The New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA) and resident leaders have the selected Essence Development and The Related Companies to provide approximately $366 million in comprehensive repairs and investments for 2,054 apartments in the Chelsea section of Manhattan through the PACT program (NYCHA’s Permanent Affordability Commitment Together Program, or PACT). NYCHA, the largest public housing authority in North America, was created in 1935 to provide decent, affordable housing for low- and moderate-income New Yorkers. NYCHA is home to roughly 1 in 15 New Yorkers across over 177,000 apartments within 335 housing developments. NYCHA serves over 350,000 residents through the conventional public housing program (Section 9), over 20,000 residents at developments that have been converted to PACT/RAD, and over 75,000 families through federal rent subsidies (the Section 8 Leased Housing Program).
This selection marks a key milestone in a process that started in 2019 with the formation of a Chelsea NYCHA Working Group to study opportunities to modernize four developments. Leaders formed a Resident Review Committee to evaluate developer proposals and work with NYCHA in selecting the team best suited to achieve the Working Group’s recommendations. The plans are now in the ULURP review process.
A panel of speakers will discuss the design strategy for NYCHA’s Fulton-Elliot-Chelsea Houses redevelopment, the special considerations that benefit the older population, and how to integrate amenities for a diverse demographic into the urban context, considered the aging population that dominates public housing developments. The panel’s objective is to learn about the design, real estate development, and NYCHA’s perspectives, with a focus on the betterment of NYCHA, senior living, and urban environments in New York City.
