by Olivia Young

The Bronx Community Board 8, CB8, Housing Committee postponed a vote to support an affordable housing bill. 

Under the Tenant Opportunity to Purchase Act, or TOPA, an owner must inform their tenants before putting a building on the market. Tenants have the chance to organize, secure funding from nonprofits and city programs, and buy the building themselves. 

While the board is an advisory body, and has no legal power over legislation, it acts as a bridge between elected officials and residents. The bill is co-sponsored by Assemblymember Jeffrey Dinowitz and Sen. Gustavo Rivera, but a CB8 vote could signal community support and push the bill forward. 

TOPA has been introduced once before by the Assembly, and twice by the Senate, but it has never reached a floor vote.

On Oct. 27, the committee postponed the vote because it lacked a quorum — the minimum number of members required to be present for a vote, according to the board’s bylaws.  

The housing committee had a resolution drafted by June, after the Northwest Bronx Community and Clergy Coalition, NWBCCC, introduced the idea a month earlier. 

The resolution stated that as of Dec. 2024, over 50 percent of renters in the CB8 district — Riverdale, Kingsbridge, Kingsbridge Heights, Spuyten Duyvil and Marble Hill — are rent burdened, meaning households spend more than 30 percent of their monthly income on rent and utilities. 

The committee cited household income data as a reason to support the bill. The median income for the district is $81,095, but wealth varies widely. Twenty-seven percent make between $50,000 and $100,000, while 35 percent make below $50,000, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. 

It also said eight of the 12 community districts in the Bronx have faced high eviction notices, on top of other challenges like poor living conditions and neglectful landlords. Members wrote affordable housing for low- and middle-income families or individuals is a board concern. 

The committee concluded TOPA aims to prevent displacement and preserve affordable housing by helping tenants remain renters or pursue homeownership. It called on the New York State Legislature and Gov. Kathy Hochul to pass and enact the bill. 

TOPA has garnered the support of not only NWBCCC, but also Bronx-based nonprofits such as Bronx Community Land Trust and South Bronx Unite, along with more than 100 other city and state organizations.

A few major cities nationwide have enacted TOPA or similar versions, such as Washington D.C., which has had the law in place for over 40 years. 

According to a March 2025 report from the D.C. Policy Center, outcomes are mixed. While the law helps preserve affordable housing and empowers tenants, negotiations with owners can delay sales and complicate the process. The financial uncertainty can also make investors less likely to get involved. 

The housing committee is set to reconvene on Nov. 24. 

Keywords

Bronx Community Board 8,

Tenant Opportunity to Purchase Act,

affordable housing,

CB8 housing committee,

Jeffrey Dinowitz,

Gustavo Rivera,

Bronx tenants