BUFFALO (WBEN) - The redevelopment of the North Aud Block has been on the minds of Western New York residents for years, and on Wednesday afternoon, officials came one step closer to finding the solution.
Dozens of people came to Wednesday's second public meeting regarding the two-acre development, which is really the last sizable piece of land that remains undeveloped at Canalside. Erie Canal Harbor Development Corporation President Steve Ranalli explained that the goal for the development is have an extremely busy first floor, much like the build of the rest of Canalside, along with a residential component and underground parking.
With any development project, of course, there are a myriad of opinions from the public. In this case, most of them are positive and appreciate the goal.
Richard Schanley said he's a fan of the collaboration that officials from the project are trying to achieve with the community, and he discussed his reasoning for choosing the second option because the buildings don't reach as high.
"I like commercial space but maybe to a minimum so that it isn't all commercial," he said. "I would be happy with more residential than commercial."
Schanley talked about the emergence of Canalside as a whole and how he wants to see momentum continue to build.
"It's mind boggling," he began. "It was always a question of mine, because I'm a golden oldie, and I thought why wasn't this done when I was your age? Why wasn't this done in the 50's and 60's? There was money in Buffalo; there was obviously intelligent folks, and why it took so long. But fortunately, I'm around to see the transformation, so it's very fruitful."
However, Arthur Giacalone is not a fan of the ideas presented, and while he admitted that he's in the minority on this project, he's of the 'less is more' mentality.
"I knew there was going to come a day when they'd be suggesting some very large developments, and I guess now is the time that it's happening,"said Giacalone, a land use and zoning lawyer who represented people who fought against the Bass Pro idea. "When I look at proposed 8-10-12-15-story buildings that are eight stories above the highway, you're blocking views, you're creating a density that's just not appropriate."
"We really want to take some time and make sure," said Ranalli.
