Micro brewery, loft apartments eyed for Main Street property
Nov. 27—The vacant building next to City Hall doesn't have a fancy title. It's merely referred to as 13 West Main Street, but by 2023, a set of residents and businesses could be calling it home.
First steps, however, the property has to be purchased from the Greater Lockport Development Corp. (GLDC), but this is something developer Matt Martin is set to do, as well as invest a considerable amount of money — in the ballpark of $1.85 million as calculated by this reporter — for modifications to turn the building from its present state into a mixed-use property with apartments on the top floor and a micro-brewery on the bottom, as well as a family friendly space.
"Its going to be an unique mixed-use space," Martin said. "It's going to be four loft-style apartments, one tor two bedrooms on the second floor. For the lower portion we're looking at a micro brewery with a family friendly activity space that we think the community will really enjoy. We feel — in Lockport — this is something that's definitely needed and that the community will love and it and it fits with the other development projects going on in the downtown area."
Currently, the City of Lockport is putting in an application for a Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) to finance 40% of the project, up to $750,000 of the total in grants and loans. To do this, a public hearing has been set for the public comments which will be held on Wednesday at 5:30 p.m. at City Hall.
"We'll hopefully get the application in time for a January meeting and we would then get approval from the state for that project to move forward," Brian Smith, CEO of the GLDC, said. "Really then it would depend on the owner's timeline to try to get something up and running."
Funds for this grant program are not connected to the Downtown Revitalization Initiative for City of Lockport — $10 million — which was awarded to the City of Lockport in October of 2018, Smith said.
"However, the building has been supported through a small grant through the Downtown Revitalization Initiative, I think it was $40,000, as well," Smith said. "This was a building that was in very difficult condition ... (It) was identified by the Downtown Revitalization Public Participation Process as being a community priority which helps when you're applying for other funds."
The funds for the CDBG are federal funds dispersed by U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). In Lockport's case, as a non-entitled community, the funds are gotten through the state by the municipality through applying for different programs.
"Basically the state creates programs that they then make available to non-entitled communities to apply for on a competitive basis," Smith said.
The program the city is applying for is called 'Small Business' in which funds are benefiting only one business, in this case the Martin brothers.
"It's split with a grant and a low interest zone," Smith said. "Because the money comes from HUD it has to benefit individuals with low or moderately low incomes. That's just the rule that HUD money can be used for."
To do this, Smith explained, the Martins will have to create full-time jobs that can be made available to those with low or moderately low income.
"The idea from the state is, 'You want to start a business and you're going to hire 20 people. If it's going to be a bar and restaurant, we're talking about cooks and servers. That has a significant impact on a community. We'll supply you an incentive because it'll benefit those with low income.' "
So far, things look good for the Martin brothers' newest procurement, they also own the Bewley Building and old YMCA in Main Street where similar projects are being undertaken.
"We'll get started in ernest in February of 2022 and we hope to be open late 2022 or early 2023," Martin said.
Martin also said that he will be applying for a flat tax rate, or PILOT (Payment In Lieu Of Taxes) from the city.
