The Ralph C. Wilson Junior Foundation has awarded the Buffalo Urban Development Corporation a $2.8 million grant to help the city with its downtown waterfront planning and development.
This three-year grant is in addition to the recentlly announced $50 million contribution by the foundation for the redesign of LaSalle Park into the Ralph C. Wilson Jr. Centennial Park.
Mayor Byron Brown, who is the chairman of the BUDC Board of Directors, said the grant will enable the Corporation to assist the city in its successful ongoing downtown waterfront redevelopment. Brown said the three-year grant includes:
- $390,000 to BUDC to increase staffing capacity for downtown waterfront development efforts
- $785,000 for project management services of the Ralph C. Wilson, Jr. Centennial Park design and implementation
- $75,000 for grant administration
The grant also includes $1.55 million to assist the city’s Department of Public Works, Parks and Streets and the Mayor’s Office for Strategic Planning in supplementing staff to support these waterfront initiatives, as well as the hiring of a consultant to prepare a City-wide Sustainability Financial Model.
