Jonathan Epstein

Buffalo

Business Reporter @ The Buffalo News since 2004, covering real estate & development. Reporter since 1994, previously @ The News Journal in DE & American Banker.

Featured in: Favicon

buffalonews.com Favicon

nature.com Favicon

wiley.com

bmj.com

pnas.org

biomedcentral.com (+1) Favicon

eurekalert.org Favicon

baltimoresun.com Favicon

jamanetwork.com Favicon

travelandleisure.com + 65 more

Articles

Grand Island gets Anderson's, while Knights of Columbus Hall gets renovated for banquets

2 days ago | buffalonews.com | Jonathan Epstein

Grand Island custard lovers, here comes Anderson's. Three months after Anderson's Frozen Custard bought the island's well-known Adrian's Custard & Beef restaurant and ice-cream stand, the larger regional company is getting ready to convert the Grand Island Boulevard location into its seventh restaurant.
Clarence Center-Natale home design #1

5 days ago | buffalonews.com | Jonathan Epstein

Skip to main contentSkip to main content You are the owner of this image. You have permission to edit this image. You don't have any notifications. Get up-to-the-minute news sent straight to your device. Topics News Alerts Subscribe Breaking News Subscribe Secure transaction. Cancel anytime. Have an account?
Let the growth begin: Zephyr completes first phase of South Buffalo pot farm

5 days ago | buffalonews.com | Jonathan Epstein

From the outside of the drab white metal industrial building on Ship Canal Parkway, there's no hint that there could be thousands and thousands of marijuana plants growing inside. No windows into the greenery. No odor from the interior. And no sales to customers. Yet the manufacturing facility in a South Buffalo business park will soon house one of the largest and most sophisticated indoor cannabis farms in the state, run by Fluent Corp. of Tampa, Fla.
Benderson, Delta Sonic seek more than $1 million in tax breaks for HQ move

5 days ago | buffalonews.com | Jonathan Epstein

Benderson Development Co. and its car-wash affiliate Delta Sonic are moving forward with their previously announced plans to relocate their respective corporate operations from Buffalo and the City of Tonawanda to one of Benderson's business complexes in Amherst. But they are asking for the Amherst Industrial Development Agency to back the combined $26 million project by providing over $1.1 million in sales tax relief and a property tax break that likely will be even more lucrative.
Young Development plans 366-unit apartment project on Wehrle

5 days ago | buffalonews.com | Jonathan Epstein

Fresh off the success of its sprawling Midtown Apartment Homes on Transit Road in Cheektowaga, suburban developer Bryan Young is looking to double-down on his investment by almost duplicating the project, this time in Amherst. And he's taking aim at a largely grassy and partially wooded site that was the subject of a bitter fight over wetlands between the town and landowner Acquest Development nearly 20 years ago.
City of Buffalo to Douglas Jemal: We've got a couple of bridges for you

6 days ago | buffalonews.com | Jonathan Epstein

The City of Buffalo has two pedestrian bridges it wants to get rid of − and it's poised to give them to developer Douglas Jemal. After 35 years of shared ownership and responsibility, the city and the Buffalo Urban Renewal Agency are transferring their control of a pair of pedestrian bridges over Pearl Street and West Huron Street to Jemal, who owns the Hyatt Regency Hotel that sits between them.
Buffalo among most affordable major US cities to buy a house

6 days ago | buffalonews.com | Jonathan Epstein

If you want to buy a median-priced home in a metropolitan area with the lowest household income, better stick to Rust Belt cities like Buffalo. Post-industrial cities such as Pittsburgh, Detroit, Cleveland and Buffalo are the most affordable major U.S. cities to buy a house without having to win the lottery or mortgage yourself to the hilt, according to the latest report by Realtor.com. The website reports the median list price in Buffalo as $280,000 as of April.
Buffalo among most affordable major US cities to buy a house

1 week ago | buffalonews.com | Jonathan Epstein

BY JONATHAN D. EPSTEINMay 7, 2025The rust isn't wearing offIf you want to buy a median-priced home in a metropolitan area with the lowest household income, better stick to Rust Belt cities like Buffalo. Post-industrial cities such as Pittsburgh, Detroit, Cleveland and Buffalo are the most affordable major U.S. cities to buy a house without having to win the lottery or mortgage yourself to the hilt, according to the latest report by Realtor.com.
Niagara Falls' Turtle named to endangered buildings list

1 week ago | buffalonews.com | Jonathan Epstein

The National Trust for Historic Preservation added the iconic Turtle building in Niagara Falls to its 2025 ranking of America's 11 most endangered historic places, designed to highlight architectural and other "treasures" that are most at risk to demolition or neglect. The new designation was highlighted Wednesday by Friends of the Niagara Turtle, a local community-based nonprofit that is seeking to have the building designated as a landmark.
Douglas Jemal puts Mahoney building at Niagara Square up for auction

1 week ago | buffalonews.com | Jonathan Epstein

Developer Douglas Jemal had high hopes when he bought the former Walter J. Mahoney State Office Building on Niagara Square at an auction in October 2021. But not anymore. Jemal is putting the building up for auction. Jemal had envisioned spending $20 million to $25 million to convert it into a boutique hotel with 60 to 70 rooms, meeting space and amenities. But economic conditions have turned sour since then, making it far more difficult to pursue such projects.