Web Desk:
New York Mayor Bill de Blasio announced to spend $111 million on fixing facades of public housing buildings in order to bring down unsightly sidewalk sheds that have long blighted complexes.
“I think it bothers NYCHA residents when you have those big sidewalk sheds, those big scaffolds that just seem to sit there for a long time and affect the quality of life, they affect the whole feeling of living in a development,” he said during a morning virtual press briefing, calling the structures a persistent issue that has bothered him throughout his tenure.
The eyesores have been left standing for up to five years due to a lack of sufficient resources to mend the buildings’ faces, according to the mayor.
The 400,000 New Yorkers who call NYCHA home are the backbone of our city, and we’re investing $111 million to repair building facades and pull down the sheds that have been eyesores in the community for too long, Mayor de Blasio said.
“We’re putting the resources in, the repairs get made, the sheds come down, the development’s safer, it looks better, it’s better for everyone,” said de Blasio.
Councilwoman Carlina Rivera (D-Lower East Side) said she was grateful for City Hall’s new investments. Meltzer Towers, a public housing complex for seniors, will be among the buildings the funding will be used to fix, the lawmaker noted.
“These sheds are not just a matter of aesthetic improvements,” ” she said. “They are safety issues, and constant reminders of systemic disinvestment in public housing, and they can make buildings look and feel forgotten.”
