The environmental review process for the proposed demolition of New York City Housing Authority’s (NYCHA’s) Fulton and Elliott-Chelsea (FEC) Houses in Manhattan has wrapped with the publishing of the record of decision (ROD) and findings statement. However, numerous tenants and organizers were opposed to the plan.
The city’s $1.9 billion redevelopment plan is to demolish and replace 24 buildings, which contain 2,056 existing units, and create up to 3,454 new units in seven acres of public housing development land –– one of the largest planned public housing demolitions in the city’s history –– and ideally move displaced, primarily Black and Brown, residents back in once reconstruction is complete.
The plan was launched back in 2019; the NYCHA Board enacted the Bridge Plan, which was supposed to provide additional security, pest control, building system repairs, and common area and in-unit repairs for the FEC before and during the construction of the new buildings in 2024. The environmental review process also began in January 2024.
To summarize the ROD, NYCHA considered “all alternatives” plans and public comments, deciding to proceed with the “rezoning alternative” or the “preferred alternative.” This means that they are moving forward with the FEC demolition, as well as rezoning the area.
With this rezoning alternative, NYCHA has vowed to set aside Section 8 units for existing FEC residents; build new mixed-use, mixed-income buildings with both market-rate and affordable housing units; and provide a range of Mandatory Inclusionary Housing (MIH) of 20 to 30% of affordable housing.
With the chosen plan, there will also be “adverse” environmental impacts to local transportation and pedestrian foot traffic, and unavoidable significant noise impacts due to construction, according to the environmental impact statement.
Anti-demolition tenant organizers continued to speak out against the demo at last month’s NYCHA annual public hearing. Both Jamie Rubin, chair of the NYCHA Board, and NYCHA CEO Lisa Bova-Hiatt said they pride themselves on listening, but those who testified said they felt officials were disengaged and dismissive at the meeting.
“And what’s happening here is not policy. It’s violence,” said Renee Keitt, president of the Elliott-Chelsea Tenant Association, in her testimony. “It’s demolition by neglect. Racial capitalism. The commodification of housing.”
Celines Miranda, second vice president of the Elliott-Chelsea Tenant Association, added that,
“From day one, our efforts to stop demolition have been consistently sabotaged, every step of the way, including disregarding our petition of over 950 tenants who signed against the demolition.”
“It is not fiscal prudence. It is not sound housing policy. The tenants deserve better. No demolition. The public deserves better. No demolition,” said Democratic District Leader Layla Law-Gisiko in her testimony. “NYCHA must cancel this demolition plan and return to its original mandate: rehab and preserve public housing.”
Other people who testified at the hearing spoke of a fear of private developers seizing public housing land for market-rate housing and being permanently displaced during the demolition.
Those opposed to the demolition banded together recently to launch a GoFundMe for the Chelsea Public Housing Legal Defense Fund. Their aim is to raise $75,000 to pay for legal representation for disabled and senior FEC residents.