BUFFALO, N.Y. (WKBW) — The City of Buffalo is "pursuing all available legal options" as the future of the Buffalo Grand Hotel remains uncertain.
Weeks ago, Mayor Sean Ryan's administration gave owner Harry Stinson until April 29 to secure financing to reopen the hotel, which has been closed since a fire in December 2021.
On April 29, Stinson told 7 News' Michael Wooten that he secured the financing from an investor out of Tampa, Florida.
Then, two days later, Stinson told 7 News that the last-minute financing deal to get the downtown hotel back online had fallen through. According to Stinson, representatives of the investor called him and changed the terms of the partnership. Stinson would not elaborate on the specific changes suggested, but added that they meant the deal was "very different" and no longer "an equal partnership."
WATCH: Deal's off: Buffalo Grand owner says financing deal to reopen hotel has fallen through
The Ontario-based owner said he was not walking away from the project and added that he planned to continue negotiating an agreement with "third-party investors."
The city was informed of the changes, and a meeting was set up with the "project leadership team" to "assess the current status."
Now the city says it will "continue pursuing all available legal options—including potential abandonment proceedings—until financing and a credible redevelopment plan are identified."
You can read the city's full statement below:
“City representatives met with the owner of the Buffalo Grand Hotel on Monday morning for an update following the expiration of the 90-day window the project team was given to secure financing. Though the administration prefers a path to redevelopment that does not require public intervention, the City of Buffalo will continue pursuing all available legal options—including potential abandonment proceedings—until financing and a credible redevelopment plan are identified."
This is the latest in several twists and turns for the hotel. The beleaguered building has sat vacant for years after a fire in the event space in December 2021.
The city started legal proceedings to claim the building in December 2025 under former Buffalo Acting Mayor Christopher Scanlon. In October 2025, Scanlon said Stinson owed the city more than $300,000 in unpaid taxes and sewer fees. The city said they are working to confirm if those numbers are still accurate.
Stinson separately owes Erie County more than $80,000 in unpaid taxes. In 2022, Erie County also filed a tax warrant to try to recover more than $43,000 in unpaid hotel occupancy tax, also known as "bed tax." That money is still outstanding, according to the Erie County Comptroller's Office.
In 2023, Stinson, who lives in Canada, was cited by the Ontario Securities Commission for breaking Ontario securities law while raising money from investors to redevelop the hotel. Stinson and Buffalo Grand were ordered to jointly repay the $13.5 million they raised from investors and pay a $600,000 administrative penalty and $166,000 in costs. Stinson fought that ruling, but a tribunal stood by the original order in November 2025.
Stinson purchased the building in 2018 for $12 million, then promising a huge makeover for the 10-story, 450-plus-room hotel.
An independent market study released in February said downtown Buffalo needs a full-service hotel with at least 400 rooms near the Buffalo Convention Center and found that Buffalo has lost an estimated economic impact of over $57 million over six years due to insufficient hotel capacity.
