Buffalo, N.Y. (WBEN) - Buffalo Mayor Sean Ryan announced Wednesday the city has filed a lawsuit in New York State Supreme Court seeking to stop construction of the proposed Seneca One Stop gas station and truck stop, located at 5 Miami Street.
The Seneca Nation began construction of the gas station back in September.
The city posted a stop-work order at the site Tuesday, according to a Seneca Nation spokesperson.
“This project would have a major impact on the surrounding neighborhood, the Buffalo River, and the public investments we have made in this part of Buffalo,” said Ryan on Wednesday. “We have a responsibility to protect those investments and the people who live, work, and spend time here.”
Plans for the project, which carries a development price tag of more than $10 million, call for the Seneca One Stop to include 26 fueling stations, a convenience store and a dispensary. The proposed truck stop would be located on a 3.8-acre site approximately two blocks from the Buffalo River, surrounded by public parks, restaurants, event venues, businesses, and city infrastructure.
The city’s complaint alleges that recent site preparation has already disturbed potentially contaminated soil and released soil and materials onto adjacent properties and into the Buffalo River. The site is located in an area that has undergone decades of environmental remediation.
The proposed project is also inconsistent with the transformation that has taken place along the Ohio Street and Buffalo River waterfront over the past decade. An $11.3 million public reconstruction project using both city and state funding transformed Ohio Street from a four-lane commercial roadway into a two-lane waterfront corridor with pedestrian and bicycle infrastructure, landscaping, and other public amenities. That investment was intended to encourage new private investment and help create a neighborhood where people could live, work, and spend time.
The site is also within the city’s Local Waterfront Revitalization Area, where development is subject to review for consistency with the city’s Local Waterfront Revitalization Program and its requirements to protect the city’s waterways and waterfront resources. The complaint alleges the project would require, among other approvals, a building permit, traffic study, special-use permit, use variance, and environmental review.
