Metro North and Gaylord White Houses PACT Rehabilitation

NYCHA is spending $272.6 million to rehabilitate 523 apartments in East Harlem, and the money only exists because the buildings stopped being public housing on paper.

Metro North Plaza and the Gaylord White Houses converted to Project-Based Section 8 under the federal Rental Assistance Demonstration program, through NYCHA’s PACT program. That conversion is what unlocked $272.6 million of private debt and equity against buildings that had waited decades for capital repairs.

Project Scope

Four buildings, 523 units, roughly 900 residents. Metro North Plaza at 305 East 101st Street is three buildings and 275 apartments, built in 1971. The Gaylord White Houses, on East 104th Street at Second Avenue, is one building with 248 apartments.

Scope covers unit and building interiors, building systems, public spaces and facades, roof repair and replacement, new windows, and full elevator overhauls. Metro North Plaza’s heating converts to a hydronic system, the signature mechanical change on the job. Security work includes LED lighting, cameras in common areas, stairwells and entrances, new video intercoms and key-fob entry. Four community facilities, an outdoor playground and a common laundry are added.

The Community Builders and Ascendant Neighborhood Development were selected as the PACT partner team in February 2023. MDG Design & Construction is general contractor. Wavecrest Management operates the properties. Financing closed in late September 2025, with Merchants Capital arranging more than $100 million of it.

Why It Matters

Both developments are on the National Register of Historic Places, which is unusual for public housing and constrains the facade and window work. Metro North Plaza is listed for its significance as a model of community-led development. Gaylord White was NYCHA’s first senior-only building.

PACT has now moved more than 146 NYCHA developments and 39,000 units through pre-development, construction or completion, representing over $13 billion in capital repairs. NYCHA converted 6,664 apartments in 2025 alone, a record year. Residents keep their Section 8 protections and the right to return. Whether that holds through a three-year occupied rehabilitation is the part worth watching.

Project Team & Details