NYC Council hears competing views on COPA housing bill potentially affecting 18 Riverdale area buildings

Editor's note 9/21/26: A previous version of this article stated a building would qualify for COPA if it has a daily average of three or more hazardous or immediately hazardous violations. The correct amount is three or more per unit. 

A city council hearing Sept. 9 brought elected officials, advocates and opponents together to discuss a contested housing bill that could impact 18 buildings in greater Riverdale.

The Community Opportunity to Purchase Act, or COPA, would give qualified nonprofits and community-based organizations the first chance to buy certain buildings when an owner decides to sell. It aims to preserve affordable housing, prevent displacement and expand community ownership, advocates say. COPA was vetoed last year by the former mayor, but has since regained traction, bolstered by the support of Mayor Zohran Mamdani.

Ahead of the 10 a.m. hearing, organizers rallied on the steps of City Hall, chanting and bearing signs that read “Keep New Yorkers in NY” and “COPA Now.” Among them was nonprofit Our Bronx, formerly the Northwest Bronx Community and Clergy Coalition.

COPA is backed by Kingsbridge Heights’ Council member Pierina Sanchez, chair of the council’s committee on housing and buildings. Sanchez’s own bill — one that could help middle-class co-op buildings pay for green building upgrades — was also talked about at the hearing. Members of the Mamdani administration had no issues to raise on Sanchez’s bill.

Of the 18 buildings in greater Riverdale that meet the level of distress to be eligible for COPA, 12 are in Kingsbridge Heights, two are in Marble Hill and the rest are scattered around the area, according to Will Spisak, senior policy strategist at the nonprofit New Economy Project.

If a building has a daily average of three or more hazardous or immediately hazardous violations per unit — such as mold, pests, lead-based paint or issues with heat and hot water — it would qualify for COPA. Buildings that are enrolled in the city’s Alternative Enforcement Program, an initiative that aims to improve buildings with a high number of hazardous violations, would also be eligible, Spisak previously told The Press.

Jazmine Kerr, a policy fellow at the New Economy Project who grew up in North Riverdale, said it’s important to note the number of units and residents inside 18 buildings.

“Those are all people, those are all families, those are all stories, those are all opportunities for a better life,” Kerr said, adding that she hopes “Riverdale can see itself as a part of addressing affordable housing.”

Council member Eric Dinowitz previously told The Press he had reservations on signing onto the bill, citing worry the city’s department of housing preservation and development doesn’t have the bandwidth to take it on. The council member’s office said sponsors are in talks to update the legislation, and Dinowitz is waiting for that draft until committing to a position.

Dina Levy, commissioner of the department, addressed this concern and others commonly raised about COPA.

Levy acknowledged the department would need to establish new processes in order to fulfill its responsibilities if COPA passes. Responsibilities include submitting reports on the program, certifying nonprofits, notifying property owners if a building is eligible for COPA and establishing penalties for noncompliance.

Qualified nonprofits would be measured by their financial and organizational capacity — including having a full staff, proper documents and audited financial statements — as well as their building portfolio so far, Levy said. The city would look at building conditions as well as compliance with anti-harassment and source of income discrimination laws, she said. Evaluations would renew annually.

Another question raised at the hearing was where the money for nonprofits to buy buildings would come from. Levy said the department can’t guarantee it would be able to help finance every deal, but city loan and tax exemption programs would be available.

The commissioner also said funding could come from community development financial institutions and other lenders to create a capital source nonprofits could access. These institutions are private, federally certified banks and credit unions that support economically disadvantaged communities with loans and other financial services.

Supporters of COPA came out to the hearing in droves, with multiple hours worth of testimonies. Organizers previously told The Press there are more than 200 organizations backing the bill.

Todd Baker, community development project manager at Our Bronx and a Kingsbridge resident, told the hearing room he’s witnessed “very avoidable harm being done to New Yorkers,” most egregiously to communities of color, older adults, immigrants and those with language barriers. The nonprofit has been able to intervene on some buildings, but COPA would bring “transformative change” to more households in need, Baker said.

Edward Garcia, Our Bronx’s organizing co-director and development director, said when a neglected building is up for sale, it creates an opportunity to break the cycle of accumulating violations, deteriorating buildings and tenants “left waiting for meaningful intervention.”

Two tenants of 3435 Giles Place in Van Cortlandt Village, both members of Our Bronx, also urged the passage of the bill. Stephanie Thomas said she’s experienced no heat during winter months, elevators not working, water leaks that worsen during rain storms, and roaches and mice. Richard Tanco echoed poor conditions, adding he believes the deterioration would have been avoidable if something like COPA was in place before 3435 Giles Place was sold to its current landlord, Ved Parkash. Parkash declined to comment.

Others were not in favor of what COPA would do to the real estate market.

Stakeholders like the Real Estate Board of New York have been providing feedback on COPA throughout its development, which led to meaningful adjustments that narrowed the threshold for eligible buildings and modified the distress criteria. Still, pushback remains.

The real estate board represents more than 14,000 real estate professionals and 810 brokerage firms, both commercial and residential, across the city, according to its website.

Zachary Schechter-Steinberg, executive vice president of external relations and advocacy for the real estate board, said COPA “remains a significant intervention into private property transactions.” Schechter-Steinberg said additional revisions are needed to provide for owners, lenders and affordable housing investors.

Schechter-Steinberg urged the council to establish reasonable limits on lawsuits and penalties, clarify process timelines and ensure that if property owners remedy the conditions that trigger COPA eligibility, they have a clear path to exit the program.

Across the Bronx, 700 buildings could be eligible for COPA, according to Our Bronx. A total of 21,000 would be eligible citywide, Levy said at the hearing.

By press time, the legislation had 29 co-sponsors.