The board of the embattled Housing Authority on Tuesday approved a nearly $10 billion spending plan over the next five years, as the federal government threatens a takeover of the sprawling system unless the city makes major upgrades.
The plan calls for spending $991 million to replace 290 boilers, $663 million to repair 600 roofs and another $220 million to fix 404 elevators.
It also includes $110 million for testing and remediation of lead hazards in the roughly 50,000 apartments located in buildings where NYCHA suspects lead paint was used in the past.
All told, NYCHA plans to spend $9.9 billion over the next five years on operations, upkeep and capital needs.
Federal Housing Secretary Ben Carson threatened NYCHA with a potential federal takeover on Friday if City Hall, federal housing officials and Manhattan federal prosecutors do not strike a deal over NYCHA’s future by Jan. 31.
In a bid to head off Carson’s threat, Mayor Bill de Blasio rolled out a new plan last week to raise $24 billion over the next decade for repairs and reached a new contract that trades pay raises for new work rule flexibility, allowing for regularly scheduled weekend staffing at public housing developments for the first time in decades.