A ten-unit apartment building is underway on a Genesee Street infill site not far from downtown. Mayor Byron Brown, Council President Darius Pridgen, New York State Assembly Member Crystal Peoples-Stokes and New York State Senator Timothy Kennedy joined Pastor Dwayne Jones of Mt. Aaron Missionary Baptist Church, clergy and community partners for a breaking ceremony for the Mt. Aaron Manor senior housing complex. When completed in 2016, the two-story apartment building, located adjacent to Mt. Aaron Missionary Baptist Church at 528 Genesee Street, will consist of ten one-bedroom units. Hamilton Houston Lownie is project architect.“
All city residents deserve a safe and affordable place to live, and as we build a city of opportunity to ensure everyone benefits from Buffalo’s rising prosperity, we’re focused on our continued commitment to further strengthen neighborhoods by developing housing for those who need it,” said Mayor Brown. “This is a great day for Pastor Jones, Mt. Aaron Baptist Church, the Pratt-Willert community and the City of Buffalo as we work together on this needed development that will benefit senior citizens.”
“Our Seniors are an integral component of our communities and we want to ensure that safe, affordable and accessible accommodations are available to them. I am pleased to be a part of an announcement that will bring such housing to the Pratt-Willert neighborhood,” said Darius G. Pridgen, Council President.
The project is fully-funded by the City of Buffalo Urban Renewal Agency in the amount of $1,453,950. In addition to ten single bedroom units, each apartment will be equipped with a washer, dryer, dishwasher, stove, refrigerator and off-street parking.
Under the leadership of Pastor Dwayne Jones, the new development will be located adjacent to Mt. Aaron Missionary Baptist Church. Since becoming pastor in 2006, Pastor Jones has helped turn the once-struggling church into a thriving beacon of hope for the entire community with an average attendance of almost 300 at his Sunday services. Today’s groundbreaking builds on his commitment to fulfill the neighborhood’s growing need for services to support senior citizens and youth.
“Senior citizens are a growing and invaluable demographic in this city and I strongly believe that they deserve to have access to a home that is safe, clean, affordable and of quality design in a community they know and love,” said Pastor Jones. “I hope that Mt. Aaron Manor will be such a place for the great people of the Pratt-Willert community. I am thrilled for construction to begin and am thankful for the full support and 100 percent commitment of capital financing for the project from Mayor Byron Brown and the City of Buffalo Urban Renewal Agency. “
