Author: Niagara Falls Guy

Buffalo and Niagara Falls are connected as a region. The cities are tied together through an economic, cultural and environmental climate. Not to mention the people that strive to make Western NY a place that is filled with growth and opportunity. Niagara Falls is an international draw that deserves ample coverage when fitting news comes to pass.

There’s a new way of thinking in Niagara Falls thanks to the efforts of the city’s Community Development Office lead by Director Seth Piccirillo.  Instead of following the traditional IN-REM tax auction model that has left the City of Niagara Falls with many high potential properties stuck in the hands of slum ownership, the Home Ownership Auction aims to redefine how vacant, city-owned houses are reintroduced to the market. While the traditional IN-REM tax auction process may net sale proceeds, it does not actively market to home owners or help ensure that the homes will be renovated and are managed properly for the future.…

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BF Patel’s $10.8 million redevelopment of the former Moore Business Forms’ office building is steadily moving forward on schedule. Last week crews completed deconstruction of the roof and finished the removal a course of the limestone parapet to achieve the appropriate balcony height on what will eventually become the 3rd floor of the hotel. The hotel will capture sweeping views of the Niagara River and feature many of the original elements of the building’s previous tenants including the Niagara Chocolate Company which constructed the building in 1912 as its state-of-the-art factory producing the chocolate for the Shredded Wheat Company. Standing at the gateway into Niagara Falls,…

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Frank Strangio’s 110-room $10 million Wingate by Wyndham is nearing completion just in time for the beginning of the tourist season in Niagara Falls, NY. One of several hotel projects currently underway, the Wingate by Wyndham will be the first non-casino hotel development in downtown Niagara Falls since 1999 when the 99-room Hampton Inn on Rainbow Boulevard was constructed. In addition to the hotel there is approximately 4,000 square feet of retail space available for lease. Interested parties are encouraged to contact Frank Strangio at 716-283-7444.

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Crews are busy this week raising and setting the steel framework for developer Faisal Merani’s 7,000 sq. ft. addition to the 196-room Holiday Inn on Rainbow Boulevard. The new addition will be built out to Rainbow Boulevard and will feature overhead retractable windows overlooking the sidewalk. This project, like Frank Strangio’s Wingate by Wyndham, will fill a void in the urban fabric adding to an overall more walkable environment on the thoroughfare. Responding to the demand spelled out in a market study completed in 2010 by HVS Consulting & Valuation Services, Tony Roma’s Steakhouse adds another unique but recognizable offering to a downtown restaurant inventory…

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While the winter rages throughout Western New York, progress has not been halted in Downtown Niagara Falls. Several key projects are moving forward aiming for a 2015 opening: Courtyard by Marriott Hotel Local hotelier BF Patel has begun construction on his 82-unit adaptive reuse of the former Moore Business Forms office building at 900 Buffalo Avenue. The hotel will incorporate unique elements of building’s industrial past honoring likes of the Niagara Chocolate Company and Moore Business Forms. Standing at the gateway into the downtown tourism district, this project is vital in the ongoing effort to improve visitor impressions and their…

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With several other hotel projects already underway in Downtown Niagara Falls, the 183-room Doubletree by Hilton is slated to begin in the next couple weeks according to developer Faisal Merani whose family already owns the Four Points by Sheraton on Buffalo Avenue and the Holiday Inn on Rainbow Blvd. Anticipating the reconfiguration of the South Robert Moses Parkway, the hotel redevelopment plans on taking advantage of its première location through strategically positioning banquet, restaurant facilities, and guest rooms to have uninterrupted sight lines of the river. The new hotel will have a smaller footprint than the former Fallside Hotel but…

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Work continues on Frank Strangio’s 110-room Wingate by Wyndham Hotel slated to open next Spring. Crews have begun framing the fourth and last floor of the newest addition to downtown Niagara Falls’ growing hotel inventory. When completed, it will feature a 65,000 square foot hotel with up to 4,000 square feet of retail space along Rainbow Boulevard. The hotel will include an indoor pool, meeting space, a fitness center, and retail space intended for full-service dining. Located just across from the Seneca Niagara Casino on Fourth Street and Rainbow Boulevard, the hotel is already beginning to change the long blighted landscape of Rainbow…

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Early discussions regarding the potential development of a downtown 6,000 – 8,000 seat multi-use arena in Niagara Falls have begun. Niagara Falls has lacked a true convention center since the Seneca Nation in the early 2000s took ownership of the former Niagara Falls Convention Center and converted it into the Seneca Niagara Casino & Hotel. Roger Trevino, vice-president of Niagara Falls Redevelopment, has met with city officials regarding his plans and has cautioned that the plan is very much only in the preliminary stages. Although the exact location, size and cost of the venue have not yet been determined, one…

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