When most people think of hot Buffalo neighborhoods, they think Allentown and Hertel, but now, it’s Grant Street’s turn.
The neighborhood is getting a $400,000 boost, funded in part by the second phase of the Buffalo Billion.
“We are gonna make it so Grant Street serves the needs of the community…and we hope that by serving the commercial needs of the community, you bring people from outside who have similar commercial needs” explained Assemblyman Sean Ryan.
The rest of the money is coming from the city and the Oishei Foundation.
About $200,000 is going straight to businesses like G&L Flooring, so they can improve their storefronts.
“It’s great to see that the neighborhood’s coming back…I would love it to be just like it was when I was 15 years old, vibrant,” said owner of G&L Flooring Paul Murphy.
Here’s the full breakdown, per Assemblyman Ryan:
G&L Flooring – $50,000
Frontier Liquor – $50,000
Lorigo’s Meating Place – $50,000
Buffalo Cooperative – $34,166.68
Freddy J’s BBQ – $34,166.66
83-89 Grant Street – $34,166.66
The rest of the money is going to infrastructure in the area. About 35% of the neighborhood’s residents have no access to a vehicle, so funding is going toward making it easier to get around in other ways, according to Assemblyman Ryan.
“You’ll see lots of people walking, lots of people biking and what we want to do is make it safe and encouraging, because right now we’re seeing people, say, riding their bikes on the wrong side of the street,” explained GObike Buffalo Executive Director Justin Booth.
Booth will be conducting surveys to analyze what infrastructure people need.
“We’re gonna try some temporary infrastructure to see how it works and once the community interacts with that we’ll make some permanent,” said Assemblyman Ryan.