FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: November 2, 2022
CONTACT: media@nycha.nyc.gov I (212) 306-3322

NYCHA Selects New PACT Partners to Deliver an Estimated $166 Million in Comprehensive Repairs for More Than 2,000 Residents in the Bronx

The partner team comprised of Omni New York, The Arker Companies, and Dabar Development Partners was selected by a resident review committee to upgrade 18 buildings at NYCHA’s Union Avenue Consolidated after a year-long resident-led engagement process

NEW YORK – On Tuesday, the New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA), in partnership with resident leaders, officially announced the selection of the PACT partner team comprised of Omni New York LLC, The Arker Companies, Dabar Development Partners, Renewal Chateau LLC, and Progressive Management LLC to design and implement comprehensive rehabilitation and property management services for Union Avenue Consolidated – a collection of 18 NYCHA buildings located in the Claremont Village and Morrisania sections of the Bronx. The seven developments are made up of 983 units that are home to more than 2,000 residents: Union Avenue-East 166^th Street; Eagle Avenue-East 163^rd Street; South Bronx Area (Site 402); Davidson; Stebbins Avenue-Hewitt Place; Claremont Parkway-Franklin Avenue; and Union Avenue-East 163^rd Street.

“Through the PACT program, we have already delivered critically needed upgrades to our public housing stock across the city,” said New York City Mayor Eric Adams. “Thanks to this resident-led process, we are now ensuring rehabilitation and improved property management services for Union Consolidated, benefitting more than 2,000 residents. This is how we ‘Get Stuff Done’ for NYCHA tenants.”

“Omni, Arker, and Dabar have a proven record of being incredible partners to NYCHA residents in repairing their homes and ensuring they have a safe, permanently affordable place to raise their families,” said Chief Housing Officer Jessica Katz. “Led by the resident review committee, PACT developer selections are a great example of how NYCHA is tackling its critical capital needs by empowering residents and giving them control over the future of their homes.”

“The Authority has worked diligently to reshape our PACT partner selection process in a way that empowers our residents, and the partners selected to oversee the transformation of Union Avenue Consolidated was informed by that resident-led approach,” said NYCHA Interim CEO Lisa Bova-Hiatt. “Collectively, they are committed to supporting the needs of NYCHA residents, and we look forward to seeing their vision for quality housing and improved property management in the coming months.”

“The PACT program remains one of the Authority’s most effective tools for driving the investments needed to meaningfully improve the quality of life for public housing residents,” said NYCHA Executive Vice President for Real Estate Development Jonathan Gouveia. “The three organizations chosen for Union Avenue Consolidated have a proven track record of successfully undertaking housing redevelopment projects throughout New York City, and they share our passion for providing upgraded living amenities and additional services for NYCHA residents.”

“The comprehensive improvements slated for NYCHA’s Union Avenue Consolidated will ultimately benefit more than 2,000 public housing residents,” said New York City Housing Development Corporation President Eric Enderlin. “Congratulations to the development teams and thank you to all our partners for their ongoing efforts in securing affordability and resident protections, while ensuring crucial upgrades for our public housing stock under the PACT program.”

In May 2021, applicants were invited to submit proposals aimed at repairing and preserving more than 3,647 units across the Bronx, Brooklyn, and Manhattan. Union Avenue Consolidated was among those projects – with an estimated repair need of $165.6 million. A resident review committee analyzed the submitted proposals, interviewed the development teams, and made the selection in partnership with NYCHA.

“I am enthused about the PACT program,” said Claremont Parkway Tenant Association President Gloria Tull. “It’s nice to see solutions for our concerns about safety and comfortability. I am looking forward to better flooring, heat, and improved security. We the residents are excited to have the conversion completed.”

“I am looking forward to a management team that interacts with residents, is equipped to provide better security, reasonable response times with repairs, and dependable heat,” said 1325 Franklin AvenueTenant Association President Santiago Valentin.

“I am hopeful that the development will remain livable, and that the quality of work will be durable," said Site 402 Tenant Association President Robin Davis.

“The staff at Stebbins-Hewitt are awesome, but I understand that there are bigger issues and they don’t have the funding they need. I’m looking forward to our residents having more resources and improved living conditions” said Stebbins Avenue - Hewitt Place Tenant Association President Raymond Serrano.

The development team comprised of Omni New York LLC, The Arker Companies, and Dabar Development Partners will oversee the implementation of the PACT project at Union Avenue Consolidated. Renewal Chateau LLC will serve as the general contractor, and Progressive Management of NY LLC will serve as the property manager.

“Public housing residents deserve the safe, affordable housing they were promised. By partnering with NYCHA, resident leaders, and community members across the developments, we’re committed to delivering much-needed improvements in every building,” said Omni New York LLC Cofounder and Managing Director Eugene Schneur. “From individual apartments to elevator lobbies to building facades to playgrounds, these comprehensive renovations will not only enhance the facilities that residents use every day, but also bring about meaningful investments for the community.”

“Today’s announcement brings more than 2,000 Bronx residents closer to the repairs and renovations they and their families deserve to fully address critical needs in their homes and communities,” said Arker Companies Principal Daniel Moritz. “Working closely with NYCHA and its residents, the teams at Arker, Omni, and Dabar have already successfully improved the quality of life of thousands of New Yorkers, and we look forward to working with the residents to turn their vision for renovations into reality.”

“Every investment that we make into public housing is an investment that will be felt by its residents and the larger community, and for that reason we are excited to bring about these improvements for thousands of Bronxites,” said Dabar Development Partners Founder and Managing Principal Dawanna Williams. “As we have with our previous PACT projects, our development team will work closely with NYCHA and its residents every step of the way to bring these life-changing improvements to the community and the borough.”

The expected scope of work for the seven developments includes fully upgraded apartments, with new flooring, kitchens, bathrooms, and windows. The buildings will receive modernized security, new heating and cooling systems, and upgraded elevators. Community spaces and common areas, including lobbies, hallways, laundry facilities, and mail rooms, will be repaired and enhanced. Exterior grounds will receive new landscaping, planters, benches, and play equipment in addition to repaired sidewalks and fencing.

Working in close collaboration with NYCHA and resident leaders, the PACT partners will now launch a community design process over the next 12-18 months to better understand the physical repair and operational needs at each development and engage with residents to ensure their goals and priorities are integrated in the rehabilitation plan for each building.

The selected PACT partners recently completed the rehabilitation of nine Brooklyn developments through the Authority’s PACT program. Founded in 2004 by former baseball All-Star Mo Vaughn and Eugene Schneur, Omni New York LLC acquires, rehabilitates, builds, and manages quality affordable housing throughout the United States. Omni manages 17,729 units across New York and the United States. For its part, the Arker Companies has worked with private-sector investors; federal, state, and local agencies; and not-for-profit organizations to develop more than 11,200 affordable housing units for very low- and low-income residents, including the preservation of more than 6,250 units. Dabar Development Partners is a developer and Minority- and Woman-Owned Business Enterprise (MWBE) with more than 15 years of experience in real estate investment and development, and a commitment to social impact and high-quality, carefully designed affordable housing. To date, Dabar has built and preserved over 3,000 affordable homes.

The New York City Housing Development Corporation (HDC), New York City’s municipal Housing Finance Agency, is the financing partner for PACT. HDC will coordinate the financing, which may include funding with bonds issued through HDC’s Multi-Family Housing Bond Resolution (the “Open Resolution”) or the newly created Housing Impact Bond Resolution (the “Impact Resolution”), a bond resolution created solely to facilitate NYCHA transactions.

Since 2016, NYCHA’s PACT program has generated more than $3.4 billion in capital funding for comprehensive apartment renovations and building infrastructure improvements for nearly 15,500 households. Approximately $579 million in renovations have already been completed, and $2.8 billion in major upgrades are underway or will begin early this year. An additional 19,700 households are part of active development projects in the process of resident engagement or pre-development. In sum, NYCHA has more than 35,000 apartments completed, in construction, or in a stage of resident engagement or pre-development.

More information on NYCHA’s PACT program can be found here.

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About the New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA)

The New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA), the largest public housing authority in North America, was created in 1935 to provide decent, affordable housing for low- and moderate-income New Yorkers. NYCHA is home to roughly 1 in 16 New Yorkers across over 177,000 apartments within 335 housing developments. NYCHA serves over 339,000 residents through the conventional public housing program (Section 9), over 29,000 residents at developments that have been converted to PACT/RAD, and over 92,000 families through federal rent subsidies (the Section 8 Leased Housing Program). In addition, NYCHA connects residents to opportunities in financial empowerment, business development, career advancement, and educational programs. With a housing stock that spans all five boroughs, NYCHA is a city within a city.