City of Buffalo seeks $3.5 million grant to help renovate the Statler

BUFFALO, N.Y. — The Buffalo Common Council on Wednesday approved a request for a state grant to cover part of the cost of repairing the Statler.

Developer Douglas Jemal is restoring the building and it is expected to cost around $160 million.

The city is seeking a $3.5 million grant from Empire State Development, which would be used to repair sidewalks around the Statler and the basement. There is a safe in the basement that needs to be taken down to make a safe parking area and the sidewalk infrastructure around the block is old and needs repair.

The Buffalo Common Council held a public hearing Wednesday before voting to apply for the grant. No one from the public spoke, but several council members spoke in favor of the request.

“I really want people to start understanding that downtown is for everyone and that downtowns are strong urban cores that benefit cities. So we need people to start living downtown- city ​​of Buffalo We have an exodus of 20,000 office workers who will not come to downtown Buffalo, and we really need to replace them with those who will live and make downtown Buffalo their home,” Mitch said. Nowakowski, a member of the Fillmore District Common Council.

Developer Douglas Jemal wants to create more than 200 hotel rooms, shops, offices, more than 200 apartments and parking spaces at the Statler. It’s just one of his many projects in downtown Buffalo.

Although getting the grant isn’t a done deal, Common Council members are confident the money will go to the Statler.