Wednesday, April 29, 2026, 10 a.m. (New York City time), 250 Broadway - 8th Floor - Hearing Room 1
Committee: Committee on Public Housing
The Committee on Public Housing, chaired by Council Member Chris Banks, held an oversight hearing on NYCHA's role in preserving and producing affordable housing. NYCHA officials—Heather Beck, Brian Honan, and Dylan Baker Rice—testified about the PACT and Preservation Trust programs, comprehensive modernization, infill development, transfer of assistance, Faircloth authority, and the Development Partnership Opportunities RFEI, then answered extensive questioning on conversions, eviction rates, vacancies, developer fees, relocation, electrification, emergency housing vouchers, and capital needs. Council members pressed NYCHA on resident voting rights between PACT and Trust, vacancy filling, fee transparency, and cooking gas outages at Gowanus and Wyckoff Houses. The hearing then heard public testimony from roughly a dozen NYCHA residents and advocates, many opposed to PACT conversions and calling for a PACT moratorium and greater investment in Section 9. The hearing closed without a vote being taken.
0:00 This time no 01:00 approach
0:00 the dais
0:03 . Please silence all
0:04 electronic devices
0:05 . Chair you begin
0:07 . I'm calling this meeting to
0:09 order and good morning,
0:12 everyone and welcome to the
0:13 hearing on the committee and
0:14 public housing for the City of
0:16 New York City Council and I'm
0:18 Council Member Chris Banks
0:19 chance of the committee, and
0:20 I'm glad to be joined by my
0:22 colleagues who will be a
0:24 little data, but today we will
0:25 hold it oversight here on
0:28 nitro role in preserving and
0:30 producing affordable housing
0:30 in New York City nika
0:34 administers its affordable
0:35 housing portfolio via section
0:38 nine, section eight pack and
0:40 trust programs and is the
0:41 than 300 developments and over
0:48 a hundred 70000 apartments
0:50 that are home to more than
0:55 500000 residents
0:55 . If nitro residents makeup
0:56 made up a City, it would be
0:58 larger than atlanta or miami
1:02 ,underscoring just how critical
1:04 nitra is to any serious
1:06 efforts to address
1:07 affordability in New York cit
1:11 y. However, nitra has been
1:13 under for decades at the
1:15 federal and state and City
1:17 levels, severely limiting its
1:19 ability to function as both a
1:22 landlord and affordable
1:23 housing developer during an
1:24 ongoing housing crisis. We are
1:28 all too familiar with the
1:29 consequences and conditions
1:31 driven by this investment miss
1:33 , and that have left residents
1:35 dealing with the unacceptable
1:39 living environments that
1:40 reality is a travesty and
1:41 especially given the scale of
1:44 the population that depends on
1:45 nature every day two topic is
1:49 about how we preserve produce
1:50 and in power a and the
1:54 position nature to take a
1:55 greater role in New York City
1:56 affordable housing agenda.
1:59 Well, let me be clear, a
2:01 preserving public housing
2:04 cannot mean continuously
2:05 handing developments over to
2:07 private management companies,
2:09 while traditional public
2:10 housing is left to fall
2:13 further behind.
2:14 When this administration
2:14 chose to invest roughly 663
2:18 million towards pack and
2:20 private efforts while our
2:21 located only a hundred 4
2:24 8million towards traditiona
2:25 lsection nine public housing
2:27 . It sends a clear and
2:29 troubling message about where
2:30 the city's priorities lie at a
2:33 time when residents are still
2:35 living with mold leaks,
2:37 heating failures, broken
2:39 elevators and deteriorating
2:41 infrastructure conditions that
2:43 continues to impact vote,
2:44 physical and mental we should
2:48 focus on making serious direct
2:50 investments into preserving
2:52 public housing.
2:53 Not continuing a cycle of
2:55 disinvestment and developments
2:56 that house hundreds o
2:57 fthousands of New York is and
3:00 quite frankly, after years of
3:02 residents being told to be
3:05 patient while conditions
3:06 continue to decline. It is
3:09 beyond beyond time for fresh
3:11 eyes, stronger leadership and
3:13 a fundamentally different
3:14 vision for how night operates
3:16 and serves as residents, that
3:19 status quo has failed for far
3:21 too many families and for far
3:22 too long and at the same point
3:25 this City must stop managing
3:27 decline and start demanding
3:30 accountability, urgency and
3:31 real leadership that treats
3:32 public housing residents with
3:34 the dignity they deserve
3:37 . And at the same time nitra
3:37 has historically played a role
3:40 and not just it's not what a
3:42 role, not just as a housing
3:45 provider, but as a developer.
3:47 There is renewed interest in
3:49 expanding the role whether to
3:51 proposals like the community
3:54 service society revolving
3:56 housing construction fund,
3:57 or nitro zone requests for
4:00 expressions of injuries for
4:01 developing New housing or
4:03 night your own land clearly
4:06 there was an appetite to
4:08 empower nature to do more in
4:10 both preserving existing
4:11 housing and producing New
4:13 affordable units. This is why
4:15 today's hearing is very
4:17 critical. Ah, we need to
4:19 understand how night can be
4:20 positioned boat now is and
4:24 more moving forward and
4:26 stronger and more proactive,
4:28 affordable housing after
4:30 afters. That means not only
4:32 preserving existed, the
4:35 housing sounds, but also
4:35 ensuring that nitro plays a
4:36 meaningful role in producing
4:38 housing for future generations
4:41 . Today's discussion will
4:42 explore the tools currently
4:43 available to nature are the
4:46 challenges and preserving
4:48 public housing a and the
4:49 authority's role in the man's
4:52 broader housing agenda. I'm
4:54 particularly interested in how
4:56 nitro is thinking about its
4:59 section nine pack and trust
5:01 portfolios and how those
5:03 strategies or impacting
5:06 residents just as important as
5:07 we will directly here from
5:09 residents and advocates about
5:10 their experiences and what
5:11 they expect from nature and
5:13 its partners moving forward. I
5:16 would like to thank my staff
5:17 of mike lambert, Carl graham
5:19 of all the public housing
5:22 committee jose charles a.
5:25 Spencer renee James ah colby,
5:29 be noah samia for all the work
5:32 that they've this hearing
5:42 . We've been joined by my good
5:43 friend, councilman, but it I
5:44 see on Elsie. I like to call
5:47 it, um, and we've also any
5:52 other. Oh, and councilman mart
5:53 is what I a next we will
5:58 continue. We will welcome the
6:00 testimony from nature, and I
6:01 will turn it over to the
6:03 committee counsel to give the
6:08 affirmation, please raise your
6:12 right hand. Do you affirm to
6:13 tell the truth, the whole
6:14 truth and nothing but the
6:15 truth in your testimony before
6:17 this committee.
6:18 And to respond honestly t
6:19 ocouncil member questions we
6:22 begin your testimony. Thanks.
6:26 Are we able to pull up the
6:33 powerpoint. They're working on
6:49 it
6:49 . They're pulling up a
6:50 powerpoint so pleased. Be
6:51 patient, that's all right
6:54 , do we have the powerpoint
7:16 ready? Here we go, you begin
7:17 your testimony. Great. Thank
7:21 you, Banks, members of the
7:22 committee on public housing,
7:24 other distinguished members of
7:25 the City Council are nitro
7:28 residents, community advocates
7:29 and members of the public.
7:30 Good morning. My name is
7:31 heather beck and I'm the
7:32 deputy chief real estate
7:35 officer for knight and I am
7:36 joined this morning by brian
7:39 honan, our executive vice
7:41 president of intergovernmental
7:42 affairs and by dylan baker
7:44 rice, our deputy chief asset
7:45 management officer
7:49 . Thank you for this
7:50 opportunity to discuss nigel
7:51 efforts to strengthen and
7:53 preserve affordable housing
7:54 across the City
7:56 . The foundation of our
7:57 mission is to improve the
7:58 quality of life for New
7:58 yorkers that we serve our work
8:02 spans a variety of important
8:04 initiatives, initiatives that
8:05 both renovate our current
8:06 housing stock as well as an
8:08 able creation of New
8:12 affordable housing we have
8:12 rehabilitated and developed
8:14 thousands of homes with many
8:15 thousands in the pipeline, as
8:18 you said, and I just aging
8:21 buildings suffer from
8:22 significant capital needs and
8:23 for decades federal funding
8:25 has been woefully insufficient
8:26 to provide them with the
8:28 regular investment that all of
8:31 our properties for these
8:32 reasons, it's imperative that
8:33 we pursue New and innovative
8:36 models for funding
8:37 construction project delivery
8:39 and partnership, all with the
8:40 goal to deliver to our
8:42 residents, the homes the
8:43 ydeserve and to bring our
8:44 buildings, the investments
8:45 that they desperately nee
8:47 dnext slide, please. And the
8:54 next slide, please, can we go
8:57 to the next line go the next
9:11 lie data controlling it. Okay.
9:17 Like you can continue. Your
9:18 testimony will come back t
9:19 oyour slide.
9:20 Yeah, the permanent
9:22 affordability commitment
9:22 together or packed program and
9:24 the New York City public
9:25 housing preservation trust or
9:26 the trust program are the
9:29 cornerstone of our efforts t
9:30 oimprove resident quality of
9:31 life and to ensure our
9:32 buildings will be here to
9:34 serve generations to come
9:37 developed in collaboration
9:38 withesid rents and carried out
9:41 through extensive resident
9:42 engagement
9:42 . Both initiatives convert our
9:44 developments to a more stable
9:45 section eight funding stream.
9:49 This funding stream is
9:49 working nearly double what are
9:50 developments received from the
9:52 federal government under
9:55 section nine.
9:55 This healthy funding source
9:56 enables us to fully
9:57 revitalized or rebuild our
10:01 buildings.
10:01 These initiatives also
10:02 ensure that nitro developments
10:03 remain under public control
10:04 and that residents maintain
10:06 their rights and protections
10:08 .this includes permanently
10:11 affordable rent.
10:11 Both programs rely on the
10:13 rental assistance
10:14 demonstration program to mak
10:15 ethe transition to section
10:19 eight.
10:19 More than 44000 apartments
10:20 across 169 developments are in
10:23 pre development under the pact
10:26 program and under construction
10:27 or have completed construction
10:30 through packed. This
10:31 represents over 16 billion
10:32 capital repairs and upgrades
10:34 that nitro would not have
10:35 access to otherwise. Ou
10:38 rcurrent pipeline will bring
10:39 comprehensive repairs and
10:40 upgrades, along with enhanced
10:42 property management and social
10:43 services to more than 142000
10:49 nature residents
10:49 . The trust will also
10:50 dramatically up to.
10:51 The admin tonight. You can
10:52 you pull up for one minute.
11:03 Thank you. Yeah, we're
11:04 figuring out the technical
11:04 issue with the slide, so thank
11:06 you for your patience. You
11:26 couldn't stop area. Okay. All
11:31 right. You begin your
11:31 testimony. Thank you. Thank
11:36 you,
11:37 the trust will also
11:38 dramatically transform our
11:39 residents homes to date fo
11:41 rdevelopments have voted t
11:42 ojoin the trust to unlock
11:44 funding for much needed
11:44 renovations to their homes.
11:48 Last year, the trust signed
11:48 design build contracts for
11:51 projects to modernize nearly
11:53 1400 apartments at nostrand
11:54 houses and bronx river edition
11:57 this represents nearly half a
11:57 billion dollars in building
12:01 upgrades. These stats are
12:01 included on the slide. Please
12:03 go to the next slide
12:09 . The next few slides wil
12:10 lshow photos from our different
12:12 preservation programs through
12:13 both packed and trusts.
12:16 On this slide, you can see
12:16 examples of completed kitchen
12:18 work at linden improve sites
12:19 and grounds at bay chester New
12:22 windows and improved facades
12:24 up at eating wild and you can
12:26 also see examples of bathroom
12:27 or at reed park rock a living
12:30 room at harlem river and the
12:32 up lobby of independence
12:34 towers next line. This slide
12:39 shows the design center that
12:40 we created in partnership with
12:42 residents at east truster
12:45 gardens, a rendering of
12:46 upcoming lobby work to be
12:47 performed at sac weren and
12:50 planned improvements to the
12:51 sites and grounds at robinson.
12:53 You can also see several
12:55 examples of our model units at
12:58 boston road positive boston
13:00 psi corps and a model unit at
13:03 bayview next slide
13:07 . This slide shows the
13:08 renovations planned at two of
13:10 our trust.
13:10 Sites on the top row, you
13:11 can see the nostrum model unit
13:13 with a New heat pump
13:14 ,renovated kitchen and bathroo
13:17 m, the bottom row shows what
13:19 the renovations at bronx river
13:20 edition will look like this
13:23 includes repairs to the
13:23 bathroom living spaces and the
13:26 kitchen next line.
13:31 Centering resident
13:31 priorities and expertise is
13:33 fundamental to both programs.
13:34 Residents are involved every
13:35 step of the planning process.
13:39 They helped lead the selection
13:40 of our partner teens, they
13:41 help us prioritize areas of
13:43 investment and they work in
13:45 partnership with our partners
13:46 after conversion and
13:49 throughout construction
13:50 . Together our residents and
13:51 our pact partners are creating
13:53 detailed community plans tha
13:54 tcapture all of their planning
13:56 an engagement work and that
13:58 they do together during the
13:59 pre development process
14:03 . Now I'd like to share some
14:03 data on our conrsiovens and
14:04 the progress we've made with
14:05 our communities through these
14:07 vital tools so far can go t
14:09 othe next sign.
14:13 Starting in 20 22 9,
14:14 partnered with planning an
14:16 independent planning and
14:17 consulting firm to conduct a
14:19 comprehensive survey at our
14:21 pack sites and as you can see
14:22 on this slide 77% of
14:25 respondents recommend the
14:26 packed program for other nitra
14:28 developments and nearly the
14:29 same amount say they feel more
14:31 stable in their living
14:35 conditions.
14:36 This is because residents
14:36 are very satisfied with the
14:37 New management and the
14:38 renovations that their sites
14:41 . 77% Of residents who
14:43 responded are very satisfied
14:44 with the repairs to the
14:46 to the groundseven more are
14:52 . Nitro will continue to
14:53 survey residents and collect
14:54 their direct feedback on these
14:56 two programs, survey responses
14:57 will help us understand what
14:59 is working and they will als
15:00 ohelp us determine how we can
15:02 improve the program so that.
15:03 Night agh! And are pact
15:04 partners can learn from our
15:06 progress next slide
15:12 . In our public oversight role
15:13 nitra collects reports fro
15:14 mour partners every month t
15:15 omonitor their progress in
15:17 closing work orders and t
15:18 oensure that they are being
15:20 responsive to all resident
15:23 needs.
15:24 On this slide, you can see
15:25 that from those reports are
15:26 partners are closing work
15:27 orders in a very timely manne
15:31 r. The pack program also
15:32 provides immediate benefits
15:33 for our residents by improving
15:34 their living conditions.
15:37 And given the large scale
15:38 construction happening across
15:39 the City and also provides an
15:42 economic opportunity for
15:43 section three employees
15:46 . The section three program
15:47 sets hiring and training
15:48 requirements to ensure that
15:50 these opportunities go back
15:51 into our night community
15:54 . To date nearly 700 nitra
15:54 residents and other low income
15:56 New yorkers have been hired
15:59 for construction and