08/17/2026
Lockport’s Future Is Bigger Than One Building
The Bewley Building conversation is about more than housing. It’s about **what we want downtown Lockport to become.**
When I started the petition to protect the Bewley from becoming primarily subsidized housing, the goal was never to say that affordable housing isn’t important. It is.
The question is **where and how we invest**.
Lockport needs jobs. We need entrepreneurs. We need businesses, tourism, restaurants, retail, professional services, and housing that creates a true **live-work-play downtown**.
The Bewley is one of our most significant historic commercial buildings. New York’s original Downtown Revitalization Initiative plan identified it as an opportunity for **market-rate housing and commercial activity**, with the goal of strengthening downtown—not concentrating poverty in one location. ([The Official Website of New York State][1])
And this is exactly why we need to keep having the conversation.
**Housing alone does not create prosperity. Jobs, investment, entrepreneurship and opportunity do.**
Let’s build a Lockport where people don't just receive assistance—they have opportunities to build careers, start businesses, buy homes and create wealth.
If you believe Lockport’s downtown should be a place for **business, opportunity, tourism, housing and growth**, add your voice.
**Sign and share the petition:**
[Save the Bewley Building Petition](https://www.change.org/p/save-bewley-building-from-subsidized-housing-conversion?utm_source=chatgpt.com)
https://c.org/qhV6v44sCT
Save Bewley Building from Subsidized Housing Conversion
