The New York City Housing Authority
(NYCHA) formally announced on
Friday, Dec. 5, the selection of Camber
Property Group, Henge Development,
and SAA | EVI Development as the development
team to deliver comprehensive
building and apartment upgrades
for nearly 4,800 residents and more
than 2,000 apartments at Edenwald
Houses in the Bronx.
The selected partners will further
engage with residents and continue
to refi ne their plans for renovations
over the next 12-18 months, with construction
expected to begin in 2023.
The NYCHA’s community planning
process for the Permanent Affordability
Commitment Together (PACT) program
incorporated a resident review
committee, which interviewed prospective
development teams about the
proposed building upgrades, management
practices, sustainability and design
features, and plans to enhance social
services. The selection of the PACT
partners is an important step in the Authority’s
commitment to meaningfully
improve living conditions for NYCHA
residents.
“The selection of this development
team, and the process used for that
selection, highlight the important
changes NYCHA continues to make to
improve the PACT program in partnership
with its residents,” said Vicki
Been, deputy mayor for Housing and
Economic Development. “The robust
resident engagement and inclusion of
both minority-led and minority womenled
fi rms are further evidence of the
benefi ts PACT can bring to NYCHA’s
residents and the City at large.”
Established in 1953, Edenwald
Houses is one of the oldest and largest
public housing developments in the
Authority’s portfolio, encompassing 40
residential buildings and more than
48 acres. The proposed rehabilitation
scope will address the 20-year capital
needs of the property while prioritizing
resident preferences and investments
towards healthy and effi cient buildings
within a resilient campus. The
extensive modernization of the property
will include improvements to the
building envelopes, mechanical systems,
and apartments while addressing
resident priorities, such as a fully
renovated senior center, laundry facilities,
improved waste management, and
exterior site improvements. The PACT
team will also analyze the feasibility
of increasing energy effi ciency and reducing
greenhouse gas emissions in
response to the NYCHA Sustainability
Agenda and City mandates.
BRONX TIMES REPORTER, D 44 EC. 17-23, 2021 BTR
The New York City Housing Authority formally announced the development team to deliver
upgrades for more than 2,000 apartments at Edenwald Houses. Photo courtesy NYCHA
“In addition to the major repairs
that will be coming to our development
through this partnership, we’re looking
forward to the reopening of our senior
center which has been closed for
several years,” said Edenwald Houses
Tenant Association President Walter
McNeill. “We’re also looking forward
to the reopening of our laundry rooms,
continuing with the resident watch
program and increasing the capacity of
our compactor yard.”
Over the last year, NYCHA briefed
hundreds of Edenwald residents on
the PACT program, the RFEI selection
process, and how the Authority
identifi es partners best positioned to
address areas of need. From there, a
resident review committee was convened
to work with the Authority to
vet submitted proposals, assess their
feasibility, and interview the development
teams directly. The review committee’s
perspective was invaluable
in understanding resident needs and
preferences across key issues such as
priorities for repairs and investments,
safety measures, and how to best activate
public spaces, among other topics.
“NYCHA residents and stakeholders
have seen fi rsthand how PACT improvements
are helping to rehabilitate
NYCHA developments, maintain tenant
protections, and preserve affordable
housing,” said NYCHA Chairman
and CEO Greg Russ. “Engaging
residents around the changes and improvements
they’d like to see in their
communities is an essential part of
this process – and we look forward to
centering their voices in the latest iteration
of this vital program.”
The PACT program has generated
more than $1.7 billion in comprehensive
apartment renovations and building
infrastructure improvements to
date for more than 9,500 households,
with $1.2 billion in major upgrades underway
and approximately $579 million
in renovations that have already
been completed. An additional 25,600
households are part of active development
projects in the process of resident
engagement or pre-development.
In sum, NYCHA has more than 35,000
units completed, in construction, or in
a stage of resident engagement or predevelopment.
-Bronx Times
NYCHA announces $445M in
repairs at Edenwald Houses