Albany County Land Bank and partners break ground on innovative new partnership and affordable home prototype

The Albany County Land Bank, Social Enterprise and Training (SEAT) Center, YouthBuild Albany, and Home HeadQuarters, Inc. were joined by elected officials, community leaders, neighborhood residents and YouthBuild Albany participants today to break ground on a new, small footprint affordable home prototype. Today’s groundbreaking celebrates the first project to emerge from a new partnership between the Albany County Land Bank, SEAT Center and Home HeadQuarters, Inc. and marks the first construction project undertaken by SEAT Center YouthBuild Albany and the first new construction home to be built by the Land Bank.

The prototype home will be constructed at 360 Sheridan Avenue in the City of Albany on a vacant lot provided by the Land Bank. The lot is 25 feet wide and 90 feet deep, which is smaller than most typical buildable lots in the city. These smaller-sized lots are located throughout the city of Albany and other municipalities in Albany County and represent a considerable proportion of the vacant lots that the Land Bank acquires through tax-foreclosure. The new prototype home will be a two-story single-family home that consists of three bedrooms and one full bathroom. At approximately 1,190 square feet, the 14-foot wide and 48-foot-deep home is designed to fit on smaller, narrower vacant lots while still providing adequate living space, functionality, and constructability. Upon completion, the home will be sold to a first-time homebuyer at an affordable price.

“This new partnership will enable us to transform often overlooked vacant lots into affordable homes to help revitalize our communities while providing an opportunity for young adults to build skills that will last a lifetime,” said Adam Zaranko, Executive Director of the Albany County Land Bank. “Thank you to the SEAT Center and Home HeadQuarters for helping us deliver this new, innovative approach to reclaiming vacant properties and creating more affordable homeownership opportunities. By working together we’re building more than just a home; we’re building new opportunities and a better future.”

“While young people from the city of Albany are transforming their lives, they are also transforming their community,” said SEAT Center Founder/CEO Jennifer Lawrence. Thanks to this partnership with Albany County Land Bank, SEAT Center will work with young people, ages 18-24, in the city of Albany, teach construction skills through building a new home from the ground up, while teaching academics that lead to a high school equivalency diploma. At SEAT Center, we believe in the power of young people to create the change that they want to see, through providing them with access, opportunity, and resources to realize their full potential.”

“Home HeadQuarters is proud to be a part of this innovative and impactful community partnership with the Albany County Land Bank and the SEAT Center,” said Home HeadQuarters’ Chief Executive Officer Kerry Quaglia.“We’re honored to make the needed construction and development investment to get this first home off the ground, and even more excited to provide the first mortgage financing for the first-time homebuyer. We look forward to many more homes to come.”

The SEAT Center will build the new home as part of their YouthBuild program. The SEAT Center is a non-profit organization that connects underrepresented young people to meaningful work through an array of programs and services, including YouthBuild. YouthBuild is a program that helps transform the lives of young people through training, community service, and sustainable wage jobs. The program is designed to help those without a high school degree obtain their GED all while learning useful skills that will benefit them throughout their lives. There are 275+ YouthBuild programs operating in the United States and the SEAT Center is re-establishing the program in Albany, New York. Through this partnership, YouthBuild students will have an opportunity to participate in a construction project to revitalize their community and learn valuable hand-on construction skills while creating a new, affordable home for a first-time home buyer.

Construction financing and the first-time homebuyer mortgage will be provided by Home HeadQuarters, Inc. a nonprofit Community Development Financial Institution (CDFI) that invests in people, properties, and projects that are underserved by traditional financial institutions. Home HeadQuarters has provided over $1 million in acquisition and rehab financing to families and individuals that have purchased property from Albany County Land Bank.

"Through the power of partnership and community-driven innovation, we're paving the way for a brighter future in Albany County. The Urban Infill Affordable Homeownership Pilot Project exemplifies the Albany County Land Bank's commitment to transforming neglected spaces into vibrant homes, fostering skill development among our YouthBuild participants, and ultimately, bringing affordable homeownership dreams to life,” said Assemblymember Patricia Fahy. “This prototype project is a model for not just constructing houses, but creating a strong foundation for equitable growth, revitalization, and a stronger sense of belonging. This project is a testament to the boundless potential of collaboration and the lasting impact it can have on our neighborhoods."

“For many years the Albany County Land Bank has been an essential resource to revitalize and strengthen our communities for future generations, and I applaud this partnership as the latest example,” said Assemblymember John T. McDonald III, RPh. “This partnership between Albany County Land Bank, the SEAT Center and Home HeadQuarters, Inc. will work toward the goal of creating affordable homeownership opportunities, while also teaching YouthBuild students a trade that will guide them on the path to finding meaningful work. I look forward to watching this project come to fruition!”

“We continue to face an affordable housing crisis here and across the state, and we need innovative solutions to help those struggling to make ends meet. I’m thrilled to see that we’re taking another positive step forward with the groundbreaking of this small footprint affordable home prototype,” said Albany County Executive Daniel P. McCoy. “This new partnership spearheaded by the Albany County Land Bank is a desperately needed investment in our minority neighborhoods by helping individuals build capital through homeownership, which ultimately helps stabilize the surrounding community.”

“The intention behind this project is to breathe new life into neighborhoods that have experienced unfortunate systemic discrimination; by arbitrarily categorizing family homes as “redlined” housing. This practice of racial discrimination in housing has negatively impacted already distressed neighborhoods for generations,” said Albany County Legislature Chairman Andrew Joyce. “There is a pressing need for reinvigoration efforts in these areas that are in a significant state of deterioration. Albany County is dependent on affordable development and creating opportunities that make the city and surrounding area accessible to younger generations and newcomers. Redevelopment projects like this one on Sheridan Avenue demonstrate the unwavering dedication of our community to reclaim Albany’s innovative, impartial, and flourishing culture. Thank you to The Albany County Land Bank, Social Enterprise and Training Center and Home HeadQuarters for creating opportunities of growth through refurbishing current properties into affordable housing.”

"Hundreds of new units of housing continue to be built in Albany each year however we know that the supply is struggling to keep up with the demand, which is why I am so grateful that the Albany County Land Bank continues to create new affordable homes like this one,” said Albany Mayor Kathy Sheehan. “This new home will not only provide a first-time home buyer housing, but it also is an opportunity for young people in our community to play a part in its construction. Albany has very little undeveloped space and building small footprint, in-fill homes is yet another example of how our partners are thinking outside the box to ensure we create even more housing for those living in Albany and looking to move here. We are excited to see this project come to fruition and compliment the additional units of affordable housing the Albany County Land Bank and City of Albany are partnering to build across our Arbor Hill, West Hill, and South End neighborhoods."

Informed by the prototype, the partnership will continue to refine the design and work together to secure state and federal affordable housing funds to scale the initiative and unlock the potential of smaller vacant lots, filling in the “missing teeth” of a block and transforming overgrown, abandoned lots into new, quality and climate friendly affordable homes. The new partnership will create more opportunities for YouthBuild participants and graduates, decrease the number of vacant properties plaguing communities, increasing the housing supply to catalyze neighborhood revitalization and help combat the growing affordability crisis.

Albany County Land Bank awarded $1.8 million grant

The State of New York has awarded the Albany County Land Bank a $1.8 million grant to revitalize communities in Albany County. The funding is provided through the State’s Land Bank Initiative and will support the Land Bank’s efforts to transform vacant properties into affordable housing and eliminate blighted structures to improve the quality of life in communities that have experienced disinvestment.

“This award will enable us to address some of the most challenging vacant and abandoned properties in our communities and transform them into new opportunities for affordable housing,” said Adam Zaranko, Executive Director of the Albany County Land Bank Corporation. “We thank Governor Hochul, the State Legislature, New York State Homes and Community Renewal, our colleagues at the New York Land Bank Association, Albany County, and all of our partners for working to secure state funding for land banks so we can continue to revitalize our communities.”

The grants were awarded on a competitive basis through a Request for Applications issued by New York State Homes and Community Renewal under New York’s Land Bank Initiative. The award provides capital funding for building stabilization, demolition, and pre-development expenses. The Albany County Land Bank’s award was among those announced today by Governor Kathy Hochul.

“New York’s Land Bank Initiative has already allowed us to preserve, restore, and revitalize rundown properties across the state, and we are excited to be extending the opportunity this year,” Governor Hochul said. “This program will empower local nonprofits – the people that know their communities best – to help increase homeownership while repairing the fabric of their neighborhoods.”

"As a former Mayor I understand the challenges that localities face when working to address blighted properties, said Assemblymember John T. McDonald III, RPh. “That is why as an Assemblymember I lead the effort each year to include Land Bank funding in the NYS Budget. Thank you to our legislative leaders, my colleagues, and the Governor for continuing to support our land banks and for understanding that they are integral to revitalizing our neighborhoods and increasing home ownership opportunities. In addition, thank you to the Albany County Land Bank and the other land banks around the state who work day to day to transform our communities."

“This is grant is wonderful news as the Albany County Land Bank continues to play a critical role in creating affordable homes, addressing blight, raising property values and rebuilding our communities,” said Albany County Executive Daniel P. McCoy. “Albany County is proud to have already invested nearly $4 million in our land bank since it was created in 2014. During these nine years, the Albany County Land Bank has helped us to revitalize entire neighborhoods. Thank you, Governor Hochul, for realizing how important the mission of our land bank is and making an investment for its continued success.”

New York’s land banks were established in 2012 with passage of the New York State Land Bank Act. Land banks are local public authorities designed to acquire, stabilize, assemble, and facilitate the redevelopment of vacant and abandoned properties to return them back to productive use.

Statement from Albany County Land Bank Executive Director Adam Zaranko regarding the adoption of Albany County’s 2023 Annual Budget

“Albany County continues to prioritize investing in reducing the number of vacant properties that harm our communities and supporting the creation of much needed affordable housing. Many of our communities are still recovering from the unprecedented impacts of the pandemic. The funding provided for the Albany County Land Bank in the Adopted 2023 Annual Budget will enable us to help rebuild neighborhoods and create more opportunities for more people.

We thank Albany County Executive Daniel P. McCoy, Chairman of the Legislature Andrew Joyce, and all members of the Albany County Legislature as well as their dedicated staff for their leadership and continued support. We appreciate our strong partnership with Albany County and look forward to continuing our work revitalizing neighborhoods and strengthening communities throughout Albany County in 2023 and beyond.”

Albany County Land Bank seeking to transform 1.8 Acres in Albany into a community-oriented mixed-use development

The Albany County Land Bank is seeking responses from qualified and experienced parties for the purchase and redevelopment of four properties totaling approximately 1.86 acres in Albany’s Beverwyck neighborhood.

Today, the Land Bank issued a Request for Qualifications (RFQ) to select a qualified and experienced development team or partnership to plan, finance and redevelop the project site into a high-quality, mixed-use development that includes the creation of new, mixed-income affordable housing and a multi-purpose Community Hub space to accommodate the location and operation or co-location and operation of one or more nonprofits, community-based organizations, services, amenities, small/local businesses, or related uses that serve residents and surrounding community.

“Before us is a rare opportunity to transform a large assemblage of vacant properties into something that benefits the surrounding community,” said Adam Zaranko, Executive Director of the Albany County Land Bank Corporation. “Through this unique approach we hope to bring together qualified developers and local organizations to facilitate the type of creative collaborations that make for really impactful projects.”

The project site is located between Central Avenue and Washington Avenue in Albany’s Beverwyck neighborhood and comprised of four tax-foreclosed properties totaling approximately 81,021 square feet (1.86 acres). The properties, which were acquired by the Land Bank from Albany County through tax-foreclosure, include:

• 130 Ontario Street (single-story vacant building, 23,600 sf / lot 0.90 acres)

• 135 Ontario Street (two-story vacant building, 13,376 sf / lot 0.31 acres)

• 134 West Street (vacant lot, 0.11 acres)

• 154 west Street (vacant lot, 0.54 acres)

The vision for this Site emerged through the Land Bank’s extensive community outreach and engagement regarding the challenges and opportunities of redeveloping the site, which included a series of public meetings and numerous discussions with a wide variety of community stakeholders including residents, neighborhood groups, community organizations, local elected officials, nonprofit organizations, and businesses. Through this outreach it was determined the project site was conducive to a mixed-use development that consisted of mixed income housing and could serve as a central location, or hub for a mixture of amenities, services and/or uses that would serve the needs of nearby residents and benefit the surrounding community.

"What an exciting opportunity this RFQ presents in the Capital City of Albany, led by the Albany County Land Bank,” said Assemblymember John T. McDonald III, RPh. “Remediation of blight and providing strong opportunities for workforce housing and partnerships with the many nonprofits in the community have great potential here. I am pleased to see yet another sign that the impacts from the pandemic are receding and redevelopment is underway in the Capital City."

The Community Hub component of the Project is intended harness the unique opportunity presented by the site combined with the neighborhood characteristics and needs, existing zoning and wealth of businesses, nonprofits and other organizations that exist in the Capital District. Community Hub concepts and models can range from “one-stop shops” that provide several complementary uses (e.g. one location for medical, dental and pharmacy services) or several uses co-existing at the same location and that may benefit from sharing aspects of the space and/or respective services, such as a nonprofit that offers youth programming operating alongside an organization that provides indoor recreation space and fitness facilities; shared classroom facilities for educational, workforce development and job training organizations, or; an indoor/outdoor marketplace that provides space for a mixture of local food and retail vendors.

“There is so much untapped potential in the Beverwyck and West Hill neighborhoods and this is an exciting opportunity for a developer to leave their mark on a city that continues to recover, grow, and thrive like never before, said Albany County Executive Daniel P. McCoy. “Projects like this that combine multiple tax-foreclosed properties are examples of how our Land Bank is helping us revitalize entire swaths of Albany County at a time, and the inclusion of mixed-income housing and a Community Hub space will have an important impact on the surrounding community.”

"The City of Albany's Beverwyck neighborhood is just one of many communities in Albany County that is ready for transformation, while sustaining its unique blend of businesses, renters, off-site owners and families that have lived in the neighborhood for decades," said Albany County Legislature Chairman Andrew Joyce. "This most recent effort and RFQ by the Albany County Land Bank encourages collaboration and will give an individual or developer with a vision an opportunity to increase quality housing options, stimulate the local economy and create a new community hub for the Beverwyck neighborhood and the surrounding community."

The Land Bank has received multiple inquiries from community-based, nonprofit organizations, businesses, and other entities interested in the properties since they were acquired. While these organizations and entities may provide services and programming that benefit the surrounding neighborhoods and advance community priorities, they typically lack the financial capacity, expertise, and experience necessary to redevelop the site.

The Land Bank also recognizes the challenges that developers and other parties capable of redeveloping and programming the site as envisioned may encounter in identifying local organizations and businesses that provide the uses and programming desired by the community and that may be interested in participating as a tenant in the Community Hub.

“Since taking office, I have been laser-focused on revitalizing our neighborhoods and working with partners such as the Albany County Land Bank to create a city where every neighborhood works,” said Albany Mayor Kathy Sheehan. “I am encouraged by the Land Bank’s request to seek qualifications from developers on the potential redevelopment of this cluster of properties in the Beverwyck Neighborhood and look forward to working with the Land Bank and the community to develop a plan to transform these properties into mixed-use opportunities for both quality housing and space for non-profits and small businesses to thrive.”

“We are looking forward to an exciting project that will transform this underutilized real estate into new affordable housing and a dynamic asset for the community,” said Sarah Reginelli, President of Capitalize Albany Corporation and CEO of the City’s Industrial Development Agency. “By strategically assembling the site, thoughtfully crafting the RFQ with the community’s input, and working with local partners to support redevelopment, the Land Bank is presenting a tremendous opportunity both for the right development team and for the surrounding neighborhood.”

Through this RFQ the Land Bank seeks to bridge these considerations and facilitate connections between local organizations and businesses and developers willing to partner and collaborate by inviting and encouraging organizations, businesses, or other entities interested in collaborating with prospective respondents to develop responses consistent with the project vision to express that interest through the process described in the RFQ.

Collaboration with local nonprofits, businesses, institutions, community-based organizations and/or service providers and/or establishing partnerships with organizations or entities capable of providing services, activities and/or uses that serve residents and the surrounding community are highly encouraged.

The deadline for Expressions of Interest in the Community Hub is June 3, 2022, and responses to the RFQ are due by July 22, 2022. To learn more about the project, how local organizations can express interest in the Community Hub and to view the full Request for Qualifications please visit www.albanycountylandbank.org/ontariost.

Statement from Albany County Land Bank Executive Director Adam Zaranko regarding the City of Albany’s funding recommendations for American Rescue Plan (ARPA) grant awards

“The Albany County Land Bank appreciates being among the organizations with impactful and transformative projects selected by the City of Albany to receive American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funding. The investments recommended by the City of Albany ARPA Leadership Team — including investing approximately $18 million in projects that will create more affordable housing and help strengthen neighborhoods of highest need — represents a strong commitment to accelerating Albany’s recovery through community development.

Thank you to Mayor Sheehan and the City of Albany ARPA Leadership Team and members of the City of Albany’s COVID Recovery Task Force for leading this process and investing in affordable housing. Thank you to Senator Schumer, Senator Gillibrand, and Congressman Tonko for securing these critical funds to help our communities recover from the impacts of COVID-19.

Congratulations to our partners and other organizations nominated for funding awards. We look forward to the Albany Common Council adopting the ARPA Leadership Team’s recommendations so we can expand our work rebuilding neighborhoods that have been hit the hardest by the pandemic.”