BUFFALO, N.Y. — The Office of the Inspector General released an audit in January that says the Commodore-Perry housing units, owned by Buffalo Municipal Housing Authority (BMHA), poses risks to public safety.

The units situated in Suth Buffalo have been officially declared a public health hazard, according to the audit, citing visible foundational breaches, broken glass and exposed wires, and also mentions that some units that have lights on are idly draining electricity.

What You Need To Know

  • The Office of the Inspector General released an audit in January that cites the Commodore-Perry housing units owned by Buffalo Municipal Housing Authority to pose risks to public safety

  • Ellicott Development Co. chairman Carl Paladino, who once offered to buy most of the units for $1, says the units' condition proves mismanagement of funds within BMHA

  • BMHA Executive Director Gillian Brown wrote a letter in response to the audit that cites millions of dollars that have gone into development since 2018

  • Rep. Brian Higgins called on BMHA to make good on improvement plans from years prior

“I understood they even had the money allocated by [the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development] in the past to knock those projects down,” Ellicott Development Co. chairman Carl Paladino said. “They misused the money, and used it for another purpose.”

Paladino owns several properties in the region and has been a longtime critic of BMHA and its Executive Director Gillian Brown. He says he offered to buy most of the Perry Projects for $1 in 2019 to redevelop the site. However, he says nothing can be done now to salvage the property.

“In this case, the buildings are decrepit,” Paladino said. “They’re not reusable -- not at all. Their original construction was very small. Everything was very small. [There are] small units [and] small hallways. [There has been] deterioration over the years. The water infiltrations are just terrible. They’ve got to come down.”

Also critical of the housing authority is Rep. Brian Higgins. He says he called on The Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) to investigate BMHA in 2018 after visiting the site himself.

“For too long, residents in the Perry neighborhood have been subject to unsightly and unsafe conditions,” Higgins said in a statement. “The neighbors and this community deserve better from the public authority responsible for the property. The Buffalo Municipal Housing Authority promised nearly two years ago they were taking action. They need to follow through.”

A possibility for the site -- it remains a proposed location for the new Buffalo Bills stadium.

Brown responded to the audit with a letter, acknowledging the alleged conditions of the Commodore-Perry units, but noted “millions of dollars in rehabilitation work” has been done since 2018.

Several establishments, like Schofield Adult Day Healthcare Program and Mercy Comprehensive Care Center, are situated right across from these units. There are residential homes, as well as row houses and towers owned by BMHA, that are occupied. Some say the abandoned units affect the quality of life for those living and conducting business nearby.

“Look at the poor people who live in the First Ward,” Paladino said. “Their property values have been kept down all these years because of a paralyzed and parasitic government that can’t get out of its own way.” 

Spectrum News 1 reached out to BMHA Executive Director Gillian Brown multiple times and has not received a response.