Residents at Wyckoff Gardens are unsure a private development on New York City Housing Authority land will benefit them, even as they face needed repairs.
“They don’t care about us. The only thing they want is the money,” said Maria Muñiz, 70, who has lived in Wyckoff Gardens for 13 years. She has dealt with mold in her bathroom, a malfunctioning stove that has not been replaced, pests, a leaky kitchen faucet and a broken radiator that she says releases fumes.
NYCHA’s NextGen Neighborhoods program will see two 16-story mixed-income buildings developed by The Arker Companies and Two Trees at Wyckoff Gardens through a 99-year ground lease. The development is projected to bring $37 million, half of which will go toward covering Wyckoff’s $43 million in needed repairs, according to NYCHA. But to some living in the complex, the returns might not outweigh the costs.
Marlina Sanchez, 36, has lived in Wyckoff since 1988. At times, she said, it’s difficult to get repairs when she needs them, which puts a burden on her schedule. “They don’t even show up because they’re short staffed,” she said. “So you had to take a day off of work so they could come fix something in your house and they don’t even show up at all.”
Muñiz said requests for repairs have been heard, but the issues sometimes go unaddressed. When she reported her leaking faucet, maintenance arrived to address the ticket, but did nothing. “They didn’t fix it because he said that was a job for two and he was only one,” Muñiz said. She said she later found the ticket was closed, though no repair was made.
“The rich do not want to live next to the poor. They’re going to try to live in a community that the people who live right next door will have no access.”
Resident association president, Valerie Bell, refused to comment on needed repairs and the NextGen development.
“I’m telling you, I’ve been dealing with them for a long time, and that’s not going to help,” said Muñiz about the NextGen development. “All they’re going to do is isolate the people that they’re going to put in there, and we’re gonna be in the same here.”
“The rich do not want to live next to the poor,” said Alicia Boyd, founder of the Brooklyn Anti-Gentrification Network. “They’re going to try to live in a community that the people who live right next door will have no access.”
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Romuda Hill, a 23-year resident of Wyckoff Gardens has the same suspicion. “They say it’s not going to affect us — it’s gonna affect us,” she said. “Lets be honest. Would you spend $3,000-$4,000 in rent and have this building here?”
NYCHA did not return a request for comment, but a press release announcing the new development said “NYCHA is committed to minimizing any impacts to residents.”
Andrea Ortiz, 72, became a resident of Wyckoff in the 70s. She said the development is needed because people can’t live on the streets and the money will benefit Wyckoff. “A lot of people want things to come free, but that doesn’t work,” said Ortiz. “The government has expenses.”
Ortiz said she was largely apathetic.