After spending four years working on the restoration and stabilization of St. Stanislaus Roman Catholic Church, contractor Mike McHugh is beginning work to ‘restore’ surrounding streets. With the encouragement of Bishop Grosz, McHugh is partnering with St. Stanislaus and M&T Bank to build affordable single-family homes near the stately church in the Broadway-Fillmore neighborhood.
With no shortage of land available for new construction, McHugh expects to be working in the neighborhood for five to 10 years building homes. The first home in ‘St. Stanislaus Garden’ is nearing completion.
The Broadway-Fillmore neighborhood, historically a Polish and German neighborhood with a bustling commercial district, has been plagued by poverty and disinvestment in recent decades. St. Stanislaus, the oldest Polish parish in the diocese of Buffalo, has been a community pillar since 1893 and intends to continue that role into the future.
Parish pastor Bishop Grosz convinced Mike McHugh of McHugh Construction, the general contractor for the church restoration project, to help rebuild the surrounding neighborhood. Their vision is to construct affordable, unsubsidized homes on nearby vacant lots where some blocks have more vacant properties than occupied homes.
According to McHugh, “People living in the area cannot wait to get the area developed.”
Working with Councilman David Franczyk and Mayor Brown, McHugh purchased 26 vacant parcels on Coit, Detroit, Townsend, Peckham and William streets last September- enough land to build 14 new homes.
“For the first time in decades, we have a mayor looking at the city as a whole and doing things for all parts of the city,” says McHugh.
First phase homesites near St. Stan’s. Peckham Street in center running left-right.
A model home, a three-bedroom ranch plan with 1,100 sq.ft. of living space and attached two-car garage, is nearing completion at 138 Townsend Street across from the church. It is priced at $95,000. Four different styles of homes with two to four bedrooms are priced from the $80,000’s.
These are not subsidized homes. For St. Stanislaus Garden, M&T Bank is offering 30-year, fixed-rate mortgages at one point under the current mortgage rate.
To keep costs down, the homes do not have a basement, but have an insulated crawl space and maintenance-free exteriors of vinyl siding and aluminum trim. “I am building an affordable, well-built home that is Energy Star qualified,” says McHugh.
“I have been getting two to three calls per week about the project. Most cannot afford a $200,000 house like those planned at nearby Sycamore Village, or even a $150,000 house. But they can afford a smaller, energy-efficient home.”
There are nineteen potential buyers currently working with M&T Bank to get qualified. Surprisingly, less than half of those interested are St. Stanislaus parishioners. Sales will start once the model is completed.
Mike is in the process of purchasing additional vacant lots from the City. Homes are purposely clustered close together near the church instead of on scattered sites. “I want to build a whole new neighborhood of owner-occupied homes,” says McHugh.
McHugh, who grew up on the West Side and who has worked on hundreds of church restoration projects across the country, is optimistic about St. Stanislaus Garden. He envisions 30 homes in the short-term and says there is easily room for 200 homes or more.
“I have done work in all areas of the city. The Broadway-Fillmore neighborhood has been ignored so long it is easy to develop,” says McHugh. “Crime is gone; there’s nothing left to steal. I’ve worked down there at 1 a.m. with no problems. There has been nothing stolen while building.”
“Land is readily available and with the City tearing down houses weekly, more land is available. As a contractor, I find the area extremely attractive. The new homes will bring stability to the neighborhood.” Adds McHugh, “The area was thriving in the past and it deserves a better fate.”
Get connected: Mike McHugh, 716.741.8077
Photos by Chris Byrd at Broadway Fillmore Alive!