Niagara Falls 2109 Main Street Apartments Head to IDA Vote as North End Revival Begins

A $1.1 million plan to turn a vacant early-1900s building at 2109 Main Street in Niagara Falls into six market-rate apartments and ground floor retail is headed for a Niagara County Industrial Development Agency vote on October 14, and it could become the first finished project in the city's effort to redevelop a 38-building portfolio on the north end of Main Street. Developer Ryan Dallavia told WBEN he hopes to start work this fall and have tenants moving in by summer 2027 WBEN.

The project is small, but it is a test of whether the city's takeover of dozens of stalled Main Street properties can turn into actual construction.

What Happened

Dallavia is seeking a tax incentive package from the Niagara County IDA that he described as critical to moving the project forward. WBEN reported the request at $419,131 in combined sales tax breaks and a 10-year payment-in-lieu-of-taxes agreement, with an NCIDA board vote expected October 14 WBEN. Jeremy Geartz, NCIDA business development manager, said, "This will be the first of what we hope to be many projects taking place along the north end of Main Street" WBEN.

The incentive figure has changed in reporting. In September, the Niagara Gazette reported Dallavia was seeking $376,523, made up of $336,203 in property tax exemptions and $40,320 in sales tax exemptions Niagara Gazette. The roughly $43,000 difference from WBEN's figure has not been explained publicly. It may reflect an updated application or a different way of totaling the PILOT savings, and the final number will be in the NCIDA resolution.

Key Project Details

• Building: A long vacant, three story building from around 1900, formerly the Fusions nightclub WBEN Niagara Gazette.
• Developer: Ryan Dallavia, a Niagara Falls real estate agent, through Frontier Management and Development, with the property acquired by RJ Niagara LLC Niagara Gazette.
• Cost: About $1.13 million Niagara Gazette.
• Units: Four two-bedroom and two one-bedroom apartments with average rents around $1,100 a month, plus ground floor commercial space that Dallavia prefers to lease as offices Niagara Gazette.
• Scope: Interior demolition of walls and new interior mechanical systems. Dallavia said the building was not in the worst condition he had seen Niagara Gazette.
• Schedule: Construction this fall, with occupancy by summer 2027 WBEN.

The Bigger North End Picture

2109 Main Street is one of the first four properties the city assigned to developers out of a 38-property portfolio. In October 2025, Empire State Development and the City of Niagara Falls announced agreements for 717 and 723 Division Street with Develop Niagara, 1509 Main Street with NFNHA Holdings, the former Jenss Department Store at 1708 Main Street with 1708 Main St. LLC, and 2109 Main Street with RJ Niagara LLC Empire State Development.

The Niagara Falls Urban Renewal Agency bought the 38 properties from Bank on Buffalo in 2025, and ESD awarded the agency a $2.5 million grant to reimburse acquisition, building stabilization and developer procurement Empire State Development. The URA has worked with ESD, the Niagara County IDA and the Niagara Orleans Land Improvement Corporation to secure and stabilize the buildings Empire State Development. ESD said future proposals for the remaining properties could include student or conventional housing, retail, entertainment, office and educational uses Empire State Development.

The nearby Rapids Theatre at 1711 Main Street is moving on a separate track. In May, the city selected Chris Ring and Dan Segal, owners of Buffalo's Rec Room, to run the venue. They plan to invest more than $1.5 million in repairs starting with the roof, and will seek grants and tax breaks to help pay for them WBEN. WBEN also reported plans to turn the Jenss building into a residential anchored project WBEN.

Why It Matters

Dallavia was direct about the risk. "I'm willing to take a little bit of a risk," he told WBEN, adding that the district needs "economies of scale" and "critical mass" to work WBEN. Six apartments will not change Main Street alone. A first project that closes financing, gets built and leases up gives lenders, appraisers and other developers a real comparable in a corridor with few recent ones.

Incentives matter at this scale. Based on the Gazette's figures, the requested tax relief equals roughly a third of the project cost Niagara Gazette. For small adaptive reuse projects in weak rental markets, IDA PILOTs and sales tax exemptions often decide whether a project can be financed.

Implications for Owners, Developers, Contractors and Subs

• Small general contractors and renovation specialists: Historic mixed-use conversions of this size usually go to local firms comfortable with selective demolition, new MEP systems and code upgrades in occupied or older structures.
• MEP subs: The Gazette reported the work includes redoing interior mechanical systems, which points to new HVAC, plumbing and electrical work across all three floors Niagara Gazette.
• Developers: The ESD and URA process offers stabilized buildings and incentive support for buyers willing to take on the remaining Main Street properties Empire State Development.
• Roofing and envelope contractors: The Rapids Theatre plan starts with roof repairs, and stabilization of older buildings across the portfolio should create steady envelope work WBEN.

What to Watch

• The NCIDA board vote on October 14 and the final incentive amount WBEN.
• Whether construction starts this fall as planned WBEN.
• Progress at the other three properties announced with 2109 Main, especially the Jenss building Empire State Development.
• Financing and incentive requests for the Rapids Theatre renovation WBEN.
• New developer selections for the remaining properties in the 38-building portfolio.

Bottom Line

A six-unit, $1.1 million renovation at 2109 Main Street is set to become the first north Main Street project in Niagara Falls to move from developer designation to construction, pending an IDA vote on October 14 WBEN. If it gets built and leases up on schedule, it gives the city's 38-building redevelopment effort and its state-backed stabilization program a first finished project to point to Empire State Development.

Image credit: WBEN NewsRadio 930. Image from the source article.

Sources

• WBEN, North End project coming to Niagara Falls' Main Street, Oct. 6, 2026: https://www.audacy.com/wben/news/local/north-end-project-coming-to-niagara-falls-main-street
• Niagara Gazette via Yahoo News, Sept. 13, 2026: https://www.yahoo.com/news/articles/developer-former-fusions-nightclub-looking-035900307.html
• Empire State Development press release: https://esd.ny.gov/esd-media-center/press-releases/esd-and-city-niagara-falls-announce-first-four-developers-city
• WBEN, Rapids Theatre operators selected, May 11, 2026: https://www.audacy.com/wben/news/local/iconic-niagara-falls-theater-to-make-a-rapid-rise