Chelsea Residents Again Blast NYCHA’s $1.5B Tear Down Plan

Controversy continues to simmer over plans by the New York City Department of Housing Preservation and Development (HPD) over its proposed $1.5 billion plan to demolish and rebuild the Chelsea-Elliot public housing project.

“If you approve this plan, you will only be catering to the whims of greedy and careless developers who do not care about the NYCHA tenants,” said Celina Miranda, who spoke the Feb. 7 public hearing. She said she is a long time resident of Chelsea-Elliot at 430 W. 26th St. between Ninth and Tenth Avenues housing Feb. 7 at Chelsea-Elliot Houses at 430 W 26th Street between .

“There’s always all sort of unwanted and disturbing noise in the construction site—it is a health hazard on many levels. From 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. noise allowance will not work in a residential site. I want to know what type of noise restrictions will be made and for who,” Miranda said.

Other complaints at the latest public hearing ran the gauntlet from disruption of kids schooling, to environmental concerns. The proposed public-private partnership involves the city and a real estate developer who will tear down the public housing where 4,500 residents currently live and replaced it with a new mixed use public housing.

82-year-old, Carlos Vachon, has been a Chelsea resident for 18 years and spoke out of environmental and worried that the construction would destroy the greenery he now enjoys. “I feel that living in this community with the green helps maintain my healthy lifestyle,” Vachon said. “The current proposal will further deteriorate our environment. Do not add toxic particulates to the proposed areas.”

Simone Cadojas said, wearing a Columbia University sweatshirt, “Displacement will disrupt the educational continuity for families with children,” Cadojas said. “This will lead to a long-term consequence of academic achievement and overall well-being.”

In a Straus News story on June 23, 2023, it was reported that some Chelsea residents criticized how NYCHA conducted a survey in which it said some 950 residents contacted voiced overwhelming support for the demolition and rebuilding plan.

But residents at recent public forms are blasting the plan. At the public scoping meeting on Feb. 7, Maria Ortiz, a past resident of Chelsea-Elliot homes mentioned this survey concern. “There is a lack of transparency with the parties involved,” Ortiz said. “I still sit uneasy with the fact that during meetings it was highlighted that there was a “vote” that tenants prefer demolition, but did the questionnaire say it was a survey? A vote? Did it say it was legally binding? Were there details about the phases, or the years that the project would take?”

A Chelsea resident, who wanted to be identified as Lisa, echoed Ortiz’s statement. “There was a problem with the voting process,” Lisa said. “It doesn’t seem like it was a proper vote. It didn’t seem like they gave the right questions or answers. I’m still wondering about it.”

The relocation of residents for several years while the construction is underway also presents a mental health concern, Lisa adds. “You don’t know what neighbors you are going to be next to, the noise, and the lack of parts, there’s just going to be a lot of changes. And the anxiety alone,” Lisa said. “I have a lot of medical issues and all of them can be affected by change, demolition, rebuilding, lack of space and air.”

Lisa agrees with Ortiz that NYCHA should have more meetings with Chelsea residents to fully answer their questions before moving forward with the plan. “NYCHA should try to get the proper answers from the tenants that are here,” Lisa said. “It’s a lot of tenants that don’t even know what it is going on. There’s a lot of older people who have been told one thing and think it’s okay and that it’s already set in stone — and it’s not. I think NYCHA should sit back and re-think this.”

Chelsea-Elliot resident, Alexa Cruz, who has been living in NYCHA since 1969, is worried about her Section 8 housing grant. “They are going to give us false promises,” Cruz said. “There is going to be a contract for up to 20 years that they will abide by, and then after the 20 years, we are out in the streets. Look at the testimonials of people that have been taken out of NYCHA; they have been homeless.”

The final speaker, Christopher Johnson, advises Chelsea residents to vote out those city council members that are supporting the plan. “Eric Botcher, Tony Simone, Marc Levine, all these corrupt organizations that are behind the situation all must be voted out.” Johnson said. “Do not be deceived when they promise you better flooring or cheaper versions of refrigeration, it’s all a scam to rip you off.”

“You guys need to fight back,” Johnson urged residents at the forum. “They are down to displace all of you.”

Eric Adams voiced support for the plan to form a public-private partnership so that the city will gradually get out of the real estate management business. He said the “Chelsea Plan” is the model that the city hopes to follow in the future as it seeks to create more affordable housing in the city. Council member Eric Botcher and Adams said the cost to fix the problem plagued buildings equaled the cost of demolishing and building new structures to replace them.

The forum came only one day after federal authorities arrested 70 present and former NYCHA employees charging them with a “pay-to-play” scheme that demanded that contractors kick back bribes in order to procure repair contracts for the many aging buildings in the program.