West Side Homes to Add 49 New Affordable and Energy Efficient Apartments Across Buffalo's West Side; Locations Will Include Sixteen Apartments Reserved for Adults Experiencing Homelessness
Development Awarded Over $362,000 Through NYSERDA's Buildings of Excellence Competition
Governor Kathy Hochul today announced the start of construction on a $21 million affordable housing development in Buffalo. Known as West Side Homes, the development encompasses the substantial rehabilitation of two buildings and the new construction of eleven buildings to create 49 homes, which includes 16 apartments with support services for residents experiencing homelessness.
"This important new development provides much-needed energy-efficient and modern affordable apartments for families in Buffalo, including those struggling with homelessness," Governor Hochul said. "By transforming vacant lots into new housing opportunities, we can generate new economic activity across the West Side and enhance quality of life for the households that will soon call this development home."
West Side Homes is part of Governor Hochul's statewide plan to make housing more affordable, equitable, and stable. In the recently enacted State Budget, the Governor successfully secured a new $25 billion, five-year, comprehensive housing plan that will increase housing supply by creating or preserving 100,000 affordable homes across New York, including 10,000 with support services for vulnerable populations, plus the electrification of an additional 50,000 homes.
The eleven new buildings will be constructed on 17 vacant residential lots and two existing two-family homes will be rehabilitated. When complete, the development will offer a total of 49 affordable homes with a mix of one-, two-, three-, and four-bedroom apartments.
Sixteen supportive apartments will include rental subsidies and services for residents that will be funded through the Empire State Supportive Housing Initiative and administered by the New York State Office of Addiction Services and Supports. The services provided by BestSelf Behavioral Health will include care management, behavioral health treatment services, peer support, primary care services, educational/vocational services, linkage to childcare resources, and assistance with daily living skills.
The remaining 33 homes will be for households earning at or below 50 percent of the Area Median Income.
A three-story, 15-unit building at 625 West Avenue will be constructed to achieve certification from Phius (Passive House Institute US), 2020 Enterprise Green Communities, and WELL Building Certification; as well as meeting performance requirements to receive support from New York State Energy Research and Development Authority's (NYSERDA) Buildings of Excellence Competition and the New Construction-Housing Program. The building is designed to be all-electric and will include features such as a ground source heat pump, energy recovery ventilation, and a rooftop solar array.
The development features amenities such as laundry facilities, storage closets, porches, balconies, and a community room.
West Side Homes is located near multiple bus lines and within a one-mile radius of BestSelf Behavioral Health's clinics and offices, the Crane and Isaias Gonzalez-Soto Branch libraries, West Side Community Services community center, various city of Buffalo schools, Massachusetts Avenue Park, and a Boys and Girls Club.
The developer is Buffalo Neighborhood Stabilization Company Inc (BNSC), the housing development arm of PUSH Buffalo. Through a planning process that began in 2017, West Side community members, led by BNSC, identified these 17 sites to be returned to use as affordable housing.
State financing for West Side Homes includes Federal and State Low-Income Housing Tax Credits that will generate $12 million in equity and an additional $3.3 million in subsidy from New York State Homes and Community Renewal. The New York State Office of Temporary and Disability Assistance is providing $3.6 million from the Homeless Housing Assistance Program. NYSERDA awarded $362,620 in Round Two of the Buildings of Excellence program and $124,000 through the New Construction-Housing program. The city of Buffalo is providing $500,000.
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