Voters at Coney Island Houses reject joining non-profit trust to underwrite repairs

August 19, 2024 Brooklyn Eagle Staff

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CONEY ISLAND — TENANTS OF THE NYCHA COMPLEX CONEY ISLAND HOUSES voted to reject the option of the New York City Public Housing Preservation Trust, a non-profit, to provide funding for much-needed repair and maintenance, reports The City. Residents of the 66-year-old development at the far end of Coney Island turned thumbs down to a proposal to remove the development from traditional public housing funding and move it into a nonprofit named the New York City Public Housing Preservation Trust with the goal of expanding the Housing Authority’s ability to float bonds for much-needed repairs. According to a preliminary count of a voting period that began in July, and ending last Thursday Aug. 15, the tally was 239 tenants voting against the trust plan and opting instead to stay with public housing funding known as Section 9. Only 125 of the tenants voting were in favor of the NYC Public Housing Preservation Trust. Another option, the Rental Assistance Demonstration, which is a public-private partnership, gained 42 votes. Had this option been selected, the NY Housing Authority would have retained ownership of properties but would have outsourced management to private-sector developers.

However, voters at other NYCHA developments in Brooklyn did favor the NYC Preservation Trust, including the Unity Towers this past Friday and the Nostrand Houses in Sheepshead Bay last December.

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