The environmental evaluate course of for the proposed demolition of New York Metropolis Housing Authority’s (NYCHA’s) Fulton and Elliott-Chelsea (FEC) Homes in Manhattan has wrapped with the publishing of the document of resolution (ROD) and findings assertion. Nevertheless, quite a few tenants and organizers have been against the plan.
The town’s $1.9 billion redevelopment plan is to demolish and substitute 24 buildings, which include 2,056 current items, and create as much as 3,454 new items in seven acres of public housing improvement land –– one of many largest deliberate public housing demolitions within the metropolis’s historical past –– and ideally transfer displaced, primarily Black and Brown, residents again in as soon as reconstruction is full.
The plan was launched again in 2019; the NYCHA Board enacted the Bridge Plan, which was supposed to supply extra safety, pest management, constructing system repairs, and customary space and in-unit repairs for the FEC earlier than and through the building of the brand new buildings in 2024. The environmental evaluate course of additionally started in January 2024.
To summarize the ROD, NYCHA thought-about “all alternate options” plans and public feedback, deciding to proceed with the “rezoning various” or the “most popular various.” Which means they’re transferring ahead with the FEC demolition, in addition to rezoning the world.
With this rezoning various, NYCHA has vowed to put aside Part 8 items for current FEC residents; construct new mixed-use, mixed-income buildings with each market-rate and inexpensive housing items; and supply a spread of Obligatory Inclusionary Housing (MIH) of 20 to 30% of inexpensive housing.
With the chosen plan, there can even be “adversarial” environmental impacts to native transportation and pedestrian foot site visitors, and unavoidable vital noise impacts on account of building, based on the environmental affect assertion.
Anti-demolition tenant organizers continued to talk out in opposition to the demo eventually month’s NYCHA annual public listening to. Each Jamie Rubin, chair of the NYCHA Board, and NYCHA CEO Lisa Bova-Hiatt mentioned they pleasure themselves on listening, however those that testified mentioned they felt officers have been disengaged and dismissive on the assembly.
“And what’s occurring right here shouldn’t be coverage. It’s violence,” mentioned Renee Keitt, president of the Elliott-Chelsea Tenant Affiliation, in her testimony. “It’s demolition by neglect. Racial capitalism. The commodification of housing.”
Celines Miranda, second vp of the Elliott-Chelsea Tenant Affiliation, added that,
“From day one, our efforts to cease demolition have been persistently sabotaged, each step of the best way, together with disregarding our petition of over 950 tenants who signed in opposition to the demolition.”
“It’s not fiscal prudence. It’s not sound housing coverage. The tenants deserve higher. No demolition. The general public deserves higher. No demolition,” mentioned Democratic District Chief Layla Legislation-Gisiko in her testimony. “NYCHA should cancel this demolition plan and return to its unique mandate: rehab and protect public housing.”
Different individuals who testified on the listening to spoke of a concern of personal builders seizing public housing land for market-rate housing and being completely displaced through the demolition.These against the demolition banded collectively just lately to launch a GoFundMe for the Chelsea Public Housing Authorized Protection Fund. Their intention is to lift $75,000 to pay for authorized illustration for disabled and senior FEC residents.
