Thomas Hughes 
A New Deal-era public housing development in north Brooklyn will be transferred to private management at the end of December.
Williamsburg Houses, constructed in 1936, will be converted into privately operated Section-8 housing through the federal government’s Rental Assistance Demonstration program, known federally as RAD and locally as PACT.
Section-8 is a federal program in which a voucher is paid to private landlords. The change is being made to unlock loans that would allow for extensive repairs at the property, according to New York City Housing Authority.
“Williamsburg Houses was selected due to significant capital needs that are more costly to repair than other NYCHA properties,” a NYCHA spokesperson wrote in an email. “It was also one of the developments stipulated in the HUD agreement for NYCHA to abate all of the lead-based paint by 2024,” she wrote, citing a 2019 agreement that was the result of a federal consent decree between the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development and NYCHA’s management.
According to the agreement, “NYCHA made admissions regarding, among other things, deficiencies in physical conditions with respect to lead, mold, heating, elevators and pests, untrue statements to HUD regarding the conditions of NYCHA properties, and practices with regard to Public Housing Assessment System inspections.”
Now, after what some residents said were multiple delays, the formal conversion will take place during the last week of December, according to NYCHA. Construction will begin in late January for three years of renovations to the 1,621 units and public space at Williamsburg Houses. Residents will be moved into unoccupied units for 8-10 weeks while their apartments are renovated, according to NYCHA and Wavecrest, the property management company taking over.
Representatives from the two entities have been holding monthly virtual meetings with residents since December 2020, along with MDG Design + Construction, the developer performing the work, according to recordings on its website. MDG and Wavecrest will operate under a joint LLC, Williamsburg PACT. The newly formed partnership was approved for a loan of nearly $375 million through the New York City Housing Development Corporation in late September, 2021.
The first moves are expected to start in late January. Residents will be assigned a moving coordinator by Wavecrest, who will assist with third-party movers to pack and store personal possessions while apartment renovations occur. Tenants will not be charged for the moves and will get to return to their original apartments.
“It’s mostly for the health and safety of the residents,” said developer Jonathan Cruz, at the last meeting with tenants on Dec. 1. He said the work replacing flooring, pipes, and lead abatement would make the temporary moves necessary. Possessions will be kept in on-site storage pods, but residents will not be able to access their belongings during that period. Susan Camerata, Wavecrest’s lead on the project, said that’s because all boxes will be wrapped in plastic to protect against insects and rodents.
“A lot of us have lived in these projects 40 years—my mother 60 years, and they’ve accumulated a lot of stuff,” said a resident during the virtual meeting. “It’s the emotional stuff, a lot of stress involved with this moving.” She expressed frustration with the changing dates and lack of understanding about which apartment she would be relocated to.
“I appreciate that, and we’re not trying to not give you the information. It’s just that at this point, we can’t,” said Cameratta.
Resident Patricia Vega couldn’t focus on the future, saying current conditions were unacceptable. “I’m very upset,” she said. “We have no heat.” Multiple other residents expressed the same frustration. In an email, a NYCHA representative said six buildings have had heat outages this month for a variety of reasons, including a leak of a steam line affecting hot water and issues with a boiler. She said the repairs were made as of Dec. 8.
The new entity will take over the property on a 99-year ground lease. NYCHA will still own the property, and residents’ rent will still be capped at 30% of their income, which is the formula for affordable housing in New York City. Residents who currently pay a flat rate, however, will see their rents rise to the 30% level over a five-year period. Their succession rights allowing them to transfer their voucher to an immediate family member will remain.
