Home > About BNE > Press Room > 2009 Archive > October > Buffalo Niagara Brownfield Renewal

Brownfield Renewal

Buffalo Niagara Region
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Buffalo Niagara Region: Projects
Steel Winds

LOCATION: Lackawanna, New York

REDEVELOPED USE: A 20-megawatt wind farm with eight turbines generating enough electric power for 9,000 residents. The wind turbines deliver power to the area power grid through electrical infrastructure that remained from the previous uses.

SITE BACKGROUND: The site once housed one of the largest steel mills in the world. It ceased operations in the early 1980s and has been largely idle since. The actual ground that the turbines sit on is steel slag a byproduct of the steel making operations that was dumped into Lake Erie to form the large tract of reclaimed land upon which the turbines were constructed.

SIZE: The wind turbines occupy an area of approximately 30 acres on a site that encompasses over 1,000 acres.

PARTNERS: Apex Wind, Axio Power, First Wind, BQ Energy, City of Lackawanna, Erie County (NY), New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA),

NYS Department of Environmental Quality, Phillips Lytle, Ecology & Environment, Benchmark Engineering, Clipper Windpower, Tennessee Valley Infrastructure Group

COST: $35 million

RECOGNITION: Steel Winds has received recognition as a landmark project for brownfield redevelopment by the United Stated Environmental Protection Agency, the NYS Dept. of Environmental Quality and several other organizations. It has been featured in reports on the History Channel as well as the NBC Nightly News and other media. Steel Winds was awarded the prestigious Power Magazine Award for International Renewable Energy Project of the Year.
 
 

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Buffalo Color Redevelopment

LOCATION: 1337 South Park Avenue, 229 Elk Street and 85 Lee Street in Buffalo.

PROPOSED USE: Light industrial use. The project will allow for public access to significant riverfront green space; provide potential for new jobs and tax revenues; offer a catalyst for other redevelopment initiatives in the broader Elk Street Corridor and South Buffalo Brownfield Opportunity Area.

SITE BACKGROUND: For over 100 years the Buffalo Color Facility was involved in the production of indigo dye, most commonly found in blue jeans. As a direct result, the soil and ground water at and around the facility have been contaminated.

SIZE: 55 acres adjacent to the Buffalo River

PARTNERS: Ontario Specialty Contracting, Inc.; MACTEC Engineering and Consulting, and Honeywell International, Inc.

COST: $20 million (approximate first phase)

SYNOPSIS: This project will include:
• Removal of any remaining chemicals in tanks, piping and equipment;
• Removal of waste materials;
• Demolition of all existing buildings, tanks and piping;
• Excavation and proper disposal of contaminated soils and installing a cover system over the excavation;
• Operating a groundwater extraction system (to increase the capture of contaminated groundwater from the wells) and installation of a barrier wall between the extraction system and the Buffalo River;
• Monitoring, controlling and treating groundwater contamination with appropriate remedial activities, and
• Constructing of buildings and infrastructure for commercial and light industrial uses.
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Bob Gale Complex

LOCATION: Niagara Falls, Ontario

PROPOSED USE: New sports complex will house four NHL-sized ice surfaces, including one 2,000 seat arena, and will replace several older recreation centers around the community. When completed, Niagara Falls will have the most up-to-date, modern facility in the region, as the center will be used by over 53 user groups in the city. This new building will be more energy-efficient and cost-effective for the city. The site proved to be the most appropriate for an arena for a number of reasons, including no land acquisition cost to the city. The site is large enough for a four-plex with on-site parking, and no amendments would be needed to the official plan or zoning bylaws to permit the project.

SIZE: 16-acre plot of land along Stanley Avenue.
COST: $35 million due to be completed in spring 2010. Bob Gale, owner of Gale's Gas Bar, donated $1.25 million towards the project, with $250,000 set aside to help the less fortunate access programs and equipment at the complex.

SITE BACKGROUND: Former chemical plant, where extensive soil and groundwater testing over the years revealed only minor soil and groundwater impacts.

SYNOPSIS: The complex will act as a major catalyst for redevelopment and have spinoff effects for other areas of the city, such as the downtown. Every $1 spent on brownfield redevelopment generates $3.80 in economic output, the highest multiplier of any sector, as well as producing additional spending in the local economy.