The Greater Lockport Development Corporation has obtained extensions for several projects funded by the state Downtown Revitalization Initiative grant.
Some community members have questioned why business openings have been delayed after receiving taxpayer funds for projects selected to help bring a needed increase in customer traffic and purchasing to downtown.
Vicki Smith, Greater Lockport Development Corporation (GLDC) president and CEO, said the city has $1.7 million remaining from the state Downtown Revitalization Initiative (DRI) grants, and spending is extended through next summer. Smith said there is nothing the GLDC can do to speed up completions.
“It’s receiving the money from the state,” she said, as a big factor in delays. In North Tonawanda, “Lumber City Development Corporation has projects going way back as well,” she added.
Downtown revitalization initiative projects which are now complete include: the Historic Lockport Post Office; Historic Palace Theatre; the Lock Tender tribute, and South Street enhancements.
DRI projects under construction include the Tuscarora Club; Harrison Lofts; F&M Building and Frontier Mall; Spaulding Mill; and Pine Street enhancements.
Smith said extensions were needed to maintain the state grants.
“I don’t want to lose the funding for Lockport,” she said. “If we lose the funding, if this money is reallocated, it doesn’t stay in Lockport. Yes, the projects are taking a while, but my main goal is to get them completed.”
“You feel like these projects are moving slow,” Smith said. “I’m just happy to see these projects moving forward. It was a huge win to see the Tuscarora Club started again. I’ve had the state over there twice on the property. They were enthused as well. They were like, ‘This is a huge win.’ ”
Smith said DRI funding for the renovation of the Tuscarora Club has been extended to February 2027, at which time the first and second floors are expected to open.
“The third floor needs a lot of work, to be gutted,” she said.
Tuscarora Club owner Dominick Ciliberto did not return calls asking about the status of renovation at 128 Walnut St. In 2025, Ciliberto said he was developing the building into an event space with hotel rooms on the second and third floors. Whether the first floor becomes a restaurant or a banquet hall depends on whether an operator is identified to rent the space, Ciliberto said at the time.
Smith said work performed under a Restore New York Communities Initiative grant of $500,000 has been completed. The $800,000 from the DRI fund now must be spent down, she said.
“They waited to receive the disbursement,” Smith said. “That’s what I see happen with a lot of developers. It takes a long time for checks to come from the state.”
Smith said Ciliberto is not barred from opening for business in the portion of the building he has finished.
“The first floor should be ready to go,” she said. “When I talked to him last, he didn’t have a restaurant tenant.”
The vision of Harrison Lofts as a sunlit atrium has yet to be realized. A year ago, owner Ken Kierney said he expected to market the apartments before 2026. Kierney did not return calls this month about the status of the building.
The South Street building’s third-floor apartments “look like they’re ready to go at the end of November and they have a waiting list,” Smith said.
She said she walked around the building earlier this month.
“The third floor had cleaners up there cleaning the apartments. I’ve been talking it up,” she said. While there is still stone on the ground floor, Smith said all the floors are installed in the building.
The F&M Building, now owned by Savarino Companies, has $1,350,890 in DRI funding that needs an extension, Smith said.
“I have to wait for him to give me his plan,” she said. The Savarinos are also under contract to purchase the 31,800-foot Frontier Mall on Main Street. The developers applied for a 15-year PILOT agreement last month from the Niagara County Industrial Development Agency. The F & M Building has plans for 16 luxury apartments and first-floor commercial space, while the mall would be divided into 22 tenant parking spaces, a section for the building’s mechanics and utilities, and commercial space.
“We’d love to see a market there,” Rob Savarino said. “It makes a lot of sense for fresh food to be there.”
Smith said the Savarinos have received $2 million from Restore NY.
“The state is very much aware and we’re waiting on the mall,” she said. “As soon as his purchases are complete, he’s got to get going.”