Thousands of Manhattan residents at the Fulton and Elliot-Chelsea Houses are one step closer to seeing their aging apartments transformed. The New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA) has approved a proposal to replace these aging buildings with new, mixed-income apartments. While some residents support the changes, others have raised concerns about displacement, transparency, and community impact.

In a recent board meeting, NYCHA approved a plan to replace 18 old buildings between Fulton and Elliot-Chelsea Houses with modern apartments, developed by Essence and Related. This redevelopment would mean 4,500 residents could live in new units featuring updated amenities like air conditioning, heating controls and in-unit laundry.

“This is a really important moment in the history of NYCHA transformation," said NYCHA board chair Jamie Rubin. "This is an inflection point, because at the end of the day, the only way that we're really going to return the NYCHA to the status that it once was—which was the glory of the United States public housing system—is to reinvest in the buildings themselves.”

The proposed project aims to create over 3,500 new apartments, including 1,000 units designated as permanently affordable. Additional plans include building health clinics, community centers, and open green spaces. However, some residents feel the process has lacked transparency and believe it overlooks their voices.

“939 FEC tenants have voiced their concerns, fears, and opposition to the demolition of their homes,” said Salinas Miranda, an Elliott-Chelsea resident. “We have copies of every single signature for you to keep.”

Another Elliott-Chelsea resident, Renee K., voiced similar frustrations. “Related has already been given $5.6 billion of our taxpayer money. There has been a troubling lack of transparency and detail in this process. The absence of clear answers to our vital questions raises concern. We’re always the last to know.”

Concerns also center around the potential displacement of residents and the disruption of community ties. While NYCHA and the developers have assured residents they will have the right to return to new units, some fear the construction process could lead to relocations.

Miguel Acevedo, a resident of the Fulton Houses, highlighted the urgency of addressing current living conditions. “Come! We got vacant units. I invite anyone who doesn’t live at Fulton to come stay at Fulton. We got the apartments for you to stay there, and you’ll see how we’re living, how disgusting it is.”

As NYCHA moves forward with this redevelopment plan, they will now work on finalizing agreements with federal housing authorities and private partners to secure funding. If all goes according to plan, the first phase of construction could begin as soon as July 2025.