Buffalo, N.Y. (WBEN) - With the announcement of $54.5 million dollars coming for future phases of Buffalo's Car Sharing Main Street project, we can't help but look back at the long history of this ongoing effort. Has the Buffalo economy grown as a result of this effort? Does it right the wrongs of taking cars off Main Street?
Due to the commencement of the above-ground Metro Rail, Automobiles were first removed from Main Street between Tupper Street and South Park Avenue about 40 years ago, costing $535 million. This stunted the growth of downtown businesses, with a 54% decrease in property values, a 92% loss in retail jobs and a 47% drop in retail occupancy, according to Buffalo Place.
"The initiative of returning cars to Main Street started 20 years ago and since that time, according to Mike Schmand from Buffalo Place, residential activity in downtown Buffalo has increased by about 350%. You see new activity along Main Street and that activity is not coincidental. There's a cause and effect relationship and that is when you invest in infrastructure, private sector investment follows," said Congressman Brian Higgins during the $54.5 million dollar announcement.
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After the first talks of bringing back the cars back to Main occurred in the late 90s, delays of the projects origins ensued due to the time it took to get federal transportation officials to sign off on the project as well as taking the time to readdress rail stations that didn't comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act. The first phase of construction didn't start until 2009, with the 700 block of Main, costing a little over $2.2 million.
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In 2015, the 500 block and 600 block completed construction, giving the Fountain Plaza and the Theatre District the ability to have cars park on the street to see a show at Shea's Theatre and grab some food after.
"The Bijou has been here for 30 plus years and we've seen a large increase in business, in the last few years, especially with the traffic on Main from Tupper to Chippewa on down. The volume of people coming down here, the access of cars getting under Main Street, seeing more people walking around, it's been very helpful for us," said Mike Greco, owner of the Bijou Grille right across from Shea's.
As far as limitations go, "Parking is always an issue," Greco says.
Businesses have been establishing themselves on Main Street since the inception of this project, including Flint Kitchen and Bar, which opened in the Fountain Plaza in 2020.
"I think before the project it created an area that you could easily ignore," said Andrew Trautman, co-owner of Flint Kitchen & Bar. "If you didn't take the train, you didn't have to go down the street. With Cars on Main, we're starting to see a huge resurgence within the blocks of the completed areas. The Genesee Gateway is exploding with new restaurants, we opened back in October. The vibrancy of the area in front of Shea's is even more bigger than it ever was."
Does this project right a wrong? Some could say so from a statistical standpoint, but Trautman wants to see a healthy balance, "We don't need to add cars all the time. I think having a dynamic environment that includes both the cars and the train and bike lanes is what's necessary for the whole area."
The project now to date has received close to $108 million dollars in funds with more work to come on the 100 block of Main, as well as the section between Church and Mohawk streets.