Governor Hochul Announces Start of Construction on 78-Unit Afford...
Governor Kathy Hochul today announced construction on Homesteads at Dunkirk Landing has started, a 78-unit affordable and supportive housing development that will create new homes in the city of Dunkirk, Chautauqua County. The $37 million development will include 16 apartments with supportive services for veterans who have experienced homelessness and approximately 5,900 square feet of commercial space planned for a childcare center. Under Governor Hochul's leadership, New York State Homes and Community Renewal (HCR) has created or preserved more than 600 affordable homes in Chautauqua County. Homesteads at Dunkirk Landing continues this progress and is part of Governor Hochul's $25 billion five-year Housing Plan, which is on track to create or preserve 100,000 affordable homes statewide.
“Making New York more affordable starts with creating more homes in communities across our state,” Governor Hochul said. “With Homesteads at Dunkirk Landing, we are turning underutilized properties into 78 new affordable homes while supporting veterans, families and the continued revitalization of downtown Dunkirk. This investment is another example of how we are working with local communities to increase housing supply, strengthen neighborhoods and create new opportunities for New Yorkers to build their futures.”
Homesteads at Dunkirk Landing will be affordable to households earning up to 70 percent of the Area Median Income. There will be 16 supportive apartments reserved for eligible veterans with disabilities who have experienced homelessness, with on-site services provided by Soldier On, a nonprofit organization that offers housing and support services to veterans. Units will be supported by an Empire State Supportive Housing Initiative award administered by the New York Office of Temporary Disability Assistance. There will be eight units to accommodate residents with mobility impairments, and four units to accommodate residents with sensory disabilities.
Developed by Regan Development Corporation, the project will consist of two new buildings located within two blocks of one another on Washington Avenue and on East Fourth Street. The Washington Avenue building will contain 48 apartments, while the East Fourth Street building will contain 30 apartments. Both sites are located within Dunkirk’s Brownfield Opportunity and Downtown Revitalization Initiative areas, replacing vacant and blighted properties.
The development will appeal to families of varying sizes. There will be a mix of one-, two- and three-bedroom units. The East Fourth Street building will include approximately 5,900 square feet of commercial space planned for a childcare center. The project will also feature community rooms and a playground.
Homesteads at Dunkirk Landing is designed to meet 2020 Enterprise Green Communities Plus standards, EPA Energy Star Multifamily New Construction, EPA Indoor airPLUS, and U.S. Department of Energy Zero Energy Ready Homes criteria. The buildings will be all-electric, feature on-site solar panels and electric vehicle charging.
Financing for Homesteads at Dunkirk Landing includes a mix of public and private sources, including Federal and State Low-Income Housing Tax Credits from HCR expected to generate $19 million in equity, $9 million in HCR subsidy, and $200,000 in infrastructure funding from Empire State Development. The project is receiving a $1 million award from the Department of State’s Downtown Revitalization Initiative.
New York Secretary of State Walter T. Mosley said, “Through the Downtown Revitalization Initiative, Governor Hochul is helping communities like Dunkirk turn vacant and blighted properties into places where New Yorkers can live, work and build their futures. Homesteads at Dunkirk Landing demonstrates what can happen when we pair strategic investments in downtowns with a commitment to expanding affordable housing, strengthening downtown Dunkirk and creating new opportunities for New Yorkers.”
New York State Homes and Community Renewal Commissioner RuthAnne Visnauskas said, “Under Governor Hochul’s leadership, we are investing in developments that make New York more affordable while creating stronger, more vibrant communities. Homesteads at Dunkirk Landing will bring 78 much-needed affordable homes to Dunkirk, provide supportive housing for veterans, transform blighted properties and contribute to the ongoing revitalization of the city’s downtown. We are proud to work with Regan Development Corporation, Soldier On and our State and local partners to bring this important project to life.”
New York State Office of Temporary and Disability Assistance Commissioner Barbara C. Guinn said, “When completed, Dunkirk Landing will provide veterans who have experienced homelessness with much-needed safe affordable apartments to call home, along with access to the essential services they need to live stable, independent lives in the community. We are pleased to provide support through the Empire State Supportive Housing Initiative for this important project and grateful to Governor Hochul for her unwavering commitment to supporting the well-being of New York’s veterans.”
Regan Development President Larry Regan said, “Regan development and Soldier On are proud to serve as tools to create new housing and redevelop these two sites in the core of the City of Dunkirk. We are excited to work with so many state agencies, including HCR with the housing funding, DEC with the Brownfield funding, ESD with the infrastructure funding, DOS with the DRI funding, and OTDA for the ESSHI funding which allows for successfully hitting so many of the governor's and New York State housing goals.”
Governor Hochul’s Housing Agenda
Governor Hochul is dedicated to addressing New York’s housing crisis and making the State more affordable and livable for all New Yorkers. Since FY23, the Governor has worked to increase housing supply to make housing more affordable by launching a $25 billion five-year comprehensive Housing Plan, enacted the most significant housing deal in decades and implemented new protections for renters and homeowners. Under Governor Hochul’s leadership, HCR has created new programs that jumpstart development of affordable and mixed-income homes — for both renters and homebuyers. These include the Pro-Housing Community Program, which allows certified localities exclusive access to up to $750 million in discretionary State funding. There are currently 450 certified Pro-Housing communities throughout the state, including the City of Dunkirk.
As part of Governor Hochul’s 2026 State of the State, the Governor proposed her “Let Them Build” agenda, a series of landmark reforms to speed up housing and infrastructure development and lower costs. This initiative will spur a series of common-sense reforms to New York’s State Environmental Quality Review Act (SEQRA) and executive actions to expedite critical categories of projects that have been consistently found to not have significant environmental impacts, but for too long have been caught up in red tape and subject to lengthy delays.
The FY27 Executive Budget completes the Governor’s current five-year Housing Plan to create or preserve 100,000 affordable homes statewide, including 10,000 with support services for vulnerable populations plus the electrification of an additional 50,000 homes. Close to 86,000 affordable homes have been created or preserved to date. The Executive Budget also invests $250 million in capital funding to accelerate the construction of thousands of new affordable homes.
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