Local organization calls on Braymiller Market to repay loan

BUFFALO, N.Y. (WIVB) -- Our City Action Buffalo (OCAB) on Wednesday called for the city of Buffalo to hold the now closed Braymiller Market accountable for repaying its loan totaling over $500,000.

Braymiller Market in downtown Buffalo, which first opened in 2021, received $560,000 in COVID-19 relief funds in 2023. With receiving the loan, the market was required to stay open for two years after it was granted the money, but it closed in December 2024.

OCAB said in a release that the city "cannot afford" to not have the loan be repaid, with residents in the area needing access to fresh food.

"The Buffalo Urban Renewal Agency (BURA) must recapture the loan so that the funds can be used to improve food access in Downtown Buffalo, which now lacks a grocery store," OCAB said. "The Buffalo Common Council recognized this need when it approved the loan."

The organization also opposed the location being used for anything other than a place to provide food. Last December, Acting Buffalo Mayor Chris Scanlon had looked to use the former grocery store as a temporary police station for up to one year, according to a lease agreement filed by the city.

Buffalo Common Council Majority Leader Leah Halton-Pope is hosting a public meeting to discuss what should replace the market at 1:30 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 8, at the Buffalo and Erie County Public Library.

BURA is scheduled to provide an update on the loan at 9:30 a.m. Thursday, Feb. 6, in City Hall.