Critics gather to restore history to waterfront plan
They claim concept ignores better ideas
Published: November 02, 2009, 12:30 am
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Some critics of the $300 million Canal Side project met Sunday to plot strategies for trying to overhaul a plan that they claim snubs Buffalo’s heritage and ignores an adjacent residential neighborhood.
The massive waterfront face-lift includes a proposed Bass Pro Shops Outdoor World, restaurants, tourist attractions and parking. But preservationist Timothy A. Tielman told about 30 people who gathered in a meeting room at Marine Drive Apartments that the blueprint “trashes” a carefully crafted 2004 master plan for the historic Canal District.
“They’re throwing the 2004 plan in the garbage can so they can build what suburban developers know how to build,” said Tielman, who is executive director of the Campaign for Greater Buffalo History, Architecture & Culture.
Critics claimed the Canal Side project as currently proposed would not do enough to restore historic street grids, encourage pedestrian access and unify downtown with its shoreline.
Parking was one main point of concern among the dozens of Marine Drive residents who attended. Many have signed petitions opposing a proposed ramp adjacent to the public housing complex that would accommodate between 800 and 1,200 vehicles. Opponents insist the Commercial Slip Garage will cause traffic congestion, noise, air pollution and public safety worries.
Tielman assailed a plan that he said would create at least five new parking facilities for over 2,000 vehicles, claiming there’s already a surplus of parking in the area. Planners have disputed the assertion.
Parking wasn’t the only concern that surfaced at Sunday’s two-hour meeting. Some faulted planners for putting too much focus on the long-delayed Bass Pro Shops project and criticized building blueprints that would create numerous “walls” between downtown and its shoreline.
Shelley Seidman has lived in Marine Drive for a decade. She claimed the Erie Canal Harbor Development Corp. has not given enough thought to how the plan will affect life for nearby residents.
“We’re being treated like we’re invisible, and we’re almost a thousand people living here,” she said.
Some speakers picked up on Tielman’s assertion that the “suburban-style” architecture and “glitzy” amenities being proposed at Canal Side won’t reflect the city’s heritage. Buffalo attorney Peter A. Reese suggested, with tongue in cheek, that the project would be so drastically different from what the Canal District looked like in an earlier era that it might attract droves of tourists who would come to see what “the dumbest leadership in the universe could do.”
Still, many people who attended an Oct. 20 hearing expressed strong support for the Canal Side vision. Some praised planners for working to transform Buffalo from “the mistake on the lake to the masterpiece on the lake.” During the earlier hearing, the lead architect for the project highlighted a variety of experiences and attractions that would make Canal Side a people-magnet.
“Most of all, it’s an extraordinary must-be place not just for your families visiting,” said Stanton Eckstut, “but for you to keep coming back.”
Tielman disputed this notion Sunday, insisting that the plans have been shaped to make the waterfront more marketable to bankers and investors.
“It’s not about Buffalo’s history,” said Tielman. “It’s not about our heritage. It’s not about you. It’s not about me. It’s about Mr. Big making more money.”
Tielman encouraged people to voice concerns about the plan to the Empire State Development Corp., Mayor Byron W. Brown, the Common Council and Rep. Brian Higgins. Planners have extended a public comment period for providing feedback on the plan until Nov. 17.
Waterfront planners have repeatedly insisted that they’ve taken steps to address concerns expressed by the public, including Marine Drive tenants. At another of the earlier hearings, Marilyn Gallivan, who has lived in Marine Drive for five years, credited officials from the Erie Canal Harbor Development Corp. for being responsive to residents.
bmeyer@buffnews.com
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