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Area Development - Site Selection, Facility Planning and Workforce Development

New York State Invests $6.7 Million To Spark Manufacturing On Buffalo, New York’s East Side

09/19/2014
The Northland Avenue Belt Line Corridor redevelopment project is designed to revitalize 50 acres of distressed, vacant, industrial property on Buffalo, New York’s East Side.

Governor Andrew M. Cuomo said, as part of the Buffalo Billion, $6.7 million has been allocated for acquisition and site planning of the vacant or underutilized industrial land. “This is the first phase of the next major redevelopment project in the City of Buffalo and will lead to a business park focused on the manufacturing and energy sectors.”

“Reclaiming this land will revitalize a distressed neighborhood and make this vacant property home to an advanced manufacturing hub that will attract jobs and investment,” Cuomo added. “Western New York is on the move and this Buffalo Billion investment will only add to this momentum.”

Over the last decade, the city focused much of its industrial land reclamation efforts in South Buffalo, with remarkable success, as evidenced by the Buffalo High-Tech Manufacturing Innovation Hub at RiverBend, the Governor’s Office said. “Now, with the city facing a shortage of shovel-ready, light industrial land for the projected growth in manufacturing, Buffalo is shifting its focus on the repurposing of the former industrial land on the eastside, such as the Northland Avenue Belt Line Corridor."

This project combined with the interest in investing in existing assets and infrastructure, such as streetscape improvements along Northland, Winchester and East Delavan avenues and housing stabilization projects in the surrounding neighborhoods, encourages walkability and multi-modal transportation, connects disadvantaged communities with employment clusters, and attracts private investment, a spokesman for the Governor’s Office said.

The Empire State Development Board of Directors approved the $6.7 million to assist in developing the project. Once the site planning is complete, including SEQRA, the Empire State Development board will approve additional funding for future development.

Howard Zemsky, Western New York Regional Economic Development Council Co-Chair and Larkin Development Group Managing Partner, said, “Funding through the Buffalo Billion will help us continue to focus on revitalizing the City of Buffalo to increase density in the city’s core, create new employment clusters and attract private investment. With this investment, the East Side of Buffalo will be poised and ready to capitalize on the projected growth of our manufacturing and energy sectors.”

Empire State Development, the state’s economic development agency, will grant Buffalo Urban Development Corporation, the City of Buffalo’s not-for-profit land reclamation and development agency, the funds to purchase the land and redevelop the properties. The Corporation and the state will invest in necessary site improvements and work to attract business in the critical growing sectors of manufacturing, energy and related firms to the corridor.

“The Northland Avenue Belt Line Corridor—an industrial/commercial/residential neighborhood—is one of the most extensive industrial areas in terms of size and density on Buffalo’s eastside, “ Cuomo’s Office said. “Much of the residential and commercial fabric of this area remains in close proximity to abandoned industrial plants, posing environmental and remediation challenges. These blighting influences have added to the neighborhood’s high vacancy rates and reduced economic vitality…“Despite this decline, the area is prime for redevelopment.”

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