March 28, 2018

Shola Olatoye, Chair and CEO

New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA)
250 Broadway
New York, NY 10007

Dear Chair Olayote,

I write to express my opposition to the New York City House Authority (NYCHA)’s plans for
development at LaGuardia Houses.

After hearing from NYCHA tenants, community housing advocates and Lower East Side
residents, I am increasingly convinced that NYCHA NextGen Neighborhood Plan will have
unintended consequences on the overall livelihood of our community. While I understand that
NYCHA is in dire need of funding, this should not come at the cost of existing residents.
Furthermore, development at LaGuardia Houses is not a certainty, and it is imperative for our
residents to have ample opportunities to impact NYCHA’s proposal to develop on this site.

It is unacceptable that many of our residents have expressed feeling disengaged and isolated
from this process. While NYCHA stated during a recent Manhattan Community Board 3 Public
Housing & Section 8 Housing Subcommittee meeting that discussions that were held at
LaGuardia Houses were not, in fact, closed door meetings, this was not clearly indicated on
NYCHA’s distributed materials. NYCHA has held community visioning sessions on this
proposal, but residents have complained that these meetings are not fully transparent,
conducive to open and fair dialogue, and not advertised to residents in the surrounding
neighborhood. In the past, I have discussed the need for improved communication with you and
members of your team. It must be absolutely clear to residents that this proposal is not just a
city-wide initiative that is meant to generate revenue, but also a plan to construct an entirely
new building in our neighborhood.

In addition being transparent about plans to build a new building, NYCHA must be clear that
this is a proposal to privatize public land for the duration of the 99 year lease. I am against
privatizing public land, but in the event that NYCHA does go forward with this project to build a
new building at LaGuardia Houses regardless of my approval, on the record, these are the items
I believe must happen. First, anything built must be 100 percent permanently affordable.
Second, provided that there is an already proposed retail space, your agency should seriously
consider adding an affordable grocery store in that space. Ever since the Pathmark in the Two
Bridges neighborhood was razed to make room for the Extell developments, community
members have continually pushed for a replacement market. This is an opportunity to fulfill a
need in our community while generating additional revenue for NYCHA, and while your agency
has cited some zoning limitations preventing a grocery store from being built in that space, I
believe that suggestion warrants further discussion. Lastly, revenue generated from this project
at LaGuardia Houses should go back to LaGuardia first. In my district, I represent 11 NYCHA
developments, and the remaining funds should be distributed among these neighboring NYCHA
developments. This is in lieu of the funding being split fifty-fifty between LaGuardia Houses and
the general NYCHA pot. These developments are in immediate need of repairs and
improvements, and NYCHA should prioritize these buildings, if they are going to develop in our
neighborhood.

As New York’s main source of deeply affordable housing, NYCHA’s primary responsibility is to
ensure that low-income and working-class families have a safe place to live. If you have any
questions please contact me at (212) 312-1420 or email niouy@nyassembly.gov.

Sincerely,

Yuh-Line Niou
Assemblymember, 65th district