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Press Pass: Buffalo is shopping for a downtown grocery store

The City of Buffalo is seeking a development on Ellicott Street that would include a grocery store. "In economic development, one of the key telltale signs is landing a grocery store in a redeveloped area," said Jim Fink of Business First on WBFO's Press Pass.

A grocery store would accommodate the influx of residents who are flooding the downtown area. Though the residential surge is evident, grocery chains may still be reluctant to set up downtown.

"They need customer flow to be viable," said Fink, who believes a culture shift will be necessary to make the development work.

"There's a mindset in Western New York: people like to drive up to their grocery store." The customers at the proposed downtown location would need to park in an adjacent parking ramp.

Meanwhile, there is a downtown project that may be impacted by a move in Washington's Republican-controlled Congress.

Federal "Tiger" grants provided $15 million to help open a portion of downtown's Main Street.  Now, lawmakers are discussing cutting the federal program by 80 percent, which might curtail plans to open the rest of Main Street to vehicular traffic.

"The pressure's on (congressional members) Brian Higgins, Chris Collins, Louise Slaughter and Tom Reed to restore the funds for the Main Street project," Fink said.

From his perspective, the early stages of the project have been a success. The part of Main Street that has recently reopened to traffic has been quickly transformed. The street now is  "kind of funky, has a good feel to it," Fink said.

"It's correcting an urban planning mistake."

In Genesee County, Darien Lake Theme Park has invested millions to open two new rides. It "gives people a new reason to go there," said Fink, who points out the intense competition for the amusement dollar from nearby rivals Canada's Wonderland and Fantasy Island.
 

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Jay joined Buffalo Toronto Public Media in 2008 and has been local host for NPR's "Morning Edition" ever since. In June, 2022, he was named one of the co-hosts of WBFO's "Buffalo, What's Next."

A graduate of St. Mary's of the Lake School, St. Francis High School and Buffalo State College, Jay has worked most of his professional career in Buffalo. Outside of public media, he continues in longstanding roles as the public address announcer for the Buffalo Sabres of the National Hockey League and as play-by-play voice of Canisius College basketball.