Tag: economic development

Feb 17

2025

Making the case for IDA reform

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There’s a case to be made for consolidating and reforming Western New York’s myriad of industrial development agencies into a single operation. There’s six alone in Erie County, another three in Niagara. Add the outlying counties and there’s no fewer than 16 of them. There’s too many of them. They compete against each other. They can’t resist the built-in conflict of interest in which they earn a commission if they approve a deal and get zilch if they don’t. Let’s face it, if they were effective, our regional economy would be in better shape. Greg LeRoy of Good Jobs First, who, for my[...]

Posted 8 months ago

Feb 6

2025

Fate of Braymiller Market remains in limbo

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The now-shuttered Braymiller Market at 225 Ellicott Street. Photo by J. Dale Shoemaker The future of the downtown building once home to Braymiller Market remains in limbo. For one, Evans Bank is moving to foreclosure on the property as a way to recoup the multi-million dollar mortgage it granted to owner Stuart Green. The bank has begun “pre-foreclosure” proceedings, according to Common Council Majority Leader Leah Halton-Pope. At the same time, the Buffalo Urban Renewal Agency is weighing whether to call in a $561,000 loan the city granted to Braymiller Market in 2023. The money, meant to be a lifeline[...]

Posted 9 months ago

Feb 3

2025

Prospect of huge subsidies for data center at STAMP

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Around 50 people gathered at the Alabama fire hall for a series of public hearings about a data center locating at STAMP. Photo by J. Dale Shoemaker. TOWN OF ALABAMA — Three data centers vying to build at the STAMP industrial park in rural Genesee County are seeking subsidies worth anywhere from $838,000 to $3.9 million per job. The proposals were the subject of three public hearings Monday at which about two dozen nearby residents voiced their strong opposition. Concerns ran the gamut: Some speakers said data centers — via water runoff and noise — would harm the surrounding environment,[...]

Posted 9 months ago

Dec 23

2024

Scanlon proposes police use of Braymiller

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The now-shuttered Braymiller Market. Photo by J. Dale Shoemaker. Acting Mayor Christopher Scanlon wants the city to rent the former Braymiller Market building for use by the Buffalo Police Department, according to documents filed Monday with the Common Council. Scanlon is requesting lawmakers approve a one-year lease between the city and owner Stuart Green, who has defaulted on a loan from Evans Bank used to buy the property in 2021. City records indicate Green purchased the property for $7 million. He still owes approximately $5 million to the bank, according to Fillmore Common Council Member Mitch Nowakowski. The city’s proposed[...]

Posted 10 months ago

Dec 19

2024

Braymiller Market has closed

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Braymiller Market moments before closing for good Wednesday evening. Photo by J. Dale Shoemaker. Braymiller Market, the only grocery store in downtown Buffalo, has officially closed its doors. On Wednesday evening, a person could be seen loading goods into a delivery van. On Thursday morning, the store was dark. An employee on Wednesday confirmed that was the market’s last day of operation. The closure means the business is now in default on a $561,000 city loan, a matter that’s sparked a clash in City Hall. At question is whether or not the city will demand its money back from store[...]

Posted 10 months ago

Dec 11

2024

Council: Not so fast on forgiving Braymiller loan

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  Braymiller Market. Photo by Garrett Looker The City of Buffalo could call in the $561,000 it loaned to Braymiller Market and reallocate the money for a different use, according to city officials and an Investigative Post review of records. Some lawmakers want to know why the acting mayor, facing a financial crisis that threatens to starve city departments and initiatives of funding, seems reluctant to do that. “I want to know why we wouldn’t require somebody who didn’t honor their commitment, who took money from the city, to at least pay it back,” Common Council Majority Leader Leah Halton-Pope[...]

Posted 11 months ago

Dec 6

2024

Braymiller Market closing, but bailouts continue

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Acting Mayor Chris Scanlon, forward, and Braymiller Market owner Stuart Green, to his left. Photo by J. Dale Shoemaker Braymiller Market, the struggling downtown grocery, is closing its doors, but City Hall will continue to financially assist owner Stuart Green. Acting Mayor Chris Scanlon said Friday the city will not require Green to repay the $561,000 it loaned to the store last year, a requirement if he failed to keep the store open through the end of 2025. What’s more, Scanlon said the city will lease the grocery store’s building, paying an unspecified amount to use the 21,600-square-foot space for[...]

Posted 11 months ago

Dec 6

2024

State board doubles down on secrecy

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Union protestors look on at the former Wood & Brooks piano factory in Tonawanda. Photo by Garrett Looker. For more than a year, a state board created to determine whether highly subsidized development projects must pay prevailing wages has operated in secrecy. Since May, Investigative Post has pressed the Public Subsidy Board for records detailing its decisions, including on two Western New York projects. In response, the board has dug in its heels. A hearing officer for the state Department of Labor, under whose umbrella the subsidy board operates, issued a ruling last month upholding the agency’s denial of records[...]

Posted 11 months ago
Investigative Post