HOCN Presents on East Side Building Fund at the 2025 Regional Revitalization Partnership Summit
Niagara Falls, NY — HOCN’s Executive Director Stephanie Simeon was proud to be a featured speaker at the 2025 Regional Revitalization Partnership (RRP) Summit, held on December 11th at the Niagara Falls Convention Center.
This annual initiative, now in its third year, was developed to encourage the mutual sharing of experiences and industry knowledge across all three participating regions: East Side of Buffalo, Niagara Falls, and Rochester.
Stephanie presented on the East Side Building Fund, introducing the program and how the $10 million fund it provided was used to assist in community-driven revitalization, specifically in mixed-use commercial districts on Buffalo’s East Side.
She discussed some of the challenges HOCN had to overcome as administrator of the program — the inherent project risks; whether to focus on stabilizing a single building asset vs. a project with broader economic impact; or choosing which commercial property to invest in, one with a current tenant or a “potential” tenant.
Finally, Stephanie spoke on HOCN’s next steps as the East Side Building Fund program continues, based on lessons learned from this experience.
