The prospect of bringing Great Lakes cruise ships into Buffalo took a significant pre-construction step forward.
The hiring of Cheektowaga-based Buffalo Construction Consultants to serve as construction manager for the proposed Outer Harbor terminal needed by cruise lines is not a step that should be taken lightly.
With Buffalo Construction Consultants on board, it means crews - this fall - can start building the terminal, with the goal of it being completed and ship passenger-ready by July 2027.
"If we can get that going and the ship wall repaired, we should be good to go," said Mark Wendel, Erie Canal Harbor Development Corp. president.
The ECHDC, on Oct. 14, awarded a $920,023 contract to Buffalo Construction Consultants for its construction management services while the $17.3 million terminal is built. The terminal will be developed along the Slip B parcel alog Fuhrmann Boulevard - on the site where the former Shooter's restaurant once stood.
The terminal will house a number of services including customs inspections and a welcoming center.
Bringing in Great Lakes cruise ships has been a key development benchmark for Visit Buffalo and other groups.
One line, Victory Cruise Lines, has agreed to bring in its two 200-passenger ships and will make several Buffalo stops annually during the peak Great Lakes cruising season between late April and late October.
Buffalo's peer Great Lakes cities like Milwaukee, Duluth and Cleveland have all fostered and grown destinations for cruise ship operators.
Great Lakes cruises have grown in popularity with just 9,000 passengers in 2010 to more than 25,000 passengers in 2023.
If fully developed, Buffalo could see 12,000 annual cruise ship passengers within the next decade and perhaps, more than 15,000, by 2040.
An economic impact report, commissioned by Empire State Development, predicts developing Buffalo as a seasonal cruise ship destination could have an annual economic impact of more than $37.3 million.