The State Senate has taken the lead in rebuilding Buffalo’s economy by unanimously passing stimulus historic tax credit legislation for the rehabilitation of historic commercial buildings and residences in distressed communities such as ours. Now the Assembly must act on this important job-creating and investment stimulus. Our citizens need the construction jobs and Western New York needs the investment that this legislation would attract to our historic buildings and neighborhoods.

This tax credit for rehabilitating historic buildings will induce more construction jobs at all skill levels because historic rehabilitation is more labor-intensive than building new. The downtown developer will hire skilled laborers to rehabilitate the former high-rise warehouse into lofts; the historic frame house owners in Hamlin Park will hire the neighborhood handy man to modernize their inefficient furnaces and repair their lovely front porches, all because of the tax credit.

The stimulus historic tax credit will slow suburban sprawl by making reinvestment in our historic downtowns more cost competitive with building new buildings in former farm fields. At a time when more and more people want to live in walkable and historic villages, this tax credit will stimulate the rehabilitation of our existing historic buildings for their new homes.

In terms of environmental sustainability, the greenest building is an existing building. We reduce our carbon footprint when we rehabilitate historic buildings. The stimulus historic tax credit will keep more buildings out of landfills because the credit will boost their economic viability.

The state would pay the tax credit after a project is completed. This is important because the state and local governments will have received the tax and fee benefits from the rehabilitation of a vacant building that is stimulated by the tax credit long before the state pays the credit to the homeowner.

The credit would pay for a small portion of the cost of the project, but it would fill much of the big gap between the cost of construction and what our market can afford. The credit is paid last, after the entrepreneur or homeowner has already made the investment, created the jobs and improved the neighborhood.

The Assembly must act now to create jobs, save neighborhoods and improve our environment with this legislation.

Shovel-ready historic rehabilitation projects will put people to work now, with groundbreakings this year and ribbon cuttings next fall. The modest state cost, a fraction of the $350 million filmmaking tax credit, will come after the state will have funds available for the new jobs and more valued neighborhoods, places that will be worth filming.

Dear Assembly Member: Rebuild Buffalo. Pass the stimulus historic tax credit now.

Heritage Architect Clinton Brown specializes in the green rebuilding of heritage buildings and communities.