WILLIAMSVILLE, N.Y. — New York Governor Kathy Hochul announced Wednesday more than $30 million in state grants for Erie County to boost development along the Transit Road corridor, including plans to redevelop Eastern Hills Mall into a mixed-use town center.
“We are unlocking the future of economic development along Transit Road as this critical infrastructure investment will help transform the Eastern Hills Mall into a vibrant, mixed-use town center,” Governor Hochul said in a release. “The redevelopment of the Eastern Hills Mall offers an opportunity to repurpose an underutilized commercial property to boost the local economy, solve our housing crisis, create good-paying jobs, and improve the quality of life for all Western New Yorkers.”
The funding will be used to expand and upgrade the sewer system and promote development along the Transit Road commercial corridor:
- The County of Erie seeks to promote economic development along the Transit Road commercial corridor, including the redevelopment of the Eastern Hills Mall into a mixed-use town center to include residential, commercial, hospitality and entertainment and recreation uses.
- Expansion of sewer capacity along this corridor has been deemed integral to the overall redevelopment plan. Improvements to wastewater facilities would be conducted in both the Town of Clarence and Amherst.
- The County of Erie has already commissioned a study ($100,000) and provided $3 million for design and engineering. It also secured a $1.6 million commitment from the Towns of Clarence and Amherst.
- This capital grant will expand and improve sewer infrastructure along Transit Road, including the installation of a new sewer line and construction of a new pumping station.
“The next step for the Eastern Hills Mall complex is coming into focus with more than $30 million in New York State grants to improve and expand sewer lines along Transit Road, critical improvements that will support further development at the site. Having suitable water and sewer infrastructure is a necessary building block for future expansion but is not an inexpensive proposition, so I thank Governor Hochul for making these grants available. The Eastern Hills Mall project is an exciting redevelopment of an old site, and these grants play a key role in bringing it to new life, including much needed new multi-unit housing for our community,” Erie County Executive Mark C. Poloncarz said…