Newly-elected Dunkirk Mayor Kate Wdowiasz was walking down Washington Avenue in the city recently, just one of 20 municipalities across New York state recently designated a pro-housing community.

What You Need To Know

  • Gov. Kathy Hochul recently announced 20 pro-housing communities in New York
  • Dunkirk was the only one selected from Western New York
  • The city is now working with developers to tear down blight and rebuild new housing units

"So that's senior housing, market-rate housing, affordable housing," said Wdowiasz.

One of those multimillion-dollar projects designed to meet the need for additional housing calls for the demolition of buildings like this one, and replaced with a number of new housing units, leaders say are not meant for migrants coming from other areas.

"So it's going to be income-based housing,” said Wdowiasz. “This housing is specifically developed for our workforce and there's going to be designated units for our veterans.” 

The designation comes after Dunkirk development leaders submitted an extensive application to the state, complete with spreadsheets full of zoning and permitting data, as well as potential sites.

There's another building on 4th and Washington next to commercial development, where plans call for 40 apartments and a daycare center.

"Dunkirk has had very few new housing starts. Quite frankly anemic," said Vince DeJoy, director of planning and development, City of Dunkirk.

Leaders say they hope adding more housing will spur other commercial and industrial expansion. 

"More retail space. And if there's any type of funding that could be associated with it, it will help to score higher on all of the grant applications,” said DeJoy.

That, as the state helps  Wdowiasz and her team secure site development and infrastructure.

"So that we can actually have something to give our developers when they want to come into the city," said Wdowiasz.