MMDA Celebrates 10 Year Anniversary!

Dear Friends and Colleagues,

MM Development Advisors, Inc. (MMDA) was incorporated on March 3, 2015. It would take me another year to gather the courage to quit my safe, full-time job and officially open for business in January 2016. I had no grand plans – I had no plan at all really. My start-up days were spent sending emails to everyone I knew, working through my contact list a little bit every day from A to Z. MMDA has accomplished so much since those early days. Over the past decade our work has advanced more than 4,500 units of affordable housing, 168 emergency shelter beds, and 37,000 square feet of commercial space, representing more than $615 million in development costs. 

MMDA is a relentless advocate for our projects, our clients, and the communities they serve. We set a high bar for ourselves and for our work. We take a holistic view of the affordable housing ecosystem in New York State. I am proud that our work stretches across the state, from a 2-unit project in rural Allegany County to a 5,860-unit project in Queens. I am tremendously grateful for the exceptional team at MMDA including Jen Kaminsky, Becca Burglewski, and Kerri Scrivanos in the present, as well as for the past contributions of Melanie Caudill, Sue Kirby, Devon Chapman, and Angie Harbin. 

Women continue to be underrepresented in ownership and equity roles within the affordable housing and commercial real estate industries. Over the next 10 years, MMDA’s work will expand with the intent to break this barrier in both our own organization and our work. 

I founded MMDA with the core values of quality, community, and integrity. Our team remains grounded in these values and we look forward to making a positive impact on the multifamily housing industry in ways big and small for the next decade and beyond. 

Sincerely,

MM 

MMDA is thrilled to announce that construction has begun on Curtiss Hill, an adaptive reuse of the historic Glenn H. Curtiss Memorial School in Hammondsport, NY. Curtiss Hill will create 24 apartments and 4,700 square feet of commercial space ideal for community uses. Apartments will include mix of studio, 1- and 2-bedroom units, providing much needed market-rate workforce housing for individuals and families in the Village of Hammondsport.

The Glenn H. Curtiss Memorial School was built in 1935 as a part of Franklin D. Roosevelt's New Deal and is located on the site of the former home and factory of Glenn Curtiss. Glenn Curtiss is known as the father of the aviation industry in the United States and played an integral role in the advancement of aviation during the first World War.

The building itself is as historic as its namesake, standing today as an exceptionally intact example of 1930s Art Deco civic architecture and as the work of architect Robert R. Graham, a prolific designer of schools throughout New York State and especially the Hudson Valley. The building was constructed during an extremely productive period of Graham’s career and shares many Art Deco design features with some of his other schools. In particular, the Curtiss Building is characterized by streamlined, upward thrusting forms and intensely machine-like rhythms punctuated by exotic cultural references, bright colors, and reflective materials.

Utilized for its original purpose as a school until 2010, the building has since sat empty with its grandeur diminishing further year after year. The project received pivotal funding awards in 2025 from NYS RESTORE via the Village of Hammondsport and NY Forward, marking a new era for this historic structure. Construction began last fall to replace the roof before the winter. Full construction is expected to begin in June 2026 with apartments ready to lease in May 2027. For more information or to be added to the interest list, visit www.curtisshill.com.

Congratulations to these impactful projects and sponsors!

Projects awarded funding in the most recent 9% LIHTC round:

• Arbor Housing and Development was awarded LIHTC, SLIHC and $5,714,388 of NYS HTF to construct a 60-unit housing development for seniors 55+ in Southport.
• Rehabilitation Support Services (RSS) was awarded LIHTC, $5,919,550 of SHOP and $155,035 Solar for All to construct a 61-unit development that will create permanent and supportive housing in Oneonta.

Projects awarded NYS OTDA HHAP funding in the 2025 round:

• Eagle Star Housing, Inc. was awarded $6,529,031 to construct a 20-bed transitional shelter for veterans in Cheektowaga.
• Finger Lakes Area Counseling and Recovery Agency, Inc. (FLACRA) was awarded $2,515,588 to construct five, scattered-site units of permanent supportive housing in Waterloo.

NYWIRE is an informal networking association that seeks to expand access and involvement of women working in all areas of commercial real estate. The organization meets for educational and networking events held across upstate NY and shares job and mentorship opportunities.

For more information, please visit www.nywire.org.