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Q&A
Council Member Brannan questions NYCHA on DFTA agreements and Hurricane Sandy projects
2:50:14
·
3 min
Council Member Justin Brannan engages in a Q&A session with NYCHA representatives, primarily CEO Lisa Bova-Hiatt and Chief Asset & Capital Management Officer Shaan Mavani. The discussion covers agreements between NYCHA and the city regarding older adult centers, potential leases for organizations in NYCHA facilities, and the status of ongoing Hurricane Sandy recovery projects.
- Brannan inquires about an agreement between NYCHA and the city regarding rent-free spaces for older adult centers.
- NYCHA expresses willingness to work with the council on providing nominal leases to organizations for accessing city capital funds.
- The conversation shifts to the status of Hurricane Sandy recovery projects, with a focus on Coney Island and specifically Cary Gardens.
- NYCHA reports that 30 out of 35 Sandy projects are complete, with the remaining projects expected to be finished by Q3 2023, except for Cary Gardens which may extend into 2026.
Justin Brannan
2:50:14
At the council's hearing the other day regarding New York City aging, Department for the Aging, their financial plan, I asked the commissioner about DFTA's contracting for older adult centers in NYCHA facilities.
2:50:28
As you know, DFTA contracts with OAC providers in NYCHA facilities do not include funding for rent costs.
2:50:35
Yet they do provide for rent costs for providers in non facilities.
2:50:39
When I asked the DFTA commissioner why this was, she stated that as part of an agreement between NYCHA and the city, the city would provide NYCHA with the community services that are part of the funding requirements for public housing.
2:50:51
And in return, NYCHA would not charge rent for these properties.
2:50:54
Are you aware of that agreement?
2:51:00
Okay.
2:51:01
So would you be open to working with the council to provide nominal leases to these organizations so they can access city capital funds?
2:51:17
Okay, so something local for me and then I'm going to turn it over to the chair.
2:51:21
I represent Coney Island.
2:51:22
We have a good amount of public housing out there.
2:51:27
Can you give us an idea of how many of the Hurricane Sandy projects are still ongoing?
2:51:54
Where where are those five projects?
2:52:34
Okay.
2:52:34
So I know we met on-site at Cary Gardens Last summer and that was the story then.
2:52:40
So we haven't moved anywhere forward since then?
2:53:10
And what's the overall ETA to button up all of these Hurricane Sandy projects?
2:53:29
Okay.
2:53:30
Hurricane Sandy was a very long time ago.
2:53:33
So it's unfortunate that the one that stuck is is in Coney Island.
2:53:40
Okay.
2:53:41
Thank you.
2:53:41
Chair Banks.
Lisa Bova-Hiatt
2:50:57
I do not know anything about that agreement.
2:51:08
We are always happy to work with the council.
2:51:11
And I think leases as a general proposition are a really good thing.
2:51:34
Sure.
2:51:34
Thank you for that question.
2:51:35
I'm going to turn it over to Sean Movani.
Shaan Mavani
2:51:39
Sure.
2:51:39
Thank you council member for the question.
2:51:42
Of the original 35 sites where we had Sandy projects, 30 of them are complete.
2:51:47
There are five projects that continue.
2:51:50
Four of the five projects are completing this quarter or next quarter.
2:51:57
The five projects that we have with ongoing work, they're all at mainly 90% or above one.
2:52:03
They're at Hamill Houses, at Baruch Houses.
2:52:08
There is a set of Coney Island sites, O'Dwyer Surfside and Coney Island Site 8 which are managed as one project that's at 97% construction now.
2:52:17
Red Hook East And West in Brooklyn and at Cary Gardens.
2:52:21
And Cary Gardens is a site where we have some ongoing challenges with the vendor.
2:52:26
We're developing a plan to bring on a a another vendor to complete some of the work and that will likely extend into 2026.
2:52:43
We've had progress with the existing vendor.
2:52:46
We have had, you know we've been based on what you saw there and our ongoing efforts, have pushed through a good portion of the work.
2:52:53
We've determined that there are certain types of scopes that they have not initiated that would make more sense and be more expedient and more cost effective for us to bring on a new vendor.
2:53:04
So we're trying to wind down the work with the current vendor, get that completed and then get another vendor on to complete the remaining.
2:53:16
So as I mentioned four of the five projects will be completed by Q3 of this year.
2:53:21
The only remaining one will be Cary Gardens.
2:53:23
We're still working through the exact timeline, but we would hope to have that buttoned up by the middle of next year.