Young people from around the country are vying for a chance to live in downtown Niagara Falls.
No, that’s not a typo. It’s the result of the city’s new plan to draw college graduates by paying their student loans.
More than 200 people from as far as Hawaii have inquired about renting or buying a home in the city since officials unveiled the program last month.
“The conversation this has started, the attention, we didn’t think we [would get],” community development director Seth A. Piccirillo said Monday. “That’s been encouraging, because people are talking about Niagara Falls as a living destination, and obviously are interested in what we are doing.”
Interest in the program spread fast since The Buffalo News reported the plan in June, officials said, and attention from national news shows caused even more people to step forward.
Half of those interested are from upstate New York, with the others coming from California, Oregon, New York City and other coastal areas. Most are seeking a new place to live and relief from crushing student loan debt.
But others are what Piccirillo calls “urban pioneers” – those who want to help get the struggling city back on its feet by building a community from within.
“More than just the monetary incentive … it would be cool to work at a place where these ideas are actually coming out of City Hall,” said Stephen Epps, an applicant from San Jose, Calif., who studies urban planning. “It’s a pretty smart way to go about getting new people into a city that has been losing population for four decades.”
Only 20 people will be selected for the first class of buyers and renters, for whom the city would pay up to $3,500 in student loan payments for two years. Preference will be given to those interested in community service and those who buy a home in the city.
“If we get those types of people in our community, those are going to be our future leaders,” Piccirillo said. The ultimate goal of the program, leaders say, is to draw the types of businesses that spring up in educated communities like the Elmwood Village. The graduates would move into a downtown neighborhood near the falls.
In addition to stabilizing that neighborhood, city officials say it could also help ensure the city doesn’t dip below a population count of 50,000 for the 2020 Census, when it would lose key funding through the state and federal governments.
You don’t have to be young to qualify – just a recent college graduate or current graduate student. The program has spurred even those who don’t qualify to take a look at relocating to Niagara Falls.
City leaders said the widespread popularity of the student loan program was a bit of a surprise but one they plan to capitalize on.
“We’ve been trying to get people to think of Niagara Falls as the next cool place,” said Mayor Paul A. Dyster. “We’ve lost our brightest, most ambitious young people. They decided that to pursue their dreams, they could not do that in Niagara Falls. We’ve got to change that perception.”
The city’s Urban Renewal Agency recently earmarked $200,000 to fund the program for one year, after which officials will evaluate its effectiveness.
The plan overcame some local opposition, with Council Chairman Sam Fruscione and two other councilmen raising concerns about safety in the targeted neighborhoods and questioning government subsidies for housing.
“It’s probably the biggest waste of money we’ve ever proposed,” Fruscione said. “The only thing that works is Rudy Giuliani-style policing. Unless you … eradicate criminals, 20 kids renting isn’t going to solve any problems.”
Dyster said Sen. Charles E. Schumer, D-N.Y., has expressed interest in finding federal funds to help the city address those issues.
Piccirillo said the city would hold community meetings for residents, some of whom have said the city should do more to help the residents it already has. But he said the plan benefits existing residents as well as newcomers.
“If we don’t get new residents, the tax burden and social burden is only on you,” Piccirillo said. “It’s unfair [not to pursue] a population growth strategy.”
A formal application for candidates will be finalized in the next few months, Piccirillo said, and the city hopes to have residents into their new homes by year’s end.
