Residents of two New York City Housing Authority developments are poised to get revamped homes, courtesy of Related Companies and Essence Development.
NYCHA will announce plans to move forward with a redevelopment plan for the Fulton Houses and Elliott-Chelsea Houses in West Chelsea, the New York Times reported. A survey of residents found more in favor of tearing down and redeveloping the properties, rather than simply rehabilitating them.
Tenant support for the demolition and rebuilding idea has been gaining steam for months. The plan has been gestating for some time, as the developers were attached to repairs at the properties more than a year ago.
Tenants in 2019 rejected a proposal to demolish at least two of the public housing buildings, choosing instead to have the developers renovate. But the price tag on those renovations has skyrocketed to the point where rebuilding no longer seems prohibitively expensive.
The developers will replace more than 2,000 public housing units. They will also construct retail and commercial space, as well as 3,500 mixed-income apartments; 1,000 of those will be put aside at affordable rates. The project is expected to cost $1.5 billion.
It’s a momentous development for NYCHA, which has only seen two prior teardowns in its 90-year history. This will also mark the first time mixed-income properties will be built on NYCHA land.
If this redevelopment proves successful, NYCHA and the city will likely look to replicate it across the city.
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The developers plan to build the new properties before tearing down the old ones so that residents won’t need to be relocated during the lengthy construction process, which is expected to take six years.
The redevelopment still needs approval from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. The project will also need to go through ULURP, a process not expected to begin before next year.
— Holden Walter-Warner