2 Chelsea NYCHA Buildings Could Be Demolished And Rebuilt: Report

CHESLEA, NY — Two NYCHA buildings in Chelsea could be demolished and rebuilt to fund repairs at the city's crumbling public housing apartments, Politico reported Sunday.

Politico reported that five people familiar with the proposal say the New York City Housing Authority is considering tearing down two of Fulton Houses smaller buildings and replacing them with one larger building.

The new building would include 70 percent market rate units, and the remaining 30 percent of units would be affordable enough for public housing residents, Politico reported.

Politico reported that the project would be done in partnership with private developers with the goal of funding repairs at the 11-building complex, which are estimated at $168 million in the next five years.

Residents would be relocated to two other buildings that would be built on a parking lot at Fulton Houses, which is located on West 17th between 9th and 10th Aves.

A spokeswoman for Mayor Bill de Blasio, Olivia Lapeyrolerie, told Politico the administration has "made an unprecedented commitment to renovating tens of thousands of apartments and improving residents' quality of lives."

"This is an ambitious plan, and we will work with local elected officials and residents to discuss different paths to achieve this," Lapeyrolerie said.

Under the proposal, Chelsea's Fulton Houses would be placed under the Rental Assistance Demonstration, or RAD, which is a federal program that converts subsidies public housing residents currently receive into Section 8 vouchers and implements a private property manager for the site, Politico reported.

Some 62,000 NYCHA apartments are in the works to be placed under the RAD program and be converted into Section 8 units, the de Blasio administration announced late last year.

The embattled public housing authority is currently being overseen by a federal monitor to ensure NYCHA addresses its issues with lead paint, mold, heating failures, and other issues plaguing public housing residents.

Last week, the city kicked-of an effort to inspect 135,000 apartments for lead paint by the end of next year, following the housing authority's lead scandal in which more than 2,000 kids were poisoned.

NYCHA did not immediately respond to comment.

Read the full Politico report on Fulton Houses here.