Buffalo Mayor Christopher P. Scanlon, Erie County, Land Bank Break Ground on Largest Infill Housing Program in Buffalo in Decades
Buffalo May or Christopher P. Scanlon today, alongside Erie County Executive Mark C. Poloncarz, the Buffalo Erie Niagara Land Improvement Corporation (BENLIC), and other local leaders, broke ground on a transformative housing ini tiative that will bring 47 new affordable single-family homes to long-vacant lots across the City of Buffalo. The $24.5 mil lion investment, funded joint ly through American Rescue Plan dollars from the City and County, represents the largest infill housing program Buffalo has seen in decades.
“Today is a proud day for the City of Buffalo and a bold step forward in how we invest in our neighborhoods,” said Mayor Scanlon. “Thanks to the partnership between my administration, Erie County Executive Mark Poloncarz, BENLIC, and our dedicated project team, we’re transforming 47 city-owned vacant lots into new, affordable, single family homes across Buffalo. These homes are about more than construction—they represent stability, opportunity, and a path to generational wealth for families throughout our city.”
This groundbreaking marks the start of construction on the first 47 homes, with properties being developed in the River side, Black Rock, Ken-Bailey, University Heights, Lower West Side, and Old First Ward neighborhoods. Each unit will be available for income-qualified homebuyers, with afford ability standards designed to ensure housing access for working families.
Mayor Scanlon also announced that a second phase of the initiative is already in planning, with an additional 30 homes to be built primarily on Buffalo’s East Side, including in the Masten District.
“This project has been a top priority for me since day one,” Scanlon said. “When I became Mayor six months ago, I wanted to make sure this City and County-led infill program would deliver real results. Thanks to collaborative cost savings and construction solutions, we’re now building even more homes than originally planned—and we’re just get ting started.”
The homes will be con structed using a combination of traditional stick-built and modular housing, designed by HHL Architecture and Cham pion Homes. All properties will be reserved for income qualified buyers, with a purchase subsidy to assist families achieve new home-ownership opportunities.
About the Project:
Total investment: $24.5 mil lion (City of Buffalo and Erie County ARPA funds)
Phase 1: 47 homes Across the City of Buffalo
Phase 2: 30 additional homes planned on Buffalo’s East Side
All homes reserved for income-qualified homebuyers
Mixed construction models: stick-built and modular
Project partners: BENLIC, Buffalo Construction Con sultants, HHL Architecture, Champion Homes
“This is an exciting and rewarding day as we break ground on the first of 47 new affordable, single-family homes in the City of Buffalo,” said Erie County Executive Mark C. Poloncarz. “Erie County gov ernment and our partners are once again addressing a prob lem the private sector either cannot or will not address. Our team identified a gap in the marketplace for smaller foot print, modest starter homes. We know that we can’t tackle the housing crisis completely, but we can do our part to get more units online at a price which is affordable to work ing families in Erie County. I thank our partners in the City of Buffalo, including Mayor Chris Scanlon, BENLIC, and Buffalo Construction Consul tants for the two years of hard work, negotiation, and collabo ration that brought this project to fruition. And this is only the beginning!”
BENLIC Executive Director Jocelyn Gordon said, “BEN LIC is in a unique position to address the critical shortage of affordable, new, single-family housing in the City of Buffalo. Community planning leaders representing both Erie Coun ty AND the City of Buffalo sit at our Land Bank table and meet monthly to discuss this region’s affordable housing future. We are grateful to our County and City leadership for their collaborative commit ment to advancing solutions for Buffalo families. Together, we recognize that these solu tions require an affordable housing program - not just a one-time project. This devel opment of 47 homes is just the beginning: we’re excited to build on this momentum, sus tain this program for the long term, and continue implement ing solutions that create stable neighborhoods for City of Buf falo residents.”