Governor Hochul: “In this year's budget, we reached an historic agreement on housing. I never dreamed that the issue of housing could be so controversial, but it was. And we leaned into it because failure was not an option. So, we had to have a new agreement – driving new construction, protecting tenants. No one has seen anything of this scale in over 50 years.”
Hochul: “We will continue making these investments. We'll continue investing the necessary money. We're going to have affordable – at 60 percent or below the median income because wages are not always that high. People working minimum wages can afford a home now. We'll make sure that we do whatever is necessary.”
Earlier today, Governor Kathy Hochul announced the start of construction on the redevelopment of the Commodore Perry Homes in Buffalo’s First Ward neighborhood. The new, all-electric housing development will consist of 405 affordable homes in 27 newly constructed buildings.
VIDEO of the event is available on YouTube here and in TV quality (h.264, mp4) format.
AUDIO of the Governor's remarks is available.
PHOTOS of the event will be available on the Governor's Flickr page.
A rush transcript of the Governor's remarks is available below:
Little bright out here – I'm not complaining about the sun in Buffalo. Just want to set the record straight for that. But what an incredible day. I have been waiting for this literally my entire life. This is the neighborhood where I ride my bicycle. This is the neighborhood that I grew up near. My family from South Buffalo, the first ward, these are my neighbors, and they have waited a long time for this day. So, on behalf of all of us, let's give a round of applause to the most patient people in America, the residents of the Perry community. Please stand up, residents, stand up, take a bow.
I will tell you this. Alright– and all the ones who left and we want them to come back. This is your home. This is your home. That's what this is about. In this year's budget, we reached an historic agreement on housing. I never dreamed that the issue of housing could be so controversial, but it was. And we leaned into it because failure was not an option.
So many people needed the dignity of a roof over their heads, a good, safe home. And our State didn't have the ambition to build the way they have in other states. We fell very far behind. From Buffalo to Brooklyn, we fell behind. So, we had to have a new agreement – driving new construction, protecting tenants. No one has seen anything of this scale in over 50 years. But I said in my first meeting with RuthAnne Visnauskas, our superstar – I said two projects, right – Perry Street and Marine Drive. That was two years ago. Here we are, two years later, and both are happening, so it is happening.
And we've also made other investments. A $500 million investment to build on state land. $600 million in capital funding for housing and that's not all. We are continuing to support so many projects here in Buffalo. So, we're not done. We're just getting warmed up. As you'd like to say coming next fall – this is just the kickoff. Okay, we don't even have any downs yet. This is the very beginning of the game that we're committed to.
So that's what I want to do. We have supported in this area over $114 million in Western New York alone, $57 million for McCarley Gardens, our marine drive and here as well. And today we're going to break ground on another extraordinary project. And I want to talk about the people who helped make this happen
First of all, the residents who never gave up, the community leaders, the people who care so deeply about this. People who live here, the people who invest here. Business developers, the people like the Zemsky’s who believed in this part of our city and never gave up and said, we're going to be there. We're going to be there. Also, our great mayor, I'll be introducing him in a couple of minutes, but I want to thank him for always – every time he came to Albany, he would say words like Marine Drive, Perry Street, Marine Drive, Perry Street. Okay, I listened. You're right. We got it done. We're getting it done.
Someone I've known a long time, our HUD Regional Administrator, Alicka Ampry-Samuel. Let's give her a round of applause for coming here today. We also want to thank Crystal Peoples-Stokes for all her support of this project. I don't know if she could make it here today, but I want to thank Crystal. As I mentioned, RuthAnne Visnauskas, our County Executive is also here. Mark Poloncarz, thank you for all the support from the County. All of our partners in County and local government here today.
But this is how it starts. It starts with a day like today when we finally say the past is over and what we're doing here is going from a symbol of decline and decay to a symbol of rebirth and resurgence. That's what this day means to so many people. That if you finally stay with it, that you're committed to it, you believe in the cause, you just power through all the obstacles.
Now this is not just buildings, it's building a community. And you know, as I mentioned, I have come here so many times. Even when I was younger, my mother was a social worker. She had clients in these buildings. I still have the image in my head of mom, very pregnant with one of my younger siblings, because that was a permanent state for much of my childhood. Mom going into buildings where the elevators didn't work, lugging her daughter. Some food and some clothing, going up the stairs, to sit in rooms and hold people's hands and talk to them and let them know they matter. They weren't faceless individuals who lived in an area of our city that was ignored — that they actually had value to us.
And that's something that's still in my heart today. These residents matter. They have value to our community and never ever should have been overlooked for as long as they have been. So, all those people who said, “This is the day we're going to change that. This is why this day is so extraordinary.” Now, I will also say when this was first built back in 1938, even at that time, people said it looked like a prison.
I always think back — what were they thinking? You had the opportunity to build something beautiful, something inspiring, something welcoming — but that's how long individuals have endured and lived and still prospered and thrived, doing the best they can. But it should never have looked like a prison. Today we unlock the doors, throw open the gates, and say, “We can allow beauty to come in.”
Architecture matters. Design matters. It can be lifting — it can lift up the spirit. That's how we make up for the wrongs of the past. And we saw when this building was built, it wasn't just this community who saw it decline. People coming to Buffalo for the first time along the I-90 — look over to the left. What is their first impression of Buffalo? People leaving. Their last impression of Buffalo. It was not positive. It didn't say that every part of this community mattered. But going forward, it will. It will send a whole new message about this community and how it believes in itself. That's why I'm so excited about this.
A monument to blight should not be with people's images of our city. It's not fair to the hardworking people who have lived here. You know, there was a sign — I don't know where it went — but this was the symbol. This was the symbol of Perry Street. This is what people saw. This is going to be tossed in the trash heap once and for all.
And we're going to do something spectacular. We're going to have signage. We're going to have buildings. We're going to have life. We're going to have retail. We're going to build thousands of feet of retail to say you can have it all together, it's mixed use. It's apartments. It's townhouses. It's like it grew up organically and that's what's going to be part of this legacy.
So, what I want to say is this: “We will continue making these investments. We'll continue investing the necessary money.” I will tell you; this is about $225 million dollars of state investment. I think it makes sense. I think that's money well spent. $25 million to start – 27 buildings, 405 units, mixed use. We're going to have affordable – at 60 percent or below the median income because wages are not always that high. People working minimum wages can afford a home now. We'll make sure that we do whatever is necessary.
So, thank you for being here. Thank you for witnessing history as we close those prison doors on the past — and open up a new place that lifts up spirits, gives them freedom. This community can find out that there are no limits to what it can do, and investors will be paying attention to this. Others will say, “This is a place that matters. This is a place that has value. This is a place that the state and the local government and the federal government, the county government, the city, all came together to say, ‘This is a new day.’” And you are here to witness this. Thank you very much.
With that, let me call up Mayor Byron Brown — who also has spent many decades seeing this, questioning this. Saying “Why?” and saying now, “Why not? Why not make this a place that is livable, inviting, welcoming.” And Mayor, we finally reached that day. Thank you very much for the support of all of you, BMHA, Gillian and everyone else who really put their heart and soul into changing the lives of Western New Yorkers — Buffalonians — starting today.
Thank you.