State agency hires firm to oversee creation of heritage path in the Falls

Mark Scheer, Niagara Gazette, Niagara Falls, N.Y.
·3 min read

Nov. 25—A New York City firm that specializes in urban planning will help the state agency that oversees development in downtown Niagara Falls create a heritage path featuring an observation deck overlooking the upper Niagara River rapids, a public plaza and a pocket park.

Members of the board of directors for the state-run USA Niagara Development Corp. on Tuesday agreed to a contract with the firm Practice for Architecture and Urbanism to assist with the development of the "Niagara Falls Heritage Gateways" project.

Board members set a cap on the 44-month contract of $2.1 million. Under the deal, the firm, known as PAU for short, will oversee the project from design to construction, which state officials say will cost $10 million.

USA Niagara will cover the cost of PAU's contract using funds from the Regional Revitalization Partnership, an initiative announced earlier this year by Gov. Kathy Hochul that will provide a total of $40 million in state funds to the cities of Niagara Falls, Buffalo and Rochester for various development efforts.

The $10 million needed to build the gateways project will come from Buffalo Billion II, a state economic development initiative that was created by former Gov. Andrew Cuomo.

The Heritage Gateways project calls for the development of a downtown heritage path that will be connected by a series of checkpoints offering visitors information about the city's history and points of interest in the Falls.

The path will be tied to several new developments, including a public plaza, a multi-use recreational space and a pocket park at the old DeFranco Park. The project also calls for construction of an observation deck offering a view of the upper rapids and eastern tip of Goat Island from 305 Buffalo Ave., one of the properties USA Niagara purchased from Lewiston businessman Joseph "Smokin' Joe" Anderson as part of a larger $14 million deal involving a total of 31 downtown properties.

Under its contract with USA Niagara, PAU will serve as project manager, overseeing design, conducting a condition analysis and assisting with the development of all bid documents.

USA Niagara President Anthony Vilardo said the goal of the heritage pathways project is to draw visitors to Niagara Falls State Park out of the park and to points of interest in the downtown area.

"It's basically telling the story of Niagara Falls through this heritage trail, giving visitors more things to do and giving residents a sense of place and history and a better understanding of why the city is so important," Vilardo said.

In other matters, the USA Niagara board also agreed on Tuesday to enter into an administrative agreement with the NFC Development Corp. — a sub-entity of the City of Niagara Falls that can offer financial assistance to area business owners — for a Small Business Property Improvement Program.

State officials said the program includes $3 million to foster revitalization of traditional mixed-use business districts by providing funds to small business and property owners for commercial improvements such as facade restoration and other mixed-use building upgrades.