Main Streets Program Comes to Niagara Street
As you may have heard, Heart of the City Neighborhoods (HOCN,) was awarded $300,000 through the Better Buffalo Fund to implement the Buffalo Main Streets Initiative (BMSI) Program in our community. The BMSI Program in our community is made possible by Empire State Development’s Better Buffalo Fund and New York State Housing Trust Fund Corporation.
The Buffalo Main Streets Initiative (BMSI) is a reimbursement program, modeled after the New York Main Streets Program, that provides commercial and mixed-use property owners with a 75% match (three dollars of grant funds for each one dollar of owner funds) up to a project total of $50,000 for commercial building renovations and $25,000 per unit for residential renovations, with a maximum grant amount of $150,000. Because BMSI funds are paid out at the end of a project, property owners must be able to pay for the full cost of the work up front prior to the 75% reimbursement (as well as permanently pay for their 25% share.)
The Program for lower Niagara Street will assist building owners on Niagara Street between Georgia St. and Porter Ave. by providing funds that can be used towards renovations, such as façade renovations and interior commercial and residential building upgrades. The reimbursement program will provide eligible commercial property owners with a 75% match (three dollars of grant funds for each one dollar of owner invested funds.) This exciting program will complement the investment the City of Buffalo is providing to our community through the Niagara Street Reconstruction Project and will give hardworking business owners a great opportunity to improve their storefronts!
On August 12th, 2015 HOCN and People United for Sustainable Housing (PUSH) Buffalo held a joint informational session to provide more information to property owners on Niagara Street as well as Grant and West Ferry Streets. Applications for property owners were released at this meeting.
If you’re a commercial or mixed-use property owner or a business on Niagara Street between Georgia Street and Porter Avenue who would like to take part in this exciting program, contact our office today for an application! You can also find an application on our Buffalo Main Streets Initiative for lower Niagara Street Page. For questions, contact Jennifer Yuhnke at (716) 882-7661 ext. 202 or j.yuhnke@hocn.org. Applications are due by 4:00pm on September 30th, so don’t miss out!