Landlord Aron Stark, whose name tends to show up in court files as often as in property records, is now angling to build near Union Square. Industry filings and public job notices show he has submitted plans for a new residential building by 100 East 16th Street that would come in at roughly 31,000 square feet and add about 29 apartments. The move is poised to kick up fresh scrutiny of Stark after years of tenant complaints, city crackdowns and a federal conviction.
According to Crain's New York Business, CoStar currently lists 100 East 16th Street as a planned development site. Property records and job-tracking data compiled by PincusCo show that a Department of Buildings new-building job, M01364168, was filed on March 9, 2026, for approximately 30,946 square feet and about 29 residential units. PincusCo notes that the parcel was transferred to a note-holder in 2024, which kept its air rights and development potential in play.
Why neighbors are wary
Stark is not exactly an unknown quantity to regulators and tenants. City inspectors and tenant groups have repeatedly accused him of ignoring repairs at several Brooklyn buildings, and a judge once ordered him jailed for failing to carry out court-ordered fixes, according to Gothamist. “A landlord being a tenant of a jail cell isn’t just rare, it’s nearly unheard of,” a housing advocate told Gothamist after Stark spent eight days at Rikers. Federal court records summarized in public case files show that Stark pleaded guilty in 2018 to theft of government funds tied to false benefit claims and was later sentenced to roughly 14 months in prison, with the docket available in public case summaries.
Site history and development context
PincusCo's notes indicate the lot was marketed and its debt transferred in 2024, keeping the relatively small parcel on the radar for builders looking to get a foothold near Union Square. The block has already drawn bigger players: in 2023, Tishman Realty filed plans for a 132,000-square-foot mixed-use project at 110 East 16th Street, underscoring why developers are circling the area, according to The Real Deal. Whether Stark can assemble neighboring parcels or secure approvals will dictate how large any finished project can actually get.
Legal history
Stark’s criminal record and history with city enforcement could become a headache when it is time for permits. The city’s housing agency, HPD, has already used civil penalties and its Alternative Enforcement Program to push for repairs at buildings tied to him, and tenant advocates frequently point to those open violations whenever a new filing surfaces, Gothamist reports. Any new-building job will have to go through Department of Buildings plan examination under the city’s DOB NOW procedures and technical reviews before any permits are issued, according to the NYC Department of Buildings. That review can stretch for weeks or months and gives both neighbors and city officials multiple chances to raise objections.
What comes next
Right now this is the opening move, not a done deal. The DOB will route the application for plan examination, and any required public notices will bring the proposal before the local community board and other city agencies. Tenant groups and housing advocates say they plan to closely track the permit calendar and HPD records as the job works its way through DOB review. For the moment, the filing is just a paper trail that could set the stage for a fight over whether a landlord with Stark’s history should be allowed to put up new apartments at the edge of one of Manhattan’s busiest districts.
