AMHERST, N.Y. - Amherst’s town supervisor has a different idea for the town’s struggling mall: Start over, and start now.
The NFTA has long considered extending the light rail up Niagara Falls Boulevard – which could help bring more business to Boulevard Mall eventually – but supervisor Brian Kulpa says it's time to act now.
"We can't wait five, ten years for Boulevard Mall to start to change,” Kulpa said, noting the loss of two of its four anchor stores. “It's time to really start to rethink what this is space is going to be.”
He knows the NFTA's plan calls for a walkable, mixed-use area, which means the area needs street grid infrastructure.
Right now, the 80-acre site doesn't have that kind of plumbing or sewer system underground.
That's why Kulpa says the town is applying for a $10 million grant from New York State to kickstart necessary upgrades. He says, overall, the project would also probably require county and federal money.
"We put the infrastructure in, we're ready to go. We'll have shovel-ready sites,” Kulpa said.
Kulpa’s vision means maybe getting rid of the mall all together and cutting up the property.
While Boulevard Mall has lost tenants, there are still many, including local businesses like Pure Integrity Soy Candles.
Jeff Schumacher started his business at Boulevard Mall, and still leases space both there and at Eastern Hills Mall.
"Boulevard is in the process of having to seek new ownership and figure out how to reinvent themselves. Hopefully they will be able to do so, but in the meantime, we are looking at other alternatives,” Schumacher said.
Schumacher says he'd have been more concerned 10 years ago, when brick and mortar retail started struggling, but now, most of his business is online, and he feels confident Pure Integrity would survive even if it lost its Boulevard Mall home.
"Reinventing themselves is good in the long run and will be good for any business that decides to either rebuild or stay, depending on how the restructure goes,” Schumacher said.
Kulpa says if it works out, the town would be investing not in the mall but in a new future for that space. He'd hope to start in two to three years.