Utility companies literally have their rates set by the government

Huh, weird. I was going to ask the same thing. I don't always agree with your viewpoints on issues but you are clearly active and local so it seems odd to be de-modded.

Oh yeah, I figured, and that's bullshit, but it still seems funny to me that the example in the article is that they found a building that "appears to have undergone a rehab inside and out".

I don't know how the system is designed but it seems pretty easy to set up a points system where "one coat paint" does not mean you can raise rent, but "replaced oven, replaced pre-1950 windows with double-paned windows, replaced leaky 1974 toilet with modern dual flush, replaced water damaged 1983 drywall, AND added one coat of paint" would qualify as substantial improvement.

It's strange that the article tries to paint renovation in a bad light. Aren't improvements of dilapidated property a good thing?

Like, Isn't this a good thing:

"A three-story, six-unit walk-up building at 1819 Grove St. is one area property that appears to have undergone a rehab inside and out, with a group of new tenants who moved in earlier this year. "

Encouraging things to fall into ruin seems like bad policy. We shouldn't let landlords remove stock from stabilization for no reason, but it feels like good policy to say: "either keep rent cheap OR significantly improve the property"

So it seems to be working as intended

A system where goods are sold at licensed vendors who have to conform to laws and codes so that society can function as a predictable experience to enrich the lives of everyone equally?

Japan has had declining population for 13 straight years. If NYC lost 4M people and was falling every year, rents would fall here too

The headline is pointlessly inflammatory - "slip through bans" as though they need to smuggle the books. Any modern book ban in the US is always "we won't allow taxpayer funds for this / we won't allow this in a public school curriculum"

These were floating around Dayton about a year ago. I think I saw one in Youngstown about 6 months ago. Looks like they finally made it to NYC