Outer Harbor Proposals out today

There are three proposals from three separate groups. The Buffalo News presented them in order from XXL to S:

Waterfront park

The Buffalo Lakefront Development Team envisions the outer harbor as a large waterfront park. The team is made up of Opus Group of Minneapolis, Uniland Development of Amherst, VOA Associates of Chicago, Urban Retail Properties of Chicago and BIDCO of Buffalo. The marquee elements of its $750 million proposal include:



- A 300,000-square-foot convention center

- A 3,500-room convention hotel and winter garden complex

- More than 1,000 apartments, townhouses and condominiums

- A 215,000-square-foot sports center

- A 4,500-seat amphitheater

- A 150-suite hotel/water park/aquarium complex

- A 500,000-square-foot festival pavilion

- 200,000 square feet of Class A office space and

- 236 boat slips.

This plan blends high- and low-rise dwellings and entertainment venues with a newly created system of canals, a beach, sports fields, parks and an expansive harborside esplanade. The Lakefront team proposes to develop the "regional civic, sports and entertainment destination" in six increments over seven years.

New community

WestEnd Development Partnership proposes creation of a new lakefront community called WestEnd, designed to provide a live, work and play environment, particularly attractive to young, technologically literate, urban professionals, artisans, artists and entrepreneurs. The partnership consists of Ciminelli Development of Amherst, O&Y Enterprise of Toronto, the Jerde Partnership of Venice, Calif., Urban Engineers of Philadelphia, and Phillips Lytle LLP of Buffalo.

WestEnd's $872 million project would be developed as seven integrated sections:

- Arts Terminal Complex - remaking the existing Port Terminal Building into a multifaceted arts studio/business/performance/retail venue.

- Digital Arts and Production Manufacturing District - a varied commercial complex for use for digital post-production, film and television sound stages, light manufacturing and small-scale manufacturing

- Warehouse District - offering mixed use, loft-type space for living and working

- Canal District - the "Main Street" of WestEnd with a blend of residential, retail, office and service components

- Amphitheater/Theater Complex - a 6,000-seat outdoor venue, a 3,000-seat indoor performance space, with movie theaters and nightclubs

- A five-story boutique hotel

- Civic Arts/Exposition Center - a small-scale business expo center for trade shows, exhibits and festivals, with room for other civic space, such as a children's museum or other activity center

WestEnd also would be anchored to the waterfront through a new harborfront, esplanade and marina complex, and canal system. The proposal also relies on a previously approved public greenway that will run through the property to add adjacent sculpture parks, community gardens and biking and running trails.


Green space

The Norstar Development Team proposal is the most "natural" of the trio, with a strong component of parkland, green space and relatively undeveloped waterfront. The team includes Norstar Development USA, Foit-Albert Associates, Watts Engineering, Bevlar and Associates and Jaeckle Fleischmann and Mugel, all of Buffalo, and Mathews Nielson of New York.

Highlights of Norstar's proposal include:

- A nature park with interpretive center and gallery

- An ecological-themed business and industrial park

- 680 residential units positioned along a marina and canal system

- A retail/entertainment center tied to a marina at the current Bell Slip site

Norstar's proposal is the only one to incorporate the existing Festival Grounds at the Pier. A price tag for the Norstar plan was not immediately available.

The NFTA, along with representatives from Buffalo, Erie County, Empire State Development Corp. and Buffalo Niagara Enterprise, will now pore over the proposals and rank them using a 12-item checklist. The plans will be judged on everything from public access to proposed uses and funding strategies.

The review team is expected to identify a preferred developer by mid-January, after which a citizen panel will be selected to provide public input on the plan.

Area residents are encouraged to review the proposals and provide feedback. Starting Monday, a condensed version of each of the three proposals will be available for viewing at www.nfta.com. Printed copies will be available at the downtown branch of the Buffalo and Erie County Public Library, and at the Earl W. Brydges Public Library in Niagara Falls.

A video of today's presentations will be aired on local public access channels.

Comments can be e-mailed to outerharbor@nfta.com or mailed to the NFTA, c/o Property Division, 181 Ellicott St., Buffalo, N.Y. 14203. The deadline is Dec. 31.