Almost from the day it opened in 1985, the Downtown Buffalo pedestrian mall - which stretched from Tupper Street south to South Park Avenue - was viewed as an urban planning faux pas.
Planners hoped the mall would revitalize the central business district, but it did just the opposite. Long-time businesses closed, buildings sat empty and downtown suffered.
That changed in 2009 when the first phase of the “Cars Sharing Main Street” initiative was completed and vehicular traffic returned to a stretch between Goodell and Tupper streets.
And guess what…private sector businesses returned, including new apartments, offices, and retailers like an upscale wine store.
Now, the final phase of “Cars Sharing Main Street” will take place later next year, with work slated to start at Mohawk Street and head south towards Canalside, the Seneca One Tower, and KeyBank Center.
Buffalo Place Manager of Planning Debra Chernoff talks about the project.
“It’s already been completed south of Exchange Street, in front of the old auditorium and it’ s already been completed from the 700 block, including the theater district, Chippewa Street, all the way to Mohawk Street in the 500 block,” Chernoff said.
More than $54 million in state, local, and federal dollars have been secured for the final phase. All told more than $107 million will be spent to return vehicular traffic to Main Street.
The payoff?
More - make that a lot more - private sector investment dollars have produced more offices and apartments and revived life in the Central Business District.
“The impact of the look of Downtown Buffalo affects the regions' ability to attract new companies and employers, even if they weren’t going to be located in the Downtown area, the look of Downtown was what set their image for Western New York,” Chernoff said.
The project goes to bid this winter. Construction could start by late summer.
