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On October 3, the 91Ӱ��Public Housing Preservation Trust, in partnership with NYCHA, issued a new Request for Qualifications (RFQ) to solicit progressive design-build partners to deliver major capital renovations and repairs at 65-year-old Hylan Houses in Brooklyn. This is a critical step in helping to identify modernization and preservation partners capable of delivering comprehensive renovations to over 400 residents in 209 apartments. Hylan Houses, the fourth NYCHA development to vote to join the Trust, will be the first to use progressive design-build for project delivery. This RFQ is the first step in a two-step procurement process that will identify a shortlist of progressive design-build teams based on qualifications and experience who are eligible to partner with the Trust. Step two is a Request for Proposal (RFP) process, during which shortlisted firms will submit proposals describing their approach to collaborative and inclusive scoping, design, and construction for the modernization of Hylan Houses. Residents will work with the Trust to select the design-builder, and will then identify needs and shape the plans for their development.

“Today, the residents of Hylan Houses are one step closer to achieving a modernization of their campus,” said Deputy Mayor for Housing, Economic Development, and Workforce Adolfo Carrion, Jr. “While the Public Housing Preservation Trust will secure the long-term health of these homes, the design-build process will ensure a resident-inclusive, expedient, and efficient process. I look forward to seeing this work continue and deliver results for more than 400 residents.”

“When the residents of Hylan Houses voted to enter the Public Housing Preservation Trust, they made clear their desire for a transformation that will bring significant capital improvements and ensure the long-term stability of their homes,” said Executive Director for Housing Leila Bozorg. “Today, that transformation is one step closer to happening. I look forward to seeing a resident-driven design-build process advance and improve the lives of more than 400 residents.”

“The release of this Request for Qualifications marks a monumental step for the New York City Public Housing Preservation Trust, as it is their first progressive design-build solicitation,” said NYCHA Chief Executive Officer Lisa Bova-Hiatt. “This alternative delivery method was authorized by the Public Housing Preservation Trust legislation to give the Trust new tools to make large-scale capital investments, and we are excited to see it in use to identify partners who will collaboratively and transparently work with the residents of Hylan Houses to deliver the comprehensive renovations they deserve.”

“Progressive design-build delivery gives us the chance to do things differently by bringing in a partner early and shaping the scope together with residents; we are further pushing our process to create more transparency and collaboration,” said New York City Public Housing Preservation Trust President Vlada Kenniff. “With this RFQ, we’re starting the work to bring modern, safe, and healthy homes to Hylan Houses.”

“We are excited about this project and look forward to the long-overdue repairs. Our building is over 60 years old and in need of significant work, particularly on the plumbing,” said Hylan Houses Tenant Association President Audrey Fraser. “Many of our residents are older, and these improvements will make a meaningful difference in their quality of life.”

“This marks an important step in the Trust’s journey to adopt progressive design-build as an innovative delivery model that promotes strong partnership from project inception,” said New York City Public Housing Preservation Trust Board Member John Dionisio Jr.

The Trust, signed into law by Governor Kathy Hochul in June 2022, is a fully public entity that is expected to unlock billions of dollars in federal funding for comprehensive renovations at NYCHA developments to improve living conditions for residents. Under the Trust, a development is kept 100 percent public and converted to the more stable, federally funded Project-Based Section 8 program, while residents maintain their rights, including permanently affordable rent.

As dictated by the legislation, a property can only be moved to the Trust following a valid and binding vote from residents of that development. Residents help drive the priorities for the renovation project, including the procurement, design, and construction process, and ultimately will help oversee the quality of the work completed. Under the Trust model, NYCHA continues to manage the property, but the Trust oversees NYCHA’s operations and ensures accountability for meeting industry standards, with an emphasis on an improved resident experience at the property.

Progressive design-build is a collaborative, multi-phased project delivery method where the owner retains a design-builder early in the project lifecycle using a primarily qualifications-based selection. This alternative delivery contract method was authorized by the Public Housing Preservation Trust legislation, which gave additional tools and capabilities to deliver large-scale capital investments to this new entity. After a preliminary scoping and site validation phase, the project team, including the design-builder, “progresses” toward a design and construction contract price together, emphasizing transparency and partnership in developing the project’s final scope, schedule, and cost. The goal of the initial phase is to develop a scope that offers the best value to the residents of Hylan Houses and the Trust, and then deliver the project in an efficient, coordinated, and safe manner.

To view and respond to the RFQ, interested parties should visit the Trust’s and register as a vendor in the Trust’s . Design-build partner submissions are due by 5 p.m. on November 12, 2025.