Cuomo Proposes Buffalo Waterfront Revamp

BUFFALO-As step one of a plan to transform the waterfront of New York State’s second largest city, Gov. Andrew Cuomo last week called for the transfer of up to 400 acres of land on the Outer Harbor from the Niagara Frontier Transportation Authority to state control. The move “will build on our ongoing efforts to spur economic development, increase tourism, and create jobs for the whole region,” Cuomo said last week.

Under the proposal, the state’s Erie Canal Harbor Development Corp. would acquire the land from NFTA to plan for future development and use, and New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation will operate half of the property, encompassing the Small Boat Harbor and Gallagher Beach, as a new state park. A public process would be launched to determine the future of an additional 130 acres of open land on the Outer Harbor and devise ways for using the open space to help revive the waterfront.