Time to Change the Development Game in Niagara Falls

By Tony Farina

No matter where you look in Niagara Falls, there is a failed or under water investment development plan that has come up empty.  Whether sponsored by the city of Niagara Falls or USA Niagara it doesn’t seem to make any difference.

Outside of the Welcome Center developed by private investor Frank Parlato on Rainbow Blvd. or the Dicienzo family with their most recent balloon attraction which should be interesting because of its closer proximity to the gorge (both without taxpayer money), there is a string of broken deals and promises that litter the city of Niagara Falls and make up its failed development legacy.

Millions have been promised and spent but there is very little to show for it.  And trying to find out where all the public money went is a maze in itself. But political patronage and the rewarding of those in favor with the political leaders (mayors and governors) continues to thrive unabated.  For as long as the water goes over the falls, the development patronage waters continue to flow over the city, casting a long shadow of emptiness in a broken city.

Remember the Community Beer Works plan not long ago on Niagara St. to create a walkable community space?  Bernice Radle, the president of Buffalove Development and a Niagara Falls native and a close political ally to Mayor Dyster hyped the project.   She was excited about a Buffalo Beer Works tavern as a native and investor but it too failed.  Instead Daredevil Records opened and after a brief stint, it closed. Another broken promise and lost opportunity to fill a piece of the development puzzle.

And of course the Gallery and Cafe on Third St., featuring the work of local artists and locally sourced foods, now closed like most other ventures on Third St. another broken piece of the development legacy, another USA Niagara hyped project to add to the pile of failures on Niagara and Third which should be a flourishing development area with its close proximity to the falls, the casino, and Canada.

Niagara University joined (was planning to join) the development parade a couple of years ago but no longer seems to be active on that front as TREC and the Niagara Tourism Global Institute are no longer active at the much touted TM Montante project with another tourism tenant taking control.  It was featured in original announcements on development planning and they all have apparently moved and could not be reached by phone.  Only the 17 market rate residential units on the upper floors seem to be flourishing where a huge fentanyl bust occurred along with a large cache of weapons.  Where is it

At the risk of going on and on about the failures, and the list is very lengthy as a subsidized housing development coming to Old Falls St. and First, one of the most prime locations in all of Western New York which arguably could support a hotel, condominiums or market rate housing.

The city and state leaders feeding the patronage flow need to somehow wake up, changes their cronyism tactics, and get out of the public investment business.  Quit competing with developers and get out of their way and support local investors who need support and help build Niagara Falls without government on their back stifling progress while propping up their friends to make a quick buck and then disappear, like the empty promises that follow them.