U.S. Senator Charles Schumer was in Buffalo Monday launching a campaign to secure federal funds to transform lower Main Street. The $28 million Transportation Investment Generating Economic Recovery or TIGER grant would make the street accessible to pedestrians, cars and light rail.
$16 million would go to lower Main Street upgrades, unlocking new areas for development on the roadway. However, $12 million of the grant would go toward bringing cars back to a section of Main Street between Mohawk Street and Court Street.
The push for the grant comes after $15 million in TIGER funds were secured back in 2011 to revitalize the 500 block of Main Street.
Schumer says the revitalization of lower Main Street is already underway with construction happening at HarborCenter and Canalside. He says making the street more accessible is the next step.
“Lower Main Street is outdated, inaccessible and is undoubtedly limiting the tremendous potential that these projects have to reshape the city. Main Street should the center of action and activity, bustling with visitors and residents alike, rather than a desolate, outdated and underutilized stretch of pavement in an otherwise vibrant neighborhood,” said Schumer.
Schumer says making lower Main Street more accessible would also help bring additional businesses to Canalside and leverage more tenants to locate inside Seneca One Tower, the former HBSC building.
“This project has an estimated net benefit of this community close to $100 million. It will make the area more accessible to the 800,000 visitors that will come here this year alone. The number of visitors coming to this part of Buffalo is only going to grow, which makes it a critical time to do the Main Street facelift now,” said Schumer.
Mayor Byron Brown says it’s public and private investment that’s making the city of Buffalo’s revitalization possible.
“We believe that this will be a game changer in terms of economic development, business investment, job creation, and also accelerating the pace of bringing residential back to downtown Buffalo. I’ve set a goal of 1,300 new units in and around downtown Buffalo by 2018 and this car sharing main street project is an important element to that,” said Brown
Brown says if the TIGER grant is secured, the city plans match the funds by allocating $7 million to the ‘Cars Sharing Main Street’ project.