Governor Cuomo Announces $98 Million to Fund Over 1,000 Affordable Homes Across New York 

John Bono

John Bono

 Projects Will Provide Affordable Broadband Internet Access to Low-Income Households and Meet Objectives for Green Building Standards Outlined in Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act
 

Governor Andrew M. Cuomo today announced more than $98 million has been awarded to create 1,054 affordable homes in 20 separate developments across New York. This funding will help revitalize communities, fight homelessness, and expand access to energy-efficient, affordable housing opportunities.  

“As we rebuild from the pandemic, these awards are further proof of our unwavering commitment to ensuring all New Yorkers have a safe, stable and affordable place to live,” Governor Cuomo said. “By continuing to make these important investments in affordable and supportive housing across the state, we can improve the lives of families while building stronger, more diverse, and more equitable communities.” 

The awards announced today are part of the Governor’s historic $20 billion Housing and Homelessness Plan, which will ultimately create 100,000 units of affordable housing and 6,000 supportive units. Funding is provided through New York State Homes and Community Renewal’s Multifamily Finance RFP, a competitive process used to award federal Low-Income Housing Tax Credits and subsidy financing for affordable and supportive multifamily housing developments. Together with an additional $311 million in private investment, the 20 new developments will inject $409 million in total development costs into local economies.  

These projects also advance the Governor’s objectives to provide affordable internet to low-income households, as well as furthering the goals of the Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act. The developments will provide free or low-cost broadband services to tenants and will be developed to high energy efficiency standards, reducing carbon emissions and reliance on fossil fuels.

 

Western New York Awards:

Western New York  

  • $4.7 million for West Side Homes in the city of Buffalo. The scattered-site development will rehabilitate two existing properties and construct 12 new buildings to create a total of 49 apartments. Sixteen apartments are set aside for adults in need of supportive services.
  • $4.2 million for Olympic Avenue Apartments in the city of Buffalo. This project will transform a vacant historic school into 46 affordable apartments.

 

Other Awards Include:

Capital Region 

  • $4.7 million for Erie Point in the city of Cohoes in Albany County. The development will create 40 apartments and a pocket park across eight scattered locations. Half of the apartments will be paired with supportive services for families experiencing homelessness. HCR also awarded Section 8 Project Based Vouchers that will provide rental assistance for eight of the households.
  • $5.6 million for Dominic Hollow Apartments in the town of Ballston in Saratoga County. The building will offer 60 affordable apartments with 30 homes reserved for individuals in need of supportive services.

Central New York 

  • $3.8 million for Monarch Commons in the town of Cicero in Onondaga County. The project involves the demolition of vacant and underutilized structures and the new construction of a 50-unit building for seniors age 55 and older. Fifteen homes will be reserved for veterans.  
  • $4.9 million for Sennett Meadows Senior Housing in the town of Sennett in Cayuga County. The development will include 60 apartments for seniors age 55 and older with 18 apartments set aside for seniors and veterans in need of supportive services. 

Finger Lakes 

  • $6.1 million for Lafayette Apartments in the village of Waterloo in Seneca County. The project will convert a vacant historic school building into 33 affordable apartments for seniors 62 and older with six supportive homes for senior households who require assistance to live independently.
  • $5.1 million for Huntington Apartments in the town of Seneca Falls in Seneca County. Located in the town’s downtown district, the adaptive reuse project will transform an historic vacant factory into 53 apartments with 27 units reserved for veterans experiencing homelessness.  

Long Island

  • $5.6 million for Three Mile Harbor in the town of East Hampton in Suffolk County. The development will consist of five townhouse-style buildings with 50 affordable apartments and a community building in an area with access to high-performing schools. HCR also awarded Section 8 Project Based Vouchers that will provide rental assistance for eight of the households.  

Mid-Hudson

  • $1.5 million for Homes for Heroes Veterans Apartments in the town of Orangetown in Rockland County. The project will convert a former Army barracks into 14 supportive homes for veterans experiencing homelessness.
  • $4.9 million for The Woods at Pawling in the town of Pawling in Dutchess County. The development will include 80 mixed-income affordable apartments for families in an area with a high-performing school district.

Mohawk Valley

  • $3.2 million for Holland Circle Apartments in the town of Amsterdam in Montgomery County. The development will feature 48 affordable apartments with supportive services for 27 adults living with mental illness.
  • $4.6 million for Copper City Lofts in the city of Rome in Oneida County. The mixed-income, mixed-use development will feature 64 apartments and ground floor commercial space. The development is also supported by the Governor’s Downtown Revitalization Initiative to create a more walkable and vibrant downtown in the city.
  • $4.4 million for Johnson Park Apartments in the city of Utica in Oneida County. The scattered-site development in Utica’s Corn Hill neighborhood will offer 62 apartments including 33 for seniors and adults in need of supportive services. 

New York City 

  • $8.4 million for The Hart in Brooklyn’s Bedford-Stuyvesant neighborhood. Part of the Governor’s Vital Brooklyn Initiative, The Hart will be constructed on underutilized hospital property and will feature an ambulatory care center, a Mental Health Outpatient Program and a co-located Primary Care Center to be operated by One Brooklyn Health System. The building will also offer 57 affordable apartments including 38 supportive homes for seniors and adults living with mental illness.
  • $7.3 million for Mt. Hope Walton Apartments in the Bronx’s Mt. Hope neighborhood. Located next to the Mt. Hope Community Center, the building will include 103 workforce apartments with 16 homes reserved for individuals and families experiencing homelessness.  
  • $9.1 million for Bethany Senior Terraces in Brooklyn’s Flatbush neighborhood. The development will include 58 apartments for seniors age 62 and older with 18 apartments reserved for senior households in need of support to live independently.  

North Country

  • $3.9 million for MacKenzie Overlook in the town of North Elba in Essex County. This 60-unit affordable housing development is a priority of Regional Economic Council Strategic Plan and will initially be used to temporarily house college athletes competing in the Winter Universiade Games in 2023 before transitioning to permanent rental housing.  

Southern Tier

  • $3.3 million for Carpenter Park Apartments in the city of Ithaca in Tompkins County. The 42-unit mixed-income development will be constructed on underutilized land adjacent to the farmers market and will have access to the Cayuga waterfront trail.
  • $3 million for North of Main Revitalization in the city of Binghamton in Broome County. The scattered-site project will rehabilitate six properties and construct one new building on vacant land to create 23 affordable apartments.  

A full list of funding awarded statewide is available here.

HCR Commissioner RuthAnne Visnauskas said, “These 20 new developments will expand access to high-quality, energy-efficient, affordable housing opportunities and further local revitalization efforts in neighborhoods across the state. Our $98 million investment will build over 1,000 homes, including those for seniors, veterans, adults with special needs, and households experiencing homelessness or housing insecurity. As we emerge from the pandemic, we know that it is more important than ever that we continue to create healthy, economically thriving and inclusive communities and ensure that all New Yorkers have a safe place to call home.” 

Assemblyman Steven Cymbrowitz, Chair of the Assembly’s Housing Committee, said, “These grants will help provide safe, affordable and supportive housing to thousands of individuals and families across the state who face the threat of homelessness as well as those who would benefit from on-site support services and resources. Our work to create and preserve affordable housing continues, but every unit we build means stability and hope for another vital member of our community.”