Urban Development

Buffalo’s Black Billion– a powerful economic and community development force within the City of East Buffalo, known as the “Fruit Belt.”

Buffalo Black Billion, Family Life Center, Fruit Belt, Gethsemane, McCarley Gardens, News, St. John Baptist Church, St. John Baptist Hospice House, St. John Towers, St. John Townhomes, Urban Development

February 6, 2024

This story first appeared in MEA magazine By Sheila Durant What do you say about a man who means so much to so many people in such an extraordinary place and time? Inextricably bound to his faith, no one can doubt that he has internalized his role...

African American Disciples, Buffalo Black Billion, Buffalo Economic Development, Charter School, Community Charter School, Day Care, fruit belt, Gethsemane, Initiative, Legacy Building, Medical Campus, Rev. Michael Chapman, Social Economic Justice, St. John, urban development

Fruit Belt Farmers’ Market Coming Soon

by Loren B.

Agriculture, Buffalo Black Billion, Fruit Belt, McCarley Gardens, News, Urban Development

December 5, 2023

Over the past 13 years, Reverend Michael Chapman has worked to see the vision of Buffalo's Black Billion come to fruition. His plans for the redevelopment of the Fruit Belt neighborhood include a farmer's market which will help revitalize the area. The project was delayed for...

black-led organization, Buffalo Black Billion, Buffalo Economic Development, farmer's market, fruit belt, gentrification, job opportunities, moratorium, nonprofit, social justice, urban planning

Reverend Chapman Announces Run for Common Council Seat

by Loren B.

Buffalo Black Billion, Fruit Belt, News, Pastor Chapman, Urban Development

March 6, 2023

Reverend Chapman announces his decision to campaign for a seat in the Buffalo Common Council as representative to the Ellicott District. He hopes to replace Reverend Darius G. Pridgen who has announced his decision to not seek re-election after 12 years in the post. Reverend Chapman...

buffalo, Buffalo Black Billion, common council, community leadership, East Side of Buffalo, ellicott district, local politics, low-income housing, urban development, vote, voting

Black Leaders on Buffalo’s East Side are Building Markets to Address Food Insecurity

by Loren B.

Agriculture, Buffalo Black Billion, News, Urban Development

December 1, 2022

Written by Claretta Bellamy, courtesy of NBC News. Please click here for original article. BUFFALO, N.Y. — The historic Fruit Belt neighborhood on Buffalo’s East Side, with its Grape, Peach and Lemon streets, was once thriving. Yet now, in place of the orchards that once gave...

community volunteers, East Side of Buffalo, farmer's market, food access, food desert, food insecurity, grassroots, grassroots activism, local initiatives, redlining, segregation, social justice, urban agriculture

Buffalo’s Black Billion Plans to Invest in Jefferson Ave.

by Loren B.

Buffalo Black Billion, News, Pastor Chapman, St. John Baptist Church, Urban Development

June 22, 2022

St. John Baptist Church has announced its intentions to redevelop Jefferson Ave, estimating that with proper support significant changes can be made in the area in less than one decade. Following the 2022 Buffalo Shooting at the Tops located on Jefferson Ave., the church has set...

Buffalo Black Billion, Buffalo Economic Development, East Side of Buffalo, economic empowerment, economic growth, grassroots, job creation, minority workforce, Social Economic Justice, UB, Universty at Buffalo, urban development, urban redevelopment

Buffalo’s Black Billion Invests $200,000 toward Community Market

by Loren B.

Agriculture, Buffalo Black Billion, Fruit Belt, News, Urban Development

June 14, 2022

Buffalo's Black Billion invested $200,000 towards the purchase of a plot of land in the Fruit Belt neighborhood. The plot of land will accommodate the nonprofit's vision of a mixed-used community space that will include an outdoor market place, an indoor retail space, a community garden...

Buffalo Black Billion, Buffalo Economic Development, East Side of Buffalo, farmer's market, food access, fresh produce, fruit belt, grassroots, nonprofit, social justice

Reverend Chapman Announces Run for Common Council Seat

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