Mayor de Blasio Invests $200 Million In 20 NYCHA Developments From Harlem To Hollis

Mayor Bill de Blasio announced today a $200 million investment to replace boilers and upgrade heating systems at 20 NYCHA developments experiencing chronic outages. This funding will go towards replacing outdated boilers, and modernizing heating system controls and hot water-making technology. These renovations will be finished by 2022, and will benefitting approximately 45,000 residents. Furthermore, these upgrades will help NYCHA save approximately $5 million per year in energy costs.

This latest investment brings the Mayor’s total commitment to NYCHA’s capital infrastructure to $2.1 billion from Fiscal Year 2014 to Fiscal Year 2027 and $1.6 billion in NYCHA’s operations from Fiscal Year 2014 to Fiscal Year 2022.

“Like our investment to replace aging roofs, this commitment to new heating systems cuts right to the heart of the biggest problems NYCHA residents face, and will make a difference thousands of them will feel,” said Mayor Bill de Blasio. “The record-setting cold this winter has hit these aging boilers and pipes hard. We’re coming to the table with real resources to attack these problems, and urge our federal and state partners to do the same.”

“The Mayor has demonstrated through his previous commitments that when NYCHA has the funding, residents get real improvements to their quality of life,” said NYCHA Chair and CEO Shola Olatoye. “While the city faced one of the coldest spells in over a half century, NYCHA staff worked around the clock to keep its aging boilers running. This new investment will help us improve service to our residents and provide them with the safe, warm homes they deserve.”

“I applaud Mayor de Blasio for stepping up and making NYCHA residents a priority. $200 Million in capital investments to address the heating issues in some of the most problematic developments is much needed, especially during a time of decreased funding from the federal government. While the city is finding ways to fund NYCHA’s boiler and heating crisis, I call on our state colleagues to push the Governor for additional funding to address this never ending emergency,” said Council Member Alicka Ampry-Samuel, Chair of the Committee on Public Housing.

Starting in Fiscal Year 2019, the $200 million will be invested over three years to do the following:

Replace Outdated Boilers at 10 developments with chronic outages. Developments are often comprised of multiple buildings, with multiple boiler plants, and this funding will go towards installing more than 39 new boilers. The heating upgrades at the 10 additional sites below will help complement previously allocated federal funding for boiler replacements.

Modernize Hot Water Systems at 12 developments by separating hot water from the heating boilers to reduce the strain on boilers. This will allow NYCHA staff to make repairs on the boiler system during the spring and summer without jeopardizing tenants’ access to hot water. Decoupling these systems also reduces the likelihood that tenants will simultaneously lose heat and hot water during outages.

Install New Heating Controls at 15 developments to regulate boiler temperature. This will help NYCHA monitor performance more closely, detect possible faults earlier, reduce the strain on boilers and provide more consistent heat to tenants.

The following 20 developments will receive at least one of the aforementioned upgrades to their heating systems from City funding. The other parts of their heating system are funded by the federal government or energy performance contracts:

• Morris I*
• Morris II*
• Taft*
• Cypress Hills*
• Farragut*
• Sotomayor Houses*
• Rangel*
• Fiorentino Plaza*
• Long Island Baptist Houses*
• Robinson*
• Astoria
• Baruch Houses Addition
• Baruch
• McKinley
• Melrose
• Pelham Parkway
• Pomonok
• Rutland Towers
• Soundview
• South Beach

These developments (*) are receiving new boilers with City funding.

Since 2014, NYCHA has committed nearly $300 million in HUD funds to upgrade heating and plumbing at 100 boilers. In addition, more than $100 million of the $3 billion FEMA grant for Sandy Recovery and Resilience will fund replacement of 67 boilers at 17 developments, and NYCHA’s three in-progress Energy Performance Contracts include more than $40 million in heating-related improvements.

The de Blasio Administration has made an unprecedented commitment to preserve and strengthen public housing. This latest investment brings 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.

“The safety and well-being of our community members is essential to the health of our district, I want to thank Mayor de Blasio for allocating the necessary funds to provide heating system upgrades at twenty NYCHA developments throughout our city, including one in the 35th Council District. All NYCHA residents must have heat and hot water, the most basic necessities of life. As a Member of the Committee on Public Housing, I am delighted that my requests for Farragut houses were answered and they will be receiving the necessary heating upgrades. I am certain that Farragut residents will rest a little easier knowing repairs are coming soon,” said Majority Leader Laurie A. Cumbo.

Minority Leader Steven Matteo said: “As many of us learned after Hurricane Sandy, many of the boilers at our NYCHA facilities are antiquated and in horrible condition. This is a necessary and worthwhile investment that will provide the residents of the South Beach Houses and other NYCHA facilities the reliable heat and hot water they deserve, while saving taxpayers millions each year in heating bills and unnecessary maintenance. I am grateful to the Mayor for making replacing the heating system at the South Beach Houses a priority.”

“Upgrading the heating systems in NYCHA developments, including at Pomonok Houses in my district, is a critical and worthwhile investment. No NYCHA resident should live without heat and hot water, like so many unfortunately have this winter. It must be a priority for the city to ensure that every development has a heating system that works and is structurally sound,” said Council Member Rory Lancman.

“Making this level of investment is a bold move by the Mayor to ensure NYCHA tenants get the proper heat they need and deserve. Not only will it repair boilers, but upgrade the systems so that the loss of heat and hot water become more rare. This is a win for tenants across the city, but especially those in ENY’s Fiorentino Plaza,” said Council Member Rafael Espinal.

“As Chair of the Assembly’s Housing Committee, I’ve been proud to work in partnership with Mayor de Blasio and Chair Olatoye to bring significant improvements to NYCHA developments across the city,” said Assembly Member Steven Cymbrowitz.

Assembly Member Michael Blake said: “New Yorkers need and deserve heat. Plain and simple. Since a budget shows someone’s values, it is encouraging to see Mayor deBlasio proposing a significant investment in boiler and hot water repairs. We have much more to do together, but, it’s a good step forward to continue #BuildingABetterBronx.”

“From leaky roofs, to crumbling façades, to faulty boilers, decades of disinvestment have taken their toll on our public housing. NYCHA is in crisis, and as far too many New Yorkers have experienced this winter, failing to invest in public housing has real consequences,” said Senator Brian Kavanagh. “We all must do our part to ensure NYCHA — home to 1-in-14 New Yorkers — is safe and well maintained. I’d like to thank Mayor de Blasio for stepping up with funds to improve the heat and hot water systems at Baruch Houses and Baruch Addition, and at developments across our city.”