AMHERST, N.Y. (WKBW) — Imagine bustling Niagara Falls Boulevard with green space, modernized buildings and residential properties. That's what the Town of Amherst is hoping for all its commercial business development moving forward.
Amherst Town Supervisor Brian Kulpa says the town is looking to change its zoning code for all general businesses. That means for any new builds or changes to existing structures, plans would have to adhere to new code. The code hopes to see lots of green space, walkable blocks and urban development.
"Blending the retail with residential and office space above allows the development to survive," Kulpa said. "If the retail comes out, the residential is still above and the developer has revenue coming in."
In Hamburg, leasing signs line windows of many strip malls in the town. Town leaders are also seeing the effects of a changing shopping culture, as more people turn to online shopping. Because of that, there are many vacancies in strip malls.
Hamburg Town Supervisor James Shaw is looking to put a six-month freeze on new commerical construction builds in the town that don't already have a pre-planned tenant.
