BUFFALO, N.Y. (WBEN) - On its surface Gov. Kathy Hochul's 'Let Them Build" initiative should help home builders.
On its surface.
"We need to see what it really means," said Phil Nanula, Essex Homes of Western New York CEO and Buffalo Niagara Homebuilders' Association president.
The "Let Them Build" plan would relax some of the outdated requirements in the 50-year-old State Environmental Quality Review Act (SEQRA) that has created unnecessary logjams that bog down proposed new housing developments. That includes duplicate reviews that are already mandated at the local level.
Hochul made the proposal at a time when she is pushing for the development of more than 800,000 new housing options statewide.
Hochul said the relaxed SEQRA mandates would reduce burdensome requirements that only add years and costs to the development projects. Some of the mandates put up financial roadblocks that prevent developments from penciling out for developers.
"We are for anything that may help speed up the process," Nanula said.
But, will the relaxed SEQRA mandates - as proposed in Hochul's state budget - work?
Economics will play a larger role, Nanula said.
That includes increased construction costs, manpower issues and high interest rates.
Last year, Erie County issued approximately 1,300 residential building permits. That has been the county-wide average for the past few years.
"The market is pretty flat,:" Nanula said.
Home builders waiting for impact of 'Let Them Build' initiative
Home builders waiting for impact of 'Let Them Build' initiative
