Proposed bill targets long-vacant historic buildings across the state

WGRZ Staff

Originally published in WGRZ on .

A bill by State Senator April Baskin proposes to triple historic tax credits to revive New York's "white elephant" buildings, potentially transforming vacant sites.

 

 

BUFFALO, N.Y. — A new bill introduced by NY State Senator April Baskin aims to help revive some of New York’s largest and longest-vacant historic buildings.

 

The legislation focuses on so-called “white elephant” properties — large-scale, certified historic structures that have been vacant for at least 10 of the past 15 years and require more than $50 million to rehabilitate.

 

Baskin says the scale and cost of these buildings have made redevelopment difficult.

 

“These buildings are massive, these buildings are complex, and they are expensive to restore, and too often, buildings like the one that we're standing in today sit vacant because the cost of bringing them back to life is just too high.”

 

The bill would increase the maximum state historic rehabilitation tax credit from $5 million to $15 million for qualifying projects, something supporters say is necessary to make redevelopment financially possible.

 

“We need a larger tax credit for developers to be able to take on the bigger projects, because we're sick of them being an eyesore in our community. They are rich in history. They are rich to family memories.”

 

Local leaders say the proposal could help unlock long-stalled development projects.

 

“This is a very practical solution to get a large amount of buildings that really should be up to this highest and best use and contribute to our city," Fillmore District council member Mitch Nowakowski explained. 

 

Others say the impact could go beyond restoring buildings.

 

“This legislation will allow us to transform the disused into new centers of vitality, creating jobs, generating tax revenue and improving the quality of life for the neighborhoods," Paris Roselli, Executive Director of the Richardson Olmstead Campus. 

 

According to the New York State Historic Preservation Office, 35 buildings across the state could qualify for the expanded credit, including Buffalo Central Terminal, the Richardson Olmsted Campus, and several other historic properties in Buffalo.

 

At the Central Terminal, leaders say progress is being made — but significant funding is still needed to fully redevelop the site.

 

Monica Pellegrino Faix says the project is both complex and long-term.

 

“We have funding from the regional revitalization partnership, but it is just not enough to get us to redevelopment, and this bill will help, as Mitch said, for us to pencil out the redevelopment and really move it to the next stage.”

 

 She says the full redevelopment of the terminal could cost hundreds of millions of dollars.

 

“Our master plan in 2021 projected 300 million for the entire central terminal. So this would be a very key part of being able to reach the redevelopment costs that are needed this historic tax credit bill is essential.”

 

Bernice Radle is with Preservation Buffalo Niagara. She explained "I want to remind people that 14% of all the tourists that come to Western New York, 14% of them come for architecture. They come for historic preservation. And so they come. They hang out at the Central Terminal. They got to see it. They go to the Richardson. They got to see that. They all the way downtown, all everywhere. They come for that. And then the second thing is for family and love."

 

"And so as the Senator mentioned, everybody feels connected to these buildings. The families are connected to these buildings. So when you count those two, those two stats, you got 25% of our world is connected to the places, the buildings that we call [home], the buildings within our community, and the places that we call home. I think it's so important [that] this bill is so critical on so many levels," she added.

 

The bill is currently in committee in the New York State Senate.

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