Underberg & Kessler Advises on the Buy the Block Affordable Housing Program
Rochester, New York, November 3, 2026 – Underberg & Kessler LLP is proud to serve as legal counsel for the Buy The Block program, an initiative by the City of Rochester to revitalize neighborhoods while providing qualified residents a chance to build generational wealth through homeownership. Phase 1 of the program, led by Greater Rochester Housing Partnership (GRHP), was recently named a 2026 Leaders in Construction and Real Estate award “Top Project” by the Rochester Business Journal.
The Buy The Block program builds new, single-family, energy-efficient homes on vacant lots in targeted neighborhoods and areas impacted by historic redlining and disinvestment. The homes are sold to qualified first-time homebuyers who will spend no more than 30 percent of their income on housing. The first phase of Buy The Block transformed 24 vacant city-owned lots in Northeast Rochester, between Upper Falls Boulevard and Clifford, North Clinton, and Hudson Avenues into single-family homes. Homes sold for $89,000 to $139,000 to buyers earning 36% to 75% of area median income, generating immediate equity and building generational wealth. The project introduced six new home models, from a 1,033-square-foot accessible ranch to a 1,729-squarefoot two-story home, each certified to the Energy Star 3.0 standard with all-electric heat pump heating and cooling — a first for a single-family project of this scale in Rochester. Homes also included recycled and low-VOC materials and electric vehicle-ready outlets.
GRHP, a nonprofit organization dedicated to the creation and preservation of affordable housing in the Rochester, NY region, was the selected developer for Phase I of the Buy The Block program in Northeast Rochester as well as one of the two selected developers for Phase II of the Buy The Block project, which is almost complete. Phase II includes a total of 32 houses being built in Southwest Rochester by the City of Rochester, GRHP, and Flower City Habitat for Humanity.
Underberg & Kessler’s Real Estate & Finance team, led by Patrick L. Cusato, collaborated with GRHP, the City of Rochester, Atlas Contractors LLC, architect Randy Peacock, Stantec Environmental Consulting, civil engineer Walt Baker, and various mortgage lenders to coordinate the closings of 24 individual Buy the Block Phase 1 homebuyers. Managing the timelines and requirements for each transaction, all involving first-time homebuyers, required careful coordination among all parties.
“We are pleased to have been part of this collaborative effort to create thriving neighborhoods and provide modern, energy-efficient homes for first-time homebuyers,” said Patrick L. Cusato, Co-Managing Partner. “The Buy The Block initiative demonstrates what can be accomplished when organizations come together, think creatively, and work toward a shared goal.”
The Underberg & Kessler Buy The Block team includes Patrick L. Cusato, Kyle C. Pittman, and Mary K. Dawson.
About Underberg & Kessler LLP
Underberg & Kessler LLP proudly celebrates its 100th anniversary in 2026. For a century, the firm has provided comprehensive, client-focused legal services to businesses, municipalities, nonprofit organizations, and individuals from its offices in Rochester, Buffalo, Canandaigua, and Geneseo, New York. The firm counsels clients across a wide range of practice areas, including banking and commercial lending, business and corporate law, cannabis, construction, creditors’ rights, environmental and energy, estates and trusts, family law, health care, labor and employment, litigation, municipal law, real estate and finance, and tax. Both the firm and its attorneys are consistently recognized by leading national publications, including Best Law Firms®, Best Lawyers in America®, and Super Lawyers. For more information, visit underbergkessler.com.