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Mayor Adams announces $75 million plan to improve outdated infrastructure in 'The Hole'
By
Sophia Chang
Published Jun 15, 2023
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New York City Department of Environmental Protection
By
Sophia Chang
Published Jun 15, 2023
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The city will spend more than $75 million to upgrade long-outdated infrastructure and build affordable housing in a neighborhood on the Brooklyn-Queens border known as "The Hole," Mayor Eric Adams announced on Thursday.
Residents have complained about substandard living conditions and neglect from the city for decades. The low-lying neighborhood was built on a creek bed and is not connected to the city sewer line, leaving area streets and homes frequently flooded with sewage and wastewater running from nearby Linden Boulevard.
The Adams administration said the money will go toward improvements that include sewer lines for the neighborhood, a drainage pond and "green infrastructure" that keeps water from pooling on streets.
“The decades of government ignoring this community and leaving residents to fend for themselves against regular flooding ends now,” Adams said in a press release.
The city’s plan starts this month with community meetings for resident feedback, with a final proposal deadline by the end of next year.
The mayor’s announcement follows a series of Gothamist stories detailing decrepit – and unsafe – conditions inside several apartments in the Hole, which are exacerbated by a reliance on septic tanks for wastewater.
Inside one Amber Street apartment, a cluster of mushrooms grew out of a moldy patch on Ashley Saunders' bedroom ceiling. Saunders also said her family has developed respiratory problems.
Meanwhile, Justin Ramirez, who lives on Blake Avenue, worries about his kids’ exposure to moldy walls and an overflowing cesspool at his rental home. The landlord of both properties, Frank Sollecito, has claimed the tenants owe thousands of dollars in back rent.
The mayor’s plan doesn’t explicitly address landlord accountability, though a City Hall spokesperson said residents can raise concerns during the feedback process. Currently, the Department of Housing and Preservation Department investigates housing complaints against landlords.
HPD Commissioner Adolfo Carrión Jr. said in the release that “Having visited the Jewel streets myself, I’m outraged at the deplorable conditions people live with right here in one of the wealthiest cities in the world, and we have the opportunity to change that now.”
But Saunders expressed skepticism about the city’s announcement, noting that there have been plans for the area for the past 20 years with no progress.
“Saying it and actually doing it, putting things into action, is two different things,” she said.
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Sophia Chang
Sophia Chang is a former WNYC and Gothamist reporter.
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Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
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