Gowanus Houses Get $41M For New Boilers, NYCHA Says

GOWANUS, BROOKLYN — The Gowanus Houses public housing complex will get six new boilers thanks to a new $450 million plan to invest in the city's developments that need upgrades the most, officials announced.

The Hoyt Street complex, which sits on the border of Gowanus and Boerum Hill, will get $40 million from the state under the "Action Plan," which was announced by the federal monitor and New York City Housing Authority on Thursday. The $40 million will go to putting six new boilers into the complex, where heat outages have been a problem for years.

“This capital project is a testament to the commitment of all parties to achieving long-term improvement in the living conditions at NYCHA for all of its residents,” Federal Monitor Bart M. Schwartz said. “We have worked to ensure that this plan represents the most effective and efficient use of this money for the residents.”

The six boilers at the Gowanus Houses are part of 108 new boilers that will get replaced with the funding. The complex is listed in "phase two" of the project, meaning it will likely be in a second round of replacements.

The plan also budgets funds to replace 158 elevators in 10 developments in The Bronx, Brooklyn, Queens, and Staten Island, plans show.

NYCHA analyzed work orders and the age of the equipment in order to decide which buildings needed upgrades the most, the officials said.

Gowanus Houses residents have long complained of heat loss in the building. Residents told Patch in 2018 that heat cuts were forcing elderly tenants to sleep under several quilts wearing heavy clothes during frigid days of the year.

The announcement came one day before heating failed for 5,500 NYCHA residents in Brooklyn and Bronx developments, none of which are slated to get new boilers.