Governor Kathy Hochul today celebrated the completion of a $15.3 million project to convert a former hospital building into 44 affordable and supportive homes for New Yorkers aged 62 and older. Folwell Apartments is part of a larger redevelopment of the historic eight-acre Women and Children’s Hospital located in Buffalo’s Elmwood Village neighborhood.
“Folwell Apartments will provide safe, stable homes for seniors while breathing new life into Buffalo’s Elmwood Village neighborhood,” Governor Hochul said. “My administration is tackling the housing shortage head-on by identifying opportunities like this one that repurpose vacant space and generates the quality homes that New Yorkers need and deserve.”
The Folwell Apartments will be developed through the adaptive reuse of a former hospital building, which served as the maternity ward for the Women and Children’s Hospital and closed in 2017. The comprehensive redevelopment of the hospital site and campus will ultimately include market-rate apartments and for-sale condominiums in addition to commercial and other community spaces. Located near Buffalo’s downtown, the campus is within walking distance of many amenities and is accessible by public transportation.
All apartments located at Folwell are affordable to seniors with incomes at or below 60 percent of the Area Median Income. There are seven apartments reserved for seniors in need of supportive services to live independently. These residents will have access to rental subsidies and services funded through the Empire State Supportive Housing Initiative and administered by the New York State Department of Health.
Residential amenities include a community room with a kitchen located near the main entrance, office space for management and resident support, a bicycle storage area, laundry facilities, and trash storage areas. All apartments are visitable and handicapped adaptable with age-friendly design features such as grab bars, low-reach shelving and cabinets, lever-style door handles, under-cabinet lighting, and zero transition showers. There is shared exterior greenspace with the neighboring Barton Apartments.
In keeping with the site’s historic significance, much of the building’s exterior remained undisturbed. In addition to new windows, construction incorporated energy efficiency and green building features that comply with both New York State Energy and Research Development Authority and Enterprise Green Communities 2020 standards. Sustainable features include Energy Star labeled equipment and light fixtures, low VOC paints and sealants, Green Label Certified floor coverings and low-flow plumbing fixtures.
The developer and supportive service provider is People Inc.
State financing for the Folwell Apartments adaptive reuse project includes $5 million in Federal Low-Income Housing Tax Credits and $5 million in subsidy from New York State Homes and Community Renewal. In addition, the project anticipates nearly $4.5 million in state and federal historic rehabilitation tax credits. NYSERDA provided $44,000 in support through the Low-Rise New Construction Program.
The Federal Home Loan Bank of New York provided more than $401,000 and the city of Buffalo contributed $850,000 in Community Development Block Grant funds to the cost of development.
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