Work on the $60 million Northland Corridor Redevelopment Project is ramping up. The focus of the mostly-state funded project is a workforce training center. Buffalo Mayor Byron Brown says the first phase of the project will begin by partially demolishing an old industrial building on the site. The mayor says hundreds of people have attended meetings to learn more about the project and provide input. Since those meetings, the amount being invested the project is increasing from $50 million to $60 million.
"We don't want to just build the training center. We want to transform an entire section of the City of Buffalo," Brown said at a news conference Thursday.
Along with the training center, the project will include infrastructure, streetscaping and other improvements to the area. The Northland Corridor is located in the Masten District, which is represented by Council member Ulysees Wingo.
"We are extremely happen that this development is going to be invested on this side of the City of Buffalo so that we can continue to show that we are investing on the East Side of the city," said Wingo.
Empire State Development Regional President Sam Hoyt says the intent of bigger projects like SolarCity was to make sure that the jobs being created are filled by city residents.
"We're not succeeding if people are coming from out-of-town to fill the jobs. We want the people who have endured, in some cases a lifetime of economic hardship, to be the people who benefit from the resurgence that's taking place in this community," Hoyt said.
Construction is expected to begin in the next few weeks.