Big news from Buffalo! The Marine Drive Apartments project, a monumental affordable housing effort, just got the green light on crucial tax breaks. But it wasn’t without a battle! Union disputes threatened to halt progress on one of the city’s largest redevelopments. What does this mean for the future of Buffalo’s urban landscape?
After weeks of intense negotiations and public debate, the Erie County Legislature has officially approved crucial tax breaks, allowing the colossal Marine Drive Apartments reconstruction project in Buffalo to finally proceed with its ambitious financing and workforce commitments. This landmark decision paves the way for one of the region’s most significant and costly affordable housing initiatives in decades, a development previously mired in contentious builder-versus-union drama.
The core of the recent controversy centered on the utilization of union labor for the initial construction phase of the nearly $500 million project. Despite the Legislature typically observing its August recess, a special session was convened specifically to greenlight the 15-year tax break package, which had been deliberately delayed in July following protests from various union representatives who alleged exclusion from the project.
The Marine Drive Apartments initiative is not merely a reconstruction; it represents one of Buffalo’s most expensive and transformative public housing endeavors. Envisioned as a three-phase, eight-year undertaking, it will create nearly 700 units across eight new buildings, incorporating an underground parking garage, 5,000 square feet of ground-floor retail, a community center, a public plaza, and significant green space, fundamentally reshaping the waterfront site near Canalside as part of a major Buffalo development.
David Mattucci, a partner with Christa Construction and the general contractor for the first phase, clarified in July that while workers would receive prevailing wage rates, the project’s substantial financial constraints precluded it from being an exclusively all-union endeavor. He further affirmed that all diversity hiring requirements mandated for such a significant public development were being meticulously met, underscoring the delicate balance between cost-efficiency and labor practices.
Modesto Candelario, assistant executive director of the Buffalo Municipal Housing Authority (BMHA), earnestly appealed to the Erie County Legislature to move forward, emphasizing that the general contractor had substantially increased the percentage of union participation, moving significantly beyond the initially stated 50%. The BMHA, Candelario added, remains open to the concept of a project labor agreement for future phases, provided such a requirement is clearly advertised during the bidding process to ensure fairness and transparency.
Candelario further elaborated that while an all-union labor agreement was considered for the initial phase, it was ultimately deemed an “extremely challenging endeavor” that would expose the entire construction project to “extreme risk” due to financial complexities. This perspective highlights the intricate economic realities faced by large-scale affordable housing initiatives, where balancing labor demands with budgetary limitations is paramount.
The special meeting saw eight legislators in attendance, with a decisive 7-1 vote in favor of approving the tax breaks. All seven Democratic legislators supported the agreement, some confessing reluctance, but ultimately prioritizing the urgent need for affordable housing in Buffalo over further delays stemming from the labor relations dispute. They argued that holding up such a critical community infrastructure project would be detrimental to the city’s residents.
Despite the approval, some union leaders, particularly from the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local 41 and International Union of Operating Engineers Local 17, continued to voice strong opposition. They accused Christa Construction of “price shopping” after initial outreach and claimed their workers were effectively “ghosted,” highlighting ongoing tensions surrounding union participation and equitable employment opportunities within the local economy.
The first phase, budgeted at $250 million, aims for cost efficiency by removing a large paved parking lot to make way for new apartment buildings of varying heights and a multi-story parking ramp, resulting in 252 new apartments and significant retail space. With resident engagement and planning spanning nearly five years, this crucial initial phase is poised to commence construction this fall, promising a transformative impact on Buffalo’s urban landscape and its affordable housing market.
