They are school administrators, corrections officers and flight attendants, willing to take a chance on investing in one of the most expensive housing developments located in one of the poorest parts of Buffalo.

Part of the attraction is undoubtedly financial: The city is selling $225,000 homes for

$178,000 — a few for much less — with property tax breaks for 10 years.

But even at that price, potential homeowners could afford nonsubsidized homes of their

choice in other locations, from stately North Buffalo homes to trendy West Side houses or a

new build in the suburbs.

Instead, these upwardly mobile chose Buffalo's East Side.

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"What you find is, you have a customer base in Buffalo that would rather see the community

revitalized and be part of that, versus running from it, and saying we are able to go now, so

let's go," said Keith L. Barnes, realty agent for the development. "Most of the customers who

purchase in that part of the city have a consciousness about the community and would like to

be part of something. Knowing they have other options, they like the idea of being part of

something new and part of revitalization."

That's how Dwain M. James felt.

"I could have moved anywhere I wanted to," said James, who was renting an apartment in

Hamburg before moving to Sycamore Village. "I'm comfortable living here. I know a lot of

people around here. I'm not far from my parents. I'm not that far from from downtown. This

summer, I rode my bike there several times."

"This is a way to show a lot of people that people of color, minorities, do have good

jobs and a couple of dollars saved away to invest in these types of homes," he added.

"Everyone doesn't always have to run out to the suburbs. If you have any kind of vision, you

know things are happening right now for the City of Buffalo."

James said crime hasn't been a problem in Sycamore Village, and while his neighborhood

isn't far from other neighborhoods that have crime problems, the answer to that is to improve

neighborhoods, not flee them, he said.

While James moved back to Buffalo from Hamburg, most of the houses are selling to people

already living in the city, often from the Masten District and Kensington-Bailey areas,

according to Barnes.

"Unfortunately, we are seeing an exodus from Bailey-Kensington," Barnes said.

Barnes added that he hopes the city follows through with the third phase of the Sycamore

Village development. Selling the additional home won't be a problem, he said.

"We have the momentum."

James also wants the houses built.

Fifteen Sycamore Village homes were built in Phases 1 and 2. Another nine are planned for

Phase 3, but that phase is on hold while the city reassesses the project in today's economy.

James says it's important that the city follow through on its promise to build the

additional homes so people can see that the city "can keep its word."

"That is one of the things they said, that they would build more homes," he added. "My

home faces open lots where they are supposed to build new homes, and I wish they would."

James added that the houses don't have to be replicas of the existing ones, but they should

be high-quality houses.

"I would like homes of equal values," he said. "I don't want my home value to go down."

sschulman@buffnews.comnull