Buffalo Place, a not-for-profit organization “dedicated to improving the economic health and quality of life in Downtown Buffalo”, has formally endorsed a 2 AM closing within the city.
The directors of Buffalo Place voted Wednesday to approve a resolution calling for bars to close by 2 AM on weekdays and 3 AM on Friday and Saturday nights, by a 9-4 split. This is in sharp contrast to the opposition expressed to changing bar closing hours voiced by prominent local politicians: Mayor Byron Brown, Erie County Executive Mark C. Poloncarz, the County Legislature and the Common Council.
Buffalo Place expressed concern about the potential impact on drinking-and-driving from the existing 4 AM closing, and opined that an earlier closing would also improve the downtown environment for residents and hoteliers. The group also feels that moving the closing time up would encourage evening entertainment to start earlier, and would align Buffalo with nearby Niagara County.
Buffalo Place, which was formed in 1982, obtains its 71% of its $1.8M annual operating budget through “mandatory assessments” on property owners within a “Downtown Special Charge District”, a 24-block area primarily surrounding the Main Street pedestrian mall. This operating budget is expected to increase to $2.2M due to increased contributions from new downtown constituents on the tax roll (i.e.: HarborCenter), and is used to fund a number of positions in operations, security, marketing and administration.