“When you’re in Buffalo, you know you’re in Buffalo,” Downer explains. “You’re not in a big city suburb somewhere.” This balance of preservation and innovation makes the city a model for sustainable, community-focused development. A UNIQUE SMALL-TOWN LIFESTYLE Buffalo’s identity is deeply tied to its natural assets and tight-knit community.“It’s become somewhat of a destination on certain weekends,” notes Downer,“it was a rural farming community, and it’s grown into a bit of a bedroom community.” Downtown Buffalo thrives on its distinctive retail scene, anchored by “occasional stores,” creating a buzz of activity. “There are stores that are only open on specific weekends,” explains Community Development Director David Kelly, “we have a strong retail group downtown that has events and promotions that happen on those weekends that make the downtown pretty thriving.” The city is now working to attract more year-round businesses with consistent hours to sustain downtown energy beyond weekends. A major 2026 project, the 1st Avenue Northeast street reconstruction, will further enhance the area. The project, driven by the need for public utility upgrades, will introduce decorative street lighting, additional trees, and improved walkability. “There is a lot of investment happening downtown that has been spurred off of the unique retail scene we have that has grown from occasional stores and now includes all kinds of retail,” Kelly says.Through these efforts, Buffalo ensures its growth never comes at the expense of its character. ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT & BUSINESS INCENTIVES Buffalo’s economic strategy combines targeted incentives with infrastructure investments to foster business growth. “As far as incentives and economic growth, our council, our staff has a strong awareness of what this community needs,” explains City Administrator Taylor Gronau.“So we kind of cater our decision making and our incentives toward that.” The city actively utilizes Tax Increment Financing (TIF) 75 CIVIL AND MUNICIPAL VOLUME 06, ISSUE 06 BUFFALO, MN
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