Michelsen & Mills (M+M)

Organization Name: ULREDC & Edgemere Development, Inc.

Project Title: Michelsen & Mills (M&M)

Project Location: Rochester, New York

Project Goals:
Urban League of Rochester Economic Development Corporation (ULREDC,) along with consulting developer Edgemere Development, conducted adaptive reuse & rehabilitation of 2 vacant, historic industrial buildings into 59 affordable workforce rental apartments: the former Michelsen Furniture Factory on Avenue D & Rochester Plumbing Supply on Brown/Mill Street in Rochester NY. The former Michelsen Furniture Factory housed one of Rochester's longest running family businesses. The Mills III building is a prominent landmark in the city's High Falls District dating back to 1850's & is the 3rd phase revitalizing State St. & the historic Teoronto Block across from Kodak World Headquarters. Better known as M+M the project's goal was to adaptively reuse (following NPS standards) & preserve 2 significant National Register buildings as neighborhood residential anchors. M+M removed vacant structures, provides safe, affordable, energy efficient accessible workforce housing for individuals/small families.

Project Description:
Michelsen is located at 182 Avenue D & is an L-shaped 4 story building converted into 40 1 & 2-bedroom units. Resident income is targeted at/below 60% AMI. All areas are visitable & adaptable. Mills III is located at 3 Brown Street & consists of a group of connected 1-3 story masonry buildings in the Teoronto Block Historic District. Mills III is the 3rd & final phase of the Mills at High Falls project located in the Browns Race Historic District, where over $90mm has been invested since 1990. Mills III has 19 studio, 1 & 2-bedroom units for households at/ below 60% AMI. Amenities for both sites include: air conditioning, common laundry, community room, management office, maintenance room, bicycle storage and onsite parking. A unique combination of funding sources included: Urban Initiatives, City Brownfield, historic, lihtc & Brownfield tax credits & equity.

Community Impact:
The downtown Rochester area is a predominate renters market, with an increasing need for affordable, safe housing. The City of Rochester ranks 5th poorest city in the country among the top 75 largest metropolitan areas. Creating an additional 59 affordable units, it implemented the Finger Lakes Regional Economic Development Council's foci by stabilizing and strengthening two key areas of investment and core city neighborhood - the Downtown Center City District and the 14621 area which includes El Camino & The Opportunity Agenda area. Additionally, the project addressed a brownfield condition, thereby stabilizing the neighborhood. 12 of M+M’s units are set aside for individuals with Intellectual/Developmental Disabilities. M+M has received the Barber Conable Award from the Landmark Society of Western New York for the preservation and rehabilitation of these historic buildings in the region.

Organization Description:
ULREDC's mission is to improve the living & working conditions of poor, disadvantaged & underserved populations in the Rochester region through economic development & community revitalization initiatives, & to build an asset base for the Urban League of Rochester. ULREDC provides economic development programs for small businesses & develops & manages affordable housing throughout the Rochester metropolitan area. ULREDC has been involved with 13+ affordable housing projects & over $59mm in the construction/rehabilitation of more than 400 single and multi-family homes for low/moderate income households. Consulting Developer, Edgemere Development's principals have combined experience of innovative 30+ years in affordable housing development including mixed-income/mixed-use, adaptive reuse of historic structures & new construction. Their mission is to assist in developing safe, affordable multifamily residential housing.

Thank you for viewing NYHC's Community Impact Gallery. Please note: NYHC does not own or manage any property. If you have any questions about a specific building, please contact the project team listed. To apply for affordable housing opportunities, see housingconnect.nyc.gov or hcr.ny.gov/find-affordable-housing

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