Council approves series of affordable-housing measures; members press for clarity on contractor pricing and resident relocation

Rochester City Council committees on several committee votes approved financing and agreements to support new and existing affordable-housing projects while members pressed staff for written answers about contractor price risk and protections for residents who will be temporarily relocated.

The measures approved included introductory number 62, which authorizes sale of real estate, appropriates annual action-plan funds and authorizes a grant agreement to construct and sell seven affordable single-family homes in the Beachwood neighborhood; introductory number 63, an amendment related to Greater Rochester Habitat for Humanity's By-the-Block Phase 2; an amendment and additional appropriation for the Federal Street scattered-sites project (introductory 65); and introductory number 66, an appropriation from the 2024–25 annual action plan and a payment-in-lieu-of-taxes agreement for a townhouse redevelopment project that will require resident relocation.

Council members asked detailed questions about two recurring concerns: whether contractor costs and material-price increases are effectively “locked in,” and whether relocation payments and other assistance will protect low-income residents who will be displaced during construction.

On contractor…