Buffalo Erie Niagara Land Improvement Corporation (BENLIC) is spearheading construction of a new affordable single-family home in the City of Tonawanda. The home at 91 Fuller Avenue was designed by UB Architecture and Planning students and Professor Brad Wales.
To ensure public input and support for the initiative, BENLIC and the studio class worked with City of Tonawanda officials, as well as neighborhood residents, to discuss the project and address any potential stakeholder concerns.
The 1,452 sq.ft. home has two-bedrooms and one and a half baths. It is being constructed on a vacant lot that was foreclosed upon.
The house will be sold as income-restricted to a moderate-income buyer. Income qualification is based on family size and capped at 100% maximum Average Monthly Income (AMI) for Erie County.
EnterpriseNow assisted with funding the $238,844 project and construction is being overseen by Build Macaluso, Inc. Work is expected to be completed this fall.
BENLIC works to ensure all properties it receives are brought up to code and arein livable condition after acquisition. This is done either through construction rehab before a home is brought to market, or through the use of their Note & Mortgage Program. If a property is determined to be in such a state of disrepair that a rehab is unfeasible, BENLIC may elect to demolish it. All homes sold by BENLIC are priced at fair market value.
Vacant lots are either sold to adjacent landowners or, if BENLIC determines it feasible, are built on for new housing construction.