Press Release

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: May 30, 2013
Contact: media@nycha.nyc.gov, (212) 306-3322

NYCHA Invests $4 Million in Capital Improvements & Repairs

Capital funds will be used for the replacement of exterior compactors, building entrances, and other upgrades for more than 15,000 NYCHA residents

The New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA) has begun its investment of approximately $4 million in capital improvements at around 10 developments. This work, beginning in May 2013, will result in repairs to building entrances, gas risers, exterior compactors, and other upgrades for more than 15,000 NYCHA residents. The work is part of NYCHA’s 2013 Capital Plan and is funded by capital grants from the federal Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). Ongoing renovations to both the interior and exterior of NYCHA buildings and apartments are needed to keep them structurally sound and in a state of good repair.

“NYCHA continues to make improvements to our building structures and systems by spending money wisely, and in the best interests of residents," said NYCHA Chairman John B. Rhea. “These major upgrades are needed regularly to ensure the preservation of our aging building stock, with 70 percent of our buildings more than 40 years old.”

NYCHA is also implementing a Capital Plan effort to obligate its annual federal funding for Capital Projects in 18 months, as opposed to HUD’s mandate of 24 months, and meet its expenditure targets for those projects in 36 months, as opposed to HUD’s mandate of 48 months. Enhancements to NYCHA’s current planning and process management practices are underway to facilitate these new targeted timelines.

NYCHA has consistently met all HUD-mandated guidelines for obligating and spending capital funds. Over the past three years, the agency has made more than $1.5 billion in capital investments – including $423 million in federal Stimulus funding for capital improvements that enhanced quality of life for 140,000 families. Capital projects are selected for inclusion in the agency’s five-year capital plan based upon information from NYCHA’s physical needs assessment, in-house design staff, and requests from NYCHA’s Property Management Department, among others. This is an ongoing process of data collection and analysis, and NYCHA updates its five-year capital plan and prioritizes the available funds annually.

Here is a complete NYCHA Capital Project List for work scheduled for May-July 2013:

  • Building entrance replacement at East 173rd/Vyse Avenue ($1.3M)
  • Replacement of exterior compactors at Clinton Houses, Douglass Houses, Dyckman Houses, Isaacs Houses, King Towers, and Lehman Village ($1.2M)
  • Roof replacement and brickwork at East New York City Line ($973,000)
  • Gas riser replacement at various developments in the Bronx and Queens ($500,000)

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About the New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA):

NYCHA provides decent and affordable housing in a safe and secure living environment for low- and moderate-income residents in New York City. NYCHA serves approximately 420,000 public housing residents across 334 developments in all five boroughs. To fulfill this mission, NYCHA must preserve its aging housing stock through timely maintenance and modernization of its developments. NYCHA also administers a citywide Section 8 Leased Housing Program in rental apartments. Simultaneously, we work to enhance the quality of life at NYCHA by offering our residents opportunities to participate in a multitude of community, educational, and recreational programs, as well as job readiness and training initiatives.