Mayor Bill de Blasio announces repairs. Image Credit: Ed Reed/Mayoral Photography Office.
The repairs will be made possible through public-private partnerships. On November 18, 2018, Mayor de Blasio announced that NYCHA has committed to $13 billion in repairs to 62,000 of its units. The renovations include new kitchens and bathrooms, replacement of windows, elevators, boilers, and roofs, and improvements to common areas. The repairs will affect approximately 140,000 residents, who will “retain all their rights as public housing residents, pay rent limited to 30 percent of their income, and remain in their buildings during the renovations,” according to the press release.
The renovations are made possible through public-private partnerships, which includes the Rental Assistance Demonstration (RAD) program. RAD was created to provide public housing authorities with the power to preserve and improve public housing properties, and address the $26 billion nationwide backlog of deferred maintenance.
Currently, there are approximately NYCHA 8,900 units in pre-development or development for capital repairs. Repairs at Ocean Bay (Bayside), a 1,395 apartment complex, and Twin Parks West have already been completed. All 62,000 units are expected to have repairs completed by 2028 and converted to Section 8 funding and remain permanently affordable. Mayor de Blasio made the announcements of the repairs at the Betances Houses in the Bronx. The Betances Houses was recently converted to Section 8 through RAD and the third NYCHA development following Ocean Bay and Twin Parks West. The 1,088-apartment complex houses 2,683 residents who will begin seeing the comprehensive repairs starting next month.
“This is a turning point for tens of thousands of NYCHA residents. We have an opportunity to undo decades of neglect and mismanagement, and we have to take it,” said Mayor Bill de Blasio. “These partnerships are one of our best-proven tools to deliver critical repairs. We look forward to working with officials, residents and advocates on this and other new strategies to make a concrete difference for the 400,000 people who call NYCHA home.”
Mayor Bill de Blasio announces repairs. Image Credit: Ed Reed/Mayoral Photography Office.
NYCHA Interim Chair and CEO Stanley Brezenoff stated, “As our properties need $32 billion worth of repairs, a new and radical approach is absolutely necessary to tackle that enormous figure. This is why we are announcing a major expansion of PACT to transform 62,000 NYCHA apartments across the City by 2028, benefitting approximately 142,000 New Yorkers – more than a third of our residents – with nearly $13 billion of renovations and major repairs to their homes. With the support of Mayor de Blasio, who knows the vital role of public housing in New York City, PACT is the way of the future for NYCHA, as we work to improve residents’ quality of life while contending with the harsh reality of declining federal funding.”
“Access to affordable housing is a key issue in our borough. This important funding will repair and make accessible more than 62,000 NYCHA units throughout New York City, including in the Bronx. Our city has many challenges when it comes to NYCHA and affordable housing, so I applaud Mayor de Blasio for continuing to make this issue a priority in New York,” said Congressman José E. Serrano, representing the 15th District of New York.
“This public-private partnership is a pivotal first step in addressing the years of underinvestment in NYCHA that residents have had to endure. As someone who used to live in public housing, I know how much reliable repairs and maintenance means for a family living in these apartments, and the impact keeping them affordable has on a community. I applaud the Mayor’s office for taking advantage of this federal program to make a difference for NYCHA residents in our city,” said Congressman Gregory W. Meeks, representing the 5th District of New York.
The City will released the Request for Proposals in the next month for 21 developments in Brooklyn and Manhattan.
By: Samantha Albanese. (Samantha Albanese is a CityLaw intern, and a New York Law School student, Class of 2019).