Buffalo, N.Y. (WBEN) - After many years of gazing upon the "Buffalo blight" that is the old, boarded up Commodore Perry Homes, demolition of the 24-building complex is finally underway, which will pave the way for new, all-electric and affordable housing complexes.
Buffalo Common Council Majority Leader and Ellicott District representative Leah Halton-Pope is excited to see what this investment will bring for Buffalo's First Ward neighborhood, the projects being just around the corner of where she currently resides.
"I'm excited to see the revitalization begin," Pope told WBEN on Monday. "People seem to be pretty excited. You know, for some people who live there, who've grown up in and around that area, it's 'Perry for Life.' But as with most things, most people are taking that we'll believe it when we see it [approach]. And so now that it's happening, I am excited."
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The $254 million dollar investment will bring 27 new dwellings on the 19-acre property comprised of three mid-rise, mixed-use buildings with 8,000 square feet of commercial space, and 24 two and three-story townhouse-style apartment buildings, replacing the 24, near-century old buildings.
Pope emphasizes that it is essential to keep these apartments affordable.
"Providing this much needed affordable housing for residents with incomes below this 60% AMI (Area Median Income), it's a big deal. This is going to be a big opportunity, changing the design, the feel of that community. I think this is needed. It's just changing the atmosphere and the feel of the environment overall, and changing the the the landscape and I think it's time, it's revitalizing an entire community for the better."
The building amenities include fitness centers, free broadband WiFi, a property management office, on-site laundry and surface parking for tenants and guests.
The City of Buffalo hopes to have residents moving into these properties in 2025. They will be tearing down buildings and developing the new housing concurrently, according to the city's Office of Strategic Planning Executive Director Brendan Mehaffy.
The councilwoman says that the neighborhood that surrounds the Perry Projects is very reflective of the overall population and diversity that the City of Buffalo has, and as businesses and families into the new dwellings on Perry and Louisiana Streets, the economic prosperity will sure to follow.
"It's just the beginning for that portion of Ellicott and it's a sign of all of the great things to come for our district as a whole. It's keenly situated in Buffalo's First Ward neighborhood and bringing new life. It speaks to a new Ellicott, a new day, a new age and it speaks really to the beacon of hope that I feel like my district is."
Financing for the $254 million development is as follows:
- $21.9 million in tax-exempt bonds
- $115.7 million in State and Federal Low Income Tax Credits
- $83.1 million in subsidy from HCR (NYS Homes and Community Renewal)
- $5 million in Restore New York funding via Empire State Development
- $6 million in Buffalo Municipal Housing Authority Capital Funds
- $1.1 million in Buffalo Community Development Block Grants
- $5 million in RAD Rehab Assistance Payments
- $1.6 million in Federal tax credits