What Paris, Vancouver, and London tell us about the proposal now moving through Albany. The Roebling Report · Issue No. 135 · April 29, 2026 · Corey Cohen On April 15, Governor Kathy Hochul and Mayor Zohran Mamdani endorsed the pied-à-terre tax: a recurring surcharge on luxury second homes valued above $5 million — a version of a proposal first introduced by then-State Senator Brad Hoylman-Sigal more than a decade ago and pronounced dead and revived across several budge

Two competing visions are shaping New York’s future. On one side, the business community - anchored by JPMorgan Chase, major law firms, global tech firms, and a surge of AI startups - is doubling down on Manhattan. On the other, Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani proposes an aggressive affordability agenda: rent freezes, fare-free buses, and higher corporate and high-earner taxes. The tension between these forces will determine how the city grows, who it attracts, and how its real es

Assemblyman Zohran Mamdani’s bold rent freeze proposal could reshape NYC’s housing landscape. From affordability relief for tenants to pressure on market-rate rents and real estate values, explore how this mayoral frontrunner’s housing-first vision may affect the city — and your next move.