The Buffalo Common Council will hold a public hearing tomorrow to discuss public investment and involvement in the revitalization of the inner harbor at the Canal Side site. Following appeals from the Canal Side Community Alliance for the Erie Canal Harbor Development Corporation (ECHDC) to meet with community groups to discuss a Community Benefit Agreement (CBA) for the Canal Side project and a report released last month by the Public Accountability Initiative questioning the actual effects Bass Pro has on luring other businesses and job creation, the Common Council has decided to bring the debate to City Hall for a healthy dialogue on the project in the interests of exploring ways to improve the project and create an appealing waterfront for the entire community. The meeting starts at 5 PM in the Common Council Chambers.
In March of this year, the Common Council voted overwhelmingly to halt the critical transfer of thirteen valuable acres of city-controlled waterfront property to the ECHDC until a CBA could be negotiated with community groups. A CBA is a legally binding agreement that would include quality standards for development and ensure tax payer money is protected. Despite the Common Council’s call for CBA to be negotiated by community groups and the ECHDC that is agreeable to all parties involved, the ECHDC has refused to enter into negotiations.
Members of the diverse Canal Side Community Alliance, including representatives from PUSH Buffalo, Hispanics United, and the Buffalo Urban League are expected to speak on the need for high quality development standards for Canal Side project.
The Canal Side Community Alliance, made up of over 40 local organizations, has called on the State’s Harbor Development Corporation to meet with community representatives to negotiate a CBA that could include: quality jobs, environmentally friendly design and operations, local, independent businesses, mixed income housing, a building and site design appropriate to the location, and targeted hiring objectives for construction and permanent jobs.