Buffalo News
May 5, 2005

News Corporation Would Get Project On Fast Track
U.S. Senator Charles E. Schumer

The nonprofit corporation that has been proposed to oversee the development of Buffalo's inner and outer harbors is an idea that deserves the full support of our state and federal officials.

Last year, I hosted a tour of Battery Park City in Manhattan with Mayor Anthony Masiello and other local officials. While Buffalo isn't trying to become New York City, many of the successes of the Battery Park City development could happen here under the new Waterfront Development Corp. Better yet, it could finally move the development of Buffalo's waterfront forward so that we will be able to enjoy it -- and do so in our lifetimes.

Battery Park City's successful blend of commercial, residential and recreational uses has made it a waterfront destination where thousands of people live, work and play. Battery Park City could be a great model for Buffalo's waterfront to follow. The key factor is that the new corporation, like the authority at Battery Park City, would develop a master plan for waterfront development, work with local, state and federal governments to develop the infrastructure, and then bid out the various parcels to multiple developers to implement the plan.

We have already seen that this kind of coordinated, cooperative effort works. The Buffalo Niagara Medical Campus is an excellent example of how public and private sector partners can come together to transform a part of downtown in a way that creates good-paying jobs and boost the area's economic development efforts. The other important aspect of the new waterfront corporation is that this model means control over the land remains local -- not in Albany or Washington.

Just as public access and expansive green space are hallmarks of Battery Park City's master plan, we should make Buffalo's waterfront accessible and attractive. We should ensure adequate green space and a configuration conducive to ample commercial space, because the No. 1 priority should be jobs.

The next GEICO that comes to Buffalo should have a number of options to choose from within the downtown area. We have the opportunity here to provide the kind of office space opportunities that are not currently available in the central business district. Rather than compete with the current city core, the outer harbor could expand what we currently think of as downtown Buffalo.

Buffalonians lately have become understandably weary of authorities, but the creation of a central body such as the Waterfront Development Corp. can ensure that the development of Buffalo's waterfront is done expeditiously and done right. A locally controlled corporation can make sure that the development strategy of the inner and outer harbors provides the right mix of commercial, residential and recreational uses.

With a new state park being created at Gallagher Beach, and with over 100 acres of undeveloped waterfront land at the outer harbor, we have been given a rare opportunity to finally give Buffalo the waterfront it has always deserved.

It has taken far too long. But I am committed to moving this project forward as quickly as possible, and the creation of the Waterfront Development Corp. is a step in the right direction.