97 Central Avenue in Albany: 49 Affordable Apartments Coming to the Selfridge & Langford Building in 2027

Published October 15, 202618 min readBy VoucherMatch Editorial Team

A four-story cream-colored concrete building with tall grouped windows and classical pilasters on a city avenue, with a builder's banner on the fence of the parking lot beside it — The Selfridge & Langford Building, 97 Central Avenue, Albany, in a photograph published with the lender's announcement of March 18, 2026. Photo: Community Preservation Corporation, from its March 18, 2026 announcement, project photograph, via communityp.com (cropped).

Quick answerAs of October 6, 2026, the Selfridge & Langford Building at 97 Central Avenue in Albany, New York is being converted to 49 income-restricted apartments and is not yet taking applications. The plan is one studio, 42 one-bedrooms and six two-bedrooms for households earning up to 80% of area median income, above ground-floor commercial space. The only rent figure published is an average of $1,450 a month. The developer expects construction to end in early 2027.

Last checked: October 6, 2026, against the Governor's construction announcement of March 18, 2026 and June 2024 register nominations; the State's Small Building Participation Loan Program term sheet, updated August 2026; the City of Albany's planning case file for project P00546, its building permits and its property record; a Times Union report of May 6, 2026; a WNYT report of March 18, 2026; and HUD's 2026 income limits and fiscal year 2027 fair market rents. A rent table and the application date are not published.

97 Central Avenue in numbers

49income-restricted apartments: 1 studio, 42 one-bedrooms and 6 two-bedrooms
80%of area median income, the most a household can earn
$68,950HUD's 2026 limit for one person at that level
$1,450the average monthly rent, the only rent figure published
Early 2027when the developer expects construction to end
Under 0.1 milesto the Route 1 bus on Central Avenue

What 97 Central Avenue Is and Who Is Building It

97 Central Avenue is a four-story concrete building from 1911, vacant since 2021, that is being rebuilt inside as 49 apartments over ground-floor commercial space.

Names: the Selfridge & Langford Building; 97 Central Avenue. The 2023 City application called it "97 Central Avenue Apartment Mixed Use". The architect's 2023 drawings are titled "Cohen Building".
What is being built: the State's release describes "49 affordable apartments with ground-floor commercial space" in "the vacant four-story building". The Times Union gives the size as 55,800 square feet.
Team: the Times Union lists MLB Development LLC as developer, MLB Construction Services LLC as builder and Harris A. Sanders Architects as architect. The State's release says the project is "Developed by MLB Construction Services".
Owner: the City's property record names 97 Central Ave Assoc LLC, with a mailing address in Malta, New York.
Money: $18 million in the State's release. That includes $7.3 million from the State's Small Building Participation Loan Program, about $4.2 million in federal and State historic rehabilitation tax credits and a $5.3 million loan from the Community Preservation Corporation.
History: built for a furniture and storage firm and designed by Charles G. Ogden; State Division of Parole offices "from 1982 until 2021"; listed on the State and National Registers of Historic Places in 2024.

Question	2023 application to the City	2026 sources
Apartments	47	49
Commercial space	about 14,500 square feet	8,500 square feet (Times Union); 3,900 (WNYT)
Cost	$3,000,000 anticipated	$18 million (State); $20 million (WNYT)
Occupancy	June 1, 2024	early 2027 (developer, to the Times Union)

What it means: the plan grew by two apartments and the cost rose sixfold between the City application and the State financing. The 2026 figures are the current ones.

Source: development plan application in City of Albany planning case P00546, revised September 7, 2023; Governor's announcement, March 18, 2026; Times Union, May 6, 2026; WNYT, March 18, 2026.

97 Central Avenue, from furniture store to apartments

1911the building goes up for the firm of John Selfridge and Edward Langford.
1982 to 2021the State Division of Parole has offices here. The building is vacant afterward.
September 7, 2023a revised application in City planning case P00546 proposes 47 apartments.
2024the building is listed on the State and National Registers of Historic Places. On June 11 it goes on the City's vacant building registry.
October 21, 2025the City issues building alteration permit BLDG25-64600.
November 26, 2025an asbestos removal permit follows.
March 18, 2026the Governor announces the start of construction.
February to September 2026permits are issued for plumbing, heating and cooling, sprinklers and two elevator modernizations. The elevator permits are dated September 15, 2026.
Early 2027construction ends, in the developer's estimate.

What it means: the building already had its main alteration permit five months before the State's announcement, and the September elevator permits are the latest on file.

Source: Governor's announcements, June 2024 and March 18, 2026; City of Albany planning case P00546 and permit portal, read October 6, 2026; Times Union, May 6, 2026.

Architectural line drawing of a four-story building: a long west side with rows of grouped windows and a narrower south front with pilasters, round medallions and a storefront base — Existing west and south elevations of 97 Central Avenue, dated June 23, 2023, from City of Albany planning case P00546. The south side faces Central Avenue. Photo: Harris A. Sanders Architects, from the City of Albany planning case file, planning record, via albanyny.gov (cropped and placed on a white background).

Where 97 Central Avenue Is

The building is on Central Avenue in ZIP code 12206, near Townsend Park, on a lot that runs back to Sherman Street.

Fact	Detail
Address	97 Central Avenue, Albany, NY 12206
Location, in the State's words	"along Central Avenue near Townsend Park"
Neighborhood on the City's property record	West Hill
Lot	0.48 acres, with 131 feet on Central Avenue; Sherman Street is at the back
Next door	89 Central Avenue to one side and 107 Central Avenue to the other, on the 2023 site plan
Nearest stop	Central Avenue and Lexington Avenue

What it means: the City files this address under West Hill, and the State calls Central Avenue "a key gateway corridor into downtown Albany".

Source: City of Albany property record for tax parcel 65.72-3-73; site plan in planning case P00546, 2023; Governor's announcement, March 18, 2026; stop location from the Capital District Transportation Authority. The Census Bureau's geocoder places 97 Central Avenue in ZIP code 12206.

A small triangular park with a soldier statue on a stone pedestal and a twin-globe lamppost, rowhouses with shops on the left and an office tower in the distance — Townsend Park, bounded by Central Avenue, Henry Johnson Boulevard and Washington Avenue, in May 2022. Photo: Andre Carrotflower, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons (cropped).

Rents, Apartment Types and Income Limits

One rent figure is published, an average of $1,450 a month; the apartment mix and the 80% income ceiling are on the record.

What the 49 apartments are

1 studio, 42 one-bedrooms, 6 two-bedroomsthe Times Union's count, from the developer's breakdown.
Who they are for"households earning up to 80 percent of the Area Median Income", in the State's release.
Average monthly rent$1,450, in the Times Union's project summary. No rent by apartment size is published.
Supportive apartmentsnone are mentioned in any source read for this article.

What it means: this is mostly a one-bedroom building. A rent of $1,450 is 30% of a yearly income of $58,000.

Source: Times Union, May 6, 2026; Governor's announcement, March 18, 2026.

Household	80% of area median income, 2026
1 person	$68,950
2 people	$78,800
3 people	$88,650
4 people	$98,500

What it means: a single person earning more than $68,950 is over the limit in 2026. Limits for 2027 will apply if the building leases next year. County figures are on the Albany County income limits page.

Source: HUD fiscal year 2026 income limits for the Albany-Schenectady-Troy area (median family income $123,100), the 80% "low income" row.

Apartment	Most the State program allows at the 80% level, rent plus utilities
Studio	$1,724
1 bedroom	$1,847
2 bedrooms	$2,216

What it means: these are program ceilings, not this building's rents. The reported $1,450 average is about $400 under the one-bedroom ceiling. The building's own rent schedule and regulatory agreement are not published.

Source: the State's Small Building Participation Loan Program term sheet, updated August 2026: "Gross rent cannot exceed 30% of the applicable AMI limit, adjusted for imputed family size based upon bedroom count (1 person for a studio and 1.5 persons per bedroom for other unit sizes)." Calculated by VoucherMatch from HUD's 2026 limits; the one-bedroom figure uses the midpoint of the one- and two-person limits.

One-bedroom rents published in 2026 by two other new income-restricted buildings in Albany, and the average rent reported for 97 Central Avenue, in dollars a month

Mosaic South, 60%

$1,244

Colvin Avenue Commons, 60%

$1,271

Colvin Avenue Commons, 70%

$1,430

97 Central Avenue, average of all 49

$1,450

Mosaic South, 80%

$1,705

View the data table

Building and income level	Monthly rent
Mosaic South, 60%	$1,244
Colvin Avenue Commons, 60%	$1,271
Colvin Avenue Commons, 70%	$1,430
97 Central Avenue, average of all 49	$1,450
Mosaic South, 80%	$1,705

What it means: the average here sits between what the other two buildings charge at 70% and at 80%. It is an average across a studio, one-bedrooms and two-bedrooms, so a one-bedroom may be lower.

Source: NYS Housing Search listing HCR000272 for Mosaic South and Regan Development's page for Colvin Avenue Commons, both read October 6, 2026; Times Union, May 6, 2026, for 97 Central Avenue. Mosaic South's rents include water, sewer and trash removal; Colvin's include no utilities.

Watch outthe State's release promises "all-electric heating and cooling systems". Nothing published says whether the rent covers electricity, and in an all-electric building that bill includes heat.

Using a Section 8 Voucher at 97 Central Avenue

No voucher policy is published, and the federal tax-credit rule that covers most new income-restricted buildings is not shown to apply to this one.

The rules that do and do not apply

Not a low-income housing tax credit building, on the published recordthe State's release lists a State loan, historic rehabilitation tax credits and a private loan. The federal rule against refusing voucher holders, 26 U.S.C. 42(h)(6)(B)(iv), binds buildings financed with low-income housing tax credits.
The State loan programits term sheet sets rent and income limits and requires a regulatory agreement "typically for a period of at least 30 years". It does not mention vouchers.
The Albany Housing Authority"The family may choose a unit with a higher rent than the payment standard and pay the owner the difference."
The federal limit on that differenceat move-in, "the family share must not exceed 40 percent of the family's adjusted monthly income" (24 CFR 982.508).

What it means: whether a voucher is taken here rests on New York's source-of-income law, which is in court, and on the owner's policy, which is not published.

Source: Governor's announcement, March 18, 2026; the State term sheet linked above; the Albany Housing Authority's voucher questions page.

The Albany Housing Authority does not post its payment standards. Its Section 8 Administrative Plan commits to keeping them "between 90 and 110 percent of the published FMR for each unit size".

The range a voucher payment standard must fall in, by apartment size: 90% and 110% of HUD's fiscal year 2027 fair market rent for the Albany area, in dollars a month

90% of HUD's rent110% of HUD's rent

Studio

$1,114

$1,362

1 bedroom

$1,283

$1,568

2 bedrooms

$1,540

$1,882

View the data table

Apartment	90% of HUD's rent	110% of HUD's rent
Studio	$1,114	$1,362
1 bedroom	$1,283	$1,568
2 bedrooms	$1,540	$1,882

What it means: the $1,450 average is inside the one-bedroom range before utilities. The top of that range is $118 above the average, so an electric bill paid by the tenant would use up part or all of the margin.

Source: HUD's fiscal year 2027 fair market rents for the Albany-Schenectady-Troy area ($1,238, $1,425 and $1,711 for a studio, one and two bedrooms, utilities included), in effect since October 1, 2026; 90% and 110% calculated by VoucherMatch and rounded to the dollar.

Ask for the real number. Call the Authority at 518-641-7500 for the payment standard for your voucher size. See the Albany Section 8 guide.
Utilities count. What you pay yourself is added to the rent before it is compared with the standard. See how the utility allowance works.
A bigger apartment than your voucher. The Authority pays up to the standard for your voucher size, not the apartment's. See a two-bedroom with a one-bedroom voucher.
The State law is in court. On March 5, 2026 the appeals court that covers Albany held New York's source-of-income protection unconstitutional as it applies to Section 8; the Attorney General has appealed. See the Commons West ruling. Complaints go to the City's Fair Housing Office, 518-807-1998.

What Ordinary Apartments Rent for in ZIP Code 12206

HUD's estimate of an ordinary one-bedroom rent in ZIP code 12206 is $1,420 with utilities included, $30 under the average rent reported for this building.

HUD's fiscal year 2027 fair market rent for ZIP code 12206 against its figure for the whole Albany area, in dollars a month

ZIP code 12206Albany area

Studio

$1,230

$1,238

1 bedroom

$1,420

$1,425

2 bedrooms

$1,700

$1,711

View the data table

Apartment	ZIP code 12206	Albany area
Studio	$1,230	$1,238
1 bedroom	$1,420	$1,425
2 bedrooms	$1,700	$1,711

What it means: rents in this ZIP code track the area's. An average of $1,450 in a building that is 42 one-bedrooms out of 49 is at HUD's ordinary one-bedroom rent, not under it.

Source: HUD Small Area Fair Market Rents and metropolitan fair market rents for fiscal year 2027, each HUD's estimate of the 40th-percentile rent with utilities included.

Why an income-restricted rent can equal an ordinary one: rents at the 80% level are set from the region's median income, not from rents nearby. In Albany that ceiling, $1,847 for a one-bedroom, is above HUD's ordinary rent.
What the restriction still does: it caps the rent by formula for the life of the State's agreement and limits who can apply.
The ZIP figure rose slightly. HUD's one-bedroom figure for 12206 went from $1,410 in fiscal year 2026 to $1,420 in 2027. The fair market rent change report covers other areas.

What Is Known About the Building, and the Bus Lines

The State and the developer have described the shared spaces and the building systems; apartment sizes for the 49-apartment plan are not published.

Published so far, and what is not

Shared spaces"a fitness area with yoga space, on-site laundry, recreation space for larger gatherings, bike storage and off-street parking", in the Times Union.
Systems"new roofing, updated plumbing, masonry restoration and the addition of energy-efficient, all-electric heating and cooling systems", in the State's release.
Elevators and sprinklersthe City issued a sprinkler permit on May 13, 2026 and two elevator modernization permits on September 15, 2026.
Parkingthe 2023 site plan drew a 30-space lot beside the building, entered from Central Avenue and Sherman Street. The current count is not published.
Sizes in the 2023 planstudios of 500 to 550 square feet, one-bedrooms of 572 to 771 and two-bedrooms of 715 to 868, for 47 apartments. Sizes for the current 49 are not published.
Not publishedfinishes, in-apartment laundry, pets, parking fees, and which utilities the rent covers.

Source: Times Union, May 6, 2026; Governor's announcement, March 18, 2026; City of Albany permit portal; site plan and unit list in planning case P00546, September 2023.

Color-coded floor plan of one story with fifteen apartments along a central corridor: two-bedrooms in purple at one end, one-bedrooms in blue and two studios in green — Preliminary third-floor plan dated May 10, 2023, from City of Albany planning case P00546. The apartment mix has changed since, and the layout being built is not published. Photo: Harris A. Sanders Architects, from the City of Albany planning case file, planning record, via albanyny.gov (cropped and placed on a white background).

Stop	Lines	Straight-line distance
Central Avenue and Lexington Avenue	route 1 (Central Avenue); routes 803 and 807	under 0.1 miles
Central Avenue and Henry Johnson Boulevard	routes 1, 803 and 807	under 0.1 miles
Washington Avenue and Lexington Avenue	route 12 (Washington Avenue)	under 0.1 miles
Western Avenue and Sprague Place	route 10 (Western Avenue); route 808	about 0.1 miles
Lark/Library Station, Washington Avenue and Lark Street	BusPlus Red Line and Purple Line	about 0.25 miles

What it means: the Central Avenue, Washington Avenue and Western Avenue routes all stop within a tenth of a mile, and two rapid lines stop a quarter mile away.

Source: stops and routes from the Capital District Transportation Authority's schedule data, valid September 20 to November 28, 2026; distances calculated by VoucherMatch in a straight line from 97 Central Avenue, so the walk is longer.

How to Apply to 97 Central Avenue

There is no application yet: no leasing site, phone number or manager has been published for the building.

What you can do now

1Check your incomeone person can earn up to $68,950 and two people up to $78,800 under the 2026 limits.
2Check the rent against your incomethe reported average of $1,450 is 30% of a $58,000 income. No minimum income has been published.
3Watch the State's siteNYS Housing Search lists buildings financed by the State's housing agency. This one was not listed there on October 5, 2026.
4Watch for a leasing namethe building has been called 97 Central Avenue and the Selfridge & Langford Building. A leasing site may use either.
5Keep other applications movingthe list below has buildings that take applications today.

What to expect, and what is not published

Nowunder construction; nothing to apply to.
Early 2027construction ends, in the developer's estimate.
Not publishedthe manager, the application date, how applicants will be ordered, and any preference.

What it means: no source says whether the apartments will be filled by lottery or in the order people apply.

Source: Times Union, May 6, 2026; NYS Housing Search, list read October 5, 2026.

What to have ready when applications open

Income for every adult. recent pay stubs, benefit letters and your latest tax return
Everyone who will live there. names and dates of birth
Assets. bank and other account statements
Rental subsidy. your voucher and your housing agency's contact details

Source: VoucherMatch's list, built from what an income-restricted building has to verify: income and household size against the limits above. No document list has been published for this building.

What Is Known and What Is Not Yet Published

The apartment count, the mix, the income ceiling and the financing are on the record; a rent table and the way in are not.

Known and not yet known, as of October 6, 2026

Known49 apartments: 1 studio, 42 one-bedrooms and 6 two-bedrooms, for households up to 80% of area median income.
Knownan average rent of $1,450; a building alteration permit issued October 21, 2025; construction announced March 18, 2026.
Sources differthe cost is $18 million or $20 million, and the commercial space is 8,500 or 3,900 square feet.
Not publishedrent by apartment size, any lower income levels, and which utilities are included.
Not publishedthe manager, the application route and date, and a voucher policy.

If You Need an Apartment Sooner

97 Central Avenue is months from leasing, so apply elsewhere now.

Albany Housing Authority sites: on October 5, 2026 the Authority's application page said it was taking applications for Capital Woods Apartments, Ida Yarbrough Phase II and Steamboat 20, and for public housing since August 31, 2026. Its voucher list was closed. See Section 8 and public housing compared.
No voucher yet: check which waiting lists are open and read how Section 8 lotteries work.
Nearby housing authorities: the New York directory lists each one's phone number, and the New York Section 8 page covers the State's rules.
Already have a voucher elsewhere: see how portability works. For income-based buildings where you apply directly, see low-income apartments.

Frequently Asked Questions

When will 97 Central Avenue open?

The developer told the Times Union that construction should end in early 2027. No application or move-in date has been published.

How much will rent be at 97 Central Avenue?

The only figure published is an average of $1,450 a month across all 49 apartments. Rents by apartment size are not published.

How much can you earn and still qualify for 97 Central Avenue?

Up to 80% of area median income. Under HUD's 2026 limits that is $68,950 for one person, $78,800 for two, $88,650 for three and $98,500 for four.

Will 97 Central Avenue take Section 8?

No policy is published. The building is not shown to have low-income housing tax credits, so the federal rule that bars tax-credit buildings from refusing voucher holders is not shown to apply. New York's source-of-income law is in court.

What was the Selfridge & Langford Building before?

A furniture showroom and storage building, put up in 1911. The State Division of Parole had offices there from 1982 until 2021. It was listed on the State and National Registers of Historic Places in 2024.

How do you apply to 97 Central Avenue?

You cannot apply yet. No leasing site or manager has been published. The building was not on NYS Housing Search on October 5, 2026.

Who is building 97 Central Avenue?

The Times Union lists MLB Development LLC as developer and MLB Construction Services LLC as builder. The State's financing is a $7.3 million loan from its Small Building Participation Loan Program.

Sources for this article (17)

construction announcement of March 18, 2026 (governor.ny.gov)
June 2024 register nominations (governor.ny.gov)
Small Building Participation Loan Program term sheet (hcr.ny.gov)
planning case file (albanyny.gov)
building permits (albanyny-energovpub.tylerhost.net)
property record (albanyny.mapgeo.io)
Times Union report of May 6, 2026 (timesunion.com)
WNYT report of March 18, 2026 (wnyt.com)
26 U.S.C. 42(h)(6)(B)(iv) (law.cornell.edu)
24 CFR 982.508 (law.cornell.edu)
voucher questions page (albanyhousing.org)
Section 8 Administrative Plan (albanyhousing.org)
Fair Housing Office (albanyny.gov)
Small Area Fair Market Rents (huduser.gov)
schedule data (cdta.org)
NYS Housing Search (housingsearch.hcr.ny.gov)
application page (albanyhousing.org)

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Every rule, date and dollar amount in this article is checked against the agency document it comes from, and the sources are listed above. How VoucherMatch articles are researched and corrected