It was last February when Buffalo Mayor Byron Brown first announced his desire for a downtown grocery store and he's now expected to announce on Friday just who will spearhead that project.
7 Eyewitness News Anchor Jeff Russo has learned that during his State of the City Address Mayor Brown is expected to announce the developer whose been selected to construct a mixed use building at 201 Ellicott Street. That project would include a grocery store, a parking component, and a significant residential element.
7 Eyewitness News has reported that the city had received three proposals from developers for that site which is now a city owned parking lot which sits right behind the Hotel at Lafayette.
It remains unclear which grocery store would be included but a spokesperson for Tops Markets tells 7 Eyewitness News that they are not involved in the project. Tops Markets has expressed interest in a downtown Buffalo location but will not part of the RFP for 201 Ellicott. Also, a spokesperson for Dash's Markets says they have not responded to the RFP.
Some 14,000 people live within a half-mile of the area of 201 Ellicott Street and with numbers growing the city believes there is high demand for a grocery store in that area.
Significant economic announcements have also been included by Mayor Brown during his State of the City addresses in the past. 7 Eyewitness News will stream the address live on our 7 Eyewitness News App on Friday.
