Tag: economic development

Oct 16

2025

The Central Terminal’s costly redevelopment plan

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The nonprofit charged with redeveloping Buffalo’s landmark New York Central Terminal, situated in one of the city’s poorest neighborhoods, has proposed converting two buildings on the sprawling campus into apartments that could cost as much as $900,000 per unit to build. Critics tell Investigative Post the cost is astronomical and a poor use of taxpayer dollars.  In June, the developer and nonprofit announced plans to spend $80 million to develop 90 to 110 affordable apartments, plus potential commercial space, in a former mail sorting and storage facility adjacent to the Central Terminal’s iconic tower and a city-owned structure that housed[...]

Posted 6 days ago

Sep 10

2025

Jemal late in paying millions in bills

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Contractors have filed nearly $3.7 million in liens for unpaid bills against Doug Jemal’s projects in Western New York over the past year and a half. It’s another indicator that high interest rates and the diminished market for office and retail space have put the screws to the developer’s business.  Jemal called those conditions “a pandemic of real estate” that have made cash flow tight for his company and real-estate developers across the country.  “There’s cash flow issues, no doubt,” he told Investigative Post. “But we’re taking care of this. We pay our bills.” The mechanics liens — a legal[...]

Posted 1 month ago

Sep 2

2025

Podcast: Our economic development follies

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The economy of Western New York, like those of most regions upstate, lags behind most of the nation. Government’s response, at both the local and state level, has been in large part to throw tax breaks and other subsidies at companies in an effort to attract or retain them.  It hasn’t worked. In the interview below, Investigative Post Editor Jim Heaney discusses economic development with Greg LeRoy, executive director of Good Jobs First, a nonprofit that tracks subsidy programs across the nation. LeRoy is considered a leading expert in his field and is frequently quoted by Investigative Post. Here are[...]

Posted 2 months ago

Jun 11

2025

What wage theft allegations?

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For a eight time Wednesday, the Niagara County Industrial Development Agency approved subsidies for a fast food restaurateur under investigation for wage theft. And just like every other subsidy the IDA has authorized for Muhammad Shoaib over the past two years, the $48,750 grant garnered no discussion and was approved unanimously. Fast food restaurants are generally ineligible for any IDA assistance under New York law. But because Shoaib is opening many of his stores in downtown Niagara Falls, IDA leaders have allowed him to exploit a loophole that allows tax breaks and grants for retail establishments in “economically distressed” areas.[...]

Posted 4 months ago

May 12

2025

Scanlon supports Benderson’s move from Buffalo to Amherst

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Benderson Development wants to move its corporate headquarters — as well as those of Delta Sonic, its car wash company — to an office and warehouse complex the real-estate giant owns in Amherst. And the company wants $1.4 million in property and sales tax breaks from the Amherst Industrial Development Agency to help underwrite the $26 million relocation. Benderson’s local operations are currently housed at 570 Delaware Avenue in downtown Buffalo. Delta Sonic has corporate offices there, too, and in the City of Tonawanda. Surprisingly, the mayors of both cities wrote letters to the Amherst IDA in support of the tax breaks.[...]

Posted 5 months ago

Mar 19

2025

More subsidies for restaurateur accused of wage theft

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A Niagara Falls restaurateur under investigation for allegations of wage theft received a third round of tax breaks Wednesday. With little discussion, the Niagara County Industrial Development Agency unanimously approved $51,000 in sales tax breaks for Muhammad Shoaib to open a Church’s Chicken, Jamba Juice and Carvel Ice Cream in downtown Niagara Falls. Meanwhile, five former employees, three of them managers, have come forward with new allegations that Shoaib and his wife, Hina Qureshi, failed to pay overtime and withheld tips from their workers. They told Investigative Post the couple altered payroll entries and told employees to destroy records and[...]

Posted 7 months ago

Mar 13

2025

Buffalo moves to call in Braymiller Market loan

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Inside the now-closed Braymiller Market. Photo by Garrett Looker. Capping off the saga of downtown Buffalo’s failed grocery store, city officials on Thursday took a major step towards calling in the loan issued to  Braymiller Market two years ago. In a unanimous decision, the loan committee of the Buffalo Urban Renewal Agency voted to issue a letter of default, the legal mechanism for demanding back the $561,000 the city is owed. BURA’s full board is expected to approve the recommendation when it meets March 27. It remains unclear whether the city will recoup the funds.  By issuing the default —[...]

Posted 7 months ago

Mar 6

2025

Mega-subsidy deal for data center

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With subsidies totaling $3.9 million per job, the Genesee County Economic Development Center gave the green light Thursday to a massive data center project to locate at its STAMP industrial park. The industrial development agency’s board of directors unanimously approved a proposal by STREAM U.S. Data Centers to construct a 900,000 square foot data center at the rural business park north of Batavia. The firm will purchase nearly 60 acres of STAMP’s more than 1,200 acre footprint and build a server farm the size of 16 football fields. The subsidy package totals $472 million, primarily sales tax exemptions on computer[...]

Posted 8 months ago
Investigative Post