Lighting Project To Be Completed at St. Nicholas Houses by End of 2016

HARLEM, NY — Mayor Bill de Blasio and the New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA) were in Brooklyn for the announcement of a lighting project Wednesday, but at the same time announced the St. Nicholas Houses in Harlem would be getting the same treatment later this year.

The lighting projects are part of the Mayor's Action Plan for Neighborhood Safety, an effort to increase security at NYCHA buildings in the city. Since the start of the program in 2014, the city has spent $64 million installing and upgrading security cameras and has allocated $140 million total to the project.

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“MAP’s unique approach to public safety extends far beyond traditional law enforcement, because we know that bright, vibrant spaces and access to resources allow communities to thrive,” Amy Sananman, executive director of the Mayor’s Action Plan for Neighborhood Safety, said in a statement.

Part of that $140 million will be going to the St. Nicholas Houses in central Harlem. The massive project consists of 13 buildings covering four blocks, and home to 1,523 apartments.

The lighting project at St. Nicholas will be similar to the one already completed at the Polo Grounds Towers in Harlem. The Polo Grounds Towers received $4.8 million to pay for 341 permanent lighting fixtures in the complex.

A spokesperson said installation would begin on the Wagner Houses in East Harlem, with 2017 targeted for completion.

The administration touted the fact that violent crime was down 7 percent and shootings were down 17 percent in MAP developments for this year.

That would be a much-needed boon to the St. Nicholas Houses, which are located in the 32nd Precinct, where crime is up 4.05 percent year-to-date from 2015. And that does not include misdemeanor sex crimes, which are up 127 percent, shooting victims, which are up 5 percent, and shooting incidents, which are up 14.3 percent year-to-date in the precinct from last year.

Photo Credit: Google Street View, September 2014