NEWARK -- The Newark Housing Authority will move to demolish a public housing complex in the East Ward that a group of residents had fervently defended in an attempt to derail its closure.

But last week the Board of Commissioners agreed to ask the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development for permission to close and demolish Millard E. Terrell Homes, a 275-unit complex, citing environmental and structural concerns.

"What will they accomplish if they demolish Terrell Homes? I've been there since 1972," Terrell Homes resident Dorothy Brazell said during a City Council meeting Wednesday. "If they demolish Terrell Homes, I don't know what I would do. I'm safe there. They talk about it like it's nothing but it's something to me because I've been living there for 50 years. Don't blow it up, fix it up."

East Ward Councilman Augusto Amador said he, too, was surprised by the vote. Amador promised residents at the last City Council meeting he'd arrange a meeting between Terrell Homes residents and the new executive director of the housing authority set to begin his term Oct. 10.

"I was under the impression that no action would be taken until a plan is presented," Amador told NJ Advance Media. "To me, it was a surprise the vote they took."

He said he planned to continue working with the housing authority and the city on an alternate plan, especially for long-term residents.

"We really had no choice but to go ahead and demolish it," said board chairman Charles Bell. "We can take every nickel that we have, put it all in Terrell Homes and it won't have a real impact and it wouldn't be fair to the other 23 sites we have."

Bell said a majority of the residents of Terrell Homes want to leave the building, but he can understand why residents who want to stay are upset.

"I've been very sympathetic with their concerns," he said. Asked why the vote happened before the new director started, Bell said it was time to act on the property in need of $65 million worth of repairs to address flooding, environmental contamination and disrepair.

"We finally said, 'Let's move it' ... we've got to make some decisions about the people living there," he said. But he added he was open to working with residents and city officials for alternate solutions -- and accompanying funding.

"By all means, we're open to work with anybody who can come up with the money but we can't keep going on and on," he said.

The housing authority receives federal funding and HUD must grant any demolition plans. In April, the Board of Commissioners failed to put the application for a vote after increasing pressure from residents who wanted to stay put.

The application for demolition needs approval from the board and a letter of support from the mayor before being submitted.

Mayor Ras Baraka signed a letter of support on Feb. 2, writing that "the physical buildings of Terrell Homes have outlived their useful lives, given the crumbling infrastructure, lack of quality amenities, physical isolation of the complex and outdated systems" and that the "demolition of the buildings is the most cost-effective measure."

On Wednesday Terrell Homes residents spoke during the City Council meeting railing against the mayor's support for demolition as the council approved a measure to ensure affordable housing in the city.

"Who wants Terrell Homes, who is in whose pocket and who do we believe?" asked Rosemary Horsely, who moved into the complex when she was 3 years old. "Who do we trust?"

"This is our home, where we live, we are a community, we are family," said tenant president Rita Fortenberry. "We have a conviction. We're not going anywhere."

Karen Yi may be reached at kyi@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter at @karen_yi or on Facebook.