10/20/09: ECHDC & Higgins Move Ahead on $300M Canal Side Revitalization, With or Without Bass Pro

BY NICKI MAYO YNN BUFFALO
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“Buffalo, we always say our greatest resource is the people. The greatest natural resource is the water,” Erie Canal Harbor Development Corporation (ECHDC) President Tom Dee told reporters at the Commercial Slip.
The ECHDC wants to bring Buffalonians back to the waterfront. The corporation is working with Congressman Brian Higgins on a $300 million dollar Canal Side revitalization project.
“There are tens of billions of dollars in potential sales tax revenue in an area that has been doormat for a decade,” said Rep. Brain Higgins.
Organizers have gotten some opposition from nearby Marine Drive Apartment residents against the construction of a six-story 1,200 space parking garage.
“The concerns they have are traffic, noise congestion. It’s what you have on every single construction project. We respect that,” said Dee.
Phase one of the mixed-use project is slated to be complete by 2011. It will span one million square feet featuring retail, residential and office space. This includes restaurants, canal water activities and a Bass Pro shop.
Dee says Bass Pro president Jim Hagale confirmed the outdoor sporting goods company is on board for the Buffalo store. This comes after the franchise cancelled 2010 plans to build in Augusta, Georgia citing the weak economy.
READ The Augusta Chronicle Report: http://chronicle.augusta.com/stories/2009/10/20/bus_552502.shtml
“Look whatever happened in Georgia has nothing to do with Buffalo. Buffalo is moving forward. So Bass Pro is firmly committed to completing this project,” Dee asserted.
“We’re moving forward. Bass Pro should want to be a part of this. We want them to be a part of this. But one way or another we’re going to develop this waterfront,” Rep. Higgins added.
This time next year the outer harbor will be more accessible to drivers, cutting down on the need for the skyway. While organizers remain tightlipped about a timeline to get rid of the ramp, they say the construction trucks below show development is underway on the waterfront and the clock is ticking for the overhead expressway.
“Before you can remove the skyway you have to have alternatives to it. So we’ll build those alternatives and there will come a time when we will move toward the replacement of the skyway,” said Rep. Higgins.