Housing authority: Plaza East emergency repairs nearly complete; $7 million in capital funds to be scoped for upgrades

McCormick Baron Salazar and the Housing Authority told commissioners that emergency repair work at Plaza East has largely finished and that new capital dollars will be scoped for broader building upgrades.

Representatives said the original emergency-repair identification covered roughly 187 units. “As of the 27th, we have 2 units remaining,” the presenter reported, and said those two units require more extensive work and on-site relocation for residents, so completion was estimated by December. Staff acknowledged earlier reporting errors in slide counts and committed to circulate corrected trend data.

The authority’s briefing outlined resident services and maintenance performance: October saw about 177 work orders with an average close time reported near 1.14 days, and a handful of emergency orders that close faster. Commissioners pressed staff for multi-month trending so the board can see how many work orders trail across month boundaries and why some inspections remain open longer.

On funding, staff said the Housing Authority has requested and expects capital monies to complement on-site repairs: $5 million through HUD and an additional $2 million from the Mayor’s Office of Housing and Community Development, for a total of $7 million to apply to Plaza East. Officials said they are obtaining cost estimates and will release an RFP to select contractors; staff projected a loan-committee review early in the year and an RFP by March if the city loan process proceeds on schedule.

Commissioners asked for clearer documentation of which entity pays for each scope item, the RFP timeline, and the process for selecting contractors once scopes are complete. Staff said they will return with updated trend-line data, a clearer breakdown of the emergency-repair expenditures, and a coordinated schedule showing how HUD, MOHCD and Authority funds will be combined and spent.

The board did not take a separate vote on the Plaza East update; the presentation concluded with commissioners requesting follow-up materials and a fuller briefing at the next regular meeting.