Rochester Land Bank Gets $4.5M for 15 CrossMod Homes in Upper Falls

The Rochester Land Bank Corporation will place 15 CrossMod homes, a type of factory-built single-family house, on vacant lots in the city's Upper Falls neighborhood using a $4,537,500 state award from the MOVE-IN NY program, according to WXXI News and the Rochester Business Journal.

The Rochester award was one of four in the final 2026 round of MOVE-IN NY, which Gov. Kathy Hochul announced on Oct. 23. The round totals nearly $20 million for 61 homes across Essex, Wayne, Monroe and Suffolk counties (Governor's Office). It follows earlier rounds that funded factory-built homes in Buffalo and Niagara Falls, which we covered in MOVE-IN NY Directs More Than $20 Million to 68 Factory-Built Starter Homes in Buffalo and Niagara Falls.

What Happened

New York State Homes and Community Renewal (HCR), which administers MOVE-IN NY, awarded the Rochester Land Bank $4,537,500 for 15 houses in the city's Northeast Quadrant (Governor's Office). The homes will be built by Champion Homes and sited on lots west of North Clinton Avenue: nine on Almira Street, three on Galusha Street, two on Oakman Street and one on Lowell Street (WXXI News).

The other awards in the round went to the Essex County Land Bank ($7,260,000 for 24 homes), the Wayne County Regional Land Bank ($3,327,500 for 11 homes in the Town of Lyons) and the Suffolk County Landbank ($4,840,000 for 11 homes) (Governor's Office). The state says MOVE-IN NY has now committed more than $80 million to projects supporting 250 households.

How CrossMod Homes Work

CrossMod homes are prefabricated in a factory and then assembled on site-built foundations, so they look like conventional single-family houses (Rochester Business Journal). They are built to HUD's Manufactured Home Construction and Safety Standards and meet design guidelines approved by Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, which allows buyers to finance them with conventional mortgages (Governor's Office). The Rochester Business Journal reports the homes typically have three bedrooms and about 1,500 square feet of living space.

Under the program, funds go through a competitive process to municipalities, land banks or nonprofits, which buy and site the homes and then sell them to low and moderate income buyers for less than the cost of construction (Governor's Office).

Costs and Sale Prices

Development costs come to about $302,500 per house in both Rochester and Lyons, according to the Rochester Business Journal. The state award works out to the same figure per home. WXXI described the cost as just over $300,000 per house.

Reports differ on sale prices. WXXI reported the Rochester homes are expected to sell for $100,000 to $120,000 to buyers earning 60% to 80% of area median income (WXXI News). The Rochester Business Journal reported the homes sell for about $250,000 to households that meet income and lending requirements (Rochester Business Journal). The state release does not give a sale price.

For comparison, WXXI reported that the city's Buy the Block houses cost more than $350,000 each to build, and the state says a small single-family home in New York typically costs $450,000 or more to build (Governor's Office).

Where Things Stand

City officials view the project as a test of whether factory-built homes can lower costs and expand homeownership in an urban neighborhood, WXXI reported. Rochester's first modular project, in Marketview Heights and led by Cook Properties, is still in development. No construction start date or delivery schedule for the Upper Falls homes has been disclosed in the coverage.

The program is backed by $50 million in the FY26 Enacted Budget and $100 million in the FY27 Enacted Budget, which also supports research into emerging factory-built and modular construction (Governor's Office). Rochester Land Bank Executive Director Paul Scuderi said the funding allows the land bank "to help bridge that gap" between construction cost and what buyers can afford (Rochester Business Journal).

Implications for Owners, Developers, Contractors and Subs

• Site work is local. The homes arrive from a factory, but foundations, utility connections, driveways and final assembly happen on the lot. Fifteen scattered infill sites on four streets mean small, repeatable packages for local site, foundation and utility contractors.
• Infill logistics matter. Delivering and setting factory-built sections on narrow city streets requires planning for crane or carrier access, staging and temporary traffic control.
• A cost benchmark is forming. At about $302,500 per home all in, the program gives Rochester-area builders and housing agencies a public data point against site-built infill homes, which the city's Buy the Block figures put above $350,000.
• More rounds are funded. With $100 million in the FY27 budget for expansion and research, land banks and nonprofits that track MOVE-IN NY can expect additional solicitations.

What to Watch

• When the Rochester Land Bank schedules site preparation and home deliveries on Almira, Galusha, Oakman and Lowell streets.
• Final sale prices and buyer income limits, given the differing figures reported so far.
• Progress on the Cook Properties modular project in Marketview Heights.
• Whether future MOVE-IN NY rounds add more Rochester and Monroe County sites.

Bottom Line

The Rochester Land Bank's $4.5 million MOVE-IN NY award will bring 15 CrossMod homes to vacant lots in Upper Falls. At about $302,500 per home, it gives Rochester a direct test of whether factory-built houses can put new single-family homes on vacant lots at lower cost than conventional infill (Rochester Business Journal).

Key Questions

How many CrossMod homes is the Rochester Land Bank building?

The Rochester Land Bank will place 15 CrossMod homes in Upper Falls: nine on Almira Street, three on Galusha Street, two on Oakman Street and one on Lowell Street (WXXI News).

How much state money did Rochester receive from MOVE-IN NY?

New York State Homes and Community Renewal awarded the Rochester Land Bank $4,537,500 for the 15 homes in the final 2026 MOVE-IN NY round, announced Oct. 23 (Governor's Office).

How much does each CrossMod home cost to build in Rochester?

Construction costs about $302,500 per house for the Rochester and Lyons MOVE-IN NY homes (Rochester Business Journal).

What will the Rochester CrossMod homes sell for?

Reports differ: WXXI reported a sale range of $100,000 to $120,000 for buyers earning 60% to 80% of area median income, while the Rochester Business Journal reported about $250,000 (WXXI News).

Who is building the Rochester CrossMod homes?

The Rochester Land Bank's 15 Upper Falls homes will be built by Champion Homes (WXXI News).

Related Coverage

• MOVE-IN NY Directs More Than $20 Million to 68 Factory-Built Starter Homes in Buffalo and Niagara Falls
• HUD Taps NIBS for 12-Month Push on Factory-Built Multifamily Housing
• Rochester Habitat Completes First Modular Home in City
• $13M Upper Falls Project Adds 22 Rochester Affordable Homes

Image credit: New York State Homes and Community Renewal. Image from the source article.

Sources

• WXXI News, Rochester Land Bank to put up factory-built houses in Upper Falls using state funds, https://www.wxxinews.org/local-news/2026-10-28/rochester-land-bank-to-put-up-factory-built-houses-in-upper-falls-using-state-funds
• Rochester Business Journal, State grant will bring 15 CrossMod homes to Rochester, 11 to Wayne County, https://rbj.net/2026/10/28/state-grant-funds-crossmod-homes-rochester-wayne-county/
• Office of Governor Kathy Hochul, Governor Hochul Announces $20 Million to Make the Dream of Homeownership a Reality, https://governor.ny.gov/news/governor-hochul-announces-20-million-make-dream-homeownership-reality