Bart Schwartz speaking at the 164th CityLaw Breakfast./Image Credt: CityLand
On Friday, November 15, 2019, New York City Housing Authority Federal Monitor, Bart Schwartz spoke at the 164th CityLaw Breakfast at New York Law School. Mr. Schwartz was introduced by Professor Ross Sandler, Director of the Center for New York City Law. Mr. Schwartz spoke on “NYCHA Challenges and Updates.”
Image credit: Jeff Hopkins Art.
The New York City Housing Authority’s efforts to settle with the U. S. Attorney over NYCHA’s mismanagement of public housing came to an abrupt end on November 14, 2018 when U.S. District Court Judge William H. Pauley III rejected the proposed consent decree. The U.S. Attorney had charged NYCHA in a civil complaint with fraud, deception and filing false lead inspection reports. The complaint also charged NYCHA with systematically tolerating dangerous and unhealthy contamination of lead, mold and vermin, and with inadequate maintenance of essential services, including elevators, plumbing and heating. (more…)
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. (more…)
Five of the seven buildings calendared for designation. Image Credit: Google Maps
The buildings feature various architectural styles and were home to garment manufacturers in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. On September 25, 2018, the Landmarks Preservation Commission unanimously voted to add seven buildings to its calendar for consideration as individual landmarks. The buildings are located at 817 Broadway, 826 Broadway, 830 Broadway, 832 Broadway, 836 Broadway, 840 Broadway, and 841 Broadway. All of the buildings are south of Union Square in Manhattan. (more…)
The new affordable housing development will also include a community space that houses a local church and a non-profit organization. On October 4, 2018, the Department of Housing Preservation and Development and the Housing Development Corporation announced the start of the construction of a 79-unit affordable housing development on a previously vacant city-owned lot in Harlem. HPD and HDC partnered with Lemor Development, TD Bank, Street Corner Resources, and the Downtown Baptist Church of Christ for the project. The project seeks to create a mixed-income affordable housing and a new commercial and community facility space. (more…)
