WHY INVEST IN
BUFFALO’S EAST SIDE?
The East Side is a place with active and engaged residents and visitors, significant historic assets, community-based resources, walkable main streets, education and training resources, and access to public transit.
THE PEOPLE WHO LIVE
AND WORK ON THE EAST SIDE REPRESENT:
42%
OF THE CITY’S
RESIDENTS
That’s over
108,000
people
43,300
OF THE
CITY’S JOBS
About
30% of all
jobs in the City
40%
OF THE CITY’S
WORKING-AGE
POPULATION
Age 16-64
IT’S A PLACE FOR
COMMERCE AND ENTREPRENEURSHIP, WITH:
3,300
BUSINESSES
That’s about 1/3
of the City’s businesses
27 businesses with
AT LEAST 100
EMPLOYEES
4,800
MANUFACTURING JOBS
ON THE EAST SIDE
That’s almost HALF of all manufacturing jobs in the City
Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates (2013-2017) and Longitudinal Employment-Household Dynamics (LEHD) Origin-Destination Employment Statistics (2017). UBRI analysis of data from InfoGroup, ReferenceUSA U.S. Businesses Database, 2017.
UNIQUE PLACES AND ICONIC BUILDINGS ENDURE HERE:
ENHANCING THE EAST SIDE THROUGH TARGETED INVESTMENTS
As part of the Buffalo Billion Phase II placemaking strategy, $65 million was dedicated to revitalization efforts on the City’s East Side. The targeted investment strategy focuses on four main commercial corridors and nine investment areas as economic drivers and catalysts for widespread revitalization of the East Side.
WHAT ARE THE PROJECT’S GOALS?
East Side Avenues’ goal is to fund and plan revitalization strategies aimed at improving economic conditions on Buffalo’s East Side. It works to strengthen and support specific organizations receiving capital funding.
The intent is not only to help realize a series of improvement projects on the East Side, but to do so in a manner that prepares the community’s organizations to take on the next round of investments as well.
Efforts are focused on projects that can be implemented within five years and align with these six main goals:

Promote mixed use, walkable commercial corridors

Invest in regionally significant historical and natural assets

Expand opportunities for workforce connections

Support and grow new businesses and entrepreneurship

Fund projects that have strong community momentum

Build on transformational public/private investments