Change Buffalo PAC Committee Report | October 17, 2026
The Situation
On October 8, Governor Kathy Hochul announced an additional $10 million for the East Side Building Fund, a program run by Empire State Development (ESD) that supports private building renovations, historic building stabilization and infill development on Buffalo’s East Side. A new funding round is “expected to launch in the coming months.” The Governor credited Assembly Majority Leader Crystal Peoples-Stokes, who is retiring from the Assembly, as a partner in securing the funding.
What the program has done so far, according to the Governor’s office:
- Launched in May 2025, it combines three earlier ESD programs: the East Side Commercial Districts Program, the Commercial Building Stabilization Fund and the Community-Based Real Estate Development Training Program Fund.
- ESD has processed 300 applications, advanced 50 finalists and awarded $10 million to 35 commercial and mixed-use projects.
- Eligible projects involve commercial or mixed-use properties, such as storefront buildings with ground-floor retail and apartments above, on the East Side. Preference goes to projects in or near priority business districts on Jefferson Avenue, Fillmore Avenue, Michigan Avenue, Genesee Street and Bailey Avenue.
ESD’s program page describes two tracks from the first round. Small Projects grants of $100,000 to $400,000 per building, administered through a Local Program Administrator, require the owner to contribute 10 percent of project cost. Anchor grants of $400,000 to $2 million support larger, “shovel ready” projects. Buildings must be privately owned, and applicants must show ownership. Rules for the new round have not been announced and may differ. The first round’s application site says that deadline has passed and invites owners to email info@eastsidebuildingfund.org to hear about future funding.
What It Means for the Change Buffalo Agenda
This advances the agenda. Restoring storefronts and stabilizing historic buildings on neighborhood commercial corridors is the kind of block-by-block revitalization our City agenda calls for. The fund’s focus on local owners, mixed-use buildings and a pipeline of new local developers fits Main Street Starts and our goal to make Buffalo the best place in New York to start a small business.
Grants work best when the rest of the system works. A renovation grant can stall if the building still faces slow permits, unclear code requirements or an expensive variance for a mixed-use conversion. Pairing the fund with The Permit Clock and by-right mixed use along corridors would let each state dollar go further. So would a faster pipeline for adjacent vacant lots through Lots to Neighbors.
Watch the pieces fit together. The East Side is also where the City’s new Buffalo Ready Homes program will start and where the future of the Kensington Expressway is being decided. Storefront investment, infill housing and the Humboldt Parkway decision should reinforce one another. That calls for the coordinated, participatory planning we describe on our Citizen Power page.
Transparency builds confidence. Publishing where awards go, what they leverage and what gets built would show taxpayers the return, a principle at the heart of Open the Books.
What Members Can Do
- Property owners: get ready now. If you own a commercial or mixed-use building on the East Side, especially on Jefferson, Fillmore, Michigan, Genesee or Bailey, gather proof of ownership, photos, a rough scope of work and a plan for a possible owner contribution. Watch ESD’s program page for the new round.
- Ask questions in writing. ESD directs program questions to EastSideBuildingFund@esd.ny.gov with the subject line “East Side Building Fund” (ESD).
- Neighbors: spread the word. Many eligible owners are small landlords and family businesses who may not follow state announcements. A personal heads-up can make the difference.
- Tell us what gets in the way. If permits, codes or financing have stalled a building on your corridor, tell us. Specific examples make the case for reform.
- Become a Neighborhood Captain for an East Side corridor through our Get Involved page.
