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NYCHA Starts Environmental Review Process for the Redevelopment of Fulton and Elliott-Chelsea

Michael

Issuance of Notice of Intent officially begins process, inviting public comments through March 8, 2024

On January 8, NYCHA announced the issuance of the Notice of Intent (NOI) to prepare an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for the redevelopment of Fulton Houses and Elliott-Chelsea Houses, with the New York City Department of Housing Preservation and Development (HPD) serving as joint-lead agency for the environmental review process. The NOI is the first step in the environmental review process, and it invites the public to participate in the draft and final EIS preparation. The EIS will examine potential impacts of the proposed plan to replace buildings across the Fulton, Elliott, Chelsea, and Chelsea Addition campuses in Manhattan through the Permanent Affordability Commitment Together (PACT) program. The proposed redevelopment will provide replacement housing and community spaces for nearly 4,500 NYCHA residents living in over 2,050 apartments, and up to 3,450 additional mixed-income apartments (of which up to 30 percent will be permanently affordable).

“The administration’s Fulton and Elliott-Chelsea redevelopment project is one of boldest plans in NYCHA’s history, delivering brand-new homes and amenities for NYCHA residents and creating thousands of additional units of housing in one of the highest opportunity neighborhoods in the city,” said Deputy Mayor for Housing, Economic Development, and Workforce Maria Torres-Springer. “As we move forward with the environmental review process, it is crucial that we continue to center the voices and interests of NYCHA residents. We thank our partners at NYCHA and HPD as they continue to lead this enormously important project that will benefit New Yorkers for generations.”

“The environmental review process is a critical step toward bringing Fulton and Elliott-Chelsea residents the new homes they deserve,” said NYCHA Chief Executive Officer Lisa Bova-Hiatt. “The environmental review process will help ensure that the redevelopment of Fulton and Elliott-Chelsea will be carried out thoughtfully, and ultimately brings us one step closer to improving the quality of life for nearly 4,500 NYCHA residents.”

“We need to save NYCHA now. Public housing residents can’t wait any longer and that’s exactly why the Fulton and Elliott Chelsea redevelopment is so important. This first step marks a pivotal moment and will allow us to deliver sorely needed safe, vibrant, and revitalized neighborhoods,” said HPD Commissioner Adolfo Carrión Jr. “We’re reimagining public housing in order to save the NYC Housing Authority and signal real respect to the residents.”

“Throughout the Fulton and Elliott-Chelsea planning process, it has been extremely important to us that residents not only have a voice, but that they are driving all decisions,” said NYCHA Executive Vice President for Real Estate Development Jonathan Gouveia. “We remain committed to working in partnership with residents and members of the Chelsea community to ensure a robust environmental review process.”

The EIS is required to satisfy National Environmental Policy Act review for federal actions and State Environmental Quality Review Act and/or City Environmental Quality Review for State or City actions. The publication of the NOI in the Federal Register serves as the first step in the environmental review process and provides information on the proposed project actions, its purpose and need, and alternatives to be considered. NYCHA has also published a Draft Scope of Work that invites interested members of the public to submit comments for consideration through March 8, 2024. Residents and members of the public are invited to submit comments in writing (online or by mail) or at three public scoping meetings to be held in February:

  • February 1 at Fulton Houses (6 p.m.)
  • February 5 remote/virtual meeting (4 p.m.)
  • February 7 at Elliott-Chelsea Houses (6:30 p.m.)

Once public scoping has concluded, a Final Scope of Work, Draft Environmental Impact Statement, Notice of Availability, and Notice of Public Hearing will be published in the summer of 2024. Environmental review documents, as well as information about how members of the public can submit comments, are available on NYCHA’s website. The environmental review process for the redevelopment of Fulton and Elliott-Chelsea is the latest milestone in an extensive, four-year public engagement effort. This past summer, a majority of residents who were surveyed expressed their preference to completely rebuild the four NYCHA developments, which are situated across two campuses. 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, 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 across NYCHA’s portfolio, having surpassed 20,000 units converted since the program’s inception, 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.

Photo caption: Participants of a 2020 resident engagement meeting on the future of their homes.