Construction crews have begun working on 22 new single-family homes in a Rochester, New York, neighborhood that state officials have described as "historically redlined and predominantly minority."
Once completed, the Upper Falls neighborhood is expected to have 11 two-story, three-bedroom homes with basements. Another six homes will be three-bedroom ranch properties, while the final five will be two-bedroom ranches. Three of the homes are planned to meet the accessibility standards of the Americans with Disabilities Act, or ADA, with roll-in showers and grab bars.
City officials said the construction underway is all about increasing homeownership in a neighborhood where that effort hasn't always been supported.
The forthcoming homes show "what happens when we invest in residents and partner with organizations rooted in community," Mayor Malik Evans said in a statement, adding that "homeownership strengthens families, stabilizes neighborhoods and builds generational wealth."
Upper Falls, located near downtown Rochester, features single-family homes from the early 1900s — principally in Colonial and ranch styles. A 2020 Yale University study noted that Upper Falls and Corn Hill — another Rochester neighborhood — were victims of redlining in the 1950s and 1960s as Black Americans migrated to upstate New York.
The U.S. government outlawed redlining in 1968, but Black Rochesterians were still largely denied mortgages in Upper Falls and Corn Hill well into the early 1990s, according to research from nonprofit law firm Empire Justice Center.
"For too long, disinvestment and redlining have denied too many families the opportunity to build stability and generational wealth," Monroe County Executive Adam Bello said about Upper Falls in a statement Monday.
The construction that began this week "represents more than new homes — it’s a commitment from local government and our partners to right those wrongs, remove barriers and ensure every resident has the opportunity to thrive," Bello said in the statement.
"Buying your first home should be affordable and accessible," U.S. Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, who represents New York, said in a statement. "This transformative development will help tackle the housing crisis in Rochester and build a stronger and healthier community, taking a step in the right direction of fixing historic wrongs."
City and state officials said the properties, which are slated to finish in 2027, are aimed at Rochester's low- and moderate-income families — those who earn between 50% and 60% of the area's median income. Anyone seeking to purchase one of the homes must complete a U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development first-time homebuyer education course, officials said.
The City of Rochester contributed $2 million toward the project, while Monroe County added $1.8 million and New York state pitched in another $4.8 million.
The Upper Falls development is separate from another housing project Mayor Evans announced Monday in Rochester's Jay and Orchard Street Neighborhood Association. The JOSANA plan, called Rochester Roots, will feature 15 new single-family homes with detached garages. Construction on those properties is expected to start early next year, Evans said.
The homes, which will have income restrictions, will be a mix of ranch-style and two-story townhouses, and one of them will be ADA-compliant. Potential buyers must earn at or below 80% of the area's median income and must use a mortgage to finance the purchase of those homes, the city said. A combination of city, county and state dollars are also funding the development.