The New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA) today held Modernize Together: Upcoming NYCHA Capital Initiatives, a strategic one-day industry briefing bringing together potential partners to explore $550 million in innovative, new capital programs for NYCHA’s Section 9 properties. These targeted capital investments are distinct from the Authority’s modernization programs that involve Section 8 conversions like Permanent Affordability Commitment Together (PACT) and the Public Housing Preservation Trust.
On Thursday, April 23, 2026, over 400 attendees, including contractors, subcontractors, consultants, suppliers, and other industry experts convened to learn more about opportunities to work with NYCHA on diverse upcoming projects. Through breakout sessions, industry panels, workshops, and direct networking between contractors and delivery teams, the event provided participants with practical insight into how NYCHA plans, procures, and delivers large-scale capital projects as well as how to qualify as a vendor to compete for these projects.
A central focus of the briefing was the increasing role of design-build in shaping how NYCHA delivers large capital projects. For smaller firms, understanding this model is critical to accessing larger, multi-year contracts.
“The Modernize Together briefing represents a notable evolution in how NYCHA engages with the industry to address our most pressing infrastructure needs,” said NYCHA Chief Executive Officer Lisa Bova-Hiatt. “We are inviting a wide range of partners to help us deliver more sustainable, modern homes for thousands of NYCHA residents, representing $550 million in new opportunities. We’re thankful to all of the industry experts who joined us and look forward to working together to continue bringing substantive upgrades to NYCHA properties.”
“To rapidly address decades of deferred maintenance, we must use every tool, from design-build delivery to electrification-based solutions,” said NYCHA Chief Asset and Capital Management Officer Shaan Mavani. “This briefing was designed to provide our partners with a clear roadmap for participation in our capital projects pipeline. Whether it is climate resilience or plumbing infrastructure upgrades, we are committed to building a robust pool of partners who want to work with us to innovate and help preserve public housing for New Yorkers.”
Projects within NYCHA’s upcoming $550 million capital pipeline range in budget from under $25 million to over $50 million and fall into the following broad categories:
Electrification: As part of the broader effort to modernize building performance and reduce emissions, NYCHA is transitioning away from fossil-fuel heating systems in favor of electric heating and hot water solutions.
Climate resilience: Following Hurricane Ida, federal funding from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) is supporting infrastructure upgrades focused on flood mitigation and climate adaptation. Projects include stormwater detention systems, drainage improvements, flood protection infrastructure, and the elevation or hardening of mechanical systems and critical building components.
Wastewater infrastructure: Through the Waste Plumbing Initiative, NYCHA is replacing aging waste stacks and plumbing systems throughout developments, while delivering modern kitchen and bathroom improvements for residents.
Comprehensive Modernization: Select developments are undergoing full building system modernization to address aging infrastructure that includes heating systems, electrical, plumbing, building envelopes, and interior building systems. These projects often involve phased construction, multiple trades, and construction in occupied residential buildings.
This work builds on the work of NYCHA’s Asset & Capital Management (A&CM) division, which has driven a historic investment of $5.1 billion in capital improvements across NYCHA’s public housing portfolio over the last five years through the completion of more than 800 construction projects, while steadily increasing annual expenditures to over $1 billion the past three years in a row.
As the largest public housing authority in North America, the NYCHA portfolio includes more than 177,000 apartments across 335 developments with significant long-term capital needs. We are aggressively pursuing a variety of modernization approaches across our Section 9 and Section 8 properties to address the significant deferred capital investment that NYCHA developments have experienced for decades.
Firms are encouraged to register their interest to work with NYCHA here and to learn more about NYCHA’s capital programs.
About the New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA)
The New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA), the largest public housing authority in North America, was created in 1935 to provide decent, affordable housing for low- and moderate-income New Yorkers. NYCHA is home to 1 in 17 New Yorkers, providing affordable housing to 528,105 authorized residents through public housing and Permanent Affordability Commitment Together (PACT) programs as well as Section 8 housing. NYCHA has 177,569 apartments in 2,411 buildings across 335 conventional public housing and PACT developments. In addition, NYCHA connects residents to critical programs and services from external and internal partners, with a focus on economic opportunity, youth, seniors, and social services. With a housing stock that spans all five boroughs, NYCHA is a city within a city.
For more information, please visit nyc.gov/nycha, and for regular updates on NYCHA news and services, connect with us via Facebook and Twitter.
Featured image credit: DepositPhotos.com
