Public Access Along The Outer Harbor
Well, the Outer Harbor might not be moving along as quickly as we would have hoped (understatement), but there are signs of something happening along the water's edge. This morning we pulled up to see what the deal was with all of the rocks that are piled up by The Pier (seen in the background). Workers informed us that they were laying a new bike trail that will lead from The Pier, out and around the Bell Slip, and back to Terminal B Building. It's a lengthy parcel of land that will then be connected to the trail at Times Beach, and the NFTA Small Boat Harbor.
This may not seem like the long-expected start of Outer Harbor development... it will however ensure that there is public access along the lake - one thing that was missing when they built other private waterfront developments. Included with this bike trail will be a parking lot near the Bell Slip where people will be able to unload in order to blade, bike, and walk along the trail. The trail will also be accessible to Tifft Nature Preserve, Seven Seas Sailing School, and hopefully (soon) the old stone Buffalo Lighthouse with outdoor museum.
Is The Pier still in operation at all?
Any idea as to which agency was coordinating and funding this effort?
The Pier was always the perfect place to go out to on the weekends in the summer. It's a shame there isn't any other place like it in Buffalo
This was an NFTA project that was supposed to start in August. I am not sure why it got so sidetracked, but if you want to see a nice presentation on it, go to the nfta website...
http://nfta.com/outer_harbor_development.asp
Click on pdf for greenbelt shoreline presentation
This project was bid out by the nfta and was "supposed" to start in August. Go to the nfta website below and click on the link for the pdf of the greenbelt shorline project...
www.nfta.com/outer_harbor_development.asp
PS This shoreline project was announced prior to the ECHDC taking over the Outer Harbor land.
That's funny, the ECHDC have made as much progress with the outer harbor parcel as they have on the Bass pro deal. Keep up the good work fellows. You are doing a great job of living up to the legacy of your predecessor, The Horizons Waterfront Commission.
WHO PAYS all of these genius bureaucrats that do nothing?
And when the Skyway gets torn down (read companion BRO article) we can all climb down the rip rap at the Erie Basin Marina and ride a dinghy to get there.
All this remove the Skyway/develop the Outer Harbor talk is a lot of nonsense.... hasn't happened in a generation and won't happen now.
Unless...
Thge first thing that needs to be addressed is bridge access... one or two or three bridges connecting Main St, Erie Basin etc with the lands over there.
And for all this stuff Brian Higgins is doing, there seems to be not a blip of discussion... environmental studies, architect renderings, DOT maps, funding sources in respect to these bridges.
THESE BRIDGES NEED TO BE GOING UP NOW... NOT IN 2020!!!
Now that the NFTA has given up the Outer Harbor, who really owns the land? The ECHDC? Channel 4 is having an hour-long special next Tuesday night about the sluggish development along the harbor; I'm curious to see what realistic plans are being pushed forward (if any??)
If you drive along OH Rte 2 in Cleveland (right next to Lake Erie), they've built restaurants, bars, and entertainment venues -- this would be perfect. The city must refurbish Furhmann Blvd and start parcelling off the land to build a variety of entertainment destinations. Next, build those bridges across the Buffalo River, and when the NCAA tourney comes to Buffalo again in 2010, you won't hear out of town fans complaining about having nowhere to hang out between games.
Plus, Buffalo needs a real hotel. The Adams Mark? Come on. Rochester built a 20-storey Hyatt about ten years ago. Why hasn't that happened here? Dave Chappelle ripped on our shoddy accomodations at his show at Shea's last August -- not that he's the be-all end-all on the hotel industry, but we can do better.
Great places for this hotel -- the dirt pile where the 33 exits onto Oak Street OR to the north of the new Blue Cross HQ along the 190.
I think this new hotel tower could happen much faster than the Statler plan
I think we should build a gated subdivision with McMansions at one end of the Outer Harbor and strip plazas at the other, with a 6-lane divided highway connecting them....... :)
Hey Buffalo Ian last time I looked we had a high rise Hyatt. And like Rochester it blows.
You are right though we need a big time quality Hotel and hopefully the Statler and new Buffalo Tower will be the real thing.
Chappelle should have stayed at the Mansion.
excited, I love taking the bike out to the existing trails and addition of these will make it an even nicer trip. The best part about these pathways going in is that you are almost never alone out there. On a nice day there are always other people out there on bikes or blades.
one step at a time.