The University at Buffalo School of Architecture and Planning and Buffalo, N.Y., mayor Sean Ryan are banding together to streamline the home building process. According to a press release from the school, the new initiative, called Buffalo Ready Homes, will create pre-approved housing plans designed to decrease construction and permitting timelines in Buffalo, N.Y.

“Across Buffalo, we have thousands of vacant lots where homes once stood and thousands of families are struggling to find quality homes they can afford,” Ryan says in the press release. “Buffalo Ready Homes will help us address both of those problems at the same time by making it easier to turn vacant land into new homes. This partnership with UB is another step toward rebuilding full blocks, helping families build equity, and strengthening our neighborhoods.”

The program will initially target the East Side before branching out to other parts of the city. The partnership grew out of efforts by the UB Research Institute to explore pilot projects that could spur neighborhood reinvestment on residential blocks near the Kensington Expressway. After identifying pre-approved housing plans as a promising approach, UBRI brought the concept to the Ryan administration. 

The UB team also studied Buffalo’s zoning requirements and permitting process, looking at vacant and underutilized lots and identifying the types of homes that could work well in Buffalo, N.Y., neighborhoods.

“Across Buffalo, we have thousands of vacant lots where homes once stood and thousands of families are struggling to find quality homes they can afford,” Ryan says. “Buffalo Ready Homes will help us address both of those problems at the same time by making it easier to turn vacant land into new homes."

Buffalo, N.Y., like a lot of the Northeast, has struggled to meet housing demand over the last few years. The city was ranked the top hottest housing market by Zillow’s Hottest Housing Market Report for both 2024 and 2025 before being bumped to second place in 2026 for its lack of housing supply and strong buyer demand. Their research shows that there are currently 39.1% fewer homes for sale in Buffalo, N.Y., than there were pre-pandemic, ultimately leading to affordability concerns across the city.