The Revitalization of Niagara Falls is taking another step with the announcement of four properties being developed in the city’s Bridge District.
The four-building plan is the first phase in a project to eventually develop 38 properties across the Niagara Falls downtown area.
Included in the project is a $2.5 million grant awarded from the Empire State Development Fund to the Urban Renewal Agency, which currently owns the properties.
The goal is to have developers finish the projects in around two years, Niagara Falls Mayor Robert Restaino said.
“The commitment was to be understanding of the market and what needed to come together, but to also hold people to a tight timeline that they could live with," he said. "You know, we weren't going to dictate to them, ‘you've got to do this in 10 months.’ That's a recipe for stress and failure.”
Among the first round of properties is a former church that Niagara Falls National Heritage Area plans to turn into a market and antique mall where vendors can set up booths.
The investment from the state and city show the potential for growth and renewal, National Heritage Area Director of Public Art Ally Spongr said.
“There are so many other properties that need some love. They need a new idea. They need investment," she said. "And so if, if the next thing that happens is then a couple of us come together and we do another development property, we turn it into another business. We identify others in the community through doing this work too.”
The other three areas for improvement include a former Main Street bar being turned into six apartments and a commercial space, a vacant lot and historic house being converted into a corridor to the Whirlpool paths and a short-term rental space, and the former Jenss Department Store that will also be developed into apartments.
