Previous owner of Hayward's iconic brewpub left city holding the bag for $100,000 federal loan

New Buffalo Bill's owner reopened brewpub with $650,000 in city’s help; Latest DA Price story is a boon for recall proponents; Consultant describes county housing approval/appeals process as unusual

Hayward’s Buffalo Bill’s Brewery back in 2019. When it closed last year, like the pandemic was blamed for its demise.

CITY NEWS

HAYWARD

—MOONSHINED—Hayward’s iconic Buffalo Bill’s Brewery is back in business, but its previous owner left the city with a $100,000 loan from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD).

—Geoff Harries abruptly closed Buffalo Bill’s Brewery last year. The brewpub opened its doors on B Street in 1982, and is regarded as a forerunner of the craft beer revolution in the U.S.

—But the HUD loan, which flowed to the city’s Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) fund, was not for Buffalo Bill’s, but for a distillery that Harries planned around the corner, named the Russell City Distillery. The distillery, however, never opened, and Harries went radio silent.

—The $100,000 loan, issued in 2014, included a lien on the property, located at 22549 Foothill Boulevard. The city issued a notice of default in October 2022 and Harries never responded, according to the city, but the property has been put up for sale.

—Now, the Hayward City Council is expected on Tuesday night to transfer $100,000 from the city’s General Fund to its CDBG fund to repay the HUD loan.

MORE INSIDE!

• CITY NEWS: Previous Buffalo Bill’s owner was vehemently against raising the minimum wage

• New Buffalo Bill’s owner received city loans and grants to reopen the restaurant

• COUNTY NEWS: DA Price has a big problem after report she hired her BF

• Consultant: County’s housing and appeals process is a “very unusual”

• County zoning code is old and needs an update, consultant added

• Unincorporated residents may soon have clarity about where they live