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Fixing Rental Housing Starts with Tenant Protections | Buffalo in Transition

Sarah Wooton — May 15, 2025

Half of all renter households in the City of Buffalo can’t afford their housing, and 31% spend more than half their income on rent, leaving little for food, transportation, or other basic needs. On top of this, much of Buffalo’s housing stock contains toxic lead paint, with around 400 children poisoned each year. Stronger tenant protections and more stable housing are possible through common-sense steps: passing Good Cause Eviction, fully implementing the City’s Proactive …

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Putting Vacant Land to Good Use | Buffalo in Transition

Sam Magavern — May 15, 2025

Today, there are around 15,300 total vacant lots in Buffalo, and almost half of them (7,400) are owned by the City and other related public agencies. Examples from Buffalo and around the nation show that vacant lots can be repurposed to promote equity and sustainability with new uses such as green affordable housing and community gardens. 

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Supporting Low-Income Homeowners | Buffalo in Transition

Anna Falicov — May 15, 2025

About a quarter of all homeowners in the City of Buffalo earn less than $35,000 a year. For many low-income property owners, keeping homes up to code is difficult due to the high cost of repairs. While property taxes in Buffalo are relatively low compared to other New York State communities, many homeowners still struggle to stay current on taxes, user fees, and sewer rent bills. City Hall can take several proactive steps to help low-income homeowners maintain and build equity in their homes. …

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Policy Framework for Vacant Lots Disposition

Vacant Lots Task Force — Nov 29, 2022

Currently, there are about 8,000 publicly-owned vacant lots in the city of Buffalo, and most are located on the East side. Instead of allowing the land to lay neglected–a consequence of this issue’s massive scale and the city’s limited resources– the city could use the vacant land it owns on behalf of the public for more equitable, sustainable and just uses, including for affordable housing, community gardens, passive green space, carbon sequestration, parks and …

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The Eastside-Airport Metro Rail Extension

Citizens for Regional Transit — Aug 23, 2019

This policy brief provides information regarding the expansion of NFTA metro-rail services in east-side Buffalo to the Buffalo Niagara International Airport. 

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Census 2020: Making Western New York Count

Anna Blatto — Jun 10, 2019

This policy brief offers an overview of the 2020 Census: what it is and why it matters for Western New York.

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Why Buffalo Needs Inclusionary Zoning; Affordability, Workforce Development, Inclusion, and Quality Housing

Sarah Wooton, Sam Magavern — Jun 2, 2017

Buffalo’s housing market faces four severe challenges: affordability, job access, inclusiveness, and quality.  Inclusionary zoning is a proven tool for addressing all four issues.  Inclusionary zoning asks that when a developer creates new housing units, it reserve a certain percent for affordable housing.  Thus, inclusionary zoning leverages the power of the market to create more high-quality affordable housing units, often near job centers and transit lines, and to make …

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A Plan that Bears Fruit: A Community Land Trust and Other Tools For Neighborhood Revitalization in the Fruit Belt

Fidèle Menavanza Jun 22, 2016

On December 1, 2015, the City of Buffalo’s Common Council passed a resolution placing a moratorium on the sale of city-owned lots in the Fruit Belt neighborhood.  The Fruit Belt includes the area enclosed by Cherry Street, Jefferson Avenue, Best Street, Main Street, Goodell Street, and Michigan Avenue – a neighborhood where the City of Buffalo owns over 200 vacant lots.  The City promised not to sell lots to developers until “a duly approved strategic plan” had …

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