Erie County, NY- Erie County Majority Leader April N. M. Baskin proudly participated in today’s ribbon-cutting ceremony for the Lofts at University Heights. She joined Buffalo Mayor Byron Brown, State Senator Tim Kennedy, and City of Buffalo Councilman Rasheed Wyatt and representatives from project developer CB Emmanuel, LLC, at the opening of the new residential apartment complex.

The project broke ground on November 21, 2016 and since that time; the site of former Buffalo School 63 was converted into 44 loft style apartments units located at 91 Lisbon Ave in Buffalo. Legislator Baskin said, “It means so much to me as someone who has come from a working class background that so much love and life has been invested in an establishment that is geared towards the working class, towards people who live paycheck-to-paycheck while providing for their children and families.

"I am excited that the apartments here are between $500 and $800 because that means that everybody in the City of Buffalo is being given a fair chance at a decent quality of life.” The $16 million project completed by CB-Emmanuel LLC received funding from a variety of sources; $2 million Better Buffalo Fund grant, $1.2 million in HOME funds, and both state and federal historic tax credits. Additionally, New York State Homes and Community Renewal awarded $7.9 million in tax-exempt bonds, $430,000 in federal low-income housing tax credits, $200,000 in state low-income housing tax credits and nearly $1.6 million in Housing Trust Fund New Construction Capital Funds.