Runoff Vote Between the Trust and PACT Coming to Hylan Houses
On January 8, NYCHA announced that a full recount of resident votes at Hylan Houses, performed by an independent vote administrator, has confirmed a tie between the New York City Public Housing Preservation Trust and the Permanent Affordability Commitment Together (PACT) program, with 83 votes each. The recount, conducted on January 8, was an important step as outlined by the official voting procedures to confirm the accuracy of the existing tally, which included all ballots received during the voting period, before proceeding to a runoff. With this tie, Hylan Houses residents have made it clear that they are committed to transforming their homes and communities, as either option would convert the development to Project-Based Section 8 to unlock necessary funding to complete comprehensive renovations. Following the vote administrator’s determination that the residents’ top two choices received the same number of votes via a full recount, the tie will now be resolved through a 30-day runoff election, as outlined in the official voting procedures. A new Notice of Vote will be sent to residents, kicking off at least 30 days of public engagement ahead of the start of the voting period, which is expected to begin on February 26 and conclude on March 27. Residents will be able to vote in-person during the final 10 days of voting, beginning on March 18.
“With the tie confirmed by today’s recount, we can now look ahead to a runoff vote and take another step toward positive change for the residents of Hylan Houses,” said NYCHA Chief Executive Officer Lisa Bova-Hiatt. “We remain committed to this process, as guided by the official voting procedures, and will continue to work with Hylan residents every step of the way.”
Votes cast during the runoff vote may be cast in the same manner as during the initial voting process — by mail, online, and in person during the last 10 days of the voting period. However, this time, residents will choose between the two options that were tied: the Trust and PACT. The option that receives the most votes at the end of the runoff voting period will be honored.
The Public Housing Preservation Trust, a fully public entity signed into law by New York Governor Kathy Hochul in 2022 following extensive advocacy from the Adams administration and NYCHA, is expected to unlock billions of dollars in federal funding for much-needed, comprehensive renovations at NYCHA developments to improve living conditions for residents.
The PACT program transitions developments from traditional Section 9 assistance to the more stable, federally funded Project-Based Section 8 program — unlocking funding for designated PACT partners to complete comprehensive repairs. Overall, 139 NYCHA developments (representing nearly 38,000 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.
It is estimated that Hylan Houses, home to a total of 410 residents in 209 apartments, has a 20-year capital need of nearly $90 million. Portfolio-wide, a Physical Needs Assessment (PNA) released by NYCHA in 2023 estimates the Authority’s total capital needs to be nearly $80 billion following decades of federal disinvestment.
Hylan Houses follows in the footsteps of Nostrand Houses, Bronx River Addition, Coney Island Houses and Coney Island I (Site 1B) as the fifth development to hold a vote of this kind, in which residents had the opportunity to cast their ballots regarding the future of their homes. Residents of Throggs Neck Addition and Randall Avenue-Balcom Avenue will be the next to vote, following 100 days of public engagement.
Following the 30-day runoff election at Hylan Houses, the independent vote administrator will tally the votes and announce the tiebreaking results.