NYCHA Red Hook Houses to receive $438M in federal aid

The Federal Emergency Management Agency allocated over $438 million to NYCHA’s Red Hook Houses for Super Storm Sandy repairs and to construct two power plants.

Architecture firm Kohn Pedersen Fox presented its designs for the new power plants to residents on Monday. The two-story plants will replace temporary boilers that have been in use since the storm. There will also be 12 smaller “utility pods” that will distribute power to the buildings.

The structures will be elevated to protect from flooding and will be raised high enough that retail, restaurants or community spaces could fit in the street-level space below.

One plant will be built at Lorraine Street, which is currently empty, DNAinfo reported. However, the other is planned for Clinton Street and may require the demolition of shops and some residences.

While some residents did not approve of the possible demolition, a NYCHA rep said the plan is still in the early stages. The designs are expected to be finalized in the fall with construction beginning at the end of this year.

Sandy hit the 2,878-unit public housing development hard and left residents without heat and electricity for weeks.

Meanwhile, NYCHA is moving forward with plans to build apartments on underutilized land at its housing complexes, which is expected to bring in an estimated $300 million to $600 million in revenue for the agency. The money will go toward repairs. [DNAinfo] — Dusica Sue Malesevic