The New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA) announced that over $100 million in capital repair needs will be addressed for more than 1,400 residents of the West Brighton I & II developments on Staten Island through the Permanent Affordability Commitment Together (PACT) program.
Following a year of planning and engagement with residents, NYCHA and resident leaders have selected BFC Partners Development LLC, CB Emmanuel Realty LLC — a minority business enterprise (MBE) — and the non-profit organization Catholic Homes New York to provide comprehensive repairs to 574 apartments across 14 buildings at the site. BFC and CB Emmanuel will also lead as the general contractors, and Pinnacle City Living will serve as the day-to-day property manager when the property converts to Project-Based Section 8.
The selection of the PACT partners was made by a resident review committee after an extensive community engagement process beginning in the fall of 2021. This process was supported by a technical advisor, Censere Consulting, through the PACT Resource Team. Resident review committee members reviewed and compared proposals submitted by potential partner teams and conducted interviews with proposing teams. The selected team will spend the next year working with residents to assess property conditions and develop rehabilitation, property management, and social services plans. Construction is slated to start in the summer of 2024.
“West Brighton Houses is in desperate need and is long overdue for these comprehensive repairs provided by the PACT program,” said West Brighton Tenant Association President Shekina Butler. “The quality of life for West Brighton’s residents has declined over the years, and now it’s time to celebrate the upcoming changes. While this has been a long and arduous process, we are thankful for the support of NYCHA and Censere Consulting to have finally chosen the partner team that we feel will best suit the needs of West Brighton residents.”
“After working closely with resident leaders at West Brighton to understand their priorities, we are excited to make today’s announcement,” said NYCHA Executive Vice President for Real Estate Development Jonathan Gouveia. “The selected PACT partners understand the importance of working in continued partnership with our residents to provide their community with transformational investments. We look forward to seeing our work together continue.”
During the resident engagement process, West Brighton residents expressed concerns with site-wide waste disposal systems and campus security; a desire to upgrade existing community spaces with enhanced social services; and the need for improved heating and hot water systems. They also expressed a desire to reactivate outdoor open spaces and shared recreational areas. Resident priorities will be addressed through investments in public spaces and community safety, landscaping, and building entryways. The partner team will leverage sloped grounds at the campus to create stormwater capture zones and build new community gardens for residents. Repairs will be made to existing community rooms, restoring their ability to be functional spaces to host community programs such as an on-site pantry and nutrition center.
Both developments will also see building security and access control upgrades, and a complete overhaul of building systems, including updates to the heating and cooling, water and plumbing, ventilation, and elevator systems. Every apartment will be completely renovated with new kitchens, bathrooms, flooring, windows, paint, doors, and other interventions to enhance residents’ comfort and quality of life.
Additionally, as part of West Brighton’s transformation, and in response to calls from resident leaders, two vacant bungalows at West Brighton II will be demolished and replaced with new affordable housing to be funded in partnership with the New York City Department of Housing Preservation and Development (HPD). NYCHA and HPD conducted a community planning workshop in November 2021 to solicit resident feedback on the design and programming of the new building. Based on the results of that workshop, the selected partner team committed to providing West Brighton residents with a new, expanded senior center, among other programs and amenities. The partner team will work closely with residents to design the new building, which is not expected to begin construction until after the rehabilitation work is largely complete.
“Life is about to be transformed and improved for the more than 1,400 New Yorkers living at NYCHA’s West Brighton developments,” said HPD Commissioner Adolfo Carrión Jr. “In addition to repairs through PACT, HPD looks forward to continuing to work with NYCHA, residents, and the development team to build even more affordable housing and a senior center on under-used NYCHA land. We’re glad to have partners who share our mission to deliver safe, affordable housing for all New Yorkers.”
