BUFFALO, N.Y. (WKBW) — On Chippewa Street in the heart of Buffalo, the energy of downtown is hard to miss.
There are local businesses like Frankie Primo's +39 and SOHO, owned by Jay Manno, who has been working on Chippewa for 30 years.
“I love the vibe downtown,” Manno said. "I've been through a lot of ups and downs and highs and lows of downtown.”
Residents like Caroline Conway, who lives in the Elmwood Village but often spends time downtown, echoed some of those feelings.
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, a little more than 278,000 people live in the city of Buffalo, and downtown has lost an estimated 20,000 workers who never returned post-pandemic. Conway pointed to the untapped potential of the area.
“So I have come to frustration with downtown," Conway said. "I would say it has so much potential, and it's really not being reached right now. There's all these projects being announced with no end date, kind of questioning what is going on.”
Both Manno and Conway pointed to missed opportunities, including keeping the new Buffalo Bills stadium in Orchard Park, as moments that could have brought more life and activity to downtown.
“It's very…extremely frustrating that we were supposed to have the city completely returned by the stadium being downtown, and it's back at Orchard Park,” Conway said.“
"I mean, I hate the fact that we made a mistake with the stadium again,” added Manno.
Still, Manno sees bright spots.
“You know, as long as the entertainment district is still here, as long as the theater district is still here, we have a viable downtown,” he said.
It’s these bright spots and frustrations that Ciminelli Real Estate Corporation wants to hear about. According to the group, there is a survey about “checking the pulse on downtown as a developer interested in building our city and region in the best way.”
WATCH: Developer seeking input on Downtown Buffalo
The company is inviting people who live, work and spend time downtown to take the survey to share their thoughts about what they’d like to see in the future.
“Buffalo should be listening to what the people want,” Conway said.
The survey asks about everything from employment and housing to concerns and suggestions for downtown. Conway said she’d like downtown to be as accessible as Elmwood Village, and hopes that residents’ voices are heard through the survey.
“Listening to what the people want at the end of the day is how we're going to benefit our city and make it better," she said.
Residents can take the five-minute survey online and show their completed survey at Prova at Fountain Plaza for a free cookie and a chance to win one of three $100 Amazon gift cards.
This story was initially reported by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
