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Summer 2011 Deemed 'Breakthrough' for Buffalo Waterfront 
 

James Fink

Monday, November 14, 2011

 An estimated 400,000 people visited Buffalo’s waterfront this summer, including the Central Wharf area inside the Canalside footprint.

Those images of have local officials alternately applauding what has taken place and what is in the immediate future.

The current construction season, which is winding down, saw a number of waterfront projects take hold include the building of a promenade and pedestrian bridge over the Union Ship Canal and securing access to the Chinamen’s Lighthouse where the Buffalo River and Lake Erie meet.

“This has been a breakthrough year for waterfront development in Western New York,” said Rep. Brian Higgins. “Progress is happening, the public is noticing and the excitement is continuing to build. By taking advantage of traits unique to this region — our Erie Canal history, natural waterways, and historic lighthouse — we are creating and one-of-a-kind destination drawing a critical mass needed for growth and opportunities moving forward.”

Even smaller projects like bringing 100 brightly painted Adirondack chairs to the Central Wharf or the opening of the Clinton’s Ditch food stand were viewed as milestones. This year, alone, said $68.15 million worth of projects either completed or started.

The end result was that more people visited Buffalo’s waterfront than any other time in recent memory.

”The past year saw unprecedented activity on Buffalo’s waterfront” said Erie Canal Harbor Development Corp. Chairman Jordan Levy, “And, I promise that it was only the beginning.”

With bids due to open later this month on the construction of replica Erie Canal waterways through portions of the Canalside area, cranes and backhoes will be a familiar site in downtown Buffalo next year.

Besides the canal work, Benderson Development will be started its $30 million renovation of the Donovan State Office Building into a mixed-use facility that includes the new offices for Phillips Lytle.

A new restaurant is expected to open in April inside the Buffalo & Erie County Naval and Servicemen’s Park and the Central Wharf’s permanent wooden boardwalk will be installed next year.

In all some, $100.46 million worth of work will be underway in the coming months along the waterfront.

“Next year will see the construction of vital public infrastructure on the Aud Block, paving the way for future private investment, as well as a continuation of our successful programming, which drew 400,000 visitors to Canalside,” Levy added,

While a great deal of work is happening on the land side, significant work is also taking place to protect and preserve the water itself for future generations. A brownfield cleanup effort at Union Ship Canal was recently completed, a federal project to dredge and restore the Buffalo River is underway, and another project to repair and rebuild underground water infrastructure is ongoing.

All of the “node” or pocket park projects linked to the new Outer Harbor Parkway are either under construction currently or slated for work next year. This includes: Union Ship Canal Promenade, Gallagher Beach Pavillion, Times Beach Boardwalk, Tift Street and Lake Kirsty Piers and the Industrial Heritage Trail.

All told between this year and next summer, a minimum of 24 projects totaling more than $168.6 million will take place along Buffalo’s waterfront.