A press conference was held today at the Matt Urban Center where Governor Kathy Hochul announced 11 transformational projects in Buffalo’s Broadway-Fillmore neighborhood to enhance the quality of life for Buffalonians and create business, employment, and housing opportunities as part of the $10 million Downtown Revitalization Initiative award. These investments will leverage the neighborhood’s dense stock of largely historic commercial buildings for vibrant new green space, retail-oriented streets, improved bike and pedestrian connections and lively streetscapes. These improvements are part of the Governor’s ongoing efforts to revitalize the upstate economy and uplift Western New York communities.
“We are forging a new path forward for Buffalo — making significant investments that will help continue to rewrite the Buffalo comeback story,” Governor Hochul said. “Our investments in housing, economic development, and job creation in East Buffalo will help breathe new life into the community and make it a better place to live and work. My administration will continue our efforts to transform neighborhoods into vibrant community centers and build a better future for New Yorkers.”
Summary of the 11 grants:
- $2.5 million to the Broadway Market to open up the main entryway to accommodate amenities, create an outdoor farmers market, relocate tenant spaces on Broadway to be replaced by food-related vendors and improve circulation throughout the market. This brings the state’s spending on the market’s revitalization in 2022 to $39.5 million.
- $1.7 million for new street lighting, trees, flower planters and outdoor seating on streets around the Broadway Market.
- $1 million to help turn the underused grassy lawn at the Central Terminal into a year-round spot for recreational activities, organized sports and other events.
- $1 million to renovate the first two floors of 239 Lombard St. into a child care facility that can serve up to 90 children and employ at least 20 people, along with a facility to train child care workers.
- $664,000 to create an organic container farm by renovating an abandoned building at 205 Lombard and an adjacent parking lot into a 1-acre, solar-powered container farm with office space.
- $630,000 to revitalize Sears Paderewski Park, 358 Paderewski Dr., by adding a new surface, trees, playground equipment and a pavilion as a gathering space for small performances and a shaded play area.
- $550,000 to create 62 units of affordable housing ranging from single-family rentals to multifamily apartment units on city-owned properties on Playter Street, between Broadway and Paderewski.
- $500,000 to renovate the historic Schreiber Brewery, 662 Fillmore Ave., into a multiuse commercial space that includes brewing production.
- $427,000 to renovate 950 Broadway into a day care center with classrooms, commercial kitchen, storage and outdoor playground.
- $362,000 to expand production capacity at Al Cohen’s Famous Rye Bread Bakery, 1132 Broadway, one of Broadway Fillmore’s largest employers. The expansion will occur on the company’s adjacent 185 Sweet Ave. property.
- $290,000 to improve the after-school and performance space at Matt Urban Center, 1081 Broadway, enabling the center to meets its licensing requirement for an after-school program.
You can watch the full press conference below.
