.
- Materials shared “in coalition confidence” unless permission is confirmed.
If you’re a coalition partner and want access to internal working docs, request access via: contact@FairRentNYC.com