NEW YORK — On Friday, New York City Mayor Eric Adams, New York Governor Kathy Hochul and New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA) Acting Executive Director Lisa Bova -Hiatt announced the launch of a plan to replace 335 elevators in 20 NYCHA complexes, under a $300 million funding agreement with the Dormitory Authority of the State of New York (DASNY) signed in April 2022.
The funding was made possible through a close partnership between NYCHA, the New York State Legislature, and Governor Hochul, who worked together to develop a framework to modernize NYCHA’s elevator infrastructure, as outlined in the 2019 US Department of Housing and Urban Development Agreement.
“Every day, NYCHA residents experience the consequences of decades of underinvestment and tens of billions of dollars in capital needs. Providing the quality of life all New Yorkers deserve requires creativity and collaboration, and this agreement represents both,” Mayor Adams said. “Through the Public Housing Preservation Trust, PACT and similar programs, we offer residents a veritable menu of options to get the repairs they need into their homes the way they want. I want to thank all of our partners in Albany for their investment in NYCHA and I look forward to doing this work to help 34,000 New Yorkers avoid dangerous broken elevators.”
Nearly 34,000 residents living in nearly 16,000 apartments will benefit from improved elevator service at the 20 developments, which include six senior campuses.
Constant elevator service is especially important for seniors and residents with mobility issues; NYCHA has more than 78,000 residents age 62 and older, and nearly 40% of NYCHA households are headed by a resident age 62 or older. NYCHA’s elevators also serve more than 31,000 residents with mobility issues.
“With this important milestone, NYCHA is poised to begin major building improvements, leveraging $300 million in state investments to improve the homes and lives of thousands of New Yorkers,” Governor Hochul said. “Right now, as our state faces a critical shortage of safe, stable, and affordable housing, my administration is committed to preserving our housing stock, which is why I signed legislation to create the State’s Public Housing Preservation Trust. city.from New York last year. . I am proud to partner with NYCHA, its residents and local and state officials, and look forward to even more opportunities to grow and support NYCHA communities.”
NYCHA’s elevator inventory is long-standing, with the longest-lived rope elevators in the portfolio installed 32 years ago in 1990. All elevators identified in the State Capital Revitalization Plan have typical service lives of 15 to 20 years or more per a multi-family residential building. property.
The New York State Legislature has allocated $300 million to NYCHA in the 2020 and 2021 state budgets to upgrade older elevators in the Authority’s portfolio. The funding enabled the planning process for the elevator replacement to begin in early April.
The timeline for elevator replacement work at the 20 different sites is estimated to be between 49 months (Cassidy-Lafayette Houses) and 81 months (Marcy Houses), depending on the number of elevators needing to be replaced and the age of the related developments. .
All elevator construction works are expected to be completed by early December 2028.
“The funds provided through this agreement will enable us to address a key physical element of our building infrastructure — the elevator service our residents need and depend on,” said Bova-Hiatt, interim CEO of NYCHA. “We are incredibly grateful for the support and advocacy of Governor Hochul, the leadership of the New York State Senate and Assembly, and DASNY for the execution of this funding agreement and the allocation of these vital funding streams of the capital at a critical moment in the life of the Authority”.
A complete list of developments receiving elevator updates is available here.
