ECIDA Adaptive Reuse Policy

Adaptive Reuse is the process of adapting old structures or sites for new purposes.

Significant portions of commercial building inventory in Erie County, especially in the City of Buffalo, are empty and all but abandoned. These vacant and often distressed structures not only pose a structural concern, but they contribute to urban blight, and no longer create tax revenue. In an effort to discourage "sprawl" and incentivize the revitalization of urban neighborhoods, the ECIDA Board of Directors approved an "Adaptive Reuse Policy" in 2008.

Since then, the program has been extremely successful in restoring vacant buildings to house offices, apartments, and commerce - and creating tax revenue where there once was little or none. A 2016 report commissioned by the ECIDA found that, from 2008 to 2016, the adaptive reuse program redeveloped 4 million square feet of previously blighted commerial space, and the economic impact is more than $750 million.

The ECIDA Adaptive Reuse Policy clarifies what qualifies as "adaptive reuse," and incentivizes developers by helping them meet the often prohibitive higher costs of redeveloping and old structure vs. new build.

For more information on the ECIDA Adaptive Reuse Policy, please contact our Business Development Team at 716-856-6525.

Read the full Adaptive Reuse Policy here

2016 Adaptive Reuse Study Summary

Download more Adaptive Reuse information here