Governor Hochul Announces Start of Construction at $18 Million Affordable Housing Development in Albany

Governor Kathy Hochul today announced the start of construction on the redevelopment of the historic Selfridge & Langford Building at 97 Central Avenue in the city of Albany. The $18 million project will transform the vacant four-story building into 49 affordable apartments with ground-floor commercial space, revitalizing a prominent historic structure along a key gateway corridor into downtown Albany. Under Governor Hochul's leadership, New York State Homes and Community Renewal (HCR) has created or preserved more than 2,300 affordable homes in Albany County, including more than 1,900 in the city of Albany. 97 Central Avenue continues this effort and is part of Governor Hochul's $25 billion five-year Housing Plan which is on track to create or preserve 100,000 affordable homes statewide.

"By transforming the historic Selfridge & Langford Building into new affordable homes, we are preserving a historic gem and bringing new life to Central Avenue," Governor Hochul said. "New Yorkers need more housing now, and projects like this are how we deliver it. My administration is committed to increasing supply, lowering costs and making sure people have access to safe, affordable places to live."

Developed by MLB Construction Services, 97 Central Avenue will consist of studio, one-bedroom, and two-bedroom homes affordable to households earning up to 80 percent of the Area Median Income.

The building was originally constructed in 1911 and later underwent a major renovation, serving as offices for the New York State Division of Parole from 1982 until 2021. It has been vacant since 2021. In 2024, the building was listed in the State and National Registers of Historic Places as a rare, early example of a Neoclassical-style reinforced concrete building in the city of Albany.

This redevelopment will modernize the building with extensive upgrades while preserving its historic character. Improvements include new interior walls to create the residential apartments, new roofing, updated plumbing, masonry restoration and the addition of energy-efficient, all-electric heating and cooling systems. Residents will have access to common gathering spaces and a fitness room.

Located along Central Avenue near Townsend Park, the redevelopment is part of ongoing efforts to reinvest in Albany's existing building stock and strengthen an important gateway corridor connecting neighborhoods to downtown. The project will help reduce vacancy while supporting long-term neighborhood vitality through new housing and active ground-floor commercial space.

State financing includes $7.3 million from New York Homes and Community Renewal's Small Buildings Participation Loan Program, which assists in financing buildings with between 5 and 50 units. The New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation is facilitating the use of an estimated $4.2 million in Federal and State Historic Rehabilitation Tax Credits. Additional financing includes a $5.3 million permanent loan from the Community Preservation Corporation.

New York State Homes and Community Renewal Commissioner RuthAnne Visnauskas said, "The redevelopment of 97 Central Avenue provides an example of how we can tackle the housing shortage across the state while preserving the historic buildings in our communities. By investing in the rehabilitation of this long-vacant property through HCR's Small Building Program, we are creating nearly 50 new affordable homes in a dense neighborhood with demand for more housing while helping to revitalize an important corridor in Albany. This is exactly the kind of smart, community-focused development Governor Hochul is championing across New York."

New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation Acting Commissioner Kathy Moser said, "Our state has incredible historic resources located on main streets and in downtowns that are ready for reinvestment. Through the historic rehabilitation tax credit programs, we can help elevate project outcomes, preserve character-defining features, and enhance community pride. We applaud Governor Hochul's leadership in prioritizing safe, affordable housing for New Yorkers and are proud to partner on this work here in the Capital Region and across the state."

State Senator Patricia Fahy said, "I am thrilled to see the groundbreaking redevelopment of the historic Selfridge & Langford Building. This $18 million investment illustrates how local partnerships can remodel our communities by preserving our historic architecture and expanding the supply of affordable housing in tandem. By delivering 49 new apartments and active commercial space, we are creating new housing opportunity in downtown Albany, which improves quality of life for residents, increases small business development and addresses the housing crisis head-on here in the core of our Capital Region. I want to thank the Governor and New York State Homes and Community Renewal for their continued partnership and commitment to investing in neighborhood vitality. I look forward to seeing this historic landmark thrive once again and to seeing our neighbors move in!"

Albany County Executive Daniel P. McCoy said, "I'm grateful to Governor Hochul for her continued commitment to expanding affordable housing in Albany County and across our state. Redeveloping 97 Central Avenue will bring new life to a long-vacant historic building, creating much-needed housing while adding new energy and opportunity along an important gateway into downtown Albany. Investments like this help strengthen our neighborhoods and ensure more families can afford to live and grow in our community."

Albany Mayor Dr. Dorcey Applyrs said, "This project is exactly the kind of progress our city needs. We are taking a long-vacant building on a key corridor and turning it into affordable homes with opportunity for small businesses on the ground floor. That is how you strengthen a neighborhood, by bringing buildings back to life, creating housing people can afford and adding activity to our streets. I am grateful to Governor Hochul and our state partners for continuing to invest in Albany and for supporting projects that help expand our housing supply. We know the demand is real, and we need more housing options at every level. Developments like this move us in the right direction by preserving our history while meeting today's needs."

Vice President of Development & Preconstruction Services, MLB Construction Services, Damien Pinto-Martin said, "Right now, for many people finding affordable housing seems impossible. MLB Development and MLB Construction Services are both excited to add another workforce housing project to our portfolio. Safe, reliable housing is the cornerstone to vibrant communities, and we look forward to continuing our mission of delivering projects like these to the Capital Region."

Neighborhood Mortgage Officer at the Community Preservation Corporation Jeff Hoyt said, "Investments like 97 Central Avenue show how historic preservation and affordable housing can go hand in hand. By financing the transformation of the Selfridge & Langford Building, CPC is helping to revitalize a key corridor while creating long-term affordable housing opportunities. We are grateful to our public and private partners for their collaboration and shared commitment to Albany's future."

Governor Hochul's Housing Agenda

Governor Hochul is dedicated to addressing New York's housing crisis and making the State more affordable and livable for all New Yorkers. Since FY23, the Governor has worked to increase housing supply to make housing more affordable by launching a $25 billion five-year comprehensive Housing Plan, enacted the most significant housing deal in decades and implemented new protections for renters and homeowners. Under Governor Hochul's leadership, HCR has created new programs that jumpstart development of affordable and mixed-income homes - for both renters and homebuyers. These include the Pro-Housing Community Program, which allows certified localities exclusive access to up to $750 million in discretionary State funding. More than 400 communities throughout the state have been certified Pro-Housing, including the City of Albany.

As part of Governor Hochul's 2026 State of the State, the Governor proposed her "Let Them Build" agenda, a series of landmark reforms to speed up housing and infrastructure development and lower costs. This initiative will spur a series of common-sense reforms to New York's State Environmental Quality Review Act (SEQRA) and executive actions to expedite critical categories of projects that have been consistently found to not have significant environmental impacts, but for too long have been caught up in red tape and subject to lengthy delays.

The FY27 Executive Budget completes the Governor's current five-year Housing Plan to create or preserve 100,000 affordable homes statewide, including 10,000 with support services for vulnerable populations plus the electrification of an additional 50,000 homes. More than 80,000 affordable homes have been created or preserved to date. The Executive Budget also invests $250 million in capital funding to accelerate the construction of thousands of new affordable homes.

This project builds on Governor Hochul's historic $400 million investment into Downtown Albany. The Championing Albany's Potential (CAP) initiative, first introduced in the Governor's 2025 State of the State, includes $200 million to plan and implement projects that reinvigorate commercial corridors, strengthen small businesses, promote housing growth, and revitalize underutilized real estate and open spaces. The CAP initiative also includes up to $150 million to transform the State Museum, up to $40 million to advance plans to reconn

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