Nycha Closes $529 Million Pact Financing to Renovate Harlem's Rangel Houses

The New York City Housing Authority has closed on financing for a $529 million renovation of Rangel Houses in Harlem, a milestone that moves one of the city's oldest public housing developments into comprehensive construction under the Permanent Affordability Commitment Together program.

The closing, completed Thursday, October 15, covers 984 apartments in eight residential buildings that are home to more than 1,800 residents. The buildings have converted to Project-Based Section 8 assistance through the federal Rental Assistance Demonstration program, unlocking the funding that allows the PACT partner team, Genesis Companies and the Community League of the Heights, to begin rehabilitating apartments, shared spaces, grounds and building infrastructure.

NYCHA announced the closing October 16. Construction is expected to proceed in phases over approximately four years, an approach intended to keep the campus occupied and minimize displacement while work advances in the development while work advances building by building and common areas are completed in sequence.

"This financial closing is an important milestone to deliver the comprehensive renovations that Rangel Houses residents deserve," said Deputy Mayor for Housing and Planning Leila Bozorg. "Thanks to the work of NYCHA, Genesis, and CLOTH to make resident-informed investments, and greater and more flexible federal funding, this marks an opportunity to give these buildings a new start after 75 years in Harlem."

"This latest PACT partnership will deliver critical apartment renovations to the more than 1,800 residents of NYCHA's Rangel Houses, while also improving the overall infrastructure and climate resiliency of the entire campus," said New York City Housing Development Corporation President Eric Enderlin.

WHAT THE RENOVATION WILL DELIVER

Every apartment at Rangel Houses will receive new kitchens with quartz countertops, wood cabinets and stainless-steel appliances, fully renovated bathrooms with new fixtures, tile and vanities, and new flooring, lighting, doors and video intercom systems, along with full repairs to walls and ceilings.

Building-wide work includes new electrical service and wiring, upgraded plumbing and ventilation improvements. Facades, roofs and entrances will be repaired, and common areas, including lobbies, hallways, stairwells, mail and package areas and laundry rooms, will be renovated with new finishes and lighting. Community facility spaces, including the development's daycare, senior center, youth center and tenant association offices, will also be renovated, and a former multi-purpose space will be restored to active use for management operations and resident programming.

Outdoor areas across the campus will be redesigned with new landscaping, seating and lighting. New recreational amenities will include a community plaza, a great lawn, a recreation yard, an urban farm, dog parks, senior seating areas and a new all-ages playground. Pathways and entrances will be improved to meet Americans with Disabilities Act accessibility standards.

CLIMATE RESILIENCE AND ELECTRIFICATION

Residents will receive new window heat pumps providing fully electrified heating and cooling, a shift NYCHA said will deliver clean, reliable comfort year-round.

The renovation builds on flood protection work completed at the development after Hurricane Sandy. Additional flood protection and resiliency infrastructure will be installed, and critical mechanical equipment will be relocated out of building basements to protect systems from future flooding. The project also includes soil remediation and stormwater capture and treatment.

HISTORIC PRESERVATION FINANCING

Rangel Houses was built in 1951 as Colonial Park Houses and later renamed for Ralph J. Rangel, an influential tenant association president. Earlier this year, the development was listed in the National Register of Historic Places, a designation that unlocked access to federal and state historic rehabilitation tax credits used to help finance the renovation.

As part of the preservation work, the partner team will replace the development's existing non-historic double-hung apartment windows with new energy-efficient casement windows designed to reflect the original 1951 window configuration and appearance, restoring architectural features while improving efficiency.

"Every New Yorker deserves access to quality, affordable housing, and historic preservation can be a powerful tool in making that possible," said New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation Commissioner Kathy Moser.

Genesis Companies is a Harlem-based affordable housing development firm with 20 years of experience developing and preserving housing in Harlem and beyond. The firm previously led as co-developer on another PACT project in Harlem at Frederick Samuel Apartments.

"Reaching this closing is an important milestone for Rangel Houses, and it belongs above all to the residents, whose years of persistence brought us to this day," said Genesis Companies President and CEO Karim Hutson. "Genesis is proud to have worked alongside them, NYCHA, and CLOTH to make it possible. PACT gives us the opportunity for the kind of long-term investment needed to improve these homes and to deliver more quality affordable housing in our community."

RESIDENT ROLE AND ONGOING OPERATIONS

The PACT partner team was selected in coordination with resident leadership, and plans for the renovation and ongoing property management were finalized after years of community meetings. A Community Plan document detailing the investments, developed jointly by the partner team, residents and NYCHA, will be distributed to every household at the start of construction.

Following the closing, Twin Pines Management will handle day-to-day property management, including maintenance and repairs, cleaning of common areas and grounds, trash and recycling collection and regular extermination. Twin Pines will also employ on-site security guards and install new security cameras, access control systems and video intercoms. On-site social services will be provided by CLOTH, a Harlem-based nonprofit with more than 70 years of history, coordinating workforce development, health and wellness, youth and family activities, food access and senior services.

"Rangel Houses have been a staple in the Harlem community for over 75 years, and we joined the PACT program to provide upgrades to our apartments, grounds, and social services to continue our legacy for generations after us," said Rangel Houses Tenant Association President Bernadette McNear.

OFFICIALS ON THE CLOSING

"Today's financial closing unlocks the funding to deliver comprehensive renovations to nearly 1,000 apartments at Rangel Houses," said NYCHA Chief Executive Officer Lisa Bova-Hiatt. "Residents will see new kitchens and bathrooms, upgraded building systems, and refreshed community spaces, designed with input from the community and carried out by a partner team they helped select."

Deputy Mayor for Housing and Planning Leila Bozorg called the closing an opportunity to give the buildings "a new start after 75 years in Harlem," crediting resident-informed investments and more flexible federal funding.

Heather Beck, NYCHA's executive vice president and chief real estate officer, said the closing marks "another significant step for the PACT program," while New York City Housing Development Corporation President Eric Enderlin said HDC looks forward to working with partners "as we continue our work to secure New York City's public housing stock."

Genesis Companies President and CEO Karim Hutson said the closing "belongs above all to the residents, whose years of persistence brought us to this day." CLOTH Executive Director Yvonne Stennett described it as "the culmination of years of planning, partnership, resident engagement, and hard work, but it is also the beginning of a much greater responsibility."

"This closing is the culmination of years of planning, partnership, resident engagement, and hard work, but it is also the beginning of a much greater responsibility," said Community League of the Heights Executive Director Yvonne Stennett. "CLOTH understands that affordable housing is about much more than bricks and mortar. It is about people, families, stability, and the ability for a community to remain rooted in the neighborhood it helped build."

"Closing marks an important milestone for Rangel Houses, but for our team, it is really the beginning of our work with residents," said Twin Pines Management Senior Managing Director Bree Shaer Rothenberg. "As managing agent, we are committed to being a responsive, reliable partner to the Rangel community for years to come."

Under the Rental Assistance Demonstration, public housing properties convert from their original Section 9 operating subsidy to long-term Project-Based Section 8 contracts, a shift that allows housing authorities to leverage private financing for capital repairs while keeping homes affordable. Federal rules and program agreements preserve resident rights through the conversion, including the right to remain, rent levels tied to household income and organized resident participation in planning.

At Rangel Houses, that structure brings together public and private resources: the Project-Based Section 8 contract underpinning the financing, historic rehabilitation tax credits tied to the National Register listing, and private investment from the development team. NYCHA said the PACT program maintains residents' rights and preserves affordable rents for all households.

THE BROADER PACT PROGRAM

PACT transitions NYCHA developments from traditional Section 9 assistance to Project-Based Section 8, unlocking funding for resident-selected partners to complete comprehensive repairs while enhancing property management and social services. The program maintains residents' rights and preserves affordable rents for all households.

Across the portfolio, 170 NYCHA developments representing more than 45,700 apartments are in pre-development, under construction or completed through PACT, accounting for nearly $17 billion in capital repairs. The authority is working to include 62,000 apartments in the program, which would extend comprehensive investments to more than 142,000 residents.

NYCHA, the largest public housing authority in North America, houses 511,384 authorized residents across 177,565 apartments in 2,410 buildings, along with Section 8 programs.