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Development Advisory Council

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.

Council Overview

The Development Advisory Council is a broad cross-section of leading development, construction, and real estate professionals in Western New York who aim to support policy, collaboration, and educational opportunities around the sustainable redevelopment of Buffalo Niagara.

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Development Advisory Council Mission
Advocacy Initiatives
Programming Initiatives
Development Advisory Council Mission
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
 
 
Advocacy Initiatives
Top Initiatives for 2022:
  • BROWNFIELD CLEANUP PROGRAM
    • Pass a long-term extension of this highly successful program which currently expires for new projects in 2022. Renewal efforts should ensure remediation and redevelopment are encouraged and support environmental and affordable housing goals
  • PREVAILING WAGE
    • Reform how prevailing wage is calculated
  • ADAPTIVE REUSE
    • Incentivize transitioning vacant and commercial office space into housing options
    • Maintain and strengthen Erie County Industrial Development Agency’s existing Adaptive Reuse policy
  • MIXED-INCOME NEIGHBORHOODS
    • Stimulate development of both market rate and affordable housing to create vibrant mixed-income neighborhoods
  • SCAFFOLD LAW
    • 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
  • 485-A
    • Oppose efforts to fundamentally weaken 485-A which has been essential to regional redevelopment
  • RENT CONTROL
    • Protect right of property owners to enforce rental agreements
    • Oppose proposals establishing universal rent control
Programming Initiatives
Top Initiatives for 2022:
  • INITIATIVE ENGAGEMENT
    • IDA policy review and action
    • Downtown Buffalo housing market
    • Buffalo Building Reuse Project
    • Analysis and communication of COVID-19 safety guidance
  • BEST PRACTICES & LEARNING 
    • Creating density through place-based infrastructure
    • Using infill development to achieve smart growth
    • Facilitating career pathways and workforce development strategies for employers
    • Navigating COVID-19 related changes to state eviction law
    • Supporting transit orientated development
    • Re-imagining modern live/work commercial and residential spaces
    •  

Previous & Ongoing Programs & Initiatives

The BNP focuses on economic growth and expansion of existing businesses with programs and initiatives aimed at increasing private sector jobs and investments in the Buffalo Niagara region.  Many of these initiatives are successful because of the direct input and support from members of our Development Advisory Council.  Here are some examples of past and ongoing initiatives that are a critical component in creating a revitalized and economically sustainable future.

  • Brownfield Cleanup Program – Instrumental in the resurgence of Western New York, the BCP stimulates private instesmtne to clean sites that would otherwise remaine contaminated and underutilized.
  • Buffalo Building Reuse Project – a public/private effort seeking to make downtown Buffalo more competitive for private investment in the 21st century.
  • Adaptive ReUse – one of the most impactful and efficient economic development tools available to employers in Western New York.
  • Downtown Buffalo Housing Report – This report synthesizes the findings of several studies examining the downtown residential market and the impact of specific incentive programs.
 
"Working with the Partnership provides my company a seat at the table as part of the private sector’s voice in economic development, advocating for stronger communities throughout the region."
Ben ObletzPresident & CEO First Amherst Development Group
"The Partnership’s Development Advisory Council provides the opportunity for diverse and often competing practitioners in the real estate and development industries to join with a unified voice to advocate for sustainable policy and projects that can help revitalize Buffalo Niagara."
Dennis PenmanPenman Development Partners, LLC
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Council Leaders

Benjamin N. Obletz
Council Vice Chair
President
First Amherst Development

Council Members

  • AMD Environmental Consultants, Inc.
  • Arcadis
  • 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
  • Community Preservation Corp.
  • Construction Exchange of Buffalo & WNY, Inc.
  • 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.
  • Glendale Development
  • Greater Buffalo Niagara Regional Transportation Council
  • Greenlight Networks
  • 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
  • New Enterprise Stone & Lime Co., Inc
  • Nussbaumer & Clarke, Inc.
  • Millington Lockwood
  • OSEA (Occupational Safety and Environmental Associates)
  • Penman Development Partners, LLC
  • Priam Enterprises, LLC
  • Rodriguez Construction Group, Inc.
  • RP Oak Hill Building Company Inc.
  • S&T Bank
  • Savarino Companies, LLC
  • Schneider Development, LLC
  • Seneca Gaming Corporation
  • Sinatra & Company Real Estate
  • Sonwil Distribution Center, Inc.
  • Tompkins Bank of Castile
  • 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:

Harris Beach

SUPPORTING SPONSORS:

BONADIO GROUP
FIVE STAR BANK
LABELLA ASSOCIATES, D.P.C.
LECHASE CONSTRUCTION SERVICES, LLC

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.

From the Blog

Erie County to Assist Storefront Renovations

Seth Piccirillo May 9, 2022

Erie County recently announced a program designed to assist small businesses that may have lost revenue during the COVID pandemic, helping them with exterior façade upgrades and improvements that will in turn attract new customers, business and revenue. The program will grant eligible small businesses in Erie County up to

Read More »

Members-Only Webisode: Capital Conversations – How to Spend a Windfall

The Partnership August 17, 2021

WATCH Webisode with the Empire Center’s Director of Research About this Webinar: The American Rescue Plan provided millions of dollars – your tax dollars – to states, municipalities, and school districts all across the country. More than $24 billion is flowing to New York State and its local governments. This

Read More »

6.22.21 Webinar Growing a Cannabis Economy: Lessons from Hamilton, ON

The Partnership June 22, 2021

What does New York’s recent legalization of cannabis mean for workplaces, the state’s regulatory framework and the Buffalo Niagara economy? Join BNP in a conversation with our friends in Canada for lessons learned during their pre- and post-legalization periods. You’ll hear about the experiences of cannabis production and retail taking

Read More »
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