Mayor Bill de Blasio today announced that roofs have been completely replaced at 65 NYCHA buildings. These new roofs will benefit approximately 13,000 residents by reducing mold, which can cause asthma and other respiratory illness. This marks the completion of the first phase of a major roof replacement begun by the City in 2015. The first 65 roofs cost approximately $91.5 million, $8.5 million under budget. A second phase of 78 roofs, costing $100 million, has now entered construction and will be completed by June 2019.
The Mayor announced the roof replacement program’s progress at Queensbridge Houses, the largest public housing development in the United Sates. All 26 roofs at the development have been replaced for the first time in more than 30 years. In addition to new roofs, the de Blasio Administration has also installed free wifi throughout the development, 360 CCTV cameras and 858 security lights. Crime at Queensbridge has fallen 21% since 2013.
“Residents may never see the new roof over their heads, but they will feel the difference. We are targeting a major source of leaks and mold, making kids healthier and helping parents sleep easier. With the right resources, we can deliver real-time improvements to the quality of life for thousands of families,” said Mayor de Blasio.
“These new roofs mean real quality of life improvements for 13,000 residents,” said NYCHA Chair and CEO Shola Olatoye. “While only the first phase in a $1.3 billion investment, through these critical infrastructure repairs, we are making major strides toward achieving our NextGeneration NYCHA goal to provide safe, clean and connected communities for all public housing residents.”
The Mayor has dedicated $1.3 billion to repair 950 deteriorating roofs for 175,000 NYCHA residents. Leaky roofs are not only responsible for key sources of water and excessive moisture that causes mold in apartments, but also represent a danger to a building’s physical structure. This critical infrastructure upgrade will provide a long-term, cost-saving solution that will improve the quality of life for residents.
The de Blasio Administration has made an unprecedented commitment to preserve and strengthen public housing. This investment is part of the Administration’s total commitment to $2.1 billion to support NYCHA’s capital infrastructure from Fiscal Year 2014 to Fiscal Year 2027 and $1.6 billion to support NYCHA’s operations from Fiscal Year 2014 to Fiscal Year 2022. This investment includes $1.3 billion to fix over 900 roofs, over $500 million to repair deteriorating exterior brickwork at nearly 400 buildings, and $140 million to improve security at 15 NYCHA developments. The City waived NYCHA’s annual PILOT and NYPD payments to the City, relieving NYCHA of nearly $100 million in operating expenses a year. In January 2018, the Mayor announced $13 million to improve NYCHA’s response to heating emergencies this winter, followed by an additional $200 million for long-term heating improvements at 20 NYCHA developments.
“Public Housing in New York City is one of our strongest investments in fairness and equity, which is why it is imperative that buildings are maintained, so residents are safe and healthy. I am glad to see this investment in repairing roofs- a vital step for NYCHA residents,” said State Senator Roxanne Persaud.
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