City of Buffalo to review Stinson hotel rescue plan

Harry Stinson, owner of the long shuttered Buffalo Grand and former Adam's Mark hotel in downtown Buffalo, submitted what some are calling an 11th hour plan to revive the city's largest hotel on Wednesday.

"I received word from the Mayor's office that Harry Stinson did submit a proposal, just as a city deadline, to prove he has a plan, was about to expire," said Council member Mitch Nowakowski on WBEN.

The city now has to review the legitimacy of the proposal.

"It's really important that the city examine that this isn't a farce and that the money is real and the resources are actually there, and not monopoly money," Nowakowski said.

Stinson told WBEN on Wednesday that he has secured financing from an investor in Tampa.

The next step is for the city to review the plan. But Nowakowski points out that the case is still heading to court because abandonment proceedings have already started.

Even if it is found to be viable, Stinson still owes a lot of money in back taxes.

"He still owes over 300 thousand dollars in back taxes and there are well over 18 housing code violations," explained Nowakowski.

There is a lot of pressure to get this right, because the structure is incredibly important to downtown.

"Right off the Skyway and the 190, it's the first eyesore that you see. And there are many studies that show we need an additional 500 hotel rooms to accommodate large scale events in the city. We need the success of the hotel for the overall vitality of tourism in the city."

The hotel has been closed since March of 2020. There was a fire at the hotel in December of 2021.It has also been a major target for vandalism with extensive graffiti inside and out.

All of that is concerning to Nowakowski, who admits he's running out of patience.

"You can have a piece of paper that says I have financing. But we have to scrutinize to make sure this is realand that he can bring it back to productive use."