What do you think of when you think of LaSalle Park? The Buffalo Blues n’ BBQ Festival? The BarkYard? International kite fliers? Or do you think of missed opportunities such as the possible reuse of the old seaplane ramp or the Colonel Ward Pumping Station as public amenities? You might even go so far as to think of the condition of the park land near the seawall or the fugly bridge that is the gateway to LaSalle. I think of all of these things when I think of LaSalle Park. Oh, to have a Master Plan like this one…
Although we can’t have it all apparently, there are some significant park improvements that we can look forward to (other than Centennial Pool and The Barkyard). If Common Council signs off on Greenway funded plans submitted by The Mayor’s office, this waterfront amenity will soon see $1.6 million earmarked for park upgrades, including “a new playground, signature shelter, grills, benches, landscaping and reconstruction of the D.A.R. Drive roadway with granite curbs and lighting at the Northern entry of the park” along with the paving of the gravel areas surrounding the pool.
Phase 2 of the project calls for a study (yes, a study) that would see the parkland at the seawall restored and transformed into a naturalized shoreline. From the sound of it, that would mean that there would be more parkland and less roadway… could this mean that cars would no longer be king at LaSalle? Let’s hope so. Of course there are a number of different images that come to mind with the mention of a naturalized shoreline – unfortunately there are no renderings to share at this point, but we’ll be on the lookout for them as they are released.