Ryan, UB announce Buffalo Ready Homes partnership to streamline building processes, help build new homes on vacant lots

Initiative will develop preapproved housing plans to simplify development, expand homeownership opportunities, strengthen neighborhoods, beginning on Buffalo’s East Side 

Submitted by the Office of City of Buffalo Mayor Sean Ryan

Mayor Sean Ryan and the University at Buffalo School of Architecture and Planning announced Buffalo Ready Homes, a partnership to make it easier to build single-family and two-family homes on vacant lots in Buffalo. 

The initiative will develop preapproved housing plans that meet Buffalo’s zoning requirements and reflect the character of the city’s neighborhoods. By addressing key design and zoning requirements up front, the program aims to reduce uncertainty and streamline the development process for small builders, nonprofit housing organizations, and property owners. The effort will initially focus on Buffalo’s East Side, with opportunities to expand to other neighborhoods. 

“Across Buffalo, we have thousands of vacant lots where homes once stood and thousands of families struggling to find quality homes they can afford,” Ryan said. “Buffalo Ready Homes will help us address both of those problems at the same time by making it easier to turn vacant land into new homes. This partnership with UB is another step toward rebuilding full blocks, helping families build equity, and strengthening our neighborhoods.” 

The UB Regional Institute (UBRI), a research and planning center within the School of Architecture and Planning, is leading the initiative in coordination with city staff. UBRI is working with Matt Roland, director of the university’s real estate development program, to manage the project, with associate professor of architecture Nicholas Rajkovich serving as a key adviser. Trautman Associates will lead the development of home designs and architectural plans. 

“This initiative is about strengthening neighborhood redevelopment, while expanding affordable homeownership opportunities for Buffalo residents,” UBRI Director Bart Roberts said. “We want to provide a tool that can promote new homes that fit the character of their neighborhoods, are built to a high standard, and remain valuable assets for residents and communities over time.” 

Once completed, the plans will be made available through the city for use by property owners, developers, nonprofit housing organizations, and community partners. Individual projects will still require appropriate city review and permits based on the specific property, site conditions, and applicable requirements. 

The project team is studying vacant and underutilized lots, neighborhood conditions, and Buffalo’s zoning and permitting requirements to identify designs that will work well in the city. The initiative draws on similar efforts in cities including South Bend, Indiana, and Kalamazoo, Michigan, which have used preapproved housing plans to support development on vacant lots. 

The partnership grew out of UBRI’s work, supported by Assembly Majority Leader Crystal Peoples-Stokes, to explore pilot projects that could spur neighborhood reinvestment on residential blocks near the Kensington Expressway. After identifying preapproved housing plans as a promising approach, UBRI brought the concept to the Ryan administration earlier this year. 

Community input will help shape the plans. This fall and winter, the UB team will gather feedback from residents, neighborhood leaders, builders, nonprofit organizations, and other partners about the types of homes needed, designs that fit their neighborhoods, and ways to make the plans practical to use. Residents can also share their priorities through a survey on the Buffalo Ready Homes website. 

Development of the home designs is expected to continue through winter and spring, with completed plans anticipated in summer 2027. 

To learn more about Buffalo Ready Homes and participate in the community survey, visit, https://regional-institute.buffalo.edu/work/buffaloreadyhomes/.