Demo Rainbow Center and Wintergarden and get NF Redevelopment to sh@t or sell thier property.

http://www.niagara-gazette.com/local/local_story_049220139.html

SENECA NATION: Demolition of downtown property begins

City residents can expect to see some activity soon on remaining undeveloped properties owned by the Seneca Nation of Indians.

Crews started making preparations Monday to begin the demolition of several structures within the nation’s downtown territory, beginning with a series of vacant homes in the vicinity of Sixth Street and Rainbow Boulevard.

A spokesperson for the Seneca Gaming Corp. said tearing down the empty homes will be the first in a series of demolition projects intended to clear the way for plans to expand the Seneca’s entertainment offerings downtown.

“The details of those plans are still being finalized and we hope to unveil them in the near future,” said Gaming Corp. spokesperson Phil Pantano.

Pantano said once the empty homes have been torn down, crews will concentrate on the demolition of the former Pizza Hut property at the corner of John Daly Boulevard and Niagara Street. After that, Pantano said crews are expected to move forward with the demolition of the former Holiday Inn at the corner of Third Street and Rainbow Boulevard and the former Splash Park property located next to the Seneca Niagara Casino and Hotel along Falls Street.

The Holiday Inn closed its doors in January 2007 in preparation of the property being transferred to the Seneca Nation. Splash Park’s 18.9-acre site was acquired by the Senecas in July 2006. Both sites were part of about two dozen parcels the state used power of eminent domain to acquire on behalf of the Senecas under the terms of the 2002 gaming compact that promised roughly 50 acres of downtown property for the expansion of the Seneca Niagara Casino & Hotel.

Pantano said the gaming corp. hopes to have all of the planned demolition work completed by the end of May.

“Traditional demolition techniques will be used for all the structures,” Pantano said.

CITY COUNCIL: Project pitched for Sheraton hotel

City asked to “invest” $500,000 for Sheraton expansion

By Rick Forgione/forgioner@gnnewspaper.com
Niagara Gazette

Niagara Falls City Council members are considering making a “strategic investment” in a state-supported $10.5 million expansion project for a downtown hotel — a proposal that is expected to create 40 new jobs and increase the number of retail options for tourists.

USA Niagara President Christopher Schoepflin presented plans at Monday’s council meeting to use public and private money to renovate the existing Four Points Sheraton hotel on Rainbow Boulevard with 80 more rooms and a large retail area on the first floor. The project would require a $500,000 contribution from the city, an investment that would be paid back in full within the first two years after the expansion is completed, Schoepflin said.

Empire State Development will contribute approximately $1.5 million to the project, with the remainder of the $10.5 million to be covered by private funding, he added.

“The developer is ready to move on this,” Schoepflin said. “Once the city takes action, the design work can begin this spring. ... We believe this expansion can be completed before tourism season 2009.”

Owned by a group of investors headed by Ashak Merani, the Four Points Sheraton currently offers 189 deluxe guest rooms, a restaurant, lounge and other amenities. It underwent a renovation in 2005.

Schoepflin said the hotel is an ideal site for expansion, pointing out its proximity to the Seneca Niagara casino and other downtown destinations. USA Niagara officials estimate the city will not only recoup its $500,000 investment within two years, but see a total of $1.8 million in revenue over the next five years from additional taxes and building permits as a result of the expansion.

“And the benefit doesn’t stop after five years,” he said.

After the estimates were questioned by City Controller Maria Brown, Schoepflin said the figures were calculated using conservative projections in bed tax and sales and property taxes. He said officials estimated the 80 new rooms will bring in more than $160,000 in direct bed and sales taxes for the city each year, assuming there’s at least a 57 percent occupancy rate.

According to the owners, the hotel currently has a 75 percent occupancy rate.

The city also would receive an estimated $75,276 annually in additional property taxes and a total of $50,000 in building permits from the project.

Schoepflin said the expansion, and USA Niagara’s involvement, will be similar to the recent $34 million renovation of the Crowne Plaza on Third Street.

Niagara Falls Mayor Paul Dyster endorsed the Sheraton’s expansion plans, saying it will fit in well with other downtown development goals. The addition of retail space on the first floor, he said, is one of the most attractive components.

“Right now, we have visitors walking down the street with no way to spend their money,” Dyster said. “We need to give them as many options as possible.”

The city’s $500,000 portion to fund the project will be taken from its share of casino revenue, which is earmarked for economic development. Dyster said he expects a formal resolution will be added to the council’s agenda on March 10

http://www.niagara-gazette.com/local/local_story_056224036.html

Anybody have copies of the plans. Retail on Rainbow Blvd would be great!

http://www.buffalonews.com/cityregion/niagaracounty/story/289258.html

Splash park to come tumbling down as Senecas clear site for casino expansion

http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a389/AGhost_/splashpark.jpg
(Heavy equipment operators work on the demolition of the splash park in Niagara Falls on Wednesday. The Seneca Gaming Corp. is clearing the site to make way for a casino and hotel expansion.)

- - - - - -

NIAGARA FALLS — The splash park on John B. Daly Boulevard took years to construct and became ensnared in lawsuits three years after it opened.

Two decades later, it will take fewer than three months to come down.

The twisting water slides and empty wading pool of a 17-acre splash park outside the Seneca Niagara Casino & Hotel will be gone by the end of May under a plan by the Seneca Gaming Corp. to demolish vacant houses, buildings, a hotel and the splash park surrounding the casino.

Few Niagara Falls residents are sad to see the shuttered splash park go.

“Since it’s inception, it really has never reached its potential,” said Jerauld A. Genova, chairman of the city’s Tourism Advisory Board. “At this point right now, I think our best bet is to have somebody actually develop something there. So, yes, I’m glad to see it come down.”

The Seneca Gaming Corp. is clearing the land to prepare it for a casino expansion plan that has not yet been disclosed. Corporation officials have said the proposed expansion is currently being reviewed by the Seneca Nation Tribal Council and also will be vetted by the corporation’s Board of Directors.

Rajat Shah, the Gaming Corp.’s vice president of corporate development, told investors during a conference call Feb. 20 that the planning process for the expansion of the Seneca Niagara Casino & Hotel has been going on for 18 months.

“It will be our most significant expansion,” Shah told investors. “It’s taken as long as it has because we are being very careful to make sure we do it right and that we are planning as best as we can for what our patrons will want four to 10 years out from when the full expansion plan will open.”

The Senecas control roughly 50 acres of land in downtown Niagara Falls.

Seneca Gaming will spend $1.5 million during the next two months to demolish structures on 22 acres of its land, including the splash park, a former Holiday Inn and Denny’s restaurant, a closed Pizza Hut and several houses.

Work began two weeks ago. The splash park will be dismantled piece by piece, said Seneca Gaming spokesman Philip J. Pantano. Traditional demolition methods — not implosion — will be used to raze the Holiday Inn.

“I’m pleased to see the buildings come down. I think it’s solid progress in this community,” said John Percy, president of the Niagara Tourism and Convention Corp. “I don’t want to see a boarded up Pizza Hut. I don’t want to see a boarded up Holiday Inn, because the perception is, ‘Oh, here’s another property closed in Niagara.’ ”

The splash park — one of the first structures drivers see as they exit the Robert Moses Parkway into Niagara Falls — has been closed since 1996 except for a brief reopening in 2005.

The park has been embroiled in litigation throughout its history.

It opened in 1988, more than five years after the project was first proposed by a private developer, and was partially funded with about $10 million of federal community development money. The city operated the park in the mid-1990s while it sought to foreclose on it, but officials closed it in 1996 because of losses and high maintenance costs.

At its peak, the park attracted 62,000 visitors, far short of market study projections that estimated as many as 320,000 annual visitors.

The city agreed to sell the park in 2003 for $3 million to a company controlled by Niagara Falls Redevelopment to settle a series of lawsuits over the property.

Despite its demolition, the park will continue to be the subject of court action.

The state seized the splash park in July 2006. The Seneca Nation made an advance payment of $18 million for the land, but the former owner has filed court papers seeking as much as $75 million for the site, according to public Seneca Gaming reports.

RE: http://www.niagara-gazette.com/local/local_story_066200003.html

NIAGARA FALLS: Buffalo Avenue project moving forward

Work could begin next spring
By Dan Miner/minerd@gnnewspaper.com
Niagara Gazette

Buffalo Avenue’s numerous potholes, broken curbs and non-existent traffic lines could soon be fixed, possibly beginning next spring.

A comprehensive $12.6 million project — paid for mostly by federal funds — to reconstruct the dilapidated street’s numerous problems from 10th Street to the I-190 is moving along. If all goes well, consultants say the project will receive final state approval by December and the city can immediately put it out for bid.

“There’s no argument at all from anybody that this project is needed,” said Frank DelSignore, a partner with Buffalo-based Clough Harbour and Associates, which was hired by the city to do the project’s surveying, design and construction supervision. “It has needed to be redone for a long time.”

The project could take as long as two years once construction begins, DelSignore said. Curbs, sidewalks and the street’s severely cracked pavement will be fixed and its old, deteriorated drainage system will be improved.

A Thursday informational meeting at City Hall was held on the project, giving residents and business owners a chance to voice their opinions, which the city will then take into account when formalizing the final plan.

The project will be funded 80 percent by the federal government, 15 percent by the state and 5 percent by the city.

The project will be done in two phases, starting with the southern, eastbound lane and moving to the other lane. In the second phase, traffic moving out of the city will be diverted up Veterans Drive to Packard Road and eventually Niagara Falls Boulevard. Local traffic will still be able to use the road.

“It’s going to be a great help to the whole area,” said Ron Anderluh, a coordinator with the Niagara Street Area Business and Professional Association. “(The road) is really rough.”

Anderluh also chairs the commission working on another plan for the street, the Buffalo Avenue Industrial Corridor plan. That plan includes buying and cleaning up the numerous brownfields in the area, extending the LaSalle Expressway to Hyde Park Boulevard and a series of other projects. It is likely a long-term endeavor and will not coincide with the current street project.

“I just hope people work together so they don’t duplicate services,” Anderluh said.

Once done, the current project will likely take care of the street for the next several decades.

I thought they were going to annouce the expansion plans for NF casino in February.....Anybody hear anything?

^^They are expanding on to the site of the old water park.

A setback for the Niagara Falls Airport-

Budget airline Skybus shutting down
By MEGHAN BARR - Associated Press Writer
Updated: 04/05/08 8:48 AM

Low-cost carrier Skybus Airlines is shutting down Saturday and plans to file for bankruptcy protection next week, becoming the latest of the nation's airlines to fall because of rising fuel costs and a slowing economy.

The announcement Friday came less than a year after Skybus started up at Port Columbus International Airport, offering several $10 flights. The airline's situation worsened in recent weeks, said Skybus spokesman Bob Tenenbaum.

http://www.niagara-gazette.com/local/local_story_104003135.html

GLYNN: Seneca strategy: Demolish and develop

That changing scene around the Seneca Niagara Casino and Hotel clearly indicates the Seneca Gaming Corp. is continuing with its ambitious master plan for development.

A spokesman says the casino now occupies 24 of the 50 acres that were granted to the Seneca Nation by its compact with the state.

When countless visitors start arriving next month — the prime season kicks off Memorial Day weekend — they’ll have the accurate impression that downtown Niagara Falls is undergoing massive redevelopment.

They’ll see sprawling lots left vacant by demolition. The Pizza Hut and the Niagara Splash Water Park are gone. The former Holiday Inn, between Third and Fourth streets, is only a memory.

Unlike the bumbling urban renewal plans the City of Niagara Falls had on its drawing boards more than 40 years ago, the Senecas are moving at full speed.

There’s a lot of serious talk about long-term investments but no details have been disclosed and that’s understandable, especially when the Seneca Gaming Corp.’s board of directors has yet to share the information with the employees. That will happen as soon as the plans are approved by the directors and the Seneca Nation Council, according to the spokesman.

It’s a sure bet, however, based on the record to date of bringing projects to fruition, you’ll see those vacant lots between Fourth and Eight streets fully occupied by other Seneca enterprises, perhaps within the next year or two.

Even if it takes longer, you have to believe it will happen.

Newcomers to the community often ask why the city or the state didn’t build and operate the gambling casino here.

The reasons: Since legalized gambling is prohibited under the state Constitution, an amendment to that document is needed. That’s a time-consuming process that requires the approval of two separately-elected Legislatures, followed by a public referendum.

And, of course, the Legislature is always the biggest obstacle, with the upstate vs. downstate lawmakers trying to protect their own interests.

When politicians face such decisions, it often takes years for any results, especially in the Empire State.

For the record, the local lobbyists for casino gambling were making the rounds in Albany as early as the late 1970s, hoping to convince the legislators that Niagara Falls could be the Las Vegas of the East. (That honor went to Atlantic City, N.J.) The Senecas signed a compact to build three casinos in Western New York, the first one in Niagara Falls was ready to open within 100 days.

•••

A SOLID RECORD: The late Robert M. Stefik, active in the local real estate business for more than a half century, played a key role in numerous developments and projects in the Niagara area.

The list runs the gamut from 110 homes in Youngstown that were leased to the State Power Authority and rented to their employees to Thornwood Forest, Lewiston, and Collingwood Estates, Youngstown, to the original OTB parlor on Main Street. And there were many more.

While Stefik was widely respected in his profession, he also worked quietly behind the scenes, generously supporting many community endeavors and helping others in need.

One of the happiest moments in his career was in 2004, when his son David was elected president of the Niagara Falls Area Board of Realtors.

The elder Stefik had held that same post in 1959 and it marked the first time in the board history’s that a father and son served as president.

Not too many people know the story about Stefik’s brief career with the old Buffalo Bills of the former All-America Football Conference. In the fall of 1948, after completing the season as an end and placekicking specialist with the Niagara University team, the young graduate was signed by the Bills.

He made the trip to Baltimore for a game with the Colts. After Buffalo scored a touchdown, Stefik was sent in to boot the extra point but he missed the goal posts. End of career.

Later, he often told friends that he took it pretty hard and that people would razz him unmercifully for missing that one chance.

Whether it was in sales or sports, Stefik never walked away from a challenge. In a 1941 St. Mary’s High School game, he kicked an extra point for his team against Erie Cathedral. He did it — they discovered after the game — with a broken ankle.

That was an undefeated season, he recalled, for Roy Crysler’s crew.

Stefik, 84, died Wednesday at his home in Lewiston.

Contact reporter Don Glynn at 282-2311, ext. 2246.

When do they announce how big the new tower will be, it's been quite awhile.

http://www.niagara-gazette.com/local/local_story_137183911.html

AIRPORT: Officials break ground on new $29.7 million terminal at Falls airport

A transportation project nearly a decade in the making finally launched on Friday as state and local officials broke ground on a new $29.7 million terminal at Niagara Falls International Airport.

The official start to construction put a formal end to nearly a decade of talk about what to do with Niagara County’s lone airport — a facility with potential that for many years, and for for a variety of reasons, never quite managed to live up to expectations.

Backed by a new marketing strategy and confident in the recent success enjoyed by the facility’s primary passenger carrier, airport operators and long-time advocates are as enthusiastic as ever about the future of air transportation along Niagara Falls Boulevard.

“Fourteen months from now, I’m confident we’ll be in the new terminal, welcoming new airlines, new charters and new life,” said Lawrence Meckler, executive director of the Niagara Frontier Transportation Authority, the entity in charge of airport operations.

The process of turning the place around experienced a number of stops and starts dating back to the late 1990s, including an ill-fated bid by the Niagara County Industrial Development Agency to wrest control of the facility away from the NFTA and a proposal to allow the Spanish firm, Cintra, to operate the airport as part of a 99-year lease agreement.

Several of the main players involved in the often contentious airport debates were recalled again on Friday, including controversial former NFTA Chairman and Cintra supporter, the late Luiz Kahl as well as outspoken NFTA critic, local hotelier John Prozerelik, a man whose input helped spur development efforts to where they are today.

The new terminal concept really started to take shape in the wake of the approval of tribal gaming in Niagara Falls, an event that created a pot of slot machine revenue, $14 million of which will ultimately be used to support the construction project.

State Sen. George Maziarz, R-Newfane, recalled joining former state senator Anthony Nanula in a planning session to get a sense of what it was the community thought should happen with the moribund airport. The date was March 11, 1999.

“There were many different approaches,” said Maziarz, a staunch advocate of using casino funds for airport development. “Some with good intentions, but many proving to be fruitless and counterproductive to making something real happen here. But, we perservered and refused to let any naysayers with other agendas get in the way.”

Maziarz and his colleague in the state Assembly, Francine DelMonte, each secured an additional $2 million that will be used to support the construction project. In addition, the pair also wil deliver a total of $200,000 in state aid that will be used by the Niagara County Office of Economic Development to help market the new facility.

Those marketing efforts are expected to build upon those offerings as well as the momentum experienced by Myrtle Beach Direct.

The new terminal is scheduled to open in July of 2009. At 69,430 square feet, it will be three times the size of the existing facility and will include a second story that will allow for a common airport feature the old terminal did not — passenger jet bridges. NFTA officials say the new facility also will bring NFIA in line with current standards for security and processing operations as it will include updated inspection facilities as well as in-line baggage screening areas, eight stationery ticket counters, added room for concessions and car rental operations and a multi-model Metro transit center.

NFTA officials are confident the new terminal will draw more interest, in part, due to its inexpensive landing fees — at 90 cents per 1,000 pounds of takeoff weight — and its relatively low terminal use fee, which is $75 per flight or 75 cents per passenger, whichever is greater.

The two-gate terminal has been designed by Stantec Consulting around a theme intended to invoke the imagery of the Niagara rapids. It will accommodate both 747-400 annd 757-300 aircraft and has holdrooms large enough to accommodate 280 people.

Niagara Falls Mayor Paul Dyster likened the new terminal to another step in the ongoing process of improving the region and its transportation system. He said pulling off a project with so many players at so many levels of government is a positive sign for the future.

“It’s time to put away the old way of thinking and get on with the new way of thinking about how we are going to prosper,” Dyster said.

Meckler said the NFTA plans to transfer air transportation services to the new terminal once construction is completed. He said the agency has not yet decided what will become of the existing terminal. The plan, he said, is to field proposals from private entities at some point later this year or early next year.

Construction is being handled by Walter S. Johnson Building Co. of Niagara Falls. NFTA officials predicted that the company will complete the project on time and on budget.

“When we promise July of ’09, you are going to have your new terminal in July of ‘09,” said Gregory Stamm, chairman of the NFTA’s Board of Commissioners.

Senecas plan N.F. expansionBusiness First of Buffalo
by James Fink
Business First

Seneca Gaming Corp. is drafting a development plan for Seneca Niagara Casino & Hotel in Niagara Falls that includes construction of an 8,000-seat entertainment venue, expansion of the casino and at least one more hotel.

The entertainment complex likely will be located on Rainbow Boulevard between Third and Fourth streets, on a portion of the 54-acre tract considered sovereign Seneca territory.

It would be constructed where a Holiday Inn and Denny's restaurant once stood. Seneca Gaming acquired both and demolished them to make way for continued development of the Seneca Niagara complex.

The company is the casino operations arm of the Seneca Nation of Indians. All casino-related development plans must be approved by Seneca Gaming's board of directors and the Seneca Nation Council, the tribe's governing body.

Sources say the plans are subject to revisions. Officially, the Seneca Nation called them "speculation."

"The master plan process is ongoing and until such time as those plans are approved by the Seneca Gaming Corp. board of directors and the Seneca Nation Council, any details are purely speculation from individuals outside the company," said Phil Pantano, Seneca Gaming spokesman.

The company and Seneca Nation Council are expected to release an updated master-development plan for the Niagara Falls complex later this year.

John Percy, president of Niagara Tourism & Convention Corp., said if the entertainment venue is constructed, it will be a major plus for Niagara Falls.

The venue will host more than concerts. It may be booked for sporting venues and entertainment shows such as circuses and figure skating, as well as large-scale conventions, trade shows and meetings.

"If they bring in concerts, we can build overnight packages around the shows," Percy said. "It will be a big piece of our puzzle."

Since it opened in late 2002, Seneca Niagara Casino & Resort has annually drawn more than 6 million visitors.

While attractions such as the Maid of the Mist boats are cemented in their positions as daytime tourist magnets, the casino has evolved into the primary nighttime entertainment option in Niagara Falls. When Seneca Gaming opened its 26-story, 604-room hotel three years ago, it included the Seneca Events Center as part of the package. The center has a 2,000-person capacity and has emerged as a major concert and show venue, hosting acts ranging from Bill Cosby and Steely Dan to David Crosby/Graham Nash.

With a capacity of 8,000, the new venue could serve as a local bridge between larger locations including HSBC Arena and the Darien Lake Amphitheater and smaller theaters such as Shea's Performing Arts Center.

"I think this area really needs that midrange concert venue that can be used for other purposes, too," Percy said.

Seneca Gaming has several major construction projects under way. They include the $333 million Seneca Buffalo Creek Casino in downtown Buffalo and an 11-story, 200-room hotel addition at the Seneca Allegany Casino & Hotel complex in Salamanca. The permanent Seneca Buffalo Creek Casino is on target to open in two years. Construction of the Seneca Allegany Casino & Hotel's new wing will begin this year for a fall 2009 opening.

Beyond the demolition of Holiday Inn and Denny's, Seneca Gaming took down the former Niagara Splash Park complex at the corner of Rainbow Boulevard and John B. Daly Boulevard in preparation for what likely will be a second hotel.

At least one more hotel will be constructed on the Seneca Nation's sovereign territory in Niagara Falls, sources said. Ultimately, the Senecas may have three hotels in the territory.

Silicon firm plans 500-employee plant in Niagara Falls
By Sharon Linstedt - News Business Reporter
Updated: 05/20/08 12:45 PM


An idle industrial plant in Niagara Falls will reopen early next year, creating 500 new jobs tied to production of silicon for the solar power industry.

The Globe Metallurgical plant, dormant since 2003, will come back to life under the ownership of Globe Specialty Metals, one of the world's largest producers of metallurgical and chemical-grade silicon metal and silicon-based specialty alloys.

Globe will invest $60 million in the Highland Avenue facility, including a 100,000-square-foot expansion. The facility is expected to be in full-production mode by 2011, turning out 4,000 tons of solar-grade silicon per year.

The reopening is aided in large part by a 40-megawatt allocation of low-cost power from the New York Power Authority approved today. Globe also will get a boost from about $25 million in state Empire Development Zone benefits tied to job creation.

"This project signifies how powerfully competitive New York State can be in attracting businesses when we pool our resources, in this case the availability of hydropower through NYPA and an Empire Zone incentive through Empire State Development," Gov. David A. Paterson said in a statement.

"In these fiscally tough times, these are the kind of collaborative investments of state resources we must strive to bring to local communities throughout New York," Paterson added, noting the aid underscores his administration's commitment to bolstering the upstate economy.

Alan Kestenbaum, chairman and chief executive of Globe, said the plant will create hundreds of "green collar" jobs, while enabling the generation of significant amounts of solar power.

"This project . . . will be a cornerstone for New York State to realize the goal of [becoming] a major center for production and research for renewable energy and in particular solar energy products," Kestenbaum said.



http://www.buffalonews.com/258/story/351212.html

More actual good news for Niagara Falls? From today's Buffalo News:

Upgraded apartments add polish to historic Niagara Falls building
Rainbow Boulevard structure undergoes transformation
By Denise Jewell Gee - NEWS NIAGARA BUREAU
Updated: 06/19/08 8:25 AM

Harry Scull Jr./Buffalo News

NIAGARA FALLS — A historic eight-story apartment building on Rainbow Boulevard that was once considered one of the most prominent addresses in the city has undergone a transformation and will soon offer 10 corporate rentals and a Third Street coffee shop.

The owners of the Jefferson Apartments are in the final stages of a renovation project to upgrade apartments, add furnished short-term rentals and a first-floor cafe.

The 96-unit building is one of three 1920s-era, high-rise buildings in the neighborhood under renovation.

Two blocks away, rooms in the Hotel Niagara have been prepared for a major upgrade as a boutique hotel and the 20-story, art deco United Office Building is under construction to fully reopen for the first time in two decades.

“Other cities are flourishing by redoing buildings from that era,” said Thomas J. Yots, the city historian. “All of those owners understand the value of using the historic value as a marketing tool.”

In the Jefferson, where renovation work has been continuing since 2006, the original features of the building have been incorporated into upgraded apartments.

The lobby has rows of original brass mailboxes and ornate ceiling plaster popular when the building was constructed. Apartments still

have small wooden doors where the milkman could leave deliveries, and one of the building’s two elevators is lined with oak.

But renovated apartments that still have original hardwood floors and wooden cabinets also offer granite counter-tops, new appliances and stainless steel fixtures.

The building will open its ground level to the public this summer, when a coffee shop and restaurant opens in a two-story loft space that was once a basement storage area and a small apartment.

Angelo Ashker, who owns Ashker’s Coffee House & Sandwich Shop in Youngstown, plans to open a small cafe on the Third Steet side of the Jefferson next month that will offer specialty coffees, panini and salads.

It will be one of only a few new restaurants that have opened on Third Street since the city and state spent roughly $3 million to rebuild the street and recast it as an entertainment district.

The state’s Niagara Falls economic- development agency, USA Niagara Development Corp., has provided a $130,000 grant to the Jefferson renovation to add the short-term rental units and restaurant, said Shawn Weber, the building’s manager and one of seven owners of the building.

The cafe — which will feature a bright loft space — would not have been part of the project without public money.

“This is really something we wouldn’t have done had we not gotten the grant,” Weber said. “We’re still in a fragile mode down here. It wouldn’t have been cost-effective.”

The building’s owners also include Weber’s mother, Quain Weber; Harry Greenway; John and David Giusiana of Giusiana Architects & Engineers in Lewiston; and Paul and Jim Stephen.

Built in 1926, the Jefferson Apartments building was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2006. It is the only example of a “prewar” high-rise apartment building in the city, said Yots, who conducted the research for the building’s landmark application.

Weber estimates the entire renovation project, including upgrades to most of the apartments, will cost nearly $1 million when complete.

Jefferson Associates purchased the building in November 2000 for $1.1 million.

Since then, Weber said, the opening of the Seneca Niagara Casino & Hotel has created new interest in the neighborhood.

“The casino is definitely bringing in young professionals,” Weber said. “People who are coming in with a little bit of money.”

The short-term rentals — geared toward corporate visitors who plan to stay in the area for several months — are fully furnished with leather couches, beds and linens.

The renovated apartments rent for $595 to $1,195 a month, including heat, while the short-term rentals average $1,650 a month, Weber said.

“People who come from out of town, they think we’re cheap,” Weber said. “People who live here locally think we’re kind of expensive.”

djgee@buffnews.com

That is a good looking apartment building.

With this building, plus Hotel Niagara and the Unitd Office building rehab, it looks like the Casino is really starting to show some great positive spinoffs. Way to go Niagara Falls!!!

Pictures????? =-0)

Pictures of the Jefferson at web site.

http://jeffersonniagara.com/

Pictures of the Jefferson at web site.

http://jeffersonniagara.com/

OMG, check out the photo gallery. I just love the red exercise 'closet', just off the laundry room with the exposed pipes. Heck, when you finish your workout, you can put your sweaty clothes in for a wash on your way back to your apartment. I can't believe they would put photos like that on their website when they're trying to push it as a high end residence.

Niagara Falls metallurgy plant on way to $20 million makeover

Silicon producerto get new filter

By Denise Jewell Gee - NEWS NIAGARA BUREAU
Updated: 07/10/08 9:18 AM

NIAGARA FALLS — When the first furnace fires up in the Globe Metallurgical plant on Highland Avenue later this year, it will have a new filter and more efficient technology to help reduce fumes that escape as silicon is made.
A $20 million initial upgrade to reopen the plant and begin producing metallurgical-grade silicon by the end of the year will include new filters that can capture more emissions than the existing system, plant representatives said Wednesday.
“The goal is to really make this a cleaner operation than perhaps it has been in the past,” said Adam S. Walters, an attorney with Phillips Lytle.
Walters and other representatives for Globe Specialty Metals gave members of the Niagara Falls Planning Board an informal presentation Wednesday night to outline upgrades that will take place as the company reopens the shuttered silicon plant.
Globe Specialty Metals, which acquired the Niagara Falls plant in 2006, announced in May that it plans to reopen the plant and expand it to produce solar-grade silicon that can be used to make products for the solar power industry.
The plant had been closed since 2003.
The first phase of the project will focus on reopening the plant and restarting its two existing furnaces so it can begin producing 30,000 tons of metallurgical- grade silicon annually.
Leland “Skip” Davis, Globe’s vice president of operations, said he expects the first furnace to begin running by December and the second furnace to begin running in the spring.
The first phase, which will cost $20 million and include upgrading plant equipment to make it more efficient, will employ 100 people, Davis said.
The company plans to invest a total of $60 million by 2011 to add operations to the plant that will allow it to produce 4,000 tons of high-purity silicon that can be used in the production of solar panels. The solar-quality silicon will be produced by Solsil Inc.
Solsil and Globe Metallurgical are subsidiaries of Globe Specialty Metals.
The project has received a 40-megawatt allocation of low-cost power from the New York Power Authority and is expected to employ 500 people when the plant is in full production. The company has agreed to sell 25 percent of the high-grade silicon to companies located in New York.
During the first phase of the project, the plant’s equipment and furnace filter systems will be repaired or replaced. Two fiberglass bag houses that capture fumes released from the furnaces will be replaced with more modern membrane bags that capture more emissions, said Ron Hawks, of the consultanting firm Environmental Quality Management.
“All of these systems, the intent is to make them more reliable so that there will be no spillage of materials, no fumes,” Hawks said.
Hawks compared the bag houses to bags on vacuum cleaners that collect debris.
The plant will sell the two main byproducts of the silicon-making process. Gases that are captured from the furnaces are sold to concrete industries. Dross, or metal skimmed from the molten silicon as it is purified, is also sold, said Matt Greene, environmental manager of Globe Metallurgical.


Ohio firm plans to reopen Falls SGL Carbon plant

By Thomas J. Prohaska - NEWS NIAGARA BUREAU

Updated: 07/10/08 6:47 AM

WHEATFIELD — An Ohio company plans to reopen the old SGL Carbon plant in Niagara Falls and create at least 50 new jobs, its owners told the Niagara County Industrial Development Agency Wednesday.
The IDA board scheduled a public hearing for 4 p. m. Aug. 11 in Niagara Falls City Hall on the request from Ashland Advanced Materials for a property tax break, sales and mortgage tax exemptions and bonding authority it could use for future equipment.
Matthew Reineke, president of the company, said Ashland already is applying for permits from the Department of Environmental Conservation. Under SGL Carbon, which closed in 2002, residents downwind of the Niagara Falls Boulevard plant complained about soot and fumes.
A 2004 effort to reopen the plant failed in part because of those concerns, but Lee Reineke, Matthew’s father and company co-owner, said the carbon fiber process they plan to use, based on rayon material rather than petroleum, will be different and much cleaner.
“Everything we’re doing is pre-baked,” Lee Reineke said. “The sulfur should be almost non-existent.”
He said one of the jobs of the Niagara Falls plant will be to fulfill a contract to heat-treat the graphite for the fuel cells to be used in the Freedom Tower being erected at ground zero in New York City.
At the Reinekes’ plant in Ashland, Ohio, employment has grown from 20 to 84 in the last two years as demand spikes for its products. Lee Reineke said the capacity of that plant, called Americarb, is “20 percent of what we can do here.” However, the Ashland plant would remain in business.
The New York Power Authority already has approved a low-cost hydropower allotment for Ashland’s new venture. It involves renting and eventually buying the so-called “Blue Plant,” constructed in 1998, where Matthew Reineke said surviving equipment can be refurbished and used to produce “a tremendous amount of carbon fiber.” Also, it would buy four other buildings and 15 acres of land.
The purchase and renovation is estimated to cost $2.3 million. With acquisition of equipment and other costs, the value of the project rises to $9 million.
The company is being urged by its customers to increase its manufacturing capacity for such products as fiberboard insulation for silicon furnaces, Reineke said.
He told the IDA board, “We really feel our estimates of how many people we’re going to employ and how much we’ll produce are conservative.”
IDA attorney Mark J. Gabriele said the IDA’s property tax abatement wouldn’t kick in unless the state were to abolish the Empire Zone program, which reimburses a company in full for the property taxes it pays to localities. The local taxing entities receive full-value taxation on an Empire Zone project.
On another topic, the IDA board voted to repay two interest-free loans from Niagara County in full at once, scrapping a five-year payment plan approved by the County Legislature at the IDA’s request earlier this year.
The two $1 million loans were made in 1987 and 1988 to start the IDA’s revolving loan fund. Repayments weren’t due until 2012 and 2013.
With funds from other sources, including state and federal agencies, the IDA has about $6 million in money available for loans. This move would decrease that to $4 million, including $700,000 that would be left in the fund the county’s loans began.
“The fund has matured to a point of independence,” IDA Chairman Henry
M. Sloma said. “The current reserves are certainly adequate to repay the loan in toto.”
He said the IDA is receiving $20,000 to $30,000 in loan repayments every month and currently has about $2 million worth of loans out. The IDA issued a statement asserting that the loan fund has leveraged more than $35 million in investment and helped retain 1,600 jobs during its history.
IDA Executive Director Samuel M. Ferraro said the county will set up a separate economic development fund to contain the repayments.

Niagara Falls metallurgy plant on way to $20 million makeover

Silicon producerto get new filter

By Denise Jewell Gee - NEWS NIAGARA BUREAU
Updated: 07/10/08 9:18 AM

NIAGARA FALLS — When the first furnace fires up in the Globe Metallurgical plant on Highland Avenue later this year, it will have a new filter and more efficient technology to help reduce fumes that escape as silicon is made.
A $20 million initial upgrade to reopen the plant and begin producing metallurgical-grade silicon by the end of the year will include new filters that can capture more emissions than the existing system, plant representatives said Wednesday.
“The goal is to really make this a cleaner operation than perhaps it has been in the past,” said Adam S. Walters, an attorney with Phillips Lytle.
Walters and other representatives for Globe Specialty Metals gave members of the Niagara Falls Planning Board an informal presentation Wednesday night to outline upgrades that will take place as the company reopens the shuttered silicon plant.
Globe Specialty Metals, which acquired the Niagara Falls plant in 2006, announced in May that it plans to reopen the plant and expand it to produce solar-grade silicon that can be used to make products for the solar power industry.
The plant had been closed since 2003.
The first phase of the project will focus on reopening the plant and restarting its two existing furnaces so it can begin producing 30,000 tons of metallurgical- grade silicon annually.
Leland “Skip” Davis, Globe’s vice president of operations, said he expects the first furnace to begin running by December and the second furnace to begin running in the spring.
The first phase, which will cost $20 million and include upgrading plant equipment to make it more efficient, will employ 100 people, Davis said.
The company plans to invest a total of $60 million by 2011 to add operations to the plant that will allow it to produce 4,000 tons of high-purity silicon that can be used in the production of solar panels. The solar-quality silicon will be produced by Solsil Inc.
Solsil and Globe Metallurgical are subsidiaries of Globe Specialty Metals.
The project has received a 40-megawatt allocation of low-cost power from the New York Power Authority and is expected to employ 500 people when the plant is in full production. The company has agreed to sell 25 percent of the high-grade silicon to companies located in New York.
During the first phase of the project, the plant’s equipment and furnace filter systems will be repaired or replaced. Two fiberglass bag houses that capture fumes released from the furnaces will be replaced with more modern membrane bags that capture more emissions, said Ron Hawks, of the consultanting firm Environmental Quality Management.
“All of these systems, the intent is to make them more reliable so that there will be no spillage of materials, no fumes,” Hawks said.
Hawks compared the bag houses to bags on vacuum cleaners that collect debris.
The plant will sell the two main byproducts of the silicon-making process. Gases that are captured from the furnaces are sold to concrete industries. Dross, or metal skimmed from the molten silicon as it is purified, is also sold, said Matt Greene, environmental manager of Globe Metallurgical.


Ohio firm plans to reopen Falls SGL Carbon plant

By Thomas J. Prohaska - NEWS NIAGARA BUREAU

Updated: 07/10/08 6:47 AM

WHEATFIELD — An Ohio company plans to reopen the old SGL Carbon plant in Niagara Falls and create at least 50 new jobs, its owners told the Niagara County Industrial Development Agency Wednesday.
The IDA board scheduled a public hearing for 4 p. m. Aug. 11 in Niagara Falls City Hall on the request from Ashland Advanced Materials for a property tax break, sales and mortgage tax exemptions and bonding authority it could use for future equipment.
Matthew Reineke, president of the company, said Ashland already is applying for permits from the Department of Environmental Conservation. Under SGL Carbon, which closed in 2002, residents downwind of the Niagara Falls Boulevard plant complained about soot and fumes.
A 2004 effort to reopen the plant failed in part because of those concerns, but Lee Reineke, Matthew’s father and company co-owner, said the carbon fiber process they plan to use, based on rayon material rather than petroleum, will be different and much cleaner.
“Everything we’re doing is pre-baked,” Lee Reineke said. “The sulfur should be almost non-existent.”
He said one of the jobs of the Niagara Falls plant will be to fulfill a contract to heat-treat the graphite for the fuel cells to be used in the Freedom Tower being erected at ground zero in New York City.
At the Reinekes’ plant in Ashland, Ohio, employment has grown from 20 to 84 in the last two years as demand spikes for its products. Lee Reineke said the capacity of that plant, called Americarb, is “20 percent of what we can do here.” However, the Ashland plant would remain in business.
The New York Power Authority already has approved a low-cost hydropower allotment for Ashland’s new venture. It involves renting and eventually buying the so-called “Blue Plant,” constructed in 1998, where Matthew Reineke said surviving equipment can be refurbished and used to produce “a tremendous amount of carbon fiber.” Also, it would buy four other buildings and 15 acres of land.
The purchase and renovation is estimated to cost $2.3 million. With acquisition of equipment and other costs, the value of the project rises to $9 million.
The company is being urged by its customers to increase its manufacturing capacity for such products as fiberboard insulation for silicon furnaces, Reineke said.
He told the IDA board, “We really feel our estimates of how many people we’re going to employ and how much we’ll produce are conservative.”
IDA attorney Mark J. Gabriele said the IDA’s property tax abatement wouldn’t kick in unless the state were to abolish the Empire Zone program, which reimburses a company in full for the property taxes it pays to localities. The local taxing entities receive full-value taxation on an Empire Zone project.
On another topic, the IDA board voted to repay two interest-free loans from Niagara County in full at once, scrapping a five-year payment plan approved by the County Legislature at the IDA’s request earlier this year.
The two $1 million loans were made in 1987 and 1988 to start the IDA’s revolving loan fund. Repayments weren’t due until 2012 and 2013.
With funds from other sources, including state and federal agencies, the IDA has about $6 million in money available for loans. This move would decrease that to $4 million, including $700,000 that would be left in the fund the county’s loans began.
“The fund has matured to a point of independence,” IDA Chairman Henry
M. Sloma said. “The current reserves are certainly adequate to repay the loan in toto.”
He said the IDA is receiving $20,000 to $30,000 in loan repayments every month and currently has about $2 million worth of loans out. The IDA issued a statement asserting that the loan fund has leveraged more than $35 million in investment and helped retain 1,600 jobs during its history.
IDA Executive Director Samuel M. Ferraro said the county will set up a separate economic development fund to contain the repayments.

(Waits 4 years before people even start to talk about this project again.) lol

Once again Niagara Falls is using it's Casino proceeds towards economic development, hopefully Buffalo will do the same with it's.



Aid planned to help restore Hotel Niagara
By Denise Jewell Gee - NEWS NIAGARA BUREAU
Updated: 07/24/08 6:41 AM


NIAGARA FALLS — A state economic development agency and the city plan to offer a $4 million incentive package to the owners of the faded 12-story Hotel Niagara on Rainbow Boulevard, who plan to restore the building’s prestige.

Amidee Capital Group, a Texas- based real estate firm that bought the hotel in September, plans to completely renovate its 193 rooms, add a rooftop “speakeasy” and open boutique shops and a spa in the building by next spring.

The $15.2 million restoration will bring back some of the original features of the 1920s-era building.

“The intention here is to be the finest hotel in Niagara Falls,” said David Giusiana of Giusiana Architects and Engineer.

Mayor Paul A. Dyster will ask the City Council on Monday to approve giving the project $500,000 of the city’s slots revenue. The state’s USA Niagara Development Corp. has offered an additional $3.5 million “incentive package” toward the restoration, according to a memorandum given to the Council.

“Between the city and the state, we’re trying to fill the gap in the deal that makes it possible for them to move forward with these projects,” Dyster said.

It was unclear Wednesday whether the state’s share would be a loan or a grant. USA Niagara President Christopher J. Schoepflin declined to discuss the details of the project but said he will give a public presentation to the City Council at its Monday meeting.

Amidee Capital Group is owned by James and Judith Cook. They purchased the building last year at auction for $4.9 million.

Giusiana told members of the city’s Planning Board on Wednesday that the owners have applied to add the building to the state and national registers of historic places and plan to use tax credits available to buildings designated as historic.

“The owners are extremely interested in the property’s historic character,” Dyster said. “That’s what drew them to the property in the first place.”

Renovation plans call for replacing 354 aluminum-framed windows in the building with wood-framed windows that reflect the building’s 1920s architecture. The owners also plan to open a “four star” restaurant in the hotel’s mezzanine level, restore its ballroom, add boutique shops and build a spa and fitness center.

Thomas J. DeSantis, the city’s senior planner, said the Hotel Niagara upgrade will help fill a need for high-end hotel rooms that can compete with the Seneca Niagara Casino & Hotel. “We’ve been working with them for almost a year now to bring this project to fruition,” DeSantis said.

The Hotel Niagara, which has a two-story lobby with a balcony that overlooks its entrance, was sold in a foreclosure auction in 2005 before the Cooks bought it last year.

The building had declined in recent years to a “low budget, limited service” hotel property, according to a project summary by Giusiana.

The Hotel Niagara project is one of three downtown hotels that state and city officials have offered incentive packages.

The city has also been asked by USA Niagara to approve giving a former Four Points by Sheraton on Buffalo Avenue a $500,000 grant toward an expansion project, but that request has not yet been approved. USA Niagara representatives have said the state plans to offer at least $1.5 million toward that project.

Demolition looms for Wintergarden
Business First of Buffalo - by James Fink Business First

A long-anticipated deal that will see the Wintergarden complex in Niagara Falls, N.Y., revert to public ownership as a prelude to its demolition has become a reality.

Directors of USA Niagara Development Corp., the Cataract City's arm of Empire State Development Corp., have agreed to purchase the glass-atrium from Wintergarden Development Group LLC for $1.6 million. The deal also covers exclusive licenses the City of Niagara Falls had granted to East Mall Entertainment LLC.

Both Wintergarden Development Group and East Mall Entertainment were affiliates of prominent Niagara County businessman Joe Anderson. Anderson obtained the East Mall license and Wintergarden ownership four years ago.

Anderson ran "Smokin' Joe's Family Fun Center" in the Wintergarden until last summer. The building has been closed for nearly a year as negotiations were underway involving the state, city and Anderson.

State officials confirmed the Wintergarden will be razed, with the demolition beginning later this year, to make way for a pedestrian-friendly corridor between Niagara Reservation State Park and Third Street, The project was announced in October by then-Gov. Eliot Spitzer as part of the state's "City by City" redevelopment initiative.

The glass-enclosed Wintergarden was constructed in 1977 as part of a massive urban renewal effort in Niagara Falls that ultimately saw the construction of the former Niagara Falls Convention Center and the E. Dent Lackey Plaza. The center and plaza are now part of the sovereign territory owned by the Seneca Nation of Indians and part of the Seneca Niagara Casino and Hotel complex.

Renovations for landmark Falls apartments
Business First of Buffalo - by James Fink Business First

The landmark Jefferson Presidential Apartments and Suites in Niagara Falls' South End are about to get a major facelift.

The directors of USA Niagara Development Corp. approved a $130,000 grant to the owners of the Rainbow Boulevard apartment complex. The owners, Jefferson on Rainbow LLC, are planning a $336,500 renovation of the apartments that includes the opening of Ashker's Third Street Cafe on its ground floor later this month.

Shawn Weber, Jefferson on Rainbow managing partner, said the state grant was critical for moving the renovation project forward. Without it, the project was in jeopardy.

The improvement project covers both interior and exterior work including major facade and patio improvements.

Weber previously received a similar state grant to assistance with the opening of the Third Street Wine Bar.

"This emphasizes his belief in the Niagara Falls marketplace," said Chris Schoepflin, USA Niagara president.

The Jefferson was erected in 1926 and is noted for use of late Gothic architecture styles. The building features a mix studio apartments, short-term furnished apartments as well as one-bedroom and two-bedroom units.

N.F. landmark hotel to be renovated
Business First of Buffalo - by James Fink Business First

The historic Hotel Niagara is coming back to life along with the fabled Roof Top Club.

Amidee Realty Inc. of Houston, new owners of the 12-story, 193-room hotel, has formalized plans to invest $15.2 million in restoring the circa 1924 building that is one of the tallest in the Cataract City and offers panoramic views of both the upper rapids and Niagara Falls. The plans are being underwritten by incentives from both the city of Niagara Falls and the USA Niagara Development Corp., an arm of Empire State Development Corp.

The renovations are scheduled to start within the next few weeks and be completed by next year when the hotel will re-open under its original Hotel Niagara name.

Also coming back is the Roof Top Club, that in its day was one of the swankiest restaurants in Niagara Falls whose patrons ran the gamut from heads of state to Frank Sinatra and Marilyn Monroe.

Amidee Realty bought the hotel last July at an auction, paying $4.6 million. Bidding had begun at $1.5 million.

Amidee officials said it was their intention to renovate and restore the hotel.

"This is proof that this is a serious project," said John Risio, USA Niagara spokesman.

Falls' train station on the move
Business First of Buffalo - by James Fink Business First

Plans to shift Niagara Falls' passenger train station from the city's outskirts closer to the tourist hub has taken a major step forward.

Rep. Louise Slaughter, D-Fairport, and Sen. Charles Schumer were able to secure more than $3 million in federal funding for the proposed $16 million project that will convert a former U.S. Customs House on Main Street near the Whirlpool Bridge into the new train station.

Both Slaughter and Schumer said the train station project is taking on a new sense of urgency in light of rising gas prices that is negatively impacting the tourism and hospitality industries. Niagara Falls' current Amtrak station is located along Lockport Road, several miles from the falls and other major attractions.

Previously, Slaughter had secured $4.7 million for the project while Schumer landed $2.5 million. Another $4.6 million in previously allocated federal fund had been tied up in administrative red tape, Slaughter said. Those funds have been untangled.

"The city of Niagara Falls' plans and millions in federal funding for this new station have been tangled in red tape for far too long," Slaughter said.

Design work is expected to be completed this year.

The first phase of construction could begin next summer.

"The release of these long-delayed funds is just what the doctor ordered for Niagara Falls," Schumer said. "This grand station will make it easier for many thousands of tourists to access one of the natural wonders of the world."

I wonder now that the WG is going to be torn down, the Falls Street side of the Rainbow center will be exposed. Maybe this will lead to at least opening up the old food court area. Anybody hear anything to that affect?

I wonder now that the WG is going to be torn down, the Falls Street side of the Rainbow center will be exposed. Maybe this will lead to at least opening up the old food court area. Anybody hear anything to that affect?

sounds like when they knocked down Falls street.

Demolition looms for Wintergarden
Business First of Buffalo - by James Fink Business First

A long-anticipated deal that will see the Wintergarden complex in Niagara Falls, N.Y., revert to public ownership as a prelude to its demolition has become a reality.

Directors of USA Niagara Development Corp., the Cataract City's arm of Empire State Development Corp., have agreed to purchase the glass-atrium from Wintergarden Development Group LLC for $1.6 million. The deal also covers exclusive licenses the City of Niagara Falls had granted to East Mall Entertainment LLC.

Both Wintergarden Development Group and East Mall Entertainment were affiliates of prominent Niagara County businessman Joe Anderson. Anderson obtained the East Mall license and Wintergarden ownership four years ago.

Anderson ran "Smokin' Joe's Family Fun Center" in the Wintergarden until last summer. The building has been closed for nearly a year as negotiations were underway involving the state, city and Anderson.

State officials confirmed the Wintergarden will be razed, with the demolition beginning later this year, to make way for a pedestrian-friendly corridor between Niagara Reservation State Park and Third Street, The project was announced in October by then-Gov. Eliot Spitzer as part of the state's "City by City" redevelopment initiative.

The glass-enclosed Wintergarden was constructed in 1977 as part of a massive urban renewal effort in Niagara Falls that ultimately saw the construction of the former Niagara Falls Convention Center and the E. Dent Lackey Plaza. The center and plaza are now part of the sovereign territory owned by the Seneca Nation of Indians and part of the Seneca Niagara Casino and Hotel complex.


What is your take on this project Dr. Funky?

I know nothing about Wintergarten, but, unless its a real eyesore, what's the sense of tearing up something that was built less than 25 years ago.

If it was being replaced with a bigger & better building, that would make a lot of sense. But for a pedestrian-freindly mall (ie. more vacant space)? Really, is downtown Falls overflowing with pedestrians? Can't they find another use for the facility.

I would think that the Falls has plenty of old dilapated housing that deserves higher priority for replacement than something that was built in 1977.

What is your take on this project Dr. Funky?

I know nothing about Wintergarten, but, unless its a real eyesore, what's the sense of tearing up something that was built less than 25 years ago.

If it was being replaced with a bigger & better building, that would make a lot of sense. But for a pedestrian-freindly mall (ie. more vacant space)? Really, is downtown Falls overflowing with pedestrians? Can't they find another use for the facility.

I would think that the Falls has plenty of old dilapated housing that deserves higher priority for replacement than something that was built in 1977.

I was pissed when they reopened the splash park in 05 just to knock the damn thing down. Talk about a tease I LOVED that place.

Whats one more building knocked to the ground. They've been getting knocked down for decades.

Pretty soon Niagara Falls will actually be the cow pasture people from New York City thought it was all along.....

What is your take on this project Dr. Funky?

I know nothing about Wintergarten, but, unless its a real eyesore, what's the sense of tearing up something that was built less than 25 years ago.

If it was being replaced with a bigger & better building, that would make a lot of sense. But for a pedestrian-freindly mall (ie. more vacant space)? Really, is downtown Falls overflowing with pedestrians? Can't they find another use for the facility.

I would think that the Falls has plenty of old dilapated housing that deserves higher priority for replacement than something that was built in 1977.

I hate for any building in NF to be demo, but I think that they are correct that this building is in the way of what should be the main tourist street in the downtown area. But I do have two problems:

1. They should move the Wintergardens to a place near the aquarium

2. They should make Falls Street a really street again, not just some pedestrain walkway with light traffic.

Yea, one might think that with Buffalo's pedestrian mall not exactly being a success, that maybe Niagara Falls doesn't needed the same. I mean why not wait until the sidewalks are becoming full of pedestrians before considering a pedestrian mall.

What happened to the Turtle, the Native American museum, don't tell me they tore that down too?

lol. I like that little one-block pedestrian mall. It is surrounded by hotels, a little exhibition center, and Starbucks.

The Turtle is still there, albeit neglected and I would assume vacant.

That splash park thing pissed me off too. I went there only once, back when it was originally open. Then I never heard it had closed until I found out, at which time I found out it was actually open again. And now it's gone again. Guess we just have to wait until they reincarnate and close the casino.

Has anyone heard what the stopping of construction in Buffalo on the casino's means to further development in the falls?

^^Nothing.

Any updates on theese projects:

- So is the Wintergardens coming down or what?
- Are the Senaca's adding on to the casino in NF?
- Any pics of NTCC?

The Senaca's suspend work on the Buffalo Casino and NO ONE asks what that means about further development in NF. Not the gazatte, buffalo news, politicians.... no one....amazing!!

The Senaca's suspend work on the Buffalo Casino and NO ONE asks what that means about further development in NF. Not the gazatte, buffalo news, politicians.... no one....amazing!!

I thought it was addressed in one of the News stories- they have delayed unveiling any expansion in NF for the same economic reasons. It is no secret they were planning a casino expansion and a new tower, but those plans have stayed under wraps.

VOTE: Should the Wintergardens be

1. Torn down
2. Saved and reused
3. Move to another location

VOTE: Should the Wintergardens be

1. Torn down
2. Saved and reused
3. Move to another location

Torn Down.

3. Move to another location
is that even possible?

Probably not, but it would be cool if they could move it near the Aquarium.

Any update on the Snow Park Anderson wants to build?

http://www.snowparkniagara.com/

Funding OK’d for Falls projects
Relicensing committee approves money for traffic circle, park lighting improvements

http://www.buffalonews.com/cityregion/niagaracounty/story/591931.html

I heard there is a hotel being built on Rainbow Blvd near John Daily.....they are starting to tear down the old homes and the apartment build. Anybody have information on what is going up or a design?

I guess nobody lives in Niagara FALLS NY anymore that can answer your question DomMich... to bad!

I guess nobody lives in Niagara FALLS NY anymore that can answer your question DomMich... to bad!


What's really sad is that this hotel, if true is a private development and there is not one word of it in the Niagara Gazette, Buffalo News, NF Reporter or anywhere on the net. When something like this (no matter how small) is built it should be all over.

I guess nobody lives in Niagara FALLS NY anymore that can answer your question DomMich... to bad!

There actually are some things going on in NF:

- Court House
- Train Station / Underground Railroad
- NTCC
- Old Falls Street
- NCCC Culinary Center
- The new hotel I talked about
- Hotel Niagara
- United Office Building

If the Senaca's would add on even a little it could be the start of something....still not great but something.

How close is the United Office Building to being completed with permanent lights on? I love that building and cannot wait to see lights on for good!

I hope the Senecas do move forward with a new high rise hotel eventually, just to fill in the landscape a little bit.

What's going on with the new permanent Ski Hill, is it still a go?

How close is the United Office Building to being completed with permanent lights on? I love that building and cannot wait to see lights on for good!

I hope the Senecas do move forward with a new high rise hotel eventually, just to fill in the landscape a little bit.

What's going on with the new permanent Ski Hill, is it still a go?

On the snow park, this is the last I saw on 2/17/09...looks like they are going ahead with it.:

NIAGARA FALLS: Path plowed for snow park

Zoning board gives Anderson project final OK

As officials behind the planned Snow Park Niagara Falls left Tuesday’s Zoning Board of Appeals meeting, member Tony Scricco had one final thing to say:

“Please bring a few more attractions downtown.”

Scricco’s enthusiasm was echoed by the entire board, which paved the way for the $3 million park to become a reality by approving a special use permit. Now park officials will apply for building permits and have tentatively scheduled construction to begin March 1.

The year-round park being developed by businessman Joseph Anderson should be operating by June 1, said Jennifer Dougherty, an attorney with Phillips Lytle LLP, which is representing Snow Park LLC. It will use patented snow-making technology to offer a 60-foot-high sledding hill and an 80-by-200-foot synthetic ice skating rink.

“We feel there’s great benefits for the project to add to the tourism attractions in the falls,” Dougherty told ZBA members.

Anderson originally pitched the snow park to the city in October as a seasonal attraction on his 3 acres of vacant property off of Main Street between First and Second streets. The project’s scope later grew to a year-round attraction, which delayed the opening while appropriate city approvals were received.

Last week, planning board members approved the site plan and the zoning board followed suit Tuesday by allowing a special use permit for “amusement and recreation” at the site.

“It’s an excellent project,” Chief Inspector Guy Bax said.

In other action, ZBA members denied a variance application from an Ontario Avenue homeowner who was converting an existing carport into an enclosed family room. The board’s decision means the owner will have to take down the structure, which was being constructed without the proper permit over the past few months.



Winter 365 days a year

Here are the main features of the planned snow park scheduled to open this June on First Street:

• 50-foot-high and 325-foot-long snow tubing hill with up to eight sledding lanes.

• Synthetic 80-by-200-foot ice skating rink, accommodating 240 people at a time.

• Enclosed warming/cooling house selling tickets, snow gear and food and drinks.

• Portable bathrooms will be used, but the models are more advanced than the usual Porta Potties at outdoor events.

• The park will be a year-round attraction and planned hours are 8 a.m. to midnight.

• New Jersey-based company SnowMagic will use its patented “Infinite Crystals Snowmaking,” a technology that makes snow to any specification. The system works in any temperature by freezing water to create tiny snow crystals, which are blown out of the machine with explosive force, creating snow with a natural feel and texture. The snow is created without using chemicals[/I]

Is the courthouse being built on Main Street? I was driving down Main Street last week and I saw some construction, and I figured that it was the courthouse. I can't remember the intersection, but it was just south of the Whirlpool Bridge.

Is the courthouse being built on Main Street? I was driving down Main Street last week and I saw some construction, and I figured that it was the courthouse. I can't remember the intersection, but it was just south of the Whirlpool Bridge.

Yes- courthouse/police HQs

There was something else being built on Main Street, if I remember correctly. I think it was south of the courthouse.

Have they started the demolition of the Wintergardens yet?

http://www.niagara-gazette.com/local/local_story_118222053.html

Anybody attend the meeting? What is wrong with the State Park plan? What else could they do but get rid of the hill and put a road in?

new forumn on Niagara Falls

http://niagaraforum.blogspot.com/

Some progress on snow park;

http://www.buffalonews.com/cityregion/niagaracounty/story/686325.html

When is Doug Henning building Vedaland?

Good idea. Remove the Robert Moses Parkway. The only road in NF that has received any mantenience over the last 25 years. I work on Pine Ave and live in Tonawanda. I would take the pine exit off the 190 but the roads are so bad im forced to use Robert Moses Parkway just to avoid potholes.

exWNY'er, you must be old to remember that!! It was going to be in Niagara Falls, ON, but before it was built, Mr. Henning up and died, and left the whole thing "up in the air" :banana:

Having an ice day at Snow Park Niagara Falls....Snowpark opens Monday 6/15

http://www.niagara-gazette.com/local/local_story_161210837.html

Snow Park Niagara Falls - That is the lamest attraction yet. Who living in our neck of the woods would want to recreate what we all hate to think about over our short summer months.

Snow Park Niagara Falls - That is the lamest attraction yet. Who living in our neck of the woods would want to recreate what we all hate to think about over our short summer months.
Disagree. A lot of people enjoy the winter.

I agree, a lot of people do like winter. But how often do people in our region travel to cold locations during our summer months to get away from the heat? It doesn't even look nice or inviting. Portable toilettes, a nice touch as well. A winter theme park in Niagara is doomed to fail. The guy who built it must have got the money from the banks before the credit crunch.

^^It's still fun. Instead of going to an ice rank and skate inside, you can skate outside and get a tan while you do it.

I agree, a lot of people do like winter. But how often do people in our region travel to cold locations during our summer months to get away from the heat?
But they're not traveling to a cold location... they're staying in the hot weather. What do people do when it's hot out? They want to cool off. They crank up the AC or jump in a pool. How would it not be refreshing to sled down a snow hill on a sunny muggy 80 degree day?

I don't know how he's actually setting it up, so I would agree if he has porto-potties and does everything on the cheap then it will hurt his chances. He's gotta do it right, hopefully.

But they're not traveling to a cold location... they're staying in the hot weather. What do people do when it's hot out? They want to cool off. They crank up the AC or jump in a pool. How would it not be refreshing to sled down a snow hill on a sunny muggy 80 degree day?

I don't know how he's actually setting it up, so I would agree if he has porto-potties and does everything on the cheap then it will hurt his chances. He's gotta do it right, hopefully.



Jump in a pool yes, swim in a lake yes, have a cold beverage on a patio yes, go inside and roll around in some man made snow I think not. If you read the articles and check out the website with the images, you'll see that the tube hill looks to be nothing more then concrete painted white. When this thing shuts down in 2 years don't be shocked.

Its actually outside

Not the warming hut. Did you read the article?

From the Niagara Gazette

"Pauly said the snow making machines will begin running the first week of June and officials from SnowMagic will be overseeing the work daily. Preview events are being planned the week before the official opening. Anderson is also working with Red Bull to bring a snowboarding competition to the park on July 9, which is expected to draw a few thousand people to Niagara Falls, Pauly added."

Why are you concerned about a "warming hut". Obviously they will have some indoor areas. The bathrooms will most likely be indoors too.

If the hill looks like concrete it's probably because all the lanes weren't covered in snow yet... it was a test run.

So many people on here defending such a crap idea. It's no wonder why the NY side of the falls continues to fail. And images I saw of the tube run were complete. The only time they will actually have snow on them is November through March.:ohno:

Not really defending it... If it's going to fail spectacularly like you say then we only need to wait a few weeks to find out, right? Personally I think the skating rink alone could be a huge success just based on team training purposes alone. Throw in some tourists and it will survive. The snow hills could be a blast for kids on a hot day. There are many tourists from countries that aren't accustomed to snow, so there is potential. We will see soon enough.

Put it this way, it only has about 16 weeks of warm summer weather to make any money, it needs to make enough in that time to prove it can be a viable business. Has anybody on this forum been to it yet? And the prices seem a little steep for what you get.

"Has anybody gone yet?" Probably not. It's grand opening was about 24 hours ago on a Monday. :) I will definitely check it out sometime this summer. Locals like us would probably do just that - go once or twice per year at most. They need to tap into the tourist crowd to really make money I think. We will see.

I doubt people will at $25 per adult.

SnowPark :lol: - $25 for the day
Darian Lake - $25.99 season pass $45.00

The place just looks half assed and depressing, just what downtown NF NY needs.

http://www.snowparkniagara.com/slideshow.gif

Snow Park Niagara Falls - That is the lamest attraction yet. Who living in our neck of the woods would want to recreate what we all hate to think about over our short summer months.


With some good luck, maybe it will enjoy the success of the Wintergarden.

I doubt people will at $25 per adult.

SnowPark :lol: - $25 for the day
Darian Lake - $25.99 season pass $45.00
To be more accurate:

Darien Lake Adult ticket (online) ~ $26
Darien Lake Adult ticket (at gate) ~ $38
Darien Lake season passes ~ $62

Snow Park 1 Day passes are $13.

I think they've realized the $25/day was too high.

Already struggling to get people are they? Dropping the cost by almost 1/2 price is a sign of things to come. NFNY needs a real attraction to draw people to it (other then the falls). It's too bad they couldn't restore it to what it once was. Think of how well it would do if it looked like Niagara on the Lake, drawing on the local and regional history to bring in the crowds. Without some sort of master plan, NYNF is a lost cause.

Put it this way, it only has about 16 weeks of warm summer weather to make any money, it needs to make enough in that time to prove it can be a viable business. Has anybody on this forum been to it yet? And the prices seem a little steep for what you get.

Not defending the place but I think it can operate all winter long without any problem.

Sounds like maybe a highrise on the river!

The Niagara County Industrial Development Agency is considering tax breaks to help a Canadian company reopen two Niagara Falls hotels.

The IDA board accepted applications Wednesday from the Merani Group of Companies, based in Niagara Falls, Ont., for payment-in-lieu of taxes arrangements, or PILOTs, to help it buy the former Inn on the River and the former Fallside Inn.

In both cases, the Merani Group asked for 15-year PILOTs, but in the case of the Fallside, which may be demolished in whole or in part, the IDA voted to offer as many as five years fully tax-free instead of making the company pay a percentage of the full taxable value.

“We can craft a custom PILOT on a case-by-case basis,” IDA Chairman Henry M. Sloma said.

Damon DeCastro, attorney for the Merani Group, said that it would take two years or more to renovate the two hotels, there will be no income, and a total tax exemption would be appropriate.

The board unanimously voted to offer at least two years of complete tax exemption on the Fallside, with three more to be granted if the hoteliers meet certain benchmarks. IDA counsel Mark J. Gabriele said those targets will be negotiated before the IDA holds public hearings on the two tax abatements Aug. 11.

Gabriele said the benchmarks will probably be levels of cash investment, since no jobs will be created at first. Once open, the company projects 75 jobs at Fallside and 30 at the Inn on the River.

“This is a slippery slope,” warned Lockport Mayor Michael W. Tucker, the IDA vice chairman. “I certainly wouldn’t want to consider this on every project that came across this table.”

But Sloma noted that the Town of Lockport IDA “set a new standard for incentives in Niagara County” by giving the Yahoo! data center 10 years of total tax freedom.

DeCastro said Niagara Falls hotels have to compete with the Seneca Niagara Hotel behind the casino, which, being on Indian land, is totally tax-free.

“We ask you to place them in a position where they can compete,” DeCastro told the IDA board.

The Fallside would be purchased by a new company called Merani Hospitality, and the Inn on the River, 7001 Buffalo Ave., would be bought by LaSalle Hospitality. The Fallside is now owned by Niagara Hospitalities and the Inn on the River by Niagara Group Hotels.

The properties are currently being foreclosed upon by mortgage holder GE Capital Corp., and taxes are far in arrears. As part of the purchases, the Merani Group would pay some $1.6 million in delinquent property, sales and room taxes, DeCastro said.

The Merani Group, which has two Niagara Falls, Ont., hotels, has owned the Holiday Inn at 114 Buffalo Ave., since 2005.

The city has approved an 80- room expansion at the Holiday Inn, even contributing a $500,000 grant, but that project is now on hold and the grant may be shifted to one of the other hotels, DeCastro said.

The Inn on the River will have about 150 rooms and the new Fallside 200 rooms, said Faisal Merani, president of the new companies.

DeCastro said the design of the new Fallside property depends in part on whether the city revises its 20-story height restriction for downtown buildings. It could be a high-rise, he said.

The fire-damaged Inn on the River will take less work to reopen, Merani said.

“We’re hands-on operators. We don’t like investing too far from our home base,” he said. “We think the prospects in Niagara Falls, N. Y., are good; good enough to put money into it in the long term.”

The purchase prices were not disclosed.

But the Merani Group intends to plow $15 million into the fire-damaged Inn on the River and $20 million to $30 million into the new complex on the Fallside site, DeCastro said.

I think a highrise at the Fallsview location would be a mistake. Cap the height to 6 or 8 floors along the rapids- anything inside Rainbow Boulevard can be a free for all. NF Ontario is a disaster- architecturally, aesthetically and from a planning perspective. That wall of hotels is obnoxious.

NF Ontario is a disaster- architecturally, aesthetically and from a planning perspective. That wall of hotels is obnoxious.


Funny thing is on the Canadian side they don't impact the view of the falls at all. The real eyesore are the numerous rotting factories that dot the river on the NY side. Industry is what brought people to the area in the first place, only back in the early days of both sides of the falls the industry was fueled by cheap electricity for factories. The Canadian side has managed to switch from one industry to another (tourism), it's about time the American side did as well.

I agree some of the hotels are architectural disasters, I would say from a planning perspective they are anything but a mistake. All are situated to give optimal views to the thousands of guests that occupy their rooms each week.

Pics of the new falls street. Anybody been there yet? If so can you post pictures, especially of the Mist feature.

http://www.niagara-gazette.com/local/local_story_206233956.html

All are situated to give optimal views to the thousands of guests that occupy their rooms each week.
On one of four sides.

Last I checked the Falls were only on the one side. Most people I would think that stay at the Falls would want a room that commands a Falls view. That's why the new hotels are taller, thinner with rooms on one side.
These kids actually thought the skyline in the background was a nice backdrop.Taken by: whoafiestacopix on flickr.com
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2443/3765175642_5f6be40066_o.jpg


Also equally offensive are the lights on the Native Casino's hotel.

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3534/3764633155_668f0743a1_o.jpg


This thing has been an eyesore since it was built.
Taken by :jpowers65 on flickr.com
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2618/3762020883_751235b4a5_b.jpg



Here''s an idea, instead of focusing your time on what you don't like about the successful Canadian side, why don't we think of ways to create a better NF American side.

I'm not saying that I found those things attractive, either. Frankly, the only man-made aspects of the Falls I've ever cared for are the United Building, the Occidental "flashcube" (just because), the gardens on the Canadian side, and to some extent the Skylon (though I look at it now and it just looks...dated). The Seneca Casino, yeah, I find that big blue sore thumb about as offensive as the entire Canadian side skyline put together.

For something so modern, I would just expect less concrete or something. And not Vegas, but let's have some architectural thought process here. Those buildings would have more glass were they built in Buffalo for chrissakes. And for another example, the tower with "Casino" down the side in your last picture is too tacky even for Vegas. I'd rather look at the big "MOTEL" sign by the Rainbow Bridge on that side.

I agree too much concrete, but there is something I like about the Casino hotel building. I find the glass roof a classy touch. I hoping that the new tower in the works will have a better design but I'm not holding my breath. I don't think the city of NFO or NFNY should give out building permits without them being approved by a design panel.r man


As for man made structures I like in NF -

Skylon Tower
Minolta Tower
Casino Tower
SkyWheel
Fallsview Casino Resort
United Office Building
Crown Plaza Hotel
Grand Hotel Niagara
I like the flash cube building as well
Table Rock House Plaza The Spanish Gondola

‘One Stop Family Center’ takes shape in Falls

http://www.buffalonews.com/cityregion/niagaracounty/story/748799.html

Building looks pretty nice.

I joined this group so i could read and perhaps reply to some of the posts I read here. I found that as I read on most of the posts were from angry sounding people who did more grumbling about what they considered "bad" more than anything! Im sure that if people went to their places and saw what they had erected for their homes, not everyone would be in agreement. I think from what I'm reading most of the people who are claiming that both sides ofthe falls are so ugly would also be the same people who would consider a path in a forest wrong becuase it was out of place! These buildings, lights and attractions aren't going to be going any place soon, so get over it and lets have some intelligent dialogs about how to improve whats coming and see if we can maybe bring some good ideas forward to improve any future developments. Living in downtown Niagara Falls, I've noticed that almost every spot downtown is a destination in itself. The flow from one business to the next is very disjoined and nothing to tie anything together. If you look back on old photos of any downtown city, you'll notice th elines of stores and places of interest running along the streets. A friend of mine was looking at a recently closed bar property, across from the casino. He found that the owner wanted to charge him $5000, a month for the use of the bar name!!! My friend wasn't even going to use the name! Second, the bar owner claimed that the rent was so high because this is "downtown" Niagara Falls and that alone was reason to charge so much, +$5000 in rent! I find that the property owners have this idea that their property is worth so much more than it actually is, they are the ones who are hurting the Falls more than anything. The United Building for example, Carl is trying to get people to move into the building, at the rate of $1,500 per month. $5000 per month for the top floors! Personal greed is whats doing it! Lower the rents and prices just to get people downtown and then start raisig things from there! Who wants to spend $1500 to live in an area with nothing to do. During the "great power outage" a few years gas stations were over charging people, some were held accountable by paying very high fines. The souvenior stores are not any better! I ran out of batteries one day and decided to pop into one rght by the circle downtown here, Mistake!! Two AA batteries were $9.00 and they were from 2001, and they were a no name brand. Even the Deny's here is crazy! $12.00 for a cheeseburger and fries, without a drink!

One of the things I hear most often from the store owners is that they have to charge as much as they can while the tourists are here. I could understand that if there were none, but during a walk over to Canada there were thousands of tourists over there. The falls are always here, we don't shut them off in the winter! The old phrase comes to mind, "Build it and they will come". There are toursits here all during the winter, but they quickly leave because most everything is closed here right after Labor Day, if not by October. I don't know if anyone remembers, there were things to do in the winter around here. I used to come to the falls during the winter to go to the festival of lights. Oh sure they have light displays set up in Hyde park, but no one gets out of the cars and it's all a drive through thing. I have to get ready to go to work now, or else I find I could keep going and going on things, I'd like to be able to present ideas of how to improve things, but I find that in Niagara Falls, if you aren't Italian, they really dont want anything to do with you or your ideas! The ol' boys club is alive and kicking around here, if it weren't so then why are there so many FBI probes and such here???

I guess my final thought here is more of a math question, why charge $50 per item when you can sell them for less and to more people. I'm sorry about rambling on, and I appologize about my spelling. If you're the type of person who's goign to make rude comments about my spelling, you're probably one of the people I was talking about in the first part of this rant! Get past it, and lets get down to real discussions and solutions!

Testing how this works, here is a shot out my window!

http://i42.photobucket.com/albums/e333/gussieboo/sunsetagain.jpg

The great clouds a few weeks back!

http://i42.photobucket.com/albums/e333/gussieboo/closeupofcanada.jpg

I like walking by the gorge!

http://i42.photobucket.com/albums/e333/gussieboo/gorgeclouds.jpg

this is from the storm on 8-5-09 about 1 am.

http://i42.photobucket.com/albums/e333/gussieboo/lightingsmall.jpg

Very nice pics....Where those taken from the Holiday Inn?

If you don't mind, for those of us out of towners....could you post pics of the demo of the wintergarden and the new "old falls street"...mist fountian etc.

Thanks

I joined this group so i could read and perhaps reply to some of the posts I read here. I found that as I read on most of the posts were from angry sounding people who did more grumbling about what they considered "bad" more than anything! Im sure that if people went to their places and saw what they had erected for their homes, not everyone would be in agreement. I think from what I'm reading most of the people who are claiming that both sides ofthe falls are so ugly would also be the same people who would consider a path in a forest wrong becuase it was out of place! These buildings, lights and attractions aren't going to be going any place soon, so get over it and lets have some intelligent dialogs about how to improve whats coming and see if we can maybe bring some good ideas forward to improve any future developments. Living in downtown Niagara Falls, I've noticed that almost every spot downtown is a destination in itself. The flow from one business to the next is very disjoined and nothing to tie anything together. If you look back on old photos of any downtown city, you'll notice th elines of stores and places of interest running along the streets. A friend of mine was looking at a recently closed bar property, across from the casino. He found that the owner wanted to charge him $5000, a month for the use of the bar name!!! My friend wasn't even going to use the name! Second, the bar owner claimed that the rent was so high because this is "downtown" Niagara Falls and that alone was reason to charge so much, +$5000 in rent! I find that the property owners have this idea that their property is worth so much more than it actually is, they are the ones who are hurting the Falls more than anything. The United Building for example, Carl is trying to get people to move into the building, at the rate of $1,500 per month. $5000 per month for the top floors! Personal greed is whats doing it! Lower the rents and prices just to get people downtown and then start raisig things from there! Who wants to spend $1500 to live in an area with nothing to do. During the "great power outage" a few years gas stations were over charging people, some were held accountable by paying very high fines. The souvenior stores are not any better! I ran out of batteries one day and decided to pop into one rght by the circle downtown here, Mistake!! Two AA batteries were $9.00 and they were from 2001, and they were a no name brand. Even the Deny's here is crazy! $12.00 for a cheeseburger and fries, without a drink!

One of the things I hear most often from the store owners is that they have to charge as much as they can while the tourists are here. I could understand that if there were none, but during a walk over to Canada there were thousands of tourists over there. The falls are always here, we don't shut them off in the winter! The old phrase comes to mind, "Build it and they will come". There are toursits here all during the winter, but they quickly leave because most everything is closed here right after Labor Day, if not by October. I don't know if anyone remembers, there were things to do in the winter around here. I used to come to the falls during the winter to go to the festival of lights. Oh sure they have light displays set up in Hyde park, but no one gets out of the cars and it's all a drive through thing. I have to get ready to go to work now, or else I find I could keep going and going on things, I'd like to be able to present ideas of how to improve things, but I find that in Niagara Falls, if you aren't Italian, they really dont want anything to do with you or your ideas! The ol' boys club is alive and kicking around here, if it weren't so then why are there so many FBI probes and such here???

I guess my final thought here is more of a math question, why charge $50 per item when you can sell them for less and to more people. I'm sorry about rambling on, and I appologize about my spelling. If you're the type of person who's goign to make rude comments about my spelling, you're probably one of the people I was talking about in the first part of this rant! Get past it, and lets get down to real discussions and solutions!

Yikes, you need to space that out!

I agree with your general points. Prices can't be too high, otherwise no one will buy the stuff. Which way will the businesses go on the bell curve? Will they lower prices and make less profit per unit, but get more customers, or raise prices more, and make an even bigger killing per unit, but then have even less customers? Clearly, from a somewhat macroeconomic perspective, prices need to come down, because getting more people is somewhat of a goal in and of itself in the tourism industry.

By the way, pictures like yours, that aren't really relevant to actual developing or construction or whatnot, don't really belong in these threads. If you have random pictures that you want to post, you can either create a thread based on a general theme (the city itself as the theme is enough, and there are several examples in the Northeast section), or put random pictures in the Northeast Photo Thread (http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showthread.php?t=601887). Also, if you have a few pictures, like the 5 there, it is preferred that you post them at once, instead of making 5 separate posts within 5 or 10 minutes of each other.

you know gussieboo, for someone who thinks other people bitch alot you sure did have alot of bitching to do.

I agree, I changed the title of my post to "rant" after I re-read some points. The point I was trying to make was that some people were complaining that the ugly buildings and such were the reasons why things in the falls are failing. I wanted to point out some non-building situations thatdon't create a friendly return over and over kind of feel. If for example a family of four comes here to the falls for the weekend, one dinner at Denny's will cost them about $80-$100, trust me I've seen it at the next booth over! When on vacation, most people want familiar places to eat, its a shame that small mom and pop places don't get the attention, but the families want something they know, and trust. The value don't meet the worth, and being in the falls for more than one day gets quite boring, you can see most everything on this side in a matter of hours.

Thanks for pointing it out how bitchy I sounded, but it just upsets me when people tr to put the blame on everything else except where the problems are.

As for the out of towners, here are a few pics of the "development" of the new mall area.

Oh! Before I forget....... the new mist feature was completed a few weeks ago,and I do have some pics somewhere of that. I take hundreds of photos a day and don't archive them as well as I should, but anyways. I went back over to the mist feature to shoot new photos and I see it's once again all torn up! From what I can saw before, people were able to walk easily into the area and become soaked in a matter of seconds. Since it was originally completed, the area directly surrounding the feature has been raised to meet the street, the area was then sunken, not sure at this point if the rocks will be raised either, but the water spouts have already been raised.

It would be a shame if they didn't raise the rocks, the previous level can be seen in the photo and it's about a foot or so below the strings which show the new level to which the floor will be! So the rocks will actually be loosing about a foot in height if they don't raise them also, and from what it looks like, they're almost ready to pour new concrete again, so I don't think they will raise the rocks!

the new mist feature, take 2!
http://i42.photobucket.com/albums/e333/gussieboo/newmistfeature.jpg

The completed pedestrian area, complete with anit-skateboard pegs on the concrete sitting areas!
http://i42.photobucket.com/albums/e333/gussieboo/newmallbywintergardens.jpg

this is infront of the old souvenier shops directly across from the entrance to the park. I'm not sure if there'll be flowers, but right now there are just tons of weed ooking plants. It looks like there maybe water comletely surrounding the new mall area. There are metel "bridges" over certain areas which look as if they are going to hold water!!! That will be interesting to see a stream there!
http://i42.photobucket.com/albums/e333/gussieboo/newgardenbywintergarden.jpg


Now the old wintergarden demo!

http://i42.photobucket.com/albums/e333/gussieboo/wintergarden-1.jpg

as it looked this morning at about 6:30 am,
http://i42.photobucket.com/albums/e333/gussieboo/oldwintergarden.jpg

nice photos.

i didn't mean to attack you, i just though it was ironic.

i agree fully with you about the overpricing of the attractions in niagara falls. it mostly price gouging on behalf of a few opportunistic business owners.

on the topic of condo/apartment pricing; understand that there are significant costs involved in new construction and/or large scale renovation. as a result such projects demand one of two things in order to be profitable, high rents, or high levels of public subsidy. unfortunately in WNY's tough economic climalte there are less people who can afford these high rents. i think its preferable to let the developer aim for high rents and fail, rather than make the public responsible for the cost of a projects failure.

either way its a tough situation. if a developer can't guarantee enough per unit to recoup construction costs, than the project won't happen at all. i guess they need to find a balance between what is needed per unit to make a project profitable, and what their target market can afford.
i personally advocate more modest rehabs of aged buildings, and simpler, smaller, and more modest new construction as better for a city than high profile, high dollar building.

as far as your friend and the over priced retail/restaurant space, thats simply retarded. i think some of these property owners simply keep vacant commercial properties and use the losses as tax write offs for other occupied properties they own.

Great pictures gussieboo...thanks

I will miss the wintergardens, but the new street looks great. If they can just get retail to open up in the rainbow centre and add a retail building in front of the hotel near the United Office Building then Falls Street could be something again.

Couple of things:

- The Wax Museum building needs some SERIOUS updating.
- I hope the put a nice facade on the Rainbow Centre...have they heard about brick and windows in NF yet?

The streets look really nice and inviting. But that Wax Museum could use a nice power washing.

Are there and incentives for a business to move in to that area?

It seems like a waist if they are just going to let it sit there empty after spending millions redoing it.

Whats replacing the Winter Garden? I know they are extending the street, but are they leaving land to be developed?

The only new land which opened up is in front of the hotel, but its not a very big parcel. But it did open up the front of the Rainbow Centre to the new street. Hopefully if the people involved can be honest and really look out for the best interest of the city (which is a big IF), at least part of the mall can be reopened.

The city and the current owner of the rainbow mall have been in court for many years about who faulted first on the agreements. There is once again new talks about what to put in there. Currently, the culinary institute which was originally looking at the Crowne Plaza location has recently been contacting Cordish (the owner) to use a portion of the rainbow mall as their school. A school is an ok idea, but still missing the point. A school is a closed location, not accessable to the general public. I'd be more underatanding if the school or outside businesses were allowed to use the outer spots. The tourists are looking for things to do, not look at a school they can't interact with. I don't know how to express it here, but in other tourist areas, stores and shopsare located one after the other in quick succession.
If you walk down thrid street starting at Rainbow blvd, there is the Jefferson Aprartments which has a restaurant called Murphy's cafe, Although nice, it's the only place to eat. From there you have to walk almost a whole block past a usually empty $10 parking lot. Past that is a store front pentocostal church, no tourism there, upstairs in this buiding are doctors and lawyrs offices. True the small garden planting there are cute, but not anything worth a tourist to stop and admire. From there you walk past a slate grey building with large window shoing a next to empty room with a few old looking pitcures of the Falls. It's the Castalletti Art Museum. Try open the door! Nope they're lockeed! There is hardly ever any ads or anything, not even things one would associate with art goin on in that window! Again, nothing for tourists to do here!

Now we move along past an alley that has just a dumpster in it to the ACS building, large signs whch say "preoected by federal agents" Unless I hadn't been paying student loans, i never would have known what this building was for. Once again no interest for tourist here! Ok that now takes you across old falls street to the "starbucks" Whoohoo, a large corporation name, something tourists love and feel safe with. No wonder it's contastantly full and doing quite well! It's located in a cut out section of the Crowne Plaza. Ok, unless you're staying at that hotel, you dont have any reason to go in there becuase there isn't much of anything there either, except for the more than often closed sports bar. Ok, walk further down, you pass two closed offices, one used tobe a post office! Next, suprise suprise and other parking lot! That rounds out the block that sits directly across from the casino. If so many people plain that the location across from the casino aren't doing well, look what they are offering! In all that location i just mentioned, only one tourst spot. My suggestion is to use the groud level store fronts for tourist businesses. There are alot of people walking around there, but nothing for them to do! Do I have to go further by detailing each block? Just open google maps and go to the "street" view click up and down the street to find things to do. When you do, you'll ntice that each spot is seperate and away from anything else! Usually surrounded by a huge parking lot. Think of the premise that makes malls so popular, all the stores conveniently located together and you can easily stroll form one to the next! Lets get it together and push for better commerce rater than things that will push people out of the buildings!

AIRPORT: “Landmark” terminal dedicated

The building isn’t quite finished, not all of the funding is in place and the difficult task of finding more air carriers to use it still lies ahead.

But on Wednesday those involved in the dedication ceremony at Niagara Falls International Airport focused on the significant accomplishment of the day: The actual construction of a state-of-the-art, $31.5 million passenger terminal that people in Niagara County have been talking about building for many, many years.

“This is a landmark of which we can all be proud and, indeed, we are ready to take off,” said Henry Sloma, chairman of the Niagara Frontier Transportation Authority and a driving force behind the terminal’s development project.

At 69,430-square-feet, the new terminal is roughly triple the size of the old structure. Construction was handled by Walter S. Johnson Building Co. of the Falls. It was designed by Stantec Consulting with a curved roof intended to evoke the image of flowing water and the Niagara rapids. The structure offers several significant upgrades over its predecessor, including modern inspection facilities, in-line baggage screening and free Wi-Fi access. The main draw remains a feature that has been at the airport for years — runways long enough to accommodate larger 747 and 757 aircraft which are unable to land at nearby Buffalo Niagara International Airport, also operated by the NFTA. Long-time supporters of the terminal’s development believe the new features and the existing runways will make the Falls an attractive destination for international tourists, especially those from Europe and Asia.

“We at the authority see this facility as an economic engine,” Sloma said.



Stepping to the podium

Sloma and other members of the NFTA were credited with sticking with the terminal construction project which experienced several years of ups and downs, including a failed effort to privatize the facility under a partnership with the Spanish firm, Cintra.

State Sen. George Maziarz, R-Newfane, who started working on the airport project when he held a community forum on the subject back in 1996, said with the disappointments of the past now in the past he’s confident passengers and cargo companies will discover the facility, spurring economic development in the surrounding area and throughout the community.

“This space and this airport is ripe for development,” he said.

The terminal construction project is part of a larger $42.5 million improvement effort at the Falls airport that includes $11 million in new apron and landside improvements. The overall project is being funded, in part, with funds from the city’s casino slots revenue share. And while local elected officials squabbled for months over the best use of those funds, all agreed Wednesday that setting aside a portion for terminal development may well turn out to be the most productive use of all.

“Right here, right now is proof that progress and development is happening right here in Niagara Falls and Niagara County,” said state Assemblywoman Francine DelMonte, D-Lewiston.

Mayor Paul Dyster thanked the citizens of Niagara Falls for allowing a portion of the city’s casino dollars to be used for the project. He also thanked several “unsung heroes” who helped the cause, including prominent Niagara Falls hotelier John Prozeralik, who for many years found himself at odds with NFTA officials over their handling of air travel accommodations in the Falls.

“He was the guy who never lost faith in this effort,” Dyster said.



Let people know it’s here

One low-cost carrier showed faith in the existing Falls airport two years ago, generating the bulk of the passenger traffic inside the old terminal. Direct Air, which offers low-cost flights from the Falls to Myrtle Beach, S.C., is pleased with the response to its local service so far, according to company President Ed Warneck. He said Myrtle Beach flights have been especially popular among customers north of the border as more than 50 percent of Direct Air’s Falls customers come from Canada.

“I think this is going to be monumental to the future of Niagara Falls,” Warneck said.

While enthusiastic about the possibilities offered by the new terminal, Warneck said proper marketing will be the key to any future success. In that regard, Warneck said, the community has to be prepared to undertake the significant challenge ahead.

“It’s not going to encourage people to come to this destination,” he said of the new terminal. “What encourages people to come to the destination is marketing.”

Elected officials attending Wednesday’s ceremony generally agreed with Warneck’s assessment, acknowledging that much more work needs to be done in terms of convincing additional carriers to consider the Falls for their operations.

“This is the end of one very long journey, but it’s the beginning of a whole new journey and that journey begins today,” Maziarz said.



In talks with potential air carrier

Maziarz and NFTA officials met this week with a representative from Kenny Tours to discuss a potential business partnership. The Maryland-based carrier has been looking at the Falls facility as a potential location for flights to and from Ireland. The company had planned to move forward with that project last year, but were forced to put them on hold when it could not secure the aircraft needed to support the service.

Bob Nay, sales and marketing manager for Kenny Tours who attended Wednesday’s ceremony as part of a visit to Niagara County this week, said there’s an “80 percent” chance a new deal will be worked out soon.

“There’s a very good possibility for 2010 that we will begin a series of flights to and from Ireland,” Nay said.



Terminal financing questions and work to be done

Financing for the terminal remains an issue for the NFTA. Executive Director Lawrence Meckler said the project still has a budget gap of between $13 million and $14 million. He said the agency hopes in time, and as the economy improves, the state of New York will be able to help make up the difference.

“Over a period of time, we’re looking for them to help us,” he said.

Meckler said there are still several “punch list” items that must be completed before the new terminal officially opens to passengers. He said all of the work is expected to be completed by October.

“I would expect that within the next 60 days we would be transitioning from the old (terminal) to the new,” Meckler said.

Maziarz suggested a possible use for the old terminal which he believes would make an ideal location for aviation artifacts held by the Ira G. Ross Aerospace Museum. The attraction, which gives visitors a better understanding of the history of aviation in Western New York, relocated to Buffalo last year after several years of operation in downtown Niagara Falls.



AIRPORT IMPROVEMENTS

The new Niagara Falls International Airport terminal offers the following advantages:

• TWO MILES OF RUNWAYS: The facility’s runways can accommodate the largest aircraft in the world. The main runway has a take-off length of 10,825 feet.

• ACCESSIBILITY TO FALLS: The facility is strategically located in the Buffalo Niagara region, including the eight counties of Western New York and Ontario, Canada. The region is within 500 miles of 55 percent of the U.S. population and 62 percent of the Canadian population.

• LOW COSTS: Landing fees for the facility are 90 cents per 1,000 pounds maximum takeoff weight and terminal use fee is $75 minimum per flight or 75 cents per passenger, whichever is greater.

• STRONG REGIONAL AIRPORT SYSTEM: Nearby Buffalo Niagara International Airport cannot accommodate long-haul international service. Niche carriers will be attracted to the benefits of the Niagara Region and the lower costs at the Falls airport.

• ACCESSIBILITY: The new terminal will operate 24 hours per day with fast and efficient customs clearance, no landing restrictions and less congestion than traditionally found at larger airports.

• ECONOMIC IMPACT: NFTA officials estimate that each visitor spends at least $200 in the Niagara Falls region. The existing terminal’s primary carrier, Direct Air, provided more than $1.5 million impact to the region in 2008. The construction project had an estimated impact on the local economy of about $120 million.

Whats replacing the Winter Garden? I know they are extending the street, but are they leaving land to be developed?


Just what Niagara Falls NY needs, more land "to be developed."

Falls restaurateur proposes carousel on Rainbow Boulevard

NIAGARA FALLS— A co-owner of the Como Restaurant is seeking city approval to put a carousel on a vacant Rainbow Boulevard parcel where a helium balloon once operated.

Restaurateur Louis Antonacci has signed a lease with a company controlled by Cordish Development Cos. of Baltimore to use a parcel at 310 Rainbow Blvd., and he wants to install a carousel on the site until the owner finds another use for the land, architect David Giusiana said.

Giusiana said Antonacci has wanted to install a carousel in the downtown area for several years.

Antonacci, who held a vending lease with the city to operate the West Mall before it was reconstructed this year, also plans to operate a small shop and takeout restaurant in a building that once housed the offices for the balloon ride.

The Planning Board on Wednesday postponed voting on the proposal until its next meeting. Board members said they wanted to see more details about the size and design of the carousel and a copy of Antonacci’s lease agreement for the land before approving the site plan.

Giusiana said Antonacci does not plan to purchase the carousel until the proposal receives city approval.

He told the Planning Board that Antonacci’s lease for the land is temporary and can be revoked if a “higher and better use comes along.”

The land is owned by Rainbow Square Two Limited, a company controlled by Cordish Development. Cordish Development developed the Rainbow Centre mall and a nearby building that houses the Hard Rock Cafe.

Giusiana said the merry-go-round would likely shut down in the winter but would remain on the site. He said it would be more permanent than the type of carousel found at local festivals.

“It would be more than a temporary installation,” Giusiana said.

Also included in the plans submitted to the Planning Board is a proposal to place an 80-foot Ferris wheel on the site, but Giusiana called the Ferris wheel “speculative” and said it would depend on the cost of installing such an attraction.

“That was purely a dream-case scenario,” Giusiana said. “If you’re going to put more stuff on the site, what would you do?”

Planning Board member Tim Polka said he was opposed to the plan to erect what could become a temporary amusement ride on the land. Other board members said they wanted more details before they made a decision.

“I’m in total disagreement with it,” Polka said. “I think that corner has got to be fixed up and utilized the proper way.”

http://www.buffalonews.com/cityregion/niagaracounty/story/805833.html

That's the best proposal to hit the NY Falls area in a long time. Though it may be a small thing it will work at giving the area some much needed life. That can only attract more people and business to the area.

Polka sounds like an idiot, what else will go at that location right now?

Right now this area is home to a whole circle of tents housing picnic tables serving "indian foods"

Great episode of "The Office" last night. I predict tourism gold for Niagara Falls. If you saw it, you will know what I mean.

NF Ontario is a disaster- architecturally, aesthetically and from a planning perspective. That wall of hotels is obnoxious.


You got that right. Those towers ruin the perspective and their overscaled proportions diminish the visual impact of the falls. But since they are there, The whole area might as well be developed with walls of high rises surrounding a once-grand natural wonder turned urban park water feature. Maybe NF NY can be a Doha to NF ONT's Dubai. :rant:

Those towers ruin the perspective

Not from the Ontario side, and it arguably has the best view to begin with of both falls. Some of those towers are ugly though and if you hate them now you're going to be really upset when you find out what's on it's way. The argument about it being a ruined natural wonder carries little value. Of all of the worlds natural wonders this one has done more to accelerate invention and industrialization then all others combined. It's played an important role in the advancement of human society. Mind you if you want to discuss ugly messes on the Niagara, one only needs to glance upstream to see the mess of rusting away industry on the NY side.

Taken by: flyingburritto on flickr.com
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2410/2425575492_e125f42ce4_b.jpg

Here is a typical NFO view. Usually nothing but nature

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3159/2966617932_017e0e93a9_b.jpg

One more thing, in a few thousand years it will retreat towards Lake Eerie Making Buffalo the new hot Falls spot so hang in there.

One more thing, in a few thousand years it will retreat towards Lake Eerie Making Buffalo the new hot Falls spot so hang in there.

wow I can't wait :lol:

NIAGARA FALLS: Schumer, mayor will met with real estate mogul Milstein

He controls large amounts of prime South End real estate.

Yet Howard Milstein, the money man behind Niagara Falls Redevelopment has done little to actually develop that land and has battled with a succession of Falls mayors.

In an effort to change the situation, U.S. Sen. Charles Schumer said Monday he and Falls Mayor Paul Dyster will meet with Milstein soon to discuss his future investment in the Cataract City. Schumer said the meeting was agreed upon in a phone conversation he had with Milstein on Friday.

“(Milstein) said in the past, his dealings with prior administrations were not good,” Schumer said. “So I suggested we should discuss getting him involved again and moving all those properties forward.”

The billionaire New York City-based real estate mogul owns hundreds of acres of South End property, most of it open fields or vacant buildings.

Dyster said he had asked Schumer to reach out to Milstein.

“With development beginning to break loose (in the Falls), we thought it was important to bring Mr. Milstein back,” Dyster said.

The mayor hopes meeting Milstein will raise the city’s profile with him.

“He’s a billionaire developer who owns property all around the world,” Dyster said. “We’ve often been told Niagara Falls is not a high priority for him. If (Schumer) indicates to him development is on the rise, that’s good.”

Neither Schumer nor the mayor were making any predictions about what they hope to achieve in a meeting with Milstein.

“There is no promise he is going to do anything,” Schumer said. “Just the promise that he will listen and maybe, when we get our heads together, we’ll be able to come up with something very good for Niagara Falls.”

Schumer also pledged support for efforts to locate Niagara County Community College’s new Culinary Arts Institute in the long-abandoned Rainbow Centre Mall. The senator said NCCC officials told him they have raised $17.5 million of the project’s projected $20 million price tag.

“I am pledging to do everything I can to get federal support for (the remaining $2.5 million),” the senator said.

Surrounded by construction activity on the site of the former Wintergarden, Schumer said the culinary institute could help spur South End revitalization. The senator also said the facility could be a catalyst that would bring thousands of people to the city and make Niagara Falls a landmark culinary destination in the state.

“It brings things to a downtown area,” Schumer said. “It brings people and tourism and restaurants. It will be a creme de la creme of cooking schools.”

http://www.niagara-gazette.com/local/local_story_321005634.html

Eminent domain!

Eminent domain!

^^
YES. He's nothing more than a speculator that thought the casino would spur a rush of developers looking to build projects in NF, NY and he'd make a killing selling pieces off to the highest bidder. He's a sucker, and now NF is the loser.

Falls restaurateur proposes carousel on Rainbow Boulevard

NIAGARA FALLS— A co-owner of the Como Restaurant is seeking city approval to put a carousel on a vacant Rainbow Boulevard parcel where a helium balloon once operated.



If a helium balloon wasn’t enough to lift the prospects of the Falls, it’ll be interesting to see what revitalizing wonders a carousel might bring.

New N.F. hotel opening soon

With a nod to an elegant past, the Hotel Giacomo will welcome its first guests just before the Thanksgiving holiday week.

By all accounts, the hotel’s opening is a significant moment in Niagara Falls history. It represents the rebirth of an architectural icon that dominates the skyline but also stands as a prime example of new, private-sector investment in the Cataract City.

The 20-story, former United Office Building had been vacant since the early 1980s and represented something else entirely. It was considered an urban planning eyesore until top bidder Ellicott Development Co. took a nearly $7.2 million risk to bring it back to life.

The building has 22 apartments on 10 floors, office space for USA Niagara Development Corp. and a top-floor lounge for apartment and hotel guests. It is anchored by the 38-room boutique hotel, which is scheduled to open Nov. 20.

“I’m jumping out of my skin,” said Carl Paladino, Ellicott Development president.

Niagara Falls tourism officials say the hotel is a welcome addition to the region. It will cater to a targeted audience: corporate and upscale travelers.

Early reservations are strong, according to Paladino.

“It’s a good addition to our portfolio,” said John Percy, president of Niagara Tourism & Convention Corp.

The building has been open for several months.

USA Niagara Development moved in first.

Of the 22 apartments, a dozen are leased. Several others are expected to be leased soon, Paladino said.

The art-deco design is one of the building’s calling cards. The structure opened in 1929, just a few months before the stock market crash of that year and subsequent Great Depression.

It was originally built as the corporate home for the United Hotel chain. Later, it served as headquarters for Hooker Chemical Co.

Until the 2005 opening of the 26-story Seneca Niagara Casino & Hotel, the building was known as the tallest in Niagara Falls.




http://buffalo.bizjournals.com/buffalo/stories/2009/11/16/daily42.html

Upscale hotel set to open in the Falls

Link to video

http://www.wivb.com/dpp/living/Upscale-hotel-set-to-open-in-the-Falls

Rapids Theatre ready to rock n’ roll

Looks like they did a nice job restoring the place!

http://www.niagara-gazette.com/communities/local_story_337183946.html?keyword=topstory

Calling DT - We need your take on this new NF hotel

http://video.buffalonews.com/player/?id=375

Nice to see Niagara Falls NY/ON's only attractive high-rise put back into use.

The Giacomo Looks Great!

http://static.cnhi.zope.net/flashpromo/niagaragazette/media/slideshows/100207_the_giacomo/index.html

Parlato sells share of One Niagara
Group of local investors taking over management of building

NIAGARA FALLS — The One Niagara building is under new management.

Local attorney Paul Grenga and a group of investors that includes former Lewiston Mayor Richard Soluri and several other prominent local officials have purchased 50 percent ownership and management rights to the downtown tourism center from long-time owner and operator Frank Parlato Jr.

Grenga said the group completed the purchase of Parlato's controlling interest in the property, a company known as Whitestar Development Corp., on Tuesday.

"Few people could have accomplished what Frank Parlato did," Grenga said. "We're looking forward to continue the development in cooperation with the City of Niagara Falls."

Tony Farina, president of One Niagara, LLC, confirmed the purchase and identified the remaining partners in the new Whitestar management team as Niagara Falls School District attorney James Roscetti, local realtor Mike Hooper, Cataract Tours operator Frank D'Agostino, local businessman and restaurateur Dan Cipoliti, Niagara Sports Entertainment President Steve Carrella and former city fire chief Rich Horn, whom Farina said will be in charge of building operations and operational safety.

Farina said the new team looks forward to turning the building into one of the premiere tourist destinations in Niagara Falls and that the timing was right for the move, both for Parlato the seller and for Grenga and his partners who bought him out. Neither Grenga nor Farina would disclose the price of the sale, noting that it was a transaction between two private parties. As for Parlato himself, Farina said he may make a statement to the media in a few days, but for now is dealing with the fact that he is no longer involved in a project he believed in very strongly.

"It's an exciting event," said Farina, who will stay on as president of the tourism center located at 360 Rainbow Boulevard South. "It's also sad in a way. I don't know what else to say other than Frank has poured his lifeblood into the place and he hasn't always been treated well for the effort."

Parlato's tenure as building manager has had its share of successes and controversies. He is credited with erasing the image of the building as the site of one of the most disappointing development deals in a city that has a long history of them. After assuming operational control of the site, Parlato set about filling in a gaping hole next to the building that was left behind by the developers of the failed AquaFalls underground aquarium.

In recent years, Parlato has been the subject of lawsuits brought by members of Incredible Investments, LTD, a group of investors who hold the remaining 50 percent ownership of the building. Under the terms of its agreement with Whitestar, the company holds no management rights to the property. In a lawsuit filed earlier this year, Incredible Investments asked a state supreme court justice to replace Parlato with a court-appointed receiver, arguing such a move was necessary to prevent the property from being sold to the highest bidder as part of an upcoming in-rem foreclosure auction. Supreme Court Justice Frank Caruso denied the request, but did require Parlato to post a $500,000 bond on the property to ensure that it had some financial backing that would protect it from being auctioned off. The property is currently behind by roughly $1.57 million in city and county real estate taxes. Parlato was in the process of challenging the city's assessment of the property when he sold his stake in the building.

Parlato's management stint also has been marked by a rocky relationship with Mayor Paul Dyster, City Planner Tom DeSantis and other members of the city's planning department. Parlato consistently denied the city's requests that he make various improvements to the One Niagara property, including changes in the condition of the parking lot and the landscaping surrounding the building. When the city denied his bid to open the building's ninth floor observation deck, Parlato secured an injunction from Supreme Court Justice Richard Kloch that allowed him to continue operations on the top floor while issues with city planners were resolved. The dispute over site plan approvals needed to secure an occupancy permit for the building continue today.

Farina said Grenga and the new management group are committed to resolving the outstanding issues with the city. He noted that Kloch is expected to issue a ruling soon, ordering both parties to sit down to discuss the situation with a court-appointed mediator. Farina said the new management group plans to comply with the judge's directive.

"We want to try to satisfy everything," Farina said. "We want to try to move forward. We want to try to reach agreement."

Dyster said he had not seen anything in writing from Grenga or Farina confirming the transaction, but expressed hope new managers would understand the city's position moving forward.

"I think our expectations are the same," Dyster said. "Whoever owns the property, our expectations for the building are the same in terms of abiding by the law. We hope the new owners are going to be responsible owners."

The changes in management will not impact hours of operation at One Niagara, according to Farina.

"We're here to serve the people and the public and the tourists who come to see the Cataract City," Farina said.

Track set for new Falls train station
By Mark Scheer
Niagara Gazette

NIAGARA FALLS — The project has been in various stages of discussion in Niagara Falls since the late 1980s.

Today, longtime supporters of a plan to restore the historic U.S. Customhouse as part of the development of an intermodel transportation center off Whirlpool Street say they can finally see the light at the end of the tunnel.

City Planner Tom DeSantis told lawmakers this week his office is confident it will be able to break ground on a renovation project at the old Customhouse next month. If all goes as planned, DeSantis said the city’s new Amtrak passenger station will be ready to open in a few years.

“Assuming our funding requests are successful, we will see conclusion and be welcoming travelers by 2013,” DeSantis told the council during a meeting on Monday.

DeSantis said the city and its partners are in the process of applying for federal and state dollars needed to bring the project to fruition. He added that the city is also continuing efforts to secure clearances needed from the various entities involved, including CSX which owns the rights to the tracks and right-of-way, Amtrak, the company that provides passenger rail services to the city and the state Department of Transportation which oversees such operations in New York.

“We are making very good progress on all of those fronts,” DeSantis said.

On Monday, the city council supported several measures that will advance the project, including the award of more than $2 million on contracts for renovation work at the customhouse and an agreement that will allow Amtrak to use the station once it is completed.

“It’s had a number of periods where it's looked great and then not so great,” DeSantis said. “We are going to make it look great again.”

On a related front, the Niagara Falls Underground Railroad Commission is in the process of selecting a preferred consultant that will provide assistance in the development of an underground railroad museum inside the customhouse building. Commission members are working to implement a master strategy to promote cultural heritage and oversee projects, including transforming the first floor into an underground railroad interpretive center.

Kevin Cottrell, who serves as project coordinator for the North Star initiative, which aims to establish a heritage district along north Main Street near the Whirlpool Bridge, said commission members have narrowed down the list of consultant candidates from 14 to 3. He said the commission has interviewed representatives from the top three consulting firms and is preparing to make a recommendation for approval to the council. He said the commission is planning to make that move once a formal funding agreement is in place with the New York State Dormitory Authority, which is supplying $450,000 for the interpretative center.

TIMELINE

A glance at some of the major milestones — past, present and future — in constructing the intermodel transportation center.

• 1987: NFTA-Niagara Falls passenger station study

• 1994-1997: Unsuccessful attempt at creating a public/private partnership; Grant applications for design and construction submitted

• 2001: Conceptual design

• 2002: Preliminary engineering; expanded project proposal

• 2004: 30 percent design completion; NEPA & SEQRA

• 2006: TEP Grant — U.S. Customhouse restoration kickoff; Route 104 kickoff; CSX Bridge replacement kickoff

• 2008: Design approval; Environmental clearance; CSXT MOU signed

• 2009: Obligation of final design funding; Final design kickoff; ARRA HSIBR grants announced; Site acquisition kickoff

• 2010: Advanced design plans complete; Acquisition mapping complete and approved; Customhouse groundbreaking (August)*; Title searches and appraisals complete (fall)*; CSXT Bridge groundbreaking (fall)*; Stakeholders agreements funding secured (fall)*

• 2011*: Final design acquisition complete (spring); Customhouse restoration complete; right of way clearance and bid authorization (summer); bidding and construction kickoff (fall)

• Winter 2013*: Niagara Falls International Station and Intermodal Transportation Center complete

* - Aniticipated

http://niagara-gazette.com/policereports/x784114489/Olive-Garden-plan-approved-for-Falls


http://orlando.bizjournals.com/orlando/stories/2010/07/26/daily41.html

Niagara Falls – General Impressions

I was in Niagara Falls last week for the first time in about 5 years and came away very annoyed. There were thousands upon thousands of people at the falls on the American side, huge lines for the Maid of the Mist, people everywhere. The falls are spectacular, Goat Island is amazing, sunshine everywhere.

What annoyed me? Downtown is STILL empty after all these years. I can’t believe nobody has figured out a way to make downtown into anything. Old Falls Street is nice but it still has that feel of urban renewal blandness. Third Street is completely empty. The old outlet mall looms over, empty. Those dumpy 1 story souvenir shops near the falls side of old falls street are just that…dumpy 1 story souvenir shops. Five blocks east is abandoned. Main street north of downtown feels worn. Absolutely disgraceful. When is anything really going to happen there?

Niagara Falls – General Impressions

I was in Niagara Falls last week for the first time in about 5 years and came away very annoyed. There were thousands upon thousands of people at the falls on the American side, huge lines for the Maid of the Mist, people everywhere. The falls are spectacular, Goat Island is amazing, sunshine everywhere.

What annoyed me? Downtown is STILL empty after all these years. I can’t believe nobody has figured out a way to make downtown into anything. Old Falls Street is nice but it still has that feel of urban renewal blandness. Third Street is completely empty. The old outlet mall looms over, empty. Those dumpy 1 story souvenir shops near the falls side of old falls street are just that…dumpy 1 story souvenir shops. Five blocks east is abandoned. Main street north of downtown feels worn. Absolutely disgraceful. When is anything really going to happen there?

Good question. The vacant mall needs to go. The other problem is the city can't get out of its own way: gives property away to do-nothing developers and speculators. I'm not sure what the solution is- I thought the State would come in and spur development but all they're doing is infrastructure work. They need one good project to capitalize on the tourists and that might get the ball rolling. The casino isn't it.

Old Falls Street is very nice and a great place for events. Hopefully that will trigger some commercial interest in locating there.

Niagara Falls – General Impressions

I was in Niagara Falls last week for the first time in about 5 years and came away very annoyed. There were thousands upon thousands of people at the falls on the American side, huge lines for the Maid of the Mist, people everywhere. The falls are spectacular, Goat Island is amazing, sunshine everywhere.

What annoyed me? Downtown is STILL empty after all these years. I can’t believe nobody has figured out a way to make downtown into anything. Old Falls Street is nice but it still has that feel of urban renewal blandness. Third Street is completely empty. The old outlet mall looms over, empty. Those dumpy 1 story souvenir shops near the falls side of old falls street are just that…dumpy 1 story souvenir shops. Five blocks east is abandoned. Main street north of downtown feels worn. Absolutely disgraceful. When is anything really going to happen there?

The decline of Niagara Falls, NY is rather stale story by now. The oldtimers have been moving out or dying for decades, with nobody new coming to replace them.

Whats the biggest differeance between Jackson Heights, Queens & Niagara Falls NY?

Can't be too hard to figure that out.

You might want to encourage some of the immigrants whove opened most of the commercial activities in Jackson Heights to move to Niagara Falls!

The decline of Niagara Falls, NY is rather stale story by now. The oldtimers have been moving out or dying for decades, with nobody new coming to replace them.

Whats the biggest differeance between Jackson Heights, Queens & Niagara Falls NY?

Can't be too hard to figure that out.

You might want to encourage some of the immigrants whove opened most of the commercial activities in Jackson Heights to move to Niagara Falls!

Bayviews - Have you been to my neighborhood? It is fantastic. The amount of vitality packed into it is unreal. I wish I could export this to other cities. I wish I could export a tenth of this to Niagara Falls.

My main problem with Niagara Falls, however, is the fact that after all these years, they haven't figrued out anything to attract the millions of tourists that go there to the city streets. Walk 3 blocks from the falls and there is nothing. Nothing. It completely baffles me. No real shops, no cafes, nothing other than souvenir shops. No trendy restaurants. Nothing to hold or interest anyone to make the surroundings even remotely feel inviting. I could go on, obviously.... :)

Tourism looking up in Niagara Falls

Two independent reports offer hints that the summer of 2010 may be one of the strongest for Niagara County tourism in recent memory.

The Niagara Tourism & Convention Corp. reported that online reservation bookings increased 100 percent in June and July. The NTCC increased its online reservation system as part of its move into its $2.4 million new headquarters and visitor’s center along Rainbow Boulevard.

This year alone, the revamped online reservation system has handled 2,547 new bookings resulting in more than $1 million in new business for Niagara Falls and Niagara County.

John Percy, NTCC president and chief executive officer, attributes the triple-digit increase to new marketing initiatives. Warmer weather and more people travelling this summer were other factors.

“We have not only seen an increase in bookings over last year, but more significantly an increase in revenues, which equates to visitors spending more money when they are planning a trip to our region,” Percy said.
Longwoods International, which tracks online bookings for the travel and hospitality industry, said 58 percent of those headed to the Niagara region for a vacation use the online service. Niagara is running about 17 percent higher than the national average.

Meanwhile, traffic at the Crowne Plaza Hotel along Third Street, is reporting that its guest room revenues has jumped by 4.3 percent in July over last July. The hotel’s total gross revenue in July went up by 10.1 percent.


source: Business First (http://www.bizjournals.com/buffalo/stories/2010/08/16/daily15.html?surround=lfn)

Bayviews - Have you been to my neighborhood? It is fantastic. The amount of vitality packed into it is unreal. I wish I could export this to other cities. I wish I could export a tenth of this to Niagara Falls.

My main problem with Niagara Falls, however, is the fact that after all these years, they haven't figrued out anything to attract the millions of tourists that go there to the city streets. Walk 3 blocks from the falls and there is nothing. Nothing. It completely baffles me. No real shops, no cafes, nothing other than souvenir shops. No trendy restaurants. Nothing to hold or interest anyone to make the surroundings even remotely feel inviting. I could go on, obviously.... :)

I’m a bit more familiar with Elmhurst & North Corona than Jackson Heights. But you’re absolutely right about the vitality, all 3 areas are rather similar & their lumped together in the same district, Queens Community #3. The numbers really tell the story. Amazing to see that the population of Queens #3 jumped from 122,000 to 169, 000 between 1980 & 2000. All that in just 3 square miles! No doubt the 2010 data will show a significant increase.

All the net population growth plus most of the entrepreurial vitality that you see along Roosevelt Blvd & other commercial strips in Queens #3 owes to immigration. In fact, the 104,259 foreign-born immigrants comprised 60% of the district as of 2000. The largest immigrant sources: Ecuador with 16,507, Colombia with 15,253, the Dominican Republic with 14,922, Mexico with 9,260and China with 6,378. All those numbers are way higher today.

Contrast with Niagara Falls NY, where the population of 55,677 (I'm guessing scattered over nearly 20 square miles) is down by half from its peak, similar to Buffalo. The total foreign-born immigrant population of Niagara Falls as of 2000: Just 2,802, the largest share of whom crossed over from Canada many decades ago. That’s roughly equal to one of the smallest immigrant groups in Queens #3, the 2,890 Bangladeshis.

And yet, what’s so amazing is that Niagara Falls enjoys an obvious locational advantage that Queens lacks: overlooking one of the greatest natural wonders of the world. For that matter, Niagara Falls NY may even attract more tourists than Queens #3. But it will never regain a role of being a successful city until it attracts a decent share of new immigrants.

So yeah, Urbanica, just imagine if could convince some of your immigrant neighbors to relocate up to Niagara Falls, where the housing & real estate is a steal, things are less crowded, & the pace is more relaxed. I’m sure that they's be able to do a hellava lot more than any of these brain-dead failed, government subsidized “economic development” scams that have ended up doing so much to destroy the Falls.

Niagara Falls tourism explodes in 2010
Wednesday, 18 Aug 2010

NIAGARA FALLS, N.Y. (WIVB) - Visitors are flocking to one of western New York's most famous destinations this summer.

New reports say that Niagara County is having its strongest tourist season in recent memory and it could be thanks to a new website. Niagara Tourism and Convention Corporation says that online hotel reservations increased by 100 percent in June and July. This year alone the revamped online system handled more than 2,000 new bookings.

That brought more than $1 million worth of business to the area.


Source: WIVB (http://www.wivb.com/dpp/news/niagara/Niagara-Falls-tourism-explodes-in-2010)

Niagara Falls tourism explodes in 2010
Wednesday, 18 Aug 2010


Of course this isn't news.

Niagara Falls NY has been one of the bigger tourist destination going back over a century.

But tourism hasn't done anything to curb the city's decline.

Uhh, WTF? Yes, it is news. They're showing online bookings for NF NY increased by 100% in 2010. Don't you ever tire of being a trollish bore?

Uhh, WTF? Yes, it is news. They're showing online bookings for NF NY increased by 100% in 2010. Don't you ever tire of being a trollish bore?

As if we didn't need another reminder that kids are easily bored.

Everybody knows that last year was a terrible recession year for tourism.

So of course its way up from 2009!

That's great, I'm delighted.

But the fact is that being the MOST popular tourist destination in upstate NY hasn't done anything to keep it Nigara Falls NY from being one of most de-populated & depressed place upstate.

We've got to have better ideas than the same old ones stale ones & thats what I've put out.

Patient?

You bet!

How many years did it take for your silly Bass Pro scheme to collapse?

Don't you ever tire of being a trollish bore?
Clearly, the answer is 'No'. :ohno:

:)

Not sure what the answer is- NF, NY needs critical mass, but what starts building it, I don't know. The casino didn't work. There's definitely enough tourists to make a business successful during the summer, but then it dies in the winter. NF, ONT survives during the slow months, but they are light years ahead of NF NY.

Maybe NF can get Bass Pro :lol:

Clearly, the answer is 'No'. :ohno:

Sad to see that your reduced to trying to answer your own stupid question.

Anyway lets try to keep on track as regards re-populating & revitalizing Niagara Falls.

If you've any suggestions aside from what Ive offered, your welcome to post them.

:)

$2B sounds impressive until you realize that prolly 99% of that goes to the computer systems which is to an out of town company. Good to get none the less. Too bad our country is still so deeply stuck in the sprawl mentality. It can't go on much longer and then we will be stuck with a system that no longer functions.

I'm not sure where this article form today's Buffalo News belongs. Since the proposal is for Niagara County, I guess it belongs mostly in the Niagara Falls Development thread. According to Mapquest, it would take an hour and ten minutes to commute from downtown Buffalo to Somerset, so it's unlikely many people would live in Buffalo and commute to Somerset, though not impossible. And it's almost an hour from Niagara Falls to Somerset, but only half an hour if you live in Lockport. So maybe Lockport would be the big winner here? Too bad the location is so remote. If it was closer to one of the bigger Western New York cities, this would be more exciting. Still, this would be good for the entire Region, including Rochester.

$2 billion doesn't buy as many jobs as it used to! Still, 200 additional jobs would be a big plus for Niagara County. Add to that lots of construction jobs. WNY has become a significant back office center for the banking & financial sectors. There's no reason why it can't play a similar role for the tech/telecom sectors.

Lets hope that Verizon does join the move to the Silicon Falls!

Developer donates Falls mall to NCCC
Rainbow Centre bequest surprises community

Good news for once about the Rainbow Centre

http://www.buffalonews.com/city/communities/niagara-county/article221840.ece

$2B sounds impressive until you realize that prolly 99% of that goes to the computer systems which is to an out of town company. Good to get none the less. Too bad our country is still so deeply stuck in the sprawl mentality. It can't go on much longer and then we will be stuck with a system that no longer functions.
Data Centers would never be built in an urban or even suburban area. They are always a little isolated to improve their security.

The data centers, I think, will benefit us more from the gravity they create in getting people to think of WNY in a "high tech" sense, which could create other jobs or get other computer companies to locate here (in our cities)

Developer donates Falls mall to NCCC
Rainbow Centre bequest surprises community

Good news for once about the Rainbow Centre

http://www.buffalonews.com/city/communities/niagara-county/article221840.ece

They really should consider demolishing this turd.

They really should consider demolishing this turd.

I agree, but if they use this chance to open the thing up.....maybe turn the stores to the outside....provide more inviting entrance on Old Falls Street....or add shop fronts and balconies to the second level.

Data Centers would never be built in an urban or even suburban area. They are always a little isolated to improve their security.
I guess it depends on the size of data center you are talking about. There are several data centers in the Tishman Building and Main Place Tower in downtown Buffalo.

yeah, I was thinking more along the lines of the big ones setup by global corporations.

Silicon Falls update:

Reach for the deal\ Every reasonable effort must be made to secure Verizon center in Somerset
Buffalo News, The (NY) - Thursday, October 28, 2010
The possible construction of a Verizon Communications data center in Niagara County following the company's tax break application has residents talking, and no wonder. Coming on the heels of Yahoo's arrival, the prospect of another high-tech employer in Niagara County is attractive, indeed.

Due diligence is necessary but the goal must be to make this deal work. The costs per job may be high, when all of the incentives are tallied, but New York State has no choice if it wants to bring in new businesses.

Already, the process is morphing. At one point, Verizon was talking about making $4.5 billion worth of investment in 10 years and groundbreaking by mid-November, but the development timetable appears to be slowing. Instead of building three giant data pods at once, Verizon reportedly intends to build one right away with the others coming later.

Still, that amounts to a $1.12 billion project with 145 jobs projected by the end of 2014 at a reported average of $85,000 a year. Beyond that, officials believe that economic spinoff would create other activities from suppliers, transportation, restaurants and perhaps even other data centers.

The amount of incentives provided per job created must be carefully examined, but the significance of this data center cannot be understated. If this deal goes through and the project begins, it would represent the largest investment in Niagara County since the Niagara Power Project was built in Lewiston a half century ago.

An additional boost recently came from the New York Power Authority in granting 25 megawatts of low-cost hydroelectric power. Verizon requested 30 megawatts but, even at 25, the Power Authority is offering more power per job than its usual standards. As President Richard M. Kessel correctly observed: "The old rules are out the window. NYPA is the difference to revitalize the economy up here."

The Niagara County Industrial Development Agency has scheduled a public hearing on the Verizon package for this Wednesday in Somerset Town Hall. It is expected to vote on the matter a week later.

Already there are complaints about the plan, in one case from the family that owns 117 acres of farmland across Lake Road from the project site. Stewardship of the environment should be a top priority and the company has indicated it wants to be a good neighbor.

Still, there's plenty of cooperation to be had in Niagara County. Town officials are expected to rezone 168 acres that Verizon may purchase from nearby AES Corp., operator of a coal-burning power plant on Lake Road.

Verizon would construct its data center on land AES has been leasing west of its power plant to a Royalton farmer who raised soybeans this year. While the Verizon project would involve payment-in-lieu-of-taxes, the deal would still generate immediate revenues to local jurisdictions.

This deal isn't done, but the possibilities are 1real. Verizon has not confirmed that Somerset is its preferred site, and it is apparently in competition with a site in the state of Wyoming. Public officials need to pursue this matter aggressively. The benefits are such that every reasonable effort needs to be made.

Revamped Rainbow Centre (http://niagara-gazette.com/local/x104126579/County-legislature-throws-support-behind-NCCC-s-culinary-project-in-downtown-Niagara-Falls):

http://img143.imageshack.us/img143/719/g000258000000000000bbfb.jpg

Is there any section of the mall that's only two stories now? This rendering is a bit confusing.

Barnes & Noble is opening a store in the revamped building.

Revamped Rainbow Centre (http://niagara-gazette.com/local/x104126579/County-legislature-throws-support-behind-NCCC-s-culinary-project-in-downtown-Niagara-Falls):

http://img143.imageshack.us/img143/719/g000258000000000000bbfb.jpg

Is there any section of the mall that's only two stories now? This rendering is a bit confusing.

Barnes & Noble is opening a store in the revamped building.

My thoughts too. This looks like a completely new building

My thoughts too. This looks like a completely new building

Looks like the mall steps down to two or so stories along Falls Street. The rendering shows where the Wintergarden used to be.


http://img255.imageshack.us/img255/8587/rcenter.png (http://img255.imageshack.us/i/rcenter.png/)

good catch. it also looks like they bumped out the new storefronts from the original facade. That stepped glass roof section looks farther back in the rendering than it does in the satellite view.

Looks like the mall steps down to two or so stories along Falls Street. The rendering shows where the Wintergarden used to be.


http://img255.imageshack.us/img255/8587/rcenter.png (http://img255.imageshack.us/i/rcenter.png/)

I think it's time to cut the mall in half, recreate the street grid, and redevelop the other half as a hotel or something else. That building is too big for the area.

Barnes & Noble is opening a store in the revamped building.

Ummm nope. the college is only going to open a very small bookstore there mostly for textbooks. The paper got it wrong and corrected themselves in the print edition the following Sunday.

:)

:)

:)

^sounds great. I hope it comes to fruition.

NF outlet mall adds Barneys

Business First - by James Fink

Retailing giant Barneys has signed a lease to open an outlet location in Niagara Falls.

The move is Barneys first location in New York state, outside the metropolitan New York City area. Barneys has leased 5,000-square-feet in the Fashion Avenue section of Fashion Outlets of New York, joining such upscale tenants as Hugo Boss, Polo/Ralph Lauren, Coach and Saks Fifth Avenue.

Construction began this week and Barneys is slated to open the store later this spring.

Barneys is expected to be a major retailing draw for Fashion Outlets of New York.

“People will travel just to shop there,” said John Percy, president and chief executive officer of the Niagara Tourism and Convention Corp.
Founded in 1923, Barneys evolved into one of Madison Avenue’s best known retailing destinations offering designer options from the likes of Armani, Fendi and Givenchy.
..

Read more: NF outlet mall adds Barneys | Business First

:)

Christmas market pushed for Falls
Idahoan with Ellicottville roots envisions 80 vendors downtown in a ‘great symbol’
Buffalo News
By Thomas J. Prohaska
NEWS NIAGARA REPORTER
Link: http://www.buffalonews.com/city/communities/niagara-falls/article357773.ece

March 4, 2011

NIAGARA FALLS — An Ellicottville native announced Thursday that he is spearheading a new seasonal Christmas market in downtown Niagara Falls.

Mark Rivers, a major commercial developer in Boise, Idaho, envisions a mixture of indoor and outdoor vendors along Old Falls Street between the Seneca Niagara Casino on Third Street and the entrance to Niagara Falls State Park.

“A holiday market can be a great symbol of the community, as they are in Europe,” Rivers said in a telephone interview.

The Niagara Holiday Market, as the venture is tentatively named, would run from Nov. 26 to Jan. 1. About 80 vendors are projected, with bookings through Rivers’ firm, Brix & Co.

“I believe we’ll have a combination of the best, well-known names from Western New York, the Northeast and overseas,” Rivers said.

However, the project is contingent on public funding for about half of the estimated $1 million start-up cost.

Falls Mayor Paul A. Dyster said the City Council is scheduled to vote Monday on assigning $225,000 of its revenue from casino slot machine profits to the holiday market. The Council agenda says the city’s contribution is contingent on USA Niagara Development Corp. spending an identical sum.

Global Spectrum, the company that manages Conference Center Niagara Falls on Old Falls Street, is kicking in $15,000, according to Conference Center general manager Jill Scicchitano. Part of the building may be used for vendors and entertainment during the market.

Brix & Co. would pay the remainder of the costs, and revenues would stay with the event for future years.

“We’ve got to make the first year work, but I think it’s a long-term commitment,” said Rivers, who still owns a home in Ellicottville.

Rivers said Brix will construct temporary booths along Falls Street. “We’ll be utilizing other buildings that are under-utilized,” he said.

Rivers said he has been working on the idea for about nine months, and his research with tour operators and others in the tourism field produced an estimate of 250,000 visitors during the 36-day duration of the market.

Downtown has lacked a major holiday event since the Festival of Lights folded in 2001. “We’re kind of associated with winter, and we haven’t done a very good job cashing in on that,” Dyster said.

He said he hopes the event will help combat the revenue

fall-off that confronts Niagara Falls’ hotels and restaurants after the large supply of tourists dries up every fall.

“We’ve done this Falls Street restoration to try to establish life on the street,” Dyster said. “This is something we can do faster than permanent construction of new retail [space].”

“We believe the Niagara Holiday Market concept can create a unique experience and celebration of the holiday season that will draw people from the entire Golden Horseshoe region and beyond,” said Christopher J. Schoepflin, president of USA Niagara.

Rivers said he used to visit the Festival of Lights and thinks the city can become “one of the great holiday market destinations.”

tprohaska@buffnews.comnull

:ohno:This is such a terrible plan it is actually laugh out loud funny. Brix wants a $500,000 subsidy for a 36 day run of kiosks in the dead of Winter. That works out to $13,888 government subsidy each day and at the end of the month the City doesn't even get to keep the tents? Thank goodness the City Council tabled this one. They said it would generate 7,000 visitors per day. Does anyone really think 7,000 people are going to flock to a hundred tents selling trinkets outdoors on a Tuesday in mid December? The developer would probably spend $300-400K on the tents, pocket the rest and say see ya at the end of the month.

Spend the money on something useful for City residents like new picnic tables and playground equipment for the parks.

Niagara Gazette
April 2, 2011

FIXING THE FALLS: The woes of Little Italy
The city’s preeminent ethnic neighborhood struggles to keep its identity and find its future
By Rick Pfeiffer
Niagara Gazette
NIAGARA FALLS — They are monuments to a glorious commercial past.

Anchored by grand Roman columns, the signs at both ends of the street proclaim that Pine Avenue in the Falls is Little Italy.

In its heyday, Pine Avenue was one of the city’s most dynamic tourist and business districts. Then, the street was filled with restaurants, small specialty retailers and other attractions.

Crowds of local residents and visitors flocked there.

Debbie Spencer remembers it vividly. Her family, the Taylors, was operating Lou’s Pete’s Market House and she was getting her start in the business working in the kitchen, peeling potatoes.

“The feeling was so positive,” she recalled of the early 1970s. “Business was good. Traffic was good. People came (to the restaurant) from all over. The Canadians used to come here. They put a lot of bread and butter on the tables.”

Now those days seem like ancient history.

In just a few weeks, Lou’s Pete’s will be no more. The Taylor family will sell the restaurant building and close the business.

“We’re moving on to another chapter in our lives,” Spencer said.

You can see the sadness in her face as Spencer talks about how life on the avenue has changed.

“It’s just been a lot of unfortunate circumstances,” she says. “First it was 9/11, then the smoking ban, the hassles (for tourists) crossing the border and the (local) economy.”

Sitting on banquets in the front windows of her restaurant, it’s easy to see how the face of Pine Avenue has changed in the past few decades. Vacant store fronts, pop-up urban outfitter stores and bodegas almost outnumber the kinds of businesses that originally built the business district.

“Everything (that had been on the street) just closed down. It’s a depressing area,” Spencer said more than a touch of regret in her voice. “Times are hard and I don’t see them getting better.”

Lou’s Pete’s isn’t the only Pine Avenue stalwart to decide in recent months to call it quits. Celenza Florist was a Pine Avenue staple for generations.

After 42 years, they closed their doors when the owner decided she was ready to retire and no one wanted to buy the business.

“In a perfect scenario, I would have sold the business,” said MaryAnn Fernandez, a lifelong Falls resident who owned the shop from the day it opened its doors in 1969. “Unfortunately, that situation never came to fruition.”

During its existence, Celenza Florist operated in four different locations, but never strayed from Pine Avenue.

Mike Capizzi, who along with his cousin, owns Michael’s Restaurant on Pine Avenue, knows the street well. His family has owned the business for 45 years.

His dad started working there as dishwasher, eventually bought it, and then sold to Mike and his cousin in 1999. Capizzi has noticed the changing nature of the avenue.

“There was a time when you went to Pine Avenue and you always knew the businesses there had been there a long time,” he said. “Now it seems that stability isn’t there and that’s never happened before.”

Sixteen years ago, Mark Milanovich moved his family business from a troubled Main Street commercial district on to Pine Avenue. He was looking for more stability.

“Main Street was in a bit of a decline and we wanted to stay in the city,” Milanovich said. “Pine Avenue was one of the business districts that was still viable.”

Milanovich said he was able to find a perfect building for his business, one that allowed them among other things to warehouse all their inventory, and he said he couldn’t be happier about the move.

“Our business has been really good,” Milanovich said. “I have people coming from the Tonawandas, north Buffalo, (the Pine Avenue location) is convenient for them.”

Still, in 16 years, Milanovich admits he’s seen subtle, and sometimes not so subtle, changes on the avenue.

“It has changed a bit,” he said. “The older people have kind of gone away. We’ve lost some businesses, it is a different neighborhood now (than 16 years ago).”

Capizzi agrees and says the long-time Italian community has seen an influx of new ethnic groups. He sees that growing diversity as a positive.

“We are seeing more ethnic diversity and that’s fine if the city is changing,” he said. “The businesses will have to change, too.”

A one-time president of the Pine Avenue Business Association, Capizzi is a passionate promoter of Pine Avenue. He has no doubts the avenue has a future as a Falls business district.

“I do have a very strong interest in the street,” Capizzi said. “I still think it’s the lifeblood of the city. It’s one of the few (business districts) where you can still find everything.”

Milanovich agrees that any plans for revitalization and development in the Falls have to have a focus on the Pine Avenue district.

“This district should be a priority,” Milanovich said. “I think it has to be something more than tourism though. That could be a vision (for development), but it’s not a vision right now. Is it a viable vision? I don’t know.”

Capizzi is looking to see what direction city fathers will take in breathing life into the Pine Avenue corridor. He feels better street lighting and cleanliness are immediate challenges.

“That would have a huge effect on the street if we can change it,” Capizzi said. “I see a future for Pine Avenue. If Pine Avenue goes, you lose Niagara Falls.”

Still, whatever future awaits the Pine Avenue business district, it won’t include Lou’s Pete’s.

“It’s been a great run,” Spencer said. “My customers are like family to me. I started here as a teenager. What’s the future here? I can’t say. One can only hope.”

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Thats the problem.

Here’s the reality & a solution:

From pasta to pizza, northern to southern & Sicilian, I love Italian food, one of the world’s premier cuisines. That being the case, trying preserving an exclusive Little Italy in Niagara Falls sounds a lot like the uphill effort to keep the Polish Broadway Market in Buffalo. The Polish were once the largest ethnic group in Buffalo & the Italians the largest group in the Falls. But their immigrant waves peaked a century or so ago. After several generations in the same place, the entrepreneurial spirit wanes.

If I were in the Falls, I’d rebrand & promote the strip as something like the Global Falls/ Global Village/Global Market, etc. that better represents the emerging diversity of the contemporary community: Keep the Italian. But add more Chinese, Indian, Mexican, Carribean, & others.

Nice win for the Niagara Falls International Airport! (http://www.bizjournals.com/buffalo/news/2011/04/07/direct-air-adds-2-more-destinations.html#)

N.F.'s Sheraton welcomes TGIF

http://www.bizjournals.com/buffalo/news/2011/05/05/nfs-sheraton-welcomes-tgif.html

Good news, but to bad it is taking over an existing place and not a whole new addition to downtown.

City has plan for reviving Old Falls Street walkway
Small stores or shopping stalls envisioned in time for July Fourth holiday weekend

http://www.buffalonews.com/city/communities/niagara-falls/article401389.ece

Anybody have a drawing or picture of what the stalls might look like?

Vote for which Robert Moses Parkway Alternative you favor. You can review and comment at this link.

http://www.wnypapers.com/news/article/current/2011/05/28/102557/robert-moses-parkway-north-open-house-set

1. Restoration of parkway
2. Pilot Project Completed and updated
3. Whirlpool Street with Continuous Park Road
4. Whirlpool Street with Segmented Park Road
5. Whirlpool Street with Divided Park Road
6. Full Removal

My vote: 5

Vote for which Robert Moses Parkway Alternative you favor. You can review and comment at this link.

http://www.wnypapers.com/news/article/current/2011/05/28/102557/robert-moses-parkway-north-open-house-set

1. Restoration of parkway
2. Pilot Project Completed and updated
3. Whirlpool Street with Continuous Park Road
4. Whirlpool Street with Segmented Park Road
5. Whirlpool Street with Divided Park Road
6. Full Removal

My vote: 5


6 is the only reasonable one. There is no reason to have a road on the edge of the gorge.

6 is the only reasonable one. There is no reason to have a road on the edge of the gorge.

If there is no road, the tourist will not go to the main areas (Devil's hole, Whirlpool park etc.). It should be a very park like road, not a highway.

It's not the road that is the problem. Gatlinburg has tons of tourist attractions and a road that cuts right through the park. The problem is the parking, it should be limited or none in the State Park.

If there is no road, the tourist will not go to the main areas (Devil's hole, Whirlpool park etc.). It should be a very park like road, not a highway.

It's not the road that is the problem. Gatlinburg has tons of tourist attractions and a road that cuts right through the park. The problem is the parking, it should be limited or none in the State Park.

There are pleanty of roads within easy walking distance of the gorge through its whole length. There is no need fro a parkway in this area.

City has plan for reviving Old Falls Street walkway
Small stores or shopping stalls envisioned in time for July Fourth holiday weekend

http://www.buffalonews.com/city/communities/niagara-falls/article401389.ece

Anybody have a drawing or picture of what the stalls might look like?

After reading the article and all the comments posted after it this seems like a huge waste of time. The city of NFNY needs a real master plan. Enough with these band-aid jobs already.

There are pleanty of roads within easy walking distance of the gorge through its whole length. There is no need fro a parkway in this area.

Well there are homes and farms along that parway so it does need to be there for that reason. On the Ontario side it acts like a long park with rest areas and lookout points, it also acts as one long farmers market. The Robert Moses Parkway should be torn up from the 190 to John Daly BLVD. There is nothing on that road except for the back side of rusting industrial buildings.

Well there are homes and farms along that parway so it does need to be there for that reason. On the Ontario side it acts like a long park with rest areas and lookout points, it also acts as one long farmers market. The Robert Moses Parkway should be torn up from the 190 to John Daly BLVD. There is nothing on that road except for the back side of rusting industrial buildings.

6 does a nice job of providing roads without one being right inside the park.

where is 6?

where is 6?

Between 5 and 7 ;)

Between 5 and 7 ;)

6 better be careful because as the Barenaked Ladies pointed out 7 8 9.:nuts:

http://www.metrolyrics.com/7-8-9-lyrics-barenaked-ladies.html

But the Pixies told us the devil is 6

Sometimes the right kind of bad press can work wonders...



Niagara Falls State Park to Get a Makeover

NIAGARA FALLS, N.Y. (AP) - Niagara Falls State Park, the oldest state park in the nation, is getting some special attention after its condition was criticized in a recent New York Times article.

State parks officials say they're launching a three-part plan to improve the 126-year-old park along the brink of Niagara Falls.

Parks Commissioner Rose Harvey said Tuesday extra crews are being dispatched to complete spring cleaning that was delayed by the rainy spring.

She says the agency will also expedite $3 million in upgrades to the park's aging facilities and identify other priorities.

The announcement comes nearly three weeks after a Times trave lstory described the park as "shabby" and "underfinanced."

The park, opened in 1885, is the most-visited in New York's state parks system, attracting 8 million people a year.


http://www.wgrz.com/news/article/124801/37/Niagara-Falls-State-Park-to-Get-a-Makeover

The city of NFNY needs a real master plan. Enough with these band-aid jobs already.

Actually, I’d bet that the city, county, state, & regional planning agencies have commissioned enough master plans for Niagara Falls, NY so that if you could just turn off the water & stacked them up right against the Falls, they’d reach right up to the top. You’d get the dust out too!

Big, thick, public master plans were of course one of the strong suits of Moses himself, with the results that you see wherever he left his footprints.

Contrast with the Niagara Falls, Ontario side. Where contrary to general perception of Canada as a more staid, planned, socialized, country, they just let the entrepreneurs & developers in from anywhere to through-up whatever they wanted, wherever they wanted.

So you have on the Canadian side a funkier, weirder, wackier, spontaneous, & often tasteless & tacky, but ultimately more exciting & entertaining result of unfettered untamed, capitalism at its extreme, if not at its best planned!

Actually, I’d bet that the city, county, state, & regional planning agencies have commissioned enough master plans for Niagara Falls, NY so that if you could just turn off the water & stacked them up right against the Falls, they’d reach right up to the top. You’d get the dust out too!

Big, thick, public master plans were of course one of the strong suits of Moses himself, with the results that you see wherever he left his footprints.

Contrast with the Niagara Falls, Ontario side. Where contrary to general perception of Canada as a more staid, planned, socialized, country, they just let the entrepreneurs & developers in from anywhere to through-up whatever they wanted, wherever they wanted.

So you have on the Canadian side a funkier, weirder, wackier, spontaneous, & often tasteless & tacky, but ultimately more exciting & entertaining result of unfettered untamed, capitalism at its extreme, if not at its best planned!

Actually, NFON has had a master plan in place since 1993 that has guided the development that you see on the other side of the border. It has not been a free-for-all as you imply it has been with a thoughtfully developed, community minded, plan that has been amended as needed since it's enactment into law.

Source: http://www.niagarafalls.ca/city_hall/departments/planning/index.asp

I’m certainly not an advocate of unplanned development & I’m aware that Niagara Falls Canada has had done quite a bit of planning in recent years as every community should.

However, contrast with the US side, where “planning” for the Robert Moses Parkway & power plant started in the fifties & was completed in the early sixties. With of course all the accompanying hype of all the growth that it would generate & other benefits that of course never materialized.

Then there was the abysmal downtown Niagara Falls urban renewal that was planned in the later sixties & built the 70s. Once again, by almost any measure, the urban renewal did more to hurt the city than help. Indeed, some of the key elements of the urban renewal have since been demolished. Even some elements like the Wintergarden, a truly remarkable architectural gem that I’d have kept up.

Contrast with the Canadian side, where as you say the master plan dated from 1993, quit recent. I’m sure one of the impetuses for the master plan was the rapid, chaotic, pace of unplanned development that was happening up at that time. But long before then, going back to the early sixties & earlier decades, the relatively unplanned, chaotic, full of surprises, spontaneous, Canadian side was the favorite of the tourists.

What I do suggest is that it’s going to take something much more creative than another “master plan” to turn the US side of the Falls into a truly attractive, exciting, vibrant tourist destination competitive with the Canadian side. If indeed that’s really possible!

I'm certainly not an advocate of unplanned development & I'm aware that Niagara Falls Canada has had done quite a bit of planning in recent years as every community should.

However, contrast with the US side, where "planning" for the Robert Moses Parkway & power plant started in the fifties & was completed in the early sixties. With of course all the accompanying hype of all the growth that it would generate & other benefits that of course never materialized.

Then there was the abysmal downtown Niagara Falls urban renewal that was planned in the later sixties & built the 70s. Once again, by almost any measure, the urban renewal did more to hurt the city than help. Indeed, some of the key elements of the urban renewal have since been demolished. Even some elements like the Wintergarden, a truly remarkable architectural gem that I'd have kept up.

Contrast with the Canadian side, where as you say the master plan dated from 1993, quit recent. I'm sure one of the impetuses for the master plan was the rapid, chaotic, pace of unplanned development that was happening up at that time. But long before then, going back to the early sixties & earlier decades, the relatively unplanned, chaotic, full of surprises, spontaneous, Canadian side was the favorite of the tourists.

What I do suggest is that it's going to take something much more creative than another "master plan" to turn the US side of the Falls into a truly attractive, exciting, vibrant tourist destination competitive with the Canadian side. If indeed that's really possible!

You do recognize though that planning has changed greatly between the time those plans were brought to fruition (50s, 60s, 70s), and today. Most of those plans were developed from a top heavy perspective and one can see how that has not worked. What is needed is a community developed Master Plan that can be developed and altered as needed over time, much like what they did in NFON.

You do recognize though that planning has changed greatly between the time those plans were brought to fruition (50s, 60s, 70s), and today. Most of those plans were developed from a top heavy perspective and one can see how that has not worked. What is needed is a community developed Master Plan that can be developed and altered as needed over time, much like what they did in NFON.


Yeah, its progress that there’s less Robert Moses top-down & more community-based planning.

Buffalo’s much acclaimed Queen City Hub was a good example.
Did you have a hand in that?

:)

I think the biggest difference with this project over previous failures is that the city government seems to be really trying to fix the city with Dyster at the helm.

Also, where the other projects were more silver-bullet options, this project seems to be much more realistic in scale and is something that can evolve into a big regional event.

They do one of these Thanksgiving-Christmas in Daley Plaza in Chicago. It is very crowded but has a huge population in downtown to draw on. This will depend on convincing tourists to come to NF in winter. Why not do this in summer?

Niagara Falls to get Hampton Inn

Business First - by James Fink
Date: Wednesday, August 10, 2011, 10:21am EDT


James Fink
Buffalo Business First Reporter

As expected, the Niagara County Industrial Development Agency approved an incentive package that is critical for the development of a 72-room Hampton Inn

The incentive package was unanimously approved Wednesday morning.

Falls Hotel LLC is planning to invest $6.2 million to construct the four-story, 45,000-square-foot Hampton Inn on a vacant lot at 6501 Niagara Falls Boulevard. Construction is expected to start in September and the hotel should be ready to welcome its first guests next spring.

The hotel inducement package is one of seven approved by the Niagara County IDA in the past two years.

“Over the past two years we have received an influx of applications for assistance to construct new hotels or retrofit outdated ones in Niagara Falls, which is a great sign for the region because it is clear evidence that people are coming to Niagara Falls and Niagara County for various reasons,” said Henry Sloma, Niagara County IDA chairman.

The Hampton Inn is being targeted for the leisure travel market, especially those from the U.S. and Canada. The hotel is located just a few minutes from Niagara Falls International Airport Niagara Falls International Airport Latest from The Business Journals Travelers enjoy wings before lifting off from BuffaloBNIA, NFIA business taking offDirect Air adds NF-Lakeland, Fla. service Follow this company and also the Fashion Outlets of Niagara Falls shopping center. Passenger counts at Niagara Falls International Airport has risen by 150 percent since its new terminal opened 18 months ago and such low-cost, no-frills airlines as Direct Air, Vision Airlines and Spirit Airlines have started regular service at the airport.

“Developers are making significant investments into creating new lodging stock in the region largely, in part, due to continuous growth of the Niagara Falls International Airport, which is bringing tens of thousands of new visitors to our region,” Sloma said.

Falls manufacturer adding 108 jobs

James Fink
Buffalo Business First Reporter

A multi-layered incentive package put together by the Empire State Development Corp. and other local economic development agencies helped convince a packaging manufacturer to expand its presence in Niagara Falls.

Norampac, a division of Cascades Inc., has agreed to add to its Niagara Falls plant by undertaking a $430 million project that will see a state-of-the-art “green package” facility constructed. The project will see the company add 108 jobs to the 138 people who already work at the Packard Road plant.

The plant will manufacture packaging materials from recycled fibers.

Fixing the Falls: Rooms to Grow


NIAGARA FALLS — The Merani family purchased its first hotel in the Falls six years ago.

Faisal Merani said it was the revenues generated during the initial years of operation at the Holiday Inn on Buffalo Avenue that convinced his family — which already owned two hotels in Canada — to take more interest in the American side.

“Right from 2005, we showed an increase in our revenue and an increase in our bottom line every year,” Merani said. “We knew there was an upswing in the market.”

That upswing prompted the Meranis — owners of the Days Inn and Sterling Inn and Spa in Ontario — to buy two more hotel properties on this side of the border. The family recently completed a multi-million-dollar renovation at the old Inn on the River, a hotel on Buffalo Avenue in LaSalle that the Meranis reopened as a Four Points by Sheraton. In a matter of months, they expect to begin work on a similar recovery project at the long-shuttered Fallside Hotel and Conference Center, also located on Buffalo Avenue in the downtown area.

Merani didn't rule out additional projects on the American side if the right situations arise. He said demand is there, occupancy and room rates are up and he believes the future of the hotel industry on the American side is moving in the right direction.

“It’s pretty spectacular, especially when we went through such a bad economy and the interest was still there,” he said.

Numbers made available by the Niagara Tourism and Convention Corp. suggest interest has been up at area hotels of late. According to Smith Travel Report, a company that tracks data for the hotel industry, occupancy rose in the city by 2.9 percent in June compared to the same month last year. According to the report, the city’s occupancy rate was 75.7 percent in June, higher than the national average of 67.6 percent. The local average daily room rate, another key industry measure, remained higher than the national average as well. NTCC officials said the average room price in June in the Falls was $96.61, up 4.9 percent from the same time last year. The average price for June was 3.5 percent higher than the national average for the same month.

full article: http://niagara-gazette.com/local/x906051781/Fixing-the-Falls-Rooms-to-Grow

:)

Fixing the Falls: Over the Rainbow

http://niagara-gazette.com/local/x1190855538/Fixing-the-Falls-Over-the-Rainbow

Canadian condo developer converting The Hotel Niagara into a condo hotel, sales video:
pCTb7SOryk4

Odd video but he certainly knows how to make a good sales pitch. You have to admire his enthusiasm about this project. The plans he has for it really sound amazing and I can't wait to see it finally realized.

However, I'm finding it hard to believe that the condo units will start at $49,900 considering the type of people who would flock to this building..even in such a low-income city like Niagara Falls, NY. These units could easily ask for $80,000 and up after all the improvements and amenities he's talking about are put into place.

I find all this recent and upcoming projects in the city being made by Canadian developers to be very intriguing. What is spurring such an interest in a city that has had nothing but bad luck for the past 50 years?
Do they see something big coming down the line that us non-developers can't see? Is the current city government so much easier to work with than the ones in the past. Is this being influenced by the strengthening Golden Horseshoe region right across the gorge?

Odd video but he certainly knows how to make a good sales pitch. You have to admire his enthusiasm about this project. The plans he has for it really sound amazing and I can't wait to see it finally realized.

However, I'm finding it hard to believe that the condo units will start at $49,900 considering the type of people who would flock to this building..even in such a low-income city like Niagara Falls, NY. These units could easily ask for $80,000 and up after all the improvements and amenities he's talking about are put into place.

I find all this recent and upcoming projects in the city being made by Canadian developers to be very intriguing. What is spurring such an interest in a city that has had nothing but bad luck for the past 50 years?
Do they see something big coming down the line that us non-developers can't see? Is the current city government so much easier to work with than the ones in the past. Is this being influenced by the strengthening Golden Horseshoe region right across the gorge?

$49,900 is probably for a Toronto-sized one-bedroom: 450 sq.ft.!

(unless there were details in the video which I didn't watch)

on his website, the price has moved up 5k to $54,900. I bet there are only a few small spaces at that price and the rest are larger and more expensive. The cheapest condo prices in Buffalo are around $90k today, and none of them are in historic landmarks. Since the Niagara Hotel spaces are supposed to be modern and just-renovated, those starting prices must be for very small spaces.

I wanted to find out how Stinson acquired the hotel and here are several articles explaining the recent history of the hotel and how Stinson became the developer, Buffalo Business First online articles:

Hotel Niagara To Be Put Up For Bid

Wednesday, March 2, 2011, 6:09pm EST - Last Modified: Thursday, March 3, 2011, 7:12pm EST

After several attempts to find a buyer, the owners of the Hotel Niagara are putting the 12-story landmark on the auction block.

The State Bank of Texas has retained the Chartwell Group of Cleveland to auction off the Hotel Niagara. The auction is set for 1 p.m., Tuesday, April 26 at the hotel, located at the corner of Rainbow Boulevard and First Street.

The building had been owned by Amidee Capital Group LLC of Houston, who bought in 2007 and pledged a $20 million renovation of the 193-room once swanky hotel. Amidee fell victim to the recession that took hold in mid-2008. State Bank of Texas, which held the mortgage, eventually took over the building from Amidee.

Gordon Greene, Chartwell Group broker and auctioneer, said State Bank of Texas has turned the electricity back on in the hotel as it preps the building for the upcoming auction. Greene said several pre-auction site tours are being scheduled.

Minimum bids will start at $145,000 and the buyers will be getting the building without any liens.

“It will be a ‘free-and-clear’ sale,” Greene said. “We want people to know they are buying an opportunity, not a problem.”

Greene said Amidee started the renovation process on the Hotel Niagara, investing more than $10 million on the property including buying it and starting the face lift process. Amidee paid $4.8 million for the 135,000-square-foot building four years ago.

Amidee installed and upgraded the hotel’s electrical, heating and plumbing systems.

“It is as if the new purchaser will be starting with a multi-million dollar advantage over the previous ownership group,” Greene said.

While the Hotel Niagara has been closed for the past few years, there have been several new developments in its nearby neighborhood. Carl Paladino turned the former United Office Building into the sleek Giacomo while the Niagara Tourism & Convention Corp. opened its new tourist information center and corporate offices just across Rainbow Boulevard.

Canadian interests have acquired the former Crowne Plaza hotel on Third Street and are converting it into a Sheraton while Niagara County Community College will be moving its culinary program into the vacant Rainbow Mall.

“We see a lot of things happening in Niagara Falls that wasn’t happening before,” Greene said. “Niagara Falls is transforming itself by taking two steps forward.”

Built in 1924, the Hotel Niagara had a storied past. Its guest list included Marilyn Monroe and Joseph Cotton, both of whom stayed there while filming “Niagara” in 1953 and the likes of Frank Sinatra and Sammy Davis Jr.

http://www.bizjournals.com/buffalo/news/2011/03/02/hotel-niagara-to-be-put-up-for-bid.html?page=all

The developers bought the partially renovated building for a good low price:
Canadians May Team on Hotel Niagara Rehab

Wednesday, July 20, 2011, 2:09pm EDT


....While Jamil Kara, the Vancouver resident who supplied the winning bid for the Niagara Falls landmark, will still be involved in the project, he may be taking on a new partner — Hamilton developer Harry Stinson, who was outbid by Kara in the April 26 auction.

Stinson confirmed he is talking with Kara about working on the Hotel Niagara renovation project. Stinson, in fact, was the one who told Kara about the Hotel Niagara auction.

“We’ve had some friendly conversations,” Stinson said. “We have been and continue to be jointly working on this project. This isn’t an asset play by a bunch of bankers. This is about two people who understand the iconic stature of the Hotel Niagara.”...

...Kara’s bid of $1.25 million was the highest of 31 offered during a hectic volley during the April 26 auction. Bidding began at $150,000.

Both Kara and Stinson have experience renovating buildings in Canada including ones in Vancouver and Hamilton.

The Hotel Niagara would be their first on U.S. soil....


....Kara, in April, pegged the hotel’s development price tag in the $10 million range. He also predicted it would take at least two years to completely renovate the building....


Read More: http://www.bizjournals.com/buffalo/news/2011/07/20/canadian-interests-may-team-on-hotel.html?page=all

Stinson's development history in Hamilton, Hamilton Spectator article:
‘Hamilton doesn’t believe in Harry’

By Andrew Dreschel
Mon Sep 19 2011

...Stinson, whose own bid on the circa-1924 Niagara hotel came in second, says he and Kara have now finalized an agreement that puts Stinson in charge of the project.

According to Kara, Stinson brought $10 million to the table.

“My deal with him was I had to see the construction funding; he’s already got it,” Kara said by telephone from Vancouver.

Stinson declines to discuss private financing arrangements other than to say dozens of investors are involved, including some from Hamilton.

The project, which is expected to cost at least $15 million, is also receiving about $4 million in state and city grants.

Kara says he handed the project over to Stinson because he’s too busy with a highrise development in Vancouver....


Read More: http://www.thespec.com/news/local/article/596044--hamilton-doesn-t-believe-in-harry

Buffalo Rising online article:

Proposals Sought for Key Downtown Niagara Falls Site
http://www.buffalorising.com/assets_c/2011/10/fallsrfp-thumb-375xauto-23729.bmp (http://www.buffalorising.com/2011/10/proposals-sought-for-key-downtown-niagara-falls-site.html#SlideFrame_1)

WCPerspective
Real Estate October 11, 2011 12:30 AM

10 USA Niagara Development Corporation along with the City of Niagara Falls is issuing a request for proposals for redevelopment of a key site in downtown Niagara Falls, New York. It has the potential to be the first significant new build in the city in more than a decade and is expected to attract developer-interest for its location at the entrance to the Niagara Reservation. A hot air balloon ride occupied the site in recent years but is now a surface parking lot.

The site is located at 310 Rainbow Boulevard (the NW corner of the intersection at Old Falls Street), 300 feet from the entrance to Niagara Falls State Park, which enjoys roughly 8 million annual visitors. Totaling 0.88 acres, the site was recently acquired by the City in conjunction with a larger effort to develop a Niagara County Community College‐sponsored Culinary Institute in a portion of the former Rainbow Centre Mall. As part of that project, $8 million in upgrades will be made to an adjoining 1,600‐space, City‐owned parking ramp. Direct access to the ramp is available from the subject site, via an elevator lobby that fronts on Rainbow Boulevard.

The site also benefits from a number of investments along the recently‐restored Old Falls Street corridor, including $12 million in street improvements, the award‐winning Conference Center Niagara Falls, and the Seneca Niagara Casino complex.

Proposals are due December 2.

http://www.buffalorising.com/2011/10/proposals-sought-for-key-downtown-niagara-falls-site.html#SlideFrame_1

Holiday Inn receives site Plan Approval for future chain restaurant.

http://niagara-gazette.com/local/x1990854454/Holiday-inn-receives-site-plan-approval-for-future-chain-restaurant

If the do it right, this could give that roundabout area a nice urban feel.

The wintergarden was completely demolished or there is still some part of the structure?

All gone. Old Falls street was reconnected and now the whole area is one large pedestrians only zone.

I'm pretty sure you can drive on the new street... They just close it down a lot for festivals & concerts.

Thanks. That's a good thing for the new public place and the reconnection of the street, but it is a pity for the iconic structure, i think.

What happened to NFNY? When did it die? Why are they not doing a better job of monopolizing from the success of the NFO side? There is enough overflow on the Canadian side to allow for profit and growth on the U.S side.

What happened to most cities in upstate NY and around the great lakes. Rampant corruption on all levels and a mob-like labor union that bullied any potential developers into giving huge kickbacks in exchange for them. Not burning down their buildings.

New York State government was no help, absentee landlords held onto property for years with no plans, and the general population loss took any remaining wind out of the sails for a big time recovery.

That being said, I think Niagara Falls,NY is poised for a comeback and current leadership on a local and state level has really been pushing for real projects to make it happen. Less silver bullets and more steady progress.

What happened to most cities in upstate NY and around the great lakes. Rampant corruption on all levels and a mob-like labor union that bullied any potential developers into giving huge kickbacks in exchange for them. Not burning down their buildings.

Very true indeed. For many decades, Niagara Falls NY lived under a thick haze of corruption, intimidation, silence, fear, violence & all the other negatives that came along with with the Magadino family.

While the Magadinos were not the whole story, as in any similar situation, it takes quite a while before the skies can clear!

Didn't the opening of the St.Lawrence Seaway have a lot to do with it as well?

Didn't the opening of the St.Lawrence Seaway have a lot to do with it as well?

That certainly had a lot to do with Buffalo's decline as Great Lakes port.
However, I'm not aware that it had much negative impact on Niagara Falls. NY.

Of course even before the seaway, I can't imagine there were many cargo ships coming up thru the whirlpools.

Unless you'd count the Maid of the Mist!

Of course even before the seaway, I can't imagine there were many cargo ships coming up thru the whirlpools.

Unless you'd count the Maid of the Mist!

Clearly I was speaking of the region losing production and trade that use to use the Erie Canal to the larger St Lawrence Seaway. I'd love to see a ship Navigate the Whirlpool.:nuts:

Niagara Falls had a massive chemical industry but after Love Canal in 1979, it went into a steep dive. Other area manufacturers like Bell Aircraft either moved or shut down completely. And the city damaged the one functioning aspect of the economy, tourism, with ruinous makeovers of the downtown area. The city peaked a few years after WW2 but couldn't compete with all the aggressive Southern states that picked away at companies like Carborundum over the last 6 decades. Since Buffalo was the terminal nexus for rail and lake boats, Buffalo took the brunt of the fallout from the St Lawrence Seaway while NF suffered from the terrible consequences of Love Canal and the overall degraded business climate in NYS after 1960. The Erie Canal ceased to be of much economic consequence after 1930.

What happened to most cities in upstate NY and around the great lakes. Rampant corruption on all levels and a mob-like labor union that bullied any potential developers into giving huge kickbacks in exchange for them. Not burning down their buildings.

New York State government was no help, absentee landlords held onto property for years with no plans, and the general population loss took any remaining wind out of the sails for a big time recovery.

That being said, I think Niagara Falls,NY is poised for a comeback and current leadership on a local and state level has really been pushing for real projects to make it happen. Less silver bullets and more steady progress.

NF needs to go back to the future and try to deliver an authentic "Arcadia" experience for tourists with a much stronger connection with history and nature. The shoddy malls and hideous casino towers need to go. NF can never compete with the carnival atmosphere across the gorge, nor the views. But it can dig deep back into the past and reconnect visitors with what Niagara Falls used to be for people: an almost spiritual experience with nature.

That would be a great idea. Make it a giant homage to the past. Look at Niagara on the Lake for inspiration.

NF needs to go back to the future and try to deliver an authentic "Arcadia" experience for tourists with a much stronger connection with history and nature. The shoddy malls and hideous casino towers need to go.

One thing is for sure: That would bring lots of joy & big smiles to Carl Paladino. I wonder how many millions he'd rake in off those demolitions?

One thing is for sure: That would bring lots of joy & big smiles to Carl Paladino. I wonder how many millions he'd rake in off those demolitions?

:ohno: Zilch - his company does not do demolitions. If you are gonna be a hater at least direct your hate to the proper target.

:ohno: Zilch - his company does not do demolitions.

Not only has Paladino done demolitions. He's gained a bad rep for tearing buildings down without following the proper procedures & not paying the proper fines:

Housing Court too lenient; Paladino's 7-year-old violations show why the court needs to do a better job
Anonymous. Buffalo News. Buffalo, N.Y.: Jun 5, 2011. pg. G.4

Copyright Buffalo News Jun 5, 2011

The condition and appearance of property in violation of city codes is a matter of public interest. Health and safety concerns are real, with people being hurt and property becoming a crime scene.

The judge in Housing Court possesses broad powers of enforcement. The law allows him to use "any remedy, program, procedure or sanction authorized" if he believes it would more effectively "accomplish compliance or protect and promote the public interest."

Furthermore, repairs should be done in an "expedited manner."

We think the above statements, plus the need to avoid possible injury or other problems, call for a review and a more aggressive posture toward property owners who have a record of not properly responding over many years to violations cited by city inspectors.

These violations are rightfully categorized as criminal and usually result in the violator pleading guilty to the charges. Then, the process bogs down with little being done to bring the buildings up to code.

It's this process that should be expedited, with a realization that the only thing that will motivate persistent violators is the court enforcing penalties.

A prime example of a persistent violator is local developer and gubernatorial candidate Carl Paladino.

His list is long and the evidence is damning:

Paladino currently has two large buildings that were originally cited in 2004 and 2007. The city listed 10 violations at 199 Scott St. and five at the Greystone building, 24 Johnson Park.

Seven years is a long time to repair buildings that are a fire hazard and a blight on the city. The condition of the Greystone has alarmed residents of the Johnson Park neighborhood because it has become a haven for drug use and prostitution and is a physical danger to the public.

Paladino has been so out of line that he was fined twice, once $2,500 and once $7,500. Yet he has not paid a penny because in each case the judge rescinded the fine. Why did that happen? Judges don't take back fines levied in other courts.

Paladino once told Buffalo Rising that building "owners who neglect their properties should be imprisoned." Evidently that's the rule for other owners. He regards himself as immune from the law.

When called upon to act on these year-old violations, Paladino had the impertinence to tell the judge he had to wait till the economy got better before he could afford to fix these public hazards. Paladino is worth more than $150 million and owns more than a half-billion dollars worth of real estate. And he would have the court believe he can't afford to act on his violations.

A good example of Paladino's lack of character and honesty was what he did to the historic Harbor Inn in the Cobblestone District. Paladino slipped into City Hall late on a Friday and got one of his pals to give him a demolition permit. Then, before anyone knew or could object, he tore down the inn the next morning.

The New York Times reported that he had given more than $450,000 to governors, legislators and judges over the past decade. While he seems successful in manipulating politicians here, some courts are not as easy on him. When one of his companies ignored an asbestos hazard in Syracuse, he not only had to cough up $500,000 but his company was criminally charged with a felony.

When a demolition worker was severely injured falling through a hole in the roof of his Greystone building in 2003, Paladino called the worker a moron in a deposition and refused to give him a penny. That worker later got a $4.9 million settlement from Paladino's insurer not long after the case went to trial. That injury was eight years ago, and the roof still has holes in it.

If you wonder how a property owner could stall the court for seven years rather than repair a building with 10 violations, see how the master works. Paladino has gotten so good at it he usually doesn't even show up in court himself. The judge firmly tells Paladino he must fix the property; Paladino does nothing. At the next court session, the judge tells Paladino he is personally going to check out the property. Paladino does some minimal fixing and the judge says OK, come back in four months.

That's the cycle that can run into many years, and is infuriating to city inspectors who spend their time repeatedly going through hazardous buildings and worrying about children getting into the buildings (some of the windows are wide open) and getting hurt.

So why doesn't the Housing Court act more aggressively in behalf of the people? Why does it ignore city inspectors, who are in the field and provide evidence of continued violations? Whatever the Housing Court's reticence is, it's time for it to be more aggressive and expeditious with the Paladinos of the world and utilize the tools the people have given it.

The court can issue substantial fines, one every day if the judge wishes. It's time to do that.

People have been sent to jail for failing to fix their property; it is, after all, a criminal offense. The property can be condemned and the cost of tearing it down billed to the owner.

We hope, for the people's sake, that the court will change its forgiving policy and no longer let property owners ignore violations year after year without suffering proper penalties.

From today's Buffalo News. I was not aware of this at all and this is a nice surprise. Wouldnt it be nice to see some sort of a mid/high rise on Rainbow Blvd? Excited to see what the winning proposal is in a few months.

http://www.buffalonews.com/city/communities/niagara-falls/article687663.ece

Seven plans offered for Niagara Falls site

Fingers crossed Harry Stinson is not awarded the contract.

Seven a lucky number for ‘balloon site’ proposals

Well its mid-Janurary.....any news on this development?

http://niagara-gazette.com/local/x1818101854/Seven-a-lucky-number-for-balloon-site-proposals

http://www.buffalonews.com/incoming/article739066.ece/BINARY/w620/Print.jpg


City Council approves hotel project
February 23, 2012

The City Council greenlighted negotiations between a state development agency and the Hamister Group, following the announcement that the Buffalo-based group was selected from among seven proposals to develop 310 Rainbow Blvd., at Old Falls Street, 300 feet from the entrance to Niagara Falls State Park.

... The $22.4 million, 109,000- square-foot project on about nine-tenths of an acre — where a balloon launch business closed in 2008—calls, preliminarily, for 104 upscale hotel rooms, 24 residential units and up to 8,000 square feet of ground-level retail space. It would stand five to seven stories tall.

Christopher Schoepflin, president of USA Niagara Development Corp., the state’s economic development agency in the Falls, said the project offered the most private investment and least amount of public dollars among the five leading proposals, all of which incorporated lodging and retail space.

“A truly mixed-use building is something we have been striving for, and now to leverage some public investment with some potential significant private dollars is exactly what we’re trying to accomplish,” Schoepflin said.

Construction could start in 2013, he said, with an opening in 2014.

... Dyster said his administration, along with Schoepflin, has contacted the other finalists to see if there could be interest in other downtown sites.


Full - http://www.buffalonews.com/city/communities/niagara-falls/article738993.ece

"Smokin’ OTB project pitched for downtown

Not sure if an OTB right in the tourist district is good, but beggers can't be choosers.

http://niagara-gazette.com/local/x1437242290/-Smokin-OTB-project-pitched-for-downtown

"Smokin’ OTB project pitched for downtown

Not sure if an OTB right in the tourist district is good, but beggers can't be choosers.

http://niagara-gazette.com/local/x1437242290/-Smokin-OTB-project-pitched-for-downtown

Indeed, sounds like a beggers dream come true. But really, why would a city sitting astride one of the world's greatest natural wonders & a big tourist draw at that, have to stoop to begging?

Plans call for section of Robert Moses to be removed

http://niagara-gazette.com/local/x1856218707/BREAKING-NEWS-Section-of-Robert-Moses-to-be-removed

NIAGARA FALLS — One section of the Robert Moses Parkway will soon be no more.

U.S. Sen. Charles Schumer, D-New York, announced Monday that the New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation has confirmed that it will release a plan in June to remove the southern section of the controversial roadway and replace it with an at-grade road. The removal would involve all four lanes of the southern section of the roadway which runs between John B. Daly Boulevard and Niagara Falls State Park. As part of the project, it would be replaced with a two-lane road that would be designed to allow for a more pedestrian-friendly crossing and improved access to the waterfront.

Schumer said state parks plans to make the initial design for the project available to the public in June and it will include removal of an elevated bern that parkway critics have long-viewed as a detriment to waterfront access and downtown development. The project is expected to cost about $15 million, with $5 million already committed by New York state.

“All parties are finally on board with this transformative plan for downtown Niagara Falls, and it’s time to designate the demolition of the Robert Moses Parkway as a Fast Track project, so that new investment in the waterfront is no longer stuck in the mud,” said Schumer in a statement released Monday afternoon.

Schumer called on the federal Department of Transportation to "fast-track" the project last December. His office has since been working with state parks and local leaders to expedite the submission of the plan, which he said has been mired in bureaucratic red tape for six years.

The federal DOT recently developed a “Transportation Rapid Response Team” to help improve coordination between governmental agencies and speed up permitting and design processes for transportation infrastructure projects. Schumer is now urging Transportation Secretary Ray Lahood to work through the team to move the Robert Moses parkway project along.

"We must make up for lost time and get this project to the finish line as quickly as possible, so that this barrier to revitalization in Niagara Falls can be removed," Schumer said. "Lowering the Parkway would connect downtown with the majestic views of the waterfront park, pumping new life into Niagara Falls. This is great news and clears a major hurdle to getting this done.”

Maybe it's just me, but why replace it with a two-lane road? Why not just have all traffic exit at John Daly Blvd and make cars take Rainbow Blvd or Buffalo Street towards the falls? It's not like those roads are used too much and that Niagara Falls is a bottleneck all over the place. I would just make that whole stretch parkland that is extended from the falls.

Maybe it's just me, but why replace it with a two-lane road? Why not just have all traffic exit at John Daly Blvd and make cars take Rainbow Blvd or Buffalo Street towards the falls? It's not like those roads are used too much and that Niagara Falls is a bottleneck all over the place. I would just make that whole stretch parkland that is extended from the falls.

Sounds like yet another "make work" project.

Anyway, NF is getting a new community development chief.

Lets wish him the best!:

Bnnging confidence to downtown Falls; New community development chief is a 29-year-old with a decidedly upbeat outlook

Charlie Specht. Buffalo News. Buffalo, N.Y.: May 13, 2012. pg. NC.1
Abstract (Summary)

Copyright Buffalo News May 13, 2012

Signs of progress have risen slowly from a downtown landscape that for years was mired in urban decay.

Old Falls Street now connects Niagara Falls State Park and the Seneca Niagara Casino. Niagara County Community College will open its culinary institute this fall. And a well-known Buffalo developer plans to build an upscale hotel in the heart of downtown.

But within walking distance of those developments, large patches of vacant, blighted housing are an ugly reminder of the city's decline.

Seth Piccirillo wants to change that.

Piccirillo, the city's new community development director, has the task of reviving neighborhoods that have been bleeding population for decades. He will also oversee efforts to plan housing for a downtown that, because of the culinary institute, will soon see an influx of students.

The Niagara Falls native acknowledges the job won't be easy. But he believes the city, if it can raise the money, could someday compete with others as a hip destination for young people.

"I've seen it work in other places," he said this month. "I'm confident we can get it done here."

Piccirillo said the city must make its communities more "livable" with quality-of-life improvements that can encourage current residents and attract new ones. Similar strategies have worked in Pittsburgh, Seattle and Austin, Texas, he said.

"Our strategy here is going to be neighborhood-building," Piccirillo said. "Can you take your child to school? Can he walk to a park? Is there public safety? Open spaces? Is there affordable and equitable housing?"

Parts of that strategy are already in place. The city recently held a public meeting to take stock of its parks and open spaces. Niagara University has also been working with city residents to improve access to health care in the inner city.

Piccirillo said the city needs to demolish vacant houses that are beyond repair and encourage the rehabilitation of others. It should also create incentives for investment in key areas that will draw businesses, he said.

Obstacles remain, though, to addressing the problem of housing. Because the city has not received the expected $50 million in slot machine revenues from the Seneca Niagara Casino, city officials said fewer demolitions will occur this year.

The ZOOM enforcement team, which reports code violations and cleans blighted areas in the city, will also suffer from the cutbacks, as will road-paving and other neighborhood projects. The city's five revitalization coordinators lost their stipends in January.

City officials said funding expertise was one of the reasons Piccirillo was hired.

Previously, he worked as manager of government affairs for the Niagara Frontier Transportation Authority, where he served as a point of contact for local elected leaders and managed the NFTA's local, state and national grants.

"He was very proficient in carrying out his duties and was considered to be an asset to the overall operation," said NFTA spokesman C. Douglas Hartmayer. "He was always prepared going into meetings -- he always had a file."

Before that, Piccirillo worked as a legislative aide to then-Assemblywoman Francine DelMonte.

City Council Chairman Sam Fruscione said he expects Piccirillo to "vigorously" raise money for the city. Piccirillo said securing funds has never been more important as a way to sustain operations.

"There's just less money than there was in the past, but there are competitive funding sources we can go after," such as U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development grants and funds from the state's regional economic-development council, Piccirillo said.

The department's $2.6 million budget is best used to target the areas of the city that need it the most, rather than sprinkling aid evenly, he added.

But to truly turn the city around, Piccirillo said, leaders will have to sell their community.

Revitalization efforts should aim to make the city a stable and attractive destination for young professionals and families, who might buy their first home there and then stay much longer, he said.

"I think [he has] the ability to look at a neighborhood and see what it would take for this to become a cool neighborhood," said Mayor Paul A. Dyster.

During his re-election campaign, Dyster said addressing the housing problem -- particularly by rehabilitating, eliminating blight and "place-setting" for development -- is the city's "next step."

"One of the opportunities we need to get working on is what we're going to do with housing, particularly in the downtown area," he said.

NCCC's culinary school is expected to bring nearly 500 students downtown for the fall semester, and college President James P. Klyczek recently said students' No. 1 concern is finding housing. This semester, some may live in a Niagara Falls Boulevard hotel, he said.

In addition, a partnership with Niagara University aims to start a housing project for NU graduates in residential areas of the city, Dyster said. Niagara students once flocked to Third Street before the entertainment district declined.

The city's selling points in attracting young people, Piccirillo said, will be the city's natural resources, its proximity to NU and an entertainment scene that needs young people to define it.

"In today's economy, things are different," Piccirillo said. "People are making major life decisions based on 'Where do I want to live?' You can't just think about jobs. You've got to be thinking about jobs and housing at the same time. We don't want them at 5 o'clock to just leave."

City officials believe that Piccirillo, 29, is the person the city needs to attract young people and families.

"The thought of having new young blood in this position is exciting to me," said Councilwoman Kristen M. Grandinetti. "I think he's bright. I love it that he's young and local and he's going to raise his family here."

DelMonte said, "I think he'd be an inspiration to other young people in the city that would see his position and his work as a means of staying in city and helping it grow. He believes in the city, and he wants to see it prosper."

It has been "frustrating" watching his hometown decay and its residents leave, Piccirillo said. But the LaSalle resident said he hopes to make a noticeable impact in the next three to five years.

"I want to be talking about a neighborhood that is getting national attention," he said. "I want to be describing to people how we did that. I want to be telling people how we made investments to help the lives of residents."