Eastchester Gardens, the 877-unit public housing complex that has housed generations of Bronx families since 1950, is in the middle of a more than $391 million transformation that includes new appliances, windows, flooring, and heating and air-conditioning systems across its 10 mid-rise buildings. More than 1,850 residents call the campus home, and the renovation work is expected to continue through the end of 2028. Some of the residents living through the construction are also getting paid to inspect it.
As reported by News 12 Bronx, a resident inspector program now gives Eastchester Gardens tenants paid opportunities to monitor conditions and construction progress firsthand. Resident inspectors check staircases, elevators, doors, roofs and grounds, inspecting buildings and common areas, documenting their findings, taking photographs, and reporting concerns to management and the construction team. One resident inspector told the outlet that residents believe in the improvements as they see them come together. Ms. Brown, a 67-year-old resident who has lived at Eastchester Gardens since she was 11 years old, is among those who have watched the campus change over the decades.
How the Renovation Came Together
Eastchester Gardens converted to the Project-Based Section 8 program in March 2025, a shift that moved the development away from traditional public housing subsidies and into NYCHA's Permanent Affordability Commitment Together, or PACT, framework. NYCHA still owns the land and buildings and determines residents' rent, but day-to-day operations and construction now run through a private team. According to NYC.gov, that team, operating as Infinite RDC, includes MDG Design + Construction handling the physical rehabilitation, Wavecrest Management running daily property operations, and Infinite Horizons serving as co-developer.
The complex's age helped unlock some of the financing. In 2025, Eastchester Gardens was listed on the National Register of Historic Places, a designation that opened the door to federal historic tax credits for the project, per Commercial Observer. Merchants Capital secured $231 million in total permanent financing for the overhaul in June 2025, including a $221.7 million, 30-year Freddie Mac CME loan, the outlet reported. Under the PACT conversion guidelines, all 877 units remain reserved for households earning at or below 60% of Area Median Income, with rent capped at 30% of adjusted gross income.
Residents Shaped the Renovation Plans
Eastchester Gardens residents helped shape the renovations and selected some of the apartment finishes going into their own units, according to News 12 Bronx. During the multi-year rehabilitation, residents temporarily relocate to other vacant apartments on campus for four to five months while their units are renovated, with all moving costs covered by management, the Bronx Times reported. Following the shift to private management under Wavecrest, the complex also introduced a flexible rent payment policy allowing residents to submit rent at any time during the calendar month rather than facing a single fixed deadline, per the same account.
Tenant leadership also negotiated a formal accountability tool known as the Little Lamb Agreement, named in honor of public housing advocates Dr. Samuel Little and resident leader Gerri Lamb. NYCHA describes the agreement as first-of-its-kind at a PACT development, saying it holds private partners accountable for the quality and timeliness of their work. The Bronx Times reports it was negotiated by Resident Association President Keith Ramsey and legally binds developers to work quality and timelines while providing dedicated funding for residents to hire independent legal or technical consultants during disputes. NYCHA says the agreement gives the tenant association a formal accountability mechanism as it oversees the performance of its PACT partners.
Support Services Alongside the Construction
Beyond the physical upgrades, on-site supportive services for residents are managed by nonprofit partner BronxWorks, while senior programs are provided by Regional Aid for Interim Needs (R.A.I.N.) Total Care Inc. and Neighborhood Initiatives Development Corp., according to the New York City Housing Development Corporation.
Eastchester Gardens is one piece of a much larger citywide push. NYCHA's Real Estate Development Department reports that the PACT program has driven the comprehensive rehabilitation or preservation of nearly 30,000 public housing apartments across the city, bringing in more than $8 billion in capital investments, per NYCHA Now. Just last month, Hoodline reported that NYCHA closed on $349 million in PACT financing for other Bronx developments, including Moore Houses and East 152nd Street–Courtlandt Avenue.
Oversight Questions Loom Over PACT Conversions
Not every PACT transition has gone as smoothly. A July investigation by Hoodline found that a paper recertification processing backlog at NYCHA cut off Section 8 subsidies for hundreds of households in Brooklyn PACT properties, prompting private landlords to issue unsubsidized rent bills and file more than 900 eviction lawsuits in Housing Court. That case has become a cautionary example of the administrative vulnerabilities that can emerge when NYCHA hands day-to-day management to private Section 8 operators.
Eastchester Gardens tenant leaders appear to have anticipated some of those risks by building in structural protections from the start, including the Little Lamb Agreement and the paid resident inspector positions. Still, the broader PACT initiative remains the subject of intense debate across the city, as tenants at other developments continue to weigh the tradeoffs between private capital and long-term oversight.
