New York Debates Commercial Rent Control: Designer Ice Cream Stores Versus the Corner Grocer

This Note will review the history of commercial rent regulation in New York City and examine existing commercial rent regulation proposals, both in terms of their underlying goals and their methods of operation. The Note will argue that, as a matter of general economic and public policy, the legislature should not enact commercial rent regulations. In light of these policy considerations, the Note will then examine specific conclusions of the Commission in its Final Report and its assessment of proposed strategies to deal with the problem related to the escalation of commercial rents for small businesses and neighborhood consumers in New York City