Aron Stark’s Comeback Arrives in Union Square

A stint in jail appears to have done little to deter Aron Stark from the New York City development game.

The controversial landlord recently filed plans to erect a 12-story, 29-unit residential building in place of a former TGI Friday’s at 100 East 16th Street in Union Square, Crain’s reported. The Department of Buildings has yet to issue permits.

T30 Capital, co-founded by former investment banker David Schwartz, is the primary owner of the two-story, 6,500-square-foot building on the site today, which is also referred to as 34 Union Square East; Stark appears to be a minority partner. T30 acquired the site in October 2024 for $11.2 million.

T30 did not immediately respond to a request for comment from the publication.

The small-to-midsized residential project may not seem like a massive deal, but Stark’s connection to the development is notable.

Stark spent eight days at Rikers Island in 2023 after failing to respond to the court about repairs ordered at 1422 Greene Avenue in Bushwick, Brooklyn, becoming one of the rare New York City landlords to see jail time. Years later, tenants say Stark has abandoned several of his properties, many of which continue to rack up housing code violations, city fines and property tax bills.

As of the fall, Stark’s Bushwick buildings averaged 5.6 immediately hazardous violations or 18 overall violations per unit, easily outstripping comparable buildings in the city.

Property records show that in 2024, he purchased a multifamily building in Harlem for $6.8 million, which had 97 open violations as of late September.

Stark also served time in 2019, when he was sentenced to 14 months in prison following a guilty plea for defrauding Medicaid and several food stamps programs. He was also arrested and pleaded guilty to federal shoplifting while the aforementioned case was ongoing.

Stark is the brother of Menachem Stark, a Williamsburg landlord who was killed more than a decade ago in a failed kidnapping attempt. Several cousins were convicted of the murder.

— Holden Walter-Warner