Eastchester Gardens to Receive $406 Million in Renovations via PACT

On December 11, NYCHA announced that capital repairs totaling $406 million will be addressed for nearly 2,000 residents living at Eastchester Gardens in the Bronx through the Permanent Affordability Commitment Together (PACT) program. Over the past two years, resident leadership worked closely with NYCHA to determine the best approach to obtaining the much-needed improvements, and they have selected MDG Design + Construction LLC, Infinite Horizons, and Wavecrest Management as the PACT partner team.

Over the coming months, the PACT partners will work with NYCHA and Eastchester Gardens residents to schedule inspections and building studies, while regular resident meetings will continue to help finalize investment priorities for the campus. A workforce development initiative to train and hire Eastchester Gardens residents and a social services plan will also be implemented. Construction is slated to begin in winter 2024 when the development is converted to Project-Based Section 8 funding.

“This historic investment will breathe new life into Eastchester Gardens, initiating a comprehensive modernization of the homes of NYCHA residents and guaranteeing a state of good repair for decades to come,” said Deputy Mayor of Housing, Economic Development, and Workforce Maria Torres-Springer. “Our administration is proud to be implementing the largest modernization of public housing in decades. We thank the residents and tenant leaders for leading the way in the selection process and look forward to working together with the new PACT partner team on delivering improvements to Eastchester Gardens.”

“The PACT program has had a tremendously positive effect on the lives of so many NYCHA residents,” said NYCHA Chief Executive Officer Lisa Bova-Hiatt. “Soon, residents of Eastchester Gardens will begin to notice sweeping improvements — through the comprehensive renovations to their homes and campus, and in their overall quality of life — all while critical resident rights and protections remain ensured.”

“We have worked closely with residents at Eastchester Gardens to make sure the partner team selected for their development continues to prioritize their needs and provides economic opportunities to this community,” said NYCHA Executive Vice President for Real Estate Development Jonathan Gouveia. “We look forward to seeing this partnership and planning continue at Eastchester Gardens.”

“Due to years of disinvestment in NYCHA by all levels of government, the PACT program offers the opportunity to revitalize NYCHA,” said Eastchester Gardens Resident Association President Keith Ramsey. “Originally, Eastchester Gardens residents were fearful and skeptical of the PACT program. We were concerned that our rent would increase and that we would lose our rights. However, through an extensive education process that allowed the Eastchester Gardens Resident Review Committee to do thorough due diligence and learn about the process step by step, we came to the conclusion that PACT can positively transform Eastchester Gardens. Our partnership with this team is an exciting step towards addressing urgent repairs and critical upgrades, and enabling residents to actively shape the future of Eastchester Gardens while ensuring our rights are preserved.” 

“Through the PACT program, the residents of Eastchester Gardens will benefit from guaranteed affordability, extensive building repairs and improvements, as well as enhanced social services,” said New York City Housing Development Corporation (HDC) President Eric Enderlin.  “We look forward to working with the selected development team and resident leaders as we continue to deliver transformative change to our city’s public housing stock.”

NYCHA and a resident review committee, with support from an independent resident advisor and legal services provided through the PACT Resource Team, engaged in an extensive review of proposals from developers, general contractors, and property managers before ultimately landing on the selected partner team. MDG Design + Construction and Wavecrest Management have extensive experience with the PACT program, having completed PACT projects at Ocean Bay Apartments and Betances Houses; they are also leading the rehabilitation of historic Williamsburg Houses, which is currently under construction. Eastchester Gardens residents will continue working with the PACT partners to develop a comprehensive rehabilitation plan for their community, and expected improvements include new kitchens and bathrooms, upgraded heating and cooling, LED light fixtures, fresh paint, and new flooring, windows, and doors. Common areas such as lobbies, mail package areas, building entrances, and development grounds will be extensively renovated, while security enhancements, waste management systems, and free Wi-Fi will be installed. Environmental health hazards will be appropriately addressed, ADA improvements will be made, and the existing senior center and Cornerstone community center will be preserved and enhanced.

MDG Design + Construction LLC specializes in the rehabilitation and new construction of residential apartment buildings in New York City and Long Island with a focus on affordable housing. Since its formation in 1988, MDG and its affiliates have been involved in the renovation and/or new construction of over one thousand properties with more than 23,500 units at a total development cost of over $3.6 billion.

Infinite Horizons is a minority-owned real estate firm based in New York that develops, constructs, and manages affordable housing. The firm specializes in moderate and substantial rehabilitation along with new construction of residential mixed-use buildings. Infinite Horizons’ mission is to transform vacant land and underutilized or distressed properties back into community assets while increasing and preserving the affordable housing stock.

Overseeing more than 30,000 units in buildings of all sizes, Wavecrest Management is one of the largest management companies in New York City, with over 40 years of industry experience and a passion for providing opportunities that can improve residents’ lives.

The PACT program transitions developments from traditional public housing assistance to the more stable, federally funded Project-Based Section 8 program — unlocking funding for designated PACT partners to complete comprehensive repairs. Overall, 138 NYCHA developments (representing over 37,000 apartments) are in pre-development, are under construction, or have completed construction through the program. The Authority is on track to include 62,000 apartments in the PACT program in order to bring the benefits of comprehensive apartment repairs and building upgrades, as well as enhanced property management and social services, to more than 142,000 residents. The New York City Housing Development Corporation (HDC), New York City’s municipal Housing Finance Agency, is the key financing partner for PACT. In addition to providing or arranging the financing, HDC provides ongoing asset management and compliance support for PACT transactions.