It’s been a long time coming, the regeneration of LaSalle Park, and its exciting transformation into Ralph C. Wilson, Jr. Centennial Park. LaSalle is another of the long-neglected waterfront parks that is seeing new life, thanks to a major investments of funds and ongoing community resources. The Imagine LaSalle Initiative – a partnership between the City of Buffalo, the University at Buffalo Regional Institute (UBRI), and Ralph C. Wilson, Jr. Foundation – addresses the following in its scope:
- Celebrate the park’s culture of inclusivity/diversity
- Embrace nature with inspiring landscape
- Support exciting and diverse active recreation opportunities
- Strengthen neighborhood connections
- Design creative play areas for all ages
- Sustain the park with creative financing
- Connect people with water
- Enrich the park’s event space
- Provide a space for concessions
- Create quiet, peaceful places by separating disparate uses
- Enhance the park’s unique identity with public art
- Enable movement throughout the park
- Get smart about parking
- Fix the basics
Tuesday, July 19, from 4 PM – 7 PM, a community groundbreaking will be held at the park, signaling that work is set to begin. The groundbreaking ceremony will second as a celebration that will include family-friendly activities, free ice cream, food from Niagara Café and West Side Bazaar, and a look into what the future of the park beholds.
“It’s going to be a celebration of all the great community contributions to the vision shaping the park’s future,” said Bart Roberts, AICP, Associate Director of Research and Faculty Engagement (University at Buffalo Regional Institute). “We’ll also be featuring augmented reality technology using a mobile-based tool called InCitu where residents can view where the new pedestrian bridge will be located and what it will look like using their phone’s camera function.”
It’s time to realize the Imagine LaSalle vision…