Industry Overview
Buffalo Niagara’s physical growth and development is a critical component towards a revitalized and economically sustainable future. Since 1970, our region’s urbanized land area has grown by 78% while we lost 16% of our population; this equation must change if we are to be an affordable place to live, work and do business.
Our mission includes:
- Foster the development of diverse, vibrant, walkable communities that can retain and attract people to the region
- Make efficient use of existing resources by directing development to areas already served by infrastructure, transit and public services
- Support assistance for development projects to encourage private investment and create new programs to help address community needs
- Establish a collaborative planning environment where design and development honors and preserves our region’s history while also providing the opportunities to establish a new legacy
Top Initiatives for 2020:
- PREVAILING WAGE:
- Oppose expansion of prevailing wage mandate to
private projects
- Oppose expansion of prevailing wage mandate to
- SCAFFOLD LAW REFORM:
- Reform the Scaffold Law by replacing absolute liability
with a comparative negligence standard, allowing
liability to be apportioned based on fault – the
standard that exists in every state except New York
- Reform the Scaffold Law by replacing absolute liability
- ADAPTIVE REUSE:
- Maintain and strengthen Erie County Industrial
Development Agency’s existing Adaptive Reuse policy
- Maintain and strengthen Erie County Industrial
- MANDATED INCLUSIONARY ZONING:
- Oppose mandated inclusionary zoning which inflates
the cost of developing new affordable units in a
market with high construction costs and low rental
rates. Instead, the public and private sectors must
come together to urgently address the findings of the
Buffalo Housing Opportunity Strategy report including
the need for focused investment around community
assets to build market confidence and create mixed
income neighborhoods.
- Oppose mandated inclusionary zoning which inflates
- INFILL DEVELOPMENT:
- Establish an incentive program to stimulate infill
development in downtown Buffalo to help build
walkable, complete neighborhoods
- Establish an incentive program to stimulate infill
- HISTORIC TAX CREDIT:
- Support expansion of NYS Historic Tax Credit program
by increasing credit from 20% to 30% for projects
under $5 million
- Support expansion of NYS Historic Tax Credit program
- Best Practices & Learning
- Creating density through place-based infrastructure
- Using infill development to achieve smart growth
- Leveraging Opportunity Zone program
- Supporting transit orientated development
- Initiative Engagement
- IDA policy review and action
- Downtown Buffalo housing market
- Buffalo Building Reuse Project
- Opportunity Zone working group
- Business Improvement District expansion working group
- One Region Forward implementation council
- Tour Series
- Insider tours of unique sites important to area’s development
Council Leaders
Benjamin N. Obletz
Council Vice Chair
President
First Amherst Development
Council Members
- AMD Environmental Consultants, Inc.
- Arc Building Partners, LLC.
- Arcadis
- Architectural Resources, P.C.
- Bank On Buffalo
- Barclay Damon, LLP
- Benchmark Environmental Engineering & Science PLLC
- Benchmark Management Corporation
- Benderson Development Company, LLC
- Bond, Schoeneck & King PLLC
- C&S Companies
- Cannon Design
- Cannon Heyman & Weiss, LLP
- Carmina Wood Morris, DPC
- CBRE Buffalo
- Chason Affinity
- Ciminelli Real Estate Corporation
- Clark Patterson Lee
- Construction Exchange of Buffalo & WNY, Inc.
- DiDonato Associates
- Ecology & Environment, Inc.
- Ellicott Development Co.
- Encorus Group
- First Amherst Development Group LLC
- Five Star Bank
- Foit-Albert Assoc., Architecture, Engineering & Surveying, PC
- Frey Electric Construction Co., Inc.
- Frontier Group of Companies
- Gerald Kelly Capital Corp.
- Great Lakes Environmental & Safety Consulting, Inc.
- Greater Buffalo Niagara Regional Transportation Council
- Greenman-Pedersen, Inc.
- Hamister Group, LLC
- Hanna Commercial Real Estate
- Harris Beach PLLC
- Hodgson Russ LLP
- Hopkins Sorgi & Romanowski PLLC
- Hurwitz & Fine, P.C.
- Iskalo Development Corp.
- Joy Kuebler Landscape Architect, P.C.
- KeyBank
- LaBella Associates, D.P.C.
- LeChase Construction Services, LLC
- Lippes Mathias Wexler Friedman LLP
- M&T Bank
- Modern Disposal Services, Inc.
- Montante Companies LLC
- National Grid
- Nussbaumer & Clarke, Inc.
- Millington Lockwood
- OSEA (Occupational Safety and Environmental Associates)
- P. Max Engineering
- Parkitects, Inc.
- Penman Development Partners, LLC
- Priam Enterprises, LLC
- Renewal Housing Corp.
- Rodriguez Construction Group, Inc.
- RP Oak Hill Building Company Inc.
- S&T Bank
- Savarino Companies, LLC
- Schneider Development, LLC
- Seneca Gaming Corporation
- Signature Development
- Sinatra & Company Real Estate
- Sonwil Distribution Center, Inc.
- T.Y. Lin International Group
- The Community Preservation Corp.
- The Krog Corp.
- The Whiting-Turner Contracting Company
- Tompkins Bank of Castile
- Turner Construction Co.
- Uniland Development Company
- Watts Architecture & Engineering, P.C.
- Wells Fargo
- Wendel
- West Side & Black Rock-Riverside Neighborhood Housing Services
- WSP USA Inc.
Thank You To Our Sponsors
INDUSTRY SPONSORS:
SUPPORTING SPONSORS:
- ARC BUILDING PARTNERS, LLC
- THE BONADIO GROUP
- CBRE BUFFALO LLC
- LABELLA ASSOCIATES, D.P.C.
- LECHASE CONSTRUCTION SERVICES, LLC
- MILLINGTON LOCKWOOD
- NATIONAL GRID
Interested In Joining or Sponsoring?
Want to connect with some of the most engaged developers in the region? Fill out the form below or contact Liz Benkovich at (716) 541-1759 for more information.
