NYCHA Seeks Resident Input on the Public Housing Preservation Trust Draft Voting Procedures 

After two months of public meetings – virtual and in-person – NYCHA is reviewing the comments and suggestions it received from residents regarding the Public Housing Preservation Trust’s draft voting procedures.  

The legislation authorizing the Trust, signed into law by Governor Kathy Hochul this summer, requires the establishment of a resident opt-in voting process that will allow residents to decide the future of their homes: residents of each NYCHA development will vote to decide whether or not they want their development to be included in the Trust and its work to fully renovate buildings and apartments. 

A total of eight meetings – six in-person and two online – were held across the five boroughs in October and November to provide residents with information about the Trust as well as to obtain their views about the draft voting procedures.  

“We had at least one meeting in every single borough, with two in Manhattan – one in upper Manhattan, one in lower Manhattan,” said Courtney Yu, State Affairs Officer in NYCHA’s Office of Intergovernmental Relations.  

“It was good to get a diversity of opinions,” said Andrew Kaplan, NYCHA’s Chief of Staff. “There were a lot of people who came who wanted to learn more about the Trust.”  

The draft voting procedures at the heart of the public meetings were developed jointly by NYCHA, resident leaders, policy advocates, and experts over a two-month period.  

From October 14 through November 23, residents could submit their comments on the draft voting procedures at the public meetings or by mail or email.  

“A lot of people wanted to share their concerns or suggestions for improvement of the procedures, and some people said they liked certain elements of it as well,” Mr. Kaplan said. “Getting a wide range of opinions from residents across the city is really helpful to making sure the procedures are as effective as possible.”  

 “Participants found the public meetings about the Trust draft voting procedure informative,” said Curtis Williams, Deputy Director of Resident Participation and Civic Engagement. “While some participants already had some knowledge about the draft procedures, they still had lingering questions that they wanted answered, and the meetings were a valuable venue for them to get greater clarity about the draft voting procedures and the Trust overall.” 

With the close of the public comment period, NYCHA will revise the draft voting procedures based on the feedback received. It will then publish the final voting procedures by December 13. Voting by NYCHA developments is expected to begin in phases next year. 

The Public Housing Preservation Trust is expected to bring billions of dollars in comprehensive renovations to thousands of NYCHA apartments while maintaining residents’ rights (including permanently affordable rent) and keeping the properties 100 percent public. 

For more information about the Trust, please visit on.nyc.gov/preservation-trust. If you have any questions about the Trust, please send an email to trust.comments@nycha.nyc.gov.