Metropolis Comptroller Brad Lander.
Photograph by Lloyd Mitchell
Metropolis Comptroller and 2025 mayor’s race hopeful Brad Lander is pitching a plan to enhance the Large Apple’s huge however crumbling public housing inventory, as a gaggle of New York Metropolis Housing Authority tenant leaders will on Saturday announce their assist for his Metropolis Corridor bid, New York News has discovered.
Lander’s plan, which his marketing campaign shared solely with New York News forward of its April 5 launch, goals to strengthen oversight of NYCHA repairs, triple town’s capital spending on public housing upgrades, and permit each campus to carry a majority vote over tips on how to rehabilitate their growth.
NYCHA, which homes 517,000 New Yorkers, has an estimated $78 billion in capital wants. Many developments are affected by points like boilers going out within the useless of winter, lead paint, and elevator outages.
“NYCHA residents deserve safe, modern homes, vibrant communities, and the chance to build better lives,” Lander stated in a press release. “My platform is a bold commitment to public housing—not just preserving it, but elevating it as a central pillar in solving New York City’s housing crisis, which will, in turn, advance racial and economic equity and deliver a future where NYCHA residents are full partners in the city’s success.”
FILE – Buildings at a NYCHA housing complicated.File picture/Grant Lancaster
The comptroller additionally rolled out a slate of endorsements from public housing tenant leaders on Saturday. They embrace Aixa Torres, president of the residents affiliation for the Alfred E. Smith Homes in decrease Manhattan; Brenda Temple, a tenant at Oceanside Flats in Queens; and former Gowanus Homes Tenant Affiliation President Theresa Davis.
“From the day he took office, Brad listened, respected, and even sought out the voices of NYCHA residents, which is why we’re overwhelmingly proud to endorse him as the next mayor of New York City,” Torres stated in a press release. “No city leader has worked side-by-side with us like Brad. I trust his honesty and integrity as a leader entirely, and our city needs him to help curb disorder, stand up for our values, and bring us back on track.”
Lander’s plan would launch a “Yelp for NYCHA Repairs” — named after the app that enables prospects to publish opinions of companies. The system would enable tenants to price repairs on their residences, together with if the work was truly performed, which might be reviewed by town earlier than distributors receives a commission, in line with a duplicate of the plan.
In accordance with the plan, the suggestions would then be used to determine “Vendor Scorecards” for all contractors performing repairs on NYCHA models. It could additionally inform a “Vendor Watchlist” for contractors positioned on “corrective action plans.”
The plan additionally requires permitting each NYCHA growth to resolve by majority vote whether or not to enter a few rehabilitation packages or maintain its campus as is.
At present, public housing residents can solely resolve by a majority vote on whether or not to enter their campus into the “NYCHA Preservation Trust.” The belief is a just lately established public profit company that enables NYCHA developments to transform federally funded Part 9 public housing models into Part 8 project-based models, offering them entry to billions of {dollars} in federal capital funding for main renovations.
In accordance with his marketing campaign, below Lander’s proposal, NYCHA residents may also be capable to resolve by majority vote whether or not to hitch one other program often called Everlasting Affordability Dedication Collectively (PACT). This system places NYCHA developments below personal administration, which additionally permits them to transform from Part 9 to Part 8 and entry new income streams.
Lander additionally needs to triple town’s funding for capital enhancements throughout NYCHA over the subsequent decade. These funds would go towards updating boilers and elevators and addressing constant points like lead, mould, and rat infestations.
Moreover, the comptroller’s plan would make the most of the Preservation Belief to construct completely inexpensive housing throughout revenue ranges. He additionally pledged to order a portion of fifty,000 inexpensive properties he plans to construct on public land, together with 4 public golf programs, for NYCHA residents.
