Mamdani announces $607M renovation of NYCHA’s Nostrand Houses via public trust
Nostrand Houses. Photo by GK tramrunner RU on Flickr
More than 1,100 public housing apartments in Sheepshead Bay will undergo much-needed repairs as part of a $607 million comprehensive rehabilitation project. Mayor Zohran Mamdani last week announced the closing of financing for the renovation of Nostrand Houses, which will fund decades of capital needs for 1,148 apartments across its 16 buildings. The plans mark the first-ever financial closing through the city’s Public Housing Preservation Trust, which was created in 2022 to help fund upgrades and repairs at NYCHA properties. Residents of Nostand Houses, home to roughly 2,000 people, were the first to vote to join the Trust in 2023.
“We will make sure these renovations last for decades to come. And as we do so, we will return to NYCHA’s roots as a public developer. Not just repairing housing, but building the new, high-quality homes that will deliver even more New Yorkers’ lives of dignity,” Mamdani said during last week’s press conference.
“The tenants of today deserve nothing less, as do the tenants of tomorrow. That is not a luxury. That is what government owes its people.”
Led by Community Modernization Group, the rehabilitation of all apartments will start this fall and take five years. Each building will receive major upgrades to its heating and domestic hot water infrastructure, electrical wiring, and plumbing, as well as new elevators.
Every kitchen and bathroom will be fully renovated down to the wall structure, with updated finishes, fixtures, and plumbing components. Apartments will also receive new appliances, quartz countertops, durable scratch-resistant flooring, energy-efficient double-pane windows, and new intercom systems.
Each residence will feature new window heat pump systems for resident-controlled heating and cooling, as well as dedicated laundry hookups. Renovated apartments will undergo lead and mold remediation, with mold-resistant materials and paint finishes incorporated into the construction.
Accessibility needs will also be addressed, with 81 apartments receiving upgrades for residents with mobility needs and 48 apartments modified to better accommodate residents with visual or hearing impairments.
The buildings will also receive upgraded access-control systems, expanded CCTV coverage, and an on-site security guard.
NYCHA will continue to manage Nostrand Houses, with expanded resources to support daily operations and resident services. A new on-site management office will provide a dedicated space for property management and maintenance staff, with more than 40 employees working on-site.
Kings Bay Y will provide a range of social services, including individualized case management, resource navigation, housing stability support, and crisis intervention. Programming will also support physical and mental health, youth development, family support, senior programming, and workforce development.
Residents of Nostrand Houses played a central role in the rehabilitation plan after voting to join the Trust in December 2023. Alongside the Permanent Affordability Commitment Together (PACT) program, the Trust was created to help increase funding for traditional public housing as federal support continues to decline, according to City Limits.
Developments that join the Trust are converted to Section 8, allowing them to receive greater federal funding while preserving residents’ rights, including permanently affordable rents, automatic lease renewals, succession rights for household members, and funding for resident associations.
Throughout the planning process, residents have helped shape the project through surveys, visioning sessions, community meetings, design workshops, and a dedicated Construction Council that continues to guide the renovation. Residents have also helped set priorities, reviewed a model apartment, and selected interior design packages for their homes.
The Trust has partnered with NYC Kids RISE to establish the Nostrand Houses Community Scholarship, marking the first recurring investment by a public housing entity in children’s NYC Scholarship Accounts.
Under the program, the Trust will contribute $100 million annually to the accounts of children living in Nostrand Houses through high school graduation, helping them pay for future college and career training.
Three other NYCHA developments, Bronx River Addition, Unity Towers, and Hylan Houses, have since voted to join the Trust, with additional resident elections ongoing. No development can enter the Trust without an affirmative resident vote.
“Nearly three years ago, residents at Nostrand Houses made history when they decided they were not going to wait years on end for much-needed repairs,” Sen. Julia Salazar said. “Instead, the building became the very first NYCHA development to vote in favor of joining the Public Housing Preservation Trust.”
“The residents’ decision to join the Trust ensured that their homes would be funded, modernized, and still within their control,” she added. “I’m so proud to have been the prime sponsor of the legislation that made today possible.”
Construction will take place in six phases over more than five years, with two buildings undergoing renovations at a time, Deputy Mayor for Housing Leila Bozorg said at a press conference last week announcing the initiative.
She added that most tenants will be temporarily relocated to other apartments within the development during construction, while some will be relocated “off site.”
“We expect to be able to deliver the project on time,” Bozorg said, continuing, “so much this relies on the deep work that the Trust and NYCHA has done with residents—some of whom have already been starting to relocate to make that first phase possible.”
Bozorg said the project is expected to be completed by spring 2030.
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