Buffalo Erie Niagara Improvement Corporation (BENLIC), Western New York’s regional Land Bank, selected HHL to initiate the design standards and the first phase of Buffalo’s Neighborhood Infill Project; evaluating forty-seven (47) vacant, City of Buffalo-owned, former single-family residential, sites throughout the city of Buffalo located in some important neighborhoods including:
HHL worked with BENLIC to create multiple house concepts of affordable single-family “infill” designs. The Design Guidelines project had two (2) distinct phases: 1) a Site Evaluation and Visioning Phase and, 2) a Schematic and Conceptual Design Phase. In the first phase, HHL visited each neighborhood to better understand its historical evolution and created photographic documents of important architectural features. In the second phase, HHL prepared 4 different housing designs including elevations and floor plans, as well as optional façade options, with various material specifications choices.
Once these Design Guidelines were completed and adopted by BENLIC, HHL was then engaged by BENLIC via a competitive selection process to implement these new standards on these available sites. The result was that HHL with their team of Tredo Engineers, Buffalo Engineering, and BE3 Engineering, developed selected designs for twenty-two (22) of the forty-seven (47) reconstituted residential lots. The remainder of sites were planned to be modular-built structures by others. Buffalo Construction Consultants is leading the construction of these new homes, commencing construction in early 2025, completing by end of 2026. Once completed, these new single-family houses will be sold to Western New Yorkers who make no more than 80% of the local median income. Restrictions will be held on the sites to ensure that they serve first-time homebuyers and affordable families for years to come. The hope is that this first of many phases of similar initiatives led by BENLIC will help to rebuild and reinvest in Buffalo’s neighborhoods.
