Public housing agencies across the United States continue advancing large-scale renovation programs as aging residential properties require system upgrades, environmental remediation and long-term capital investment. The modernization of Unity Towers in Brooklyn represents another major public housing rehabilitation project utilizing alternative delivery methods and resident-focused redevelopment planning.
The New York City Public Housing Preservation Trust announced the selection of Fifth Avenue Builders, LLC, as the design-build team for renovation work at Unity Towers in Coney Island. The project covers one residential building containing 193 apartments and marks the third New York City Housing Authority development to enter the Trust program following a resident vote in 2024.
Fifth Avenue Builders is a joint venture between Urban Atelier Group and Camber Property Group.
The planned modernization program includes extensive apartment and building system upgrades intended to improve residential conditions and long-term operational performance.
Project work includes full kitchen and bathroom renovations, flooring replacement, comprehensive plumbing and ventilation upgrades, heating optimization and safety improvements. Exterior work involves facade repairs, complete window replacement and landscape enhancements.
Additional construction activities include hazardous material abatement, pest management improvements and waste handling upgrades.
Project officials stated that environmental remediation involving mold and lead-based materials will require phased temporary relocation of residents during portions of construction. Residents are expected to return to their apartments within approximately nine months following relocation.
The Public Housing Preservation Trust is using a design-build delivery approach intended to streamline procurement, improve coordination between design and construction teams and reduce overall project costs.
The selection process included a two-phase procurement structure beginning with a request for qualifications followed by a request for proposals issued to shortlisted teams in October 2025.
The Trust stated that resident engagement played a significant role in shaping the project scope and design priorities. Community workshops, tenant meetings and direct resident outreach activities were conducted throughout the planning process.
The modernization effort will maintain Unity Towers as publicly owned housing while transitioning the property to the federally funded Project-Based Section 8 program under the Trust structure.
Public housing authorities nationwide continue pursuing rehabilitation and preservation strategies as deferred maintenance backlogs and aging infrastructure create growing capital needs across multifamily housing portfolios.
Alternative delivery methods such as design-build are becoming more common on housing rehabilitation programs because they can shorten project timelines and improve integration between construction and design teams on occupied residential projects.
The Unity Towers project also reflects broader industry emphasis on resident engagement and phased construction planning for occupied housing modernization work.
For construction owners, developers and contractors, the Unity Towers modernization highlights continued opportunities within the public housing rehabilitation market as agencies seek delivery models capable of accelerating large-scale renovation programs.
The project also demonstrates increasing use of integrated design-build procurement in multifamily renovation work involving complex resident coordination, environmental remediation and building system modernization within occupied urban housing developments.
Source: New York City Government.
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