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Fulton Chelsea-Elliot Houses
PACT Top Story 

Final Scope of Work & Draft Environmental Impact Statement for the Proposed Redevelopment of Fulton & Elliott-Chelsea Houses

Michael

On March 28, NYCHA announced the release of a Final Scope of Work and Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS) for the proposed redevelopment of Fulton Houses and Elliott-Chelsea Houses, alongside the New York City Department of Housing Preservation and Development (HPD), which is serving as the joint lead agency and responsible entity for the environmental review process. A Notice of Intent (NOI) to Prepare an Environmental Impact Statement, along with a Draft Scope of Work, was released in January 2024, and the DEIS represents the next step in the environmental review process, with a minimum of a 45-day public comment period that is expected to run through Monday, May 12. Additionally, a Final Scope of Work reflecting feedback received during the public comment period that ran from January to March 2024 for the Draft Scope of Work has also been released, along with formal responses to the public comments. The purpose of the Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) is to ensure that potential impacts are being considered as part of any proposed actions or projects, such as the proposed replacement of buildings across the Fulton, Elliott, Chelsea, and Chelsea Addition campuses in Manhattan through the Permanent Affordability Commitment Together (PACT) program. The proposed redevelopment would provide improved housing and community spaces for nearly 4,500 NYCHA residents living in over 2,050 apartments.

“This is a huge milestone on the path toward renovating the homes of 4,500 NYCHA residents and potentially bringing almost 3,500 new mixed-income units to Chelsea,” said Executive Director for Housing Leila Bozorg. “I look forward to seeing NYCHA and their partners realize a project that has been both long in the making and deeply informed by the residents of Fulton and Elliott-Chelsea Houses.”

“The proposed redevelopment of Fulton and Elliott-Chelsea Houses would be a pioneering project that could deliver clear quality of life improvements to thousands of NYCHA residents,” said NYCHA Board Chair Jamie Rubin. “The release of a Draft Environmental Impact Statement is another step in exploring the potential of such efforts, as we continue to seize available opportunities to preserve critical affordable housing stock and ensure that NYCHA residents do not get left behind.”

“The release of the Draft Environmental Impact Statement marks the next step in the environmental review process, ensuring that any proposed redevelopment is carried out in a thoughtful and responsible way,” said NYCHA Chief Executive Officer Lisa Bova-Hiatt. “As this process moves forward, we are excited that we continue to move closer to the ultimate goal of delivering enhancements to 4,500 Fulton and Elliott-Chelsea residents.”

“This is more than just a procedural step — it’s the latest milestone in a complex, inclusive and thoughtful series of steps to turn the corner for Fulton and Elliott-Chelsea and demonstrates the lengths we’ll go to support public housing in our city,” said Acting New York City Housing Preservation and Development Commissioner Ahmed Tigani. “This process reflects our deep commitment to seeing this redevelopment through — systematically, transparently, and in partnership with NYCHA and all stakeholders. Together with our sister agency we’re staying focused, following the data, and advancing the work needed to deliver modern, accessible, resilient housing for the future.”

“NYCHA looks forward to continuing our partnership with residents at Fulton and Elliott-Chelsea Houses as we plan together for the community’s future,” said NYCHA Executive Vice President for Real Estate Development Jonathan Gouveia. “The release of the DEIS is another step in the critical environmental review process, ensuring that our plans are thoughtful and that all stakeholders have information about the proposed project.”

The EIS is required to satisfy National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) review for federal actions and will satisfy the State Environmental Quality Review Act (SEQRA) and City Environmental Quality Review implementing regulations for any potential State or City actions. The release of the DEIS is another critical step and includes analysis across various technical analysis areas, as outlined in the Draft and Final Scope of Work. The DEIS invites interested members of the public to submit comments for consideration through May 12. Residents and members of the public are invited to submit comments in writing (online or by mail) or at three public meetings to be held in April:

  • April 16: remote/virtual meeting (4 p.m.)
  • April 23: Fulton Senior Center (6 p.m.)
  • April 24: Elliott-Chelsea Community Center (6:30 p.m.)

Environmental review documents, as well as information about how members of the public can submit comments, are available on the HPD and NYCHA websites. A notice is also published in the Federal Register. NYCHA will consider feedback received on the DEIS to incorporate into a Final EIS (FEIS).

In 2019, NYCHA launched an unprecedented, years-long resident engagement campaign at Fulton and Elliott-Chelsea Houses, and in 2021, the Authority worked with resident leaders to issue a Request for Proposal (RFP) to identify a partner team. For the first time in NYCHA’s history, a Resident Review Committee was formed and ultimately selected the team led by Essence Development and Related Companies to provide much-needed upgrades and quality of life improvements to their homes through the PACT program. In 2022, building assessments revealed extensive, advanced deterioration that would increase the cost of a renovation project. In mid-2023, following intensive engagement to understand residents’ preferred path forward, a new proposal was announced that would rebuild all 2,056 existing units with brand-new, enhanced homes and create up to 3,454 new mixed-income units and new community facilities and public spaces, while maintaining resident rights and protections. The vast majority of residents, or 94 percent of all households, would be able to stay in their current apartments while their new homes are built; the remaining six percent of households would be temporarily relocated to refreshed apartments within the campuses.

The NYCHA Board approved the Master Development Agreement in October 2024, and a Bridge Plan has been enacted for Essence and Related to provide additional security, pest control, building system repairs, and common area and in-unit repairs across the campuses before and during the construction of the new buildings. A Final Environmental Impact Statement is expected to be released in late summer 2025, with the financial closing of the first two buildings to follow.

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 or build new, modern homes while preserving resident rights and protections. Overall, 146 NYCHA developments (representing nearly 39,000 apartments) are in pre-development, are under construction, or have completed construction through the program. This represents over $13 billion in capital repairs for the Authority. The Authority is working to include 62,000 apartments in the PACT program across NYCHA’s portfolio 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.