Persistence is finally paying off for the village of Falconer.

Since 2017, village officials have been either demolishing, cleaning up or preparing for new development the sites of two fires that, all told, destroyed four mixed-used commercial properties, displaced six businesses and 16 families. The announcement this week that a new mixed-use development of apartments and business space for downtown Falconer proposed by Buffalo Business First Inc. was allocated $500,000 by the state Regional Economic Development Council is welcome news for the village, which has seen previous attempted development at the site thwarted when state investments didn’t materialize.

There was promising development last year when Savarino Companies expressed interest – and was even awarded $250,000 in Regional Economic Development Council funding – in building in downtown Falconer. That project failed to move forward after Savarino Companies unexpectedly closed.

Before the Savarino project, Home Leasing of Rochester proposed building 4,300 square feet of commercial space on Main Street with more than 50 multifamily units. That project fell through, though not for lack of trying, according to Home Leasing CEO Bret Garwood. Ultimately, four applications in three years for Low-Income Housing Credits ultimately killed that project.

One $500,000 state grant does not guarantee there will be a new building on Main Street in Falconer. But it’s more of a commitment than the village has received in the past, and that’s got to be encouraging for Mayor Jim Jaroszynski and Village Board members, along with former mayor Jim Rensel, who have worked to replace the Main Street buildings for nearly a decade. Their persistence is poised to be rewarded if the rest of the financing for the Buffalo Business First Inc. project comes through.

It’s also noteworthy that this project has received state funding after attempts for low-income housing tax credits fell through for so long. We have been critical of the state’s hypocrisy when it comes to housing projects. While Gov. Kathy Hochul has talked a good game about the need for more housing, the government she leads hasn’t invested enough in local projects. The infusion of state dollars into Falconer’s business/housing project and Jamestown’s Gateway Lofts project is good news for southern Chautauqua County in its fight to develop affordable housing.