Committee approves state infrastructure grants for two housing projects; members debate affordability, electrification and foreclosures

The Chautauqua County Planning and Economic Development Committee on Sept. 17 voted to authorize the county to accept Empire State Development funds and pass them through to two housing projects: $200,000 for the Homesteads at Dunkirk Landing and $800,000 for the Welch Building in Westfield.

The grant acceptance resolution was presented by Rebecca Wurster, planning coordinator for the Chautauqua County Department of Planning and Development, who said the awards are intended to support infrastructure related to housing and placemaking and that the projects together would provide 124 housing units (78 in Dunkirk and 46 in Westfield). "These are two projects that have 78 housing units in Dunkirk, and then the 46 new housing units proposed in Westfield," Wurster said.

The grant funding is a pass-through from Empire State Development; Wurster said projects must be implemented within two years to meet the program’s requirements. Mark Geist, deputy county executive for economic development, urged members to view housing as central to economic growth. "You can't have economic development without adequate, safe, affordable, efficient housing," Geist said, adding that the county’s housing market study recommended roughly 1,500 new units.

During committee discussion, legislators raised several concerns that went beyond the resolution itself. One lawmaker said he had been told the state contributed about $2,600,000 toward the Welch Building rehabilitation; a county official on the record in the meeting confirmed that figure for the record. Committee members also discussed community division in Westfield over how many of the Welch Building units would be income-restricted versus market rate and relayed local law-enforcement and resident concerns about concentrations of low-income units.

Members pressed staff on program details used to set income limits. Rebecca Wurster and other county staff cited area median income (AMI) figures discussed in the meeting: an example AMI for a four-person household was given as $76,300, with 80% AMI about $61,000 and 60% AMI about $46,000. Committee members noted that many working households — including teachers and first responders — could qualify for such income-restricted units.

Separately, the committee discussed the county’s handling of tax-foreclosed properties and the role of the Chautauqua County Land Bank Corporation in acquiring, inspecting and demolishing properties. One legislator urged staff to review prior auction sales and consider deed reversion clauses or other conditions so purchasers must rehabilitate properties within a set timeframe or the property reverts to the municipality. County staff described ongoing state funding the land bank uses for demolition and negotiated sales and cautioned the land bank’s capacity is limited.

Committee members also asked whether recent and upcoming projects will have to comply with state energy/building guidance. A legislator said developers told him projects expected to rely on natural gas initially were now being required to be all-electric for new construction after Jan. 1, 2026, and that developers expect that change to raise project costs "by over a million dollars" in at least one example. Staff relayed that electrification and utility costs can affect project budgets and timelines but did not provide a formal cost analysis in the meeting.

The resolution passed on a voice vote. Committee members and staff characterized the grants as pass-through funds that do not directly cost county taxpayers, and staff said the county served as the sponsor to enable access to the state infrastructure dollars.

The discussion encompassed broader economic context. Several legislators repeated countywide job and population figures — including a cited decline in employment and population over recent years — and referenced recent local employer closures and bankruptcies as part of their remarks about why housing and place-making matter to retain and attract workers.

The committee did not request additional amendments to the grant agreement during the meeting but asked staff to provide more detail about project implementation timelines, the land bank's remaining capacity and community outreach on tenant composition ahead of final contract execution.