Drive past Buffalo's Inner Harbor and you can see it: steel climbing at the corner of Marine Drive and Commercial Street.
Steel framing is complete through the seventh floor of a future 12-story building, and four floors of a companion seven-story building are in place to the north, Buffalo Rising reported Oct. 13. Both are part of the first phase of the Buffalo Municipal Housing Authority's plan to replace the 1950s-era Marine Drive Apartments.
The $250 million first phase will deliver 254 affordable apartments, about 5,000 square feet of retail and commercial space, community rooms and a three-story parking ramp. Gov. Kathy Hochul's office said in July that apartments will be affordable to households earning up to 120% of area median income, with a mix of studios and one- to four-bedroom units.
Buffalo Rising reported that the 12-story building will hold 150 one-, two- and three-bedroom apartments, the seven-story building 91 one- and two-bedroom units, and a three-story rowhouse-style building 12 units from studios to four bedrooms. (Those add up to 253, one short of the official 254. Garage counts also differ slightly, 188 spaces versus 185 on the housing authority's site.)
The housing authority is working through its development affiliate, Bridges Development, with The Habitat Company and Duvernay + Brooks. SWBR is the architect. The housing authority's website lists Christa Construction as part of the Marine Drive team, and the Rochester-based firm says it is building the first phase, which includes the 12-story tower, the seven-story building, the rowhouse-style structure, the garage and site infrastructure.
The buildings will be all-electric, with Energy Star appliances, LED lighting, water-conserving fixtures and energy recovery ventilation. Twenty-seven apartments will be designed for residents with mobility disabilities and seven for residents with sensory disabilities.
Build first, then demolish
The project uses a "build first" approach. Current residents stay in their apartments until the new ones are finished, so no one is displaced, according to the state and Habitat. The housing authority expects the first residents to move in by mid-2028. After that, the first empty towers will be demolished to clear room for the next phase, which will add a public plaza, green space and a new street grid connecting Marine Drive to the surrounding neighborhood. The final phase is expected to wrap up in 2037.
Phase one financing includes federal low-income housing tax credits expected to generate $81 million in equity, state tax credits expected to generate $18 million and $93 million in state subsidy, the governor's office said in July. The site went through the state's Brownfield Cleanup Program and became eligible for $31.6 million in tax credits. The housing authority, the Buffalo Urban Renewal Agency and the city added $4 million, $2 million and $900,000, respectively.
A project measured in decades
The full plan will replace the complex's 616 apartments. Totals for the whole project vary by source, from about 700 to 739 new units and from more than $400 million to $600 million, but every source agrees on phase one's $250 million and 254 units.
The existing 10-story Marine Drive towers were built in 1950, according to the housing authority. Habitat and its partners acquired the property in late 2025, and early work included below-ground site and infrastructure work and brownfield cleanup of a 370-space parking lot.
State Sen. April Baskin said her family lived at Marine Drive 30 years ago while saving to buy their first home. She said she's especially glad to see the redevelopment move forward.
"This once-in-a-generation affordable housing development... would not be possible without the unwavering support of Governor Hochul and tremendous investment by New York State," BMHA Executive Director Gillian Brown said in July.
Why it matters for Contractors
Marine Drive is one of the biggest housing jobs in Western New York, and it runs for more than a decade. Phase one alone means structural steel, concrete, exterior envelope work, MEP, elevators and interior trades on two mid- and high-rise buildings through 2028. After that come demolition of the old towers, then streets, utilities and more buildings in later phases through 2037. Christa Construction is running phase one, so subcontractors looking for work there should start with Christa. All-electric systems and energy recovery ventilation are in the spec, which favors electrical and mechanical contractors who know high-performance buildings.