HUD Announces $2 Million Sustainability Planning Grant to Buffalo/Niagara Community

(From left to right) Adam Perry, Niagara Frontier Transportation Authority (NFTA) Commissioner; Buffalo Mayor Byron Brown; Congressman Brian Higgins; Kimberly Minkel, Executive Director of NFTA; Regional Administrator Adolfo Carrión; Robert Shibley, Dean of SUNY Buffalo School of Architecture and Planning; and, Hal Moss, Executive Director of the Greater Buffalo Niagara Regional Transportation Council

Regional Administrator Adolfo Carrión recently joined Representative Brian Higgins, Buffalo Mayor Byron Brown, and members of the Buffalo Niagara Consortium to announce the award of a 2011 Sustainable Communities Grant totaling $2 million. The grant will be used to develop a Regional Plan for Sustainable Development for the Erie and Niagara counties that make up the Buffalo Niagara region.

"The goal of HUD's Sustainable Communities grant program is to help communities and regions improve their economic competitiveness by connecting housing with good jobs, quality schools and transportation" said Carrión. "With this Sustainability Grant to the Buffalo Niagara Region, the Consortium will be able to build on the region's momentum toward sustainable development, fill key gaps in planning, and set the stage for a more vital future for Buffalo Niagara."

"These resources will provide direct support to the community to proactively address how we can better connect and enhance our business districts and neighborhoods toward the goal of a comprehensive community revitalization effort," said Higgins.

The $2 million in funding will be used to develop a Regional Plan for Sustainable Development for the Erie and Niagara counties that make up the Buffalo Niagara region. The group will develop sustainable development strategies, fill key gaps in planning, and set the stage for a more vital future for the Buffalo Niagara Region. Funding will support the creation of a Citizens Planning School to build capacity around sustainability issues and facilitate techniques and hold six regional sustainability visioning sessions. They will work to develop a regional housing plan, a climate change adaptation strategy, and a food access plan. Partners in the Buffalo Niagara Consortium are NFTA, LIUSC, the Buffalo Niagara Medical Campus, Belmont Housing Resources, and the Buffalo Niagara Partnership.

"I'm excited about this award, and honored that the Buffalo Niagara Consortium was one of 27 communities, out of 468 applicants, to win this competitive grant. This funding will join together housing, land-use, economic and workforce development, transportation, and infrastructure planning for a complete blueprint for a better Buffalo. The grant will allow Buffalo and the region to achieve our goal to strive for a healthy resilient economy by linking housing with good jobs, education, and transportation," said Brown.

Content Archived: December 2, 2013