'No longer in the hands of outsiders': NYCHA tenants to decide fate of their complex in first-ever historic vote

BROOKLYN, N.Y. (PIX11) -- For the first time ever in the history of the city, public housing tenants will get to decide the future of their homes. 

Tenants at the sprawling Nostrand houses began voting in person Tuesday about how the city will go about repairing their development. 

There is currently an $80 billion maintenance backlog at NYCHA, and in recent years, the city has developed tools to raise money for these projects. 
 
At Nostrand, residents will vote for one of three options. 
 
First, they could convert the houses to a public-private partnership to fund much-needed renovations --the property, including their management and maintenance, would move under private control. 

Second, the tenants can vote to leave things the same. 
 
Third, they can become the first tenants to be placed under a newly created trust that will unlock federal dollars and keep things under city control. 
 
The trust is the route most tenants said they were taking while attending a rally with Mayor Eric Adams on Tuesday, he pushed for its creation. 
 
"This is no longer in the hands of outsiders," Adams said. "This is in the hands of insiders those who live in NYCHA." 
 
The mayor is promising that in the coming days, more public housing complexes will be put on notice and that they too will have the option to vote. 
 
In-person voting at Nostrand runs through Dec. 7, with online and mail-in voting having begun a few weeks ago.