Transcript: Mayor Adams Calls in For Live Interview on 1010 Wins' "Morning Drive"

December 15, 2023

Susan Richard: 1010 WINS 92.3 FM. Good morning. We are joined live this morning by Mayor Adams who has a big announcement to make along with deputy mayor for Housing, Economic and Workforce Development Maria Torres‑Springer. Good morning to you both. Tell us what we need to know.

Mayor Eric Adams: Good morning, and great to be on with you. We are really excited about the first round of voting that took place on Nostrand Avenue: our land trust passed. And it just shows you that NYCHA residents are ready for change.

When you look at the fact over 50 percent voted for either the land trust or the PACT program, this is going to use a substantial input of federal dollars into NYCHA and finally start the journey of improvement the housing for our NYCHA residents.

Richard: Deputy mayor, explain what these programs are so people know what we're talking about.

Deputy Mayor Maria Torres‑Springer, Housing, Economic and Workforce Development: Absolutely. Thank you, Susan.

These programs, frankly, after decades of disinvestment, are underinvested by the federal government. We are using at the city level with the type of velocity that allows for the repairs and renovations that NYCHA residents deserve. So, for example, the Public Housing Trust, the historic vote that Nostrand Houses residents took to enter the trust, what that means is $600 million in investment for repairs to apartments, to grounds, to infrastructure, to social services.

And it complements the work that we're doing in programs like PACT, which also allows for a much higher levels of federal subsidy so that we can finally put the buildings and apartments that are within NYCHA on a more sustainable path— because one in 17 New Yorkers, Susan, right, live in NYCHA developments. That's more than 500,000 people. That's larger than the populations of Miami, Sacramento or Atlanta. And under the leadership of this mayor, we are finally using the tools that we need to see the type of transformation that NYCHA residents deserve.

Richard: And so what will be happening at the Nostrand Houses specifically? Will buildings be… Will tenants be displaced for time, or…

Deputy Mayor Torres‑Springer: No. Well, so here, what the trust allows us to do is access, it unlocks federal funding so we can make the repairs. The tenants preserve all of their rights. The units continue to be permanently affordable. They'll always only pay 30 percent of their income on rent.

But by unlocking more federal subsidies, we're now able to make the types of repairs that for too long have not happened. It complements our work through the PACT program, it complements the historic investments in capital repairs that we're making across NYCHA developments and really builds on what we believe is really a historic year of progress under this administration.

Richard: There was an assessment released back in July that said over the next 20 years NYCHA's going to need more than $78 billion to make these needed repairs, and we're talking about things like leaky pipes, elevators that don't work, renovating apartments that have super old kitchens, stuff like that.

It also said that 60 billion of that would be needed just over the next five years to repair heating systems, boilers and the like. So, this program, how much of this program is going to solve that giant problem?

Deputy Mayor Torres‑Springer: Well, the challenge is, as you mentioned, Susan, enormous. The physical needs assessment of $80 billion means that we have to take these challenges very seriously, which we are doing.

A program like this through the trust, really the commitment is up to 25,000 units that will see repairs because of the trust. It's another 60,000 units through the PACT program. So, we can make a real dent in that enormous number by utilizing these programs as energetically and as quickly as we have been. And that work continues.

But really this year has been a transformational year where we're firing on all cylinders, because that's what the residents of NYCHA deserve.

Mayor Adams: And when you look at… Susan, when you look at what we're doing not only with the trust program but what we're doing at Chelsea Houses. We are thinking differently, because we cannot continue to say that the calvary is going to come, we have to find solutions on our own. The federal government and the state government, they have a responsibility, but right here in the city we're finding creative ways to really reform and transform NYCHA.

And that is why we put it at the top of our housing plan to make sure that it was front and center that NYCHA's part of our overall housing scheme.

Richard: Yes, so let's talk about the Chelsea Houses for a second. So, I remember when we were doing that story a while back and we were talking about that some of the buildings might be demolished and then rebuilt. And so what is the plan there, or is there a plan with the Chelsea development?

Deputy Mayor Torres‑Springer: There absolutely is a plan, and the number one thing that I'll say is that we followed resident voices and resident aspirations. So, after a lengthy community engagement process that residents of Fulton and Chelsea-Elliot Houses expressed their desire to see new apartments. And so with the plan that we have, the 2,100 new homes for Fulton and Chelsea-Elliot residents will be built and we'll be able to build 3,500 new mixed income units.

So, as the mayor mentioned, it's an innovative plan, it's a bold plan. But these are exactly, Susan, the types of tools that we need in order to confront the challenge that you mentioned earlier. Projects like Fulton Chelsea-Elliot, the PACT program, the trust program and all of the suite of new sustainability initiatives that for the first time we are implementing with energy. So, it's the combination of this that we think will really help us really usher in a new era of progress and transformation at NYCHA.

Richard: All right. I want to talk quickly about just two other things briefly. Let's talk about the building collapse in the Bronx. The Bronx DA, we're learning this morning, has opened a criminal investigation. The landlord, the owner of the building has said, no criminality here. Where is the Buildings Department at in terms of this process for the clean up and the investigation?

Mayor Adams: They're moving forward, and it's imperative, you know, to allow the DA to do an analysis and determine if anything was improperly carried out by the landlord. But that's… That building has two sides to it. One side, tenants were able to move back in, and the side where the actual collapse took place, over 20 of the residents were allowed to go in to get their property, because you want to stabilize the lives of residents as quickly as possible.

We are doing a thorough investigation to determine exactly what happened structurally to ensure that if any other parts of the building needs to be examined we're going to do so. So, there is a dual review right now, one from the DA's office and the other taking place with the Department of Buildings.

Richard: All right. Quickly, mayor, I want to ask you about last night's frayed nerves in the city with the ConEd mishap at a Brooklyn power plant that caused that brief power surge. I was totally asleep when it happened, so I missed it, I missed all the fun. But are you hearing anything new on that from ConEd this morning, and did you experience the flickering lights?

Mayor Adams: Actually I did last night. I was out at the time and we saw the flickering of the lights. We are going to be briefed this morning. NYCEM Commissioner Iscol will speak with ConEd to find out exactly what took place and how that failed, that power failure or that power issue took place. And we'll find out exactly and we'll report to the public.

Richard: All right. Mayor Adams and Deputy Mayor Torres‑Springer, thank you so much for your time.

Mayor Adams: Thank you.

Deputy Mayor Torres‑Springer: Thank you.