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The waterfront region of the Town of Tonawanda is emblematic of the economic transformation of western New York and the Great Lakes region over the past thirty years. The shift away from major manufacturing has left a pattern of under-utilized land uses that fail to capitalize on the region's locational advantages economic potential, and recreation and scenic value. At the same time, a public consensus has developed regarding the creative re-use and redevelopment of industrial waterfronts. Previous planning efforts. including the Horizons Action Plan, clearly envision a higher level of public coordination, planning. and capital investment (0 help transform Erie County's shoreline.
This report outlines in detail a new vision for Tonawanda's waterfront. This Master plan is based on a detailed assessment of existing physical conditions, environmental issues, and patterns of market support. Based on this assessment, and on previous planning efforts, a revised land use plan was created for the region as a whole. The plan documents in detail the costs. benefits, and feasibility of a series of target action projects. This analysis is based on preliminary site plans for each of the initiatives. The final section of the plan identifies tools and techniques to implement the plan over the next several years.
Land Use Approach
The plan fully recognizes the transitional nature of land use in the waterfront region. Accordingly, it seeks to rationalize the location of land uses that depend on direct water access and those that gain benefit by their position next to the water. These water dependent uses--marinas and wharves, for example--and water-enhanced uses--parks. housing, and the like--are focused on the area to the west (or river side) of River Road Those uses that do not gain direct or indirect benefit from riverfront locations have been located east of River Road. These include light industrial, convenience retail, and similar uses.
The land use plan seeks to maximize public access to the river for pedestrians, bicyclists, and motorists. The plan uses strategically located public open space to link public riverfront destinations, maintain access to the water, and structure development in an environmentally sensitive manner. In part, this is accomplished by preserving and enhancing existing stream corridors.
Commercial uses that gain a competitive advantage by high visibility are located adjacent to the interstate highway system. In addition, the plan recognizes the town's status as a gateway from Canada via the South Grand Island Bridge by creating waterfront destinations and appropriate commercial development opportunities.
Land use is most dramatically restructured in the area north of the Grand Island Bridge. There, River Road is proposed to be relocated 1,000 feet inland from its current alignment. This realignment dramatically creates new Land use opportunities north of the bridge by creating more valuable riverfront land area unencumbered by an intervening roadway. Housing is proposed to take advantage of this realignment and the new river-view site it creates. These housing units would be generously buffered by River Road and open space from proposed light industrial uses to the east This represents an extension of the residential neighborhoods found just to the north of the waterfront region in the city of Tonawanda
On the east side of River Road, light industrial use is designated on approximately 470 acres. This substantial area is capable of supporting up to 4,000,000 square feet of light industrial and office space over the long term Closer to the Grand Island Bridge, land use on the east side of River Road is designated Thruway Commercial, This designation reflects higher expected land value and is intended to include office, light industrial uses with a high proportion of office space, or retail uses,
Open space helps to structure the overall plan. A key recreational focal point is proposed on the Niagara River just north of the Grand Island Bridge. This proposed riverfront park with a town harbor is intended to create a high-activity center on the river. As an extension of Isle View Park, it will include a boat basin, interpretive center, restaurant, and a small inn or hotel. South of Grand Island Bridge, the Cherry Farm site on the riverfront is planned as a 55-acre regional park This will include a wide range of activities such as boating, court sports, passive open space, hiking, and biking trails. This regional destination will provide a key link south of the bridge along with public access to the river and views of the water. It `will also demonstrate a suitable use of a hazardous waste site that can be successfully remediated to accommodate a new use. Additional open space includes the planned extension of Isle View Park, open space within stream corridors and roadway right-of-ways, and existing recreational activities, such as marinas. Privately owned sites south of the bridge, including the proposed "River World" project on the Roblin Steel site, are expected to see a mix of commercial and recreational uses with public access to the riverfront
Target Action Projects
The planning team, working with the Town of Tonawanda and the Horizons Waterfront Commission, selected five target action projects for mane detailed study. Together, these are intended to form a balanced array of development initiatives, each of which supports the overall land use framework described above. For each project, the planning team developed a conceptual site plan, development program, and development cost estimates. These formed the basis for more detailed feasibility and cost- benefit analysis. This review of development economics is intended to demonstrate the viability of the target action projects from the standpoint of potential private developers and investors as well as those public agencies that may be affected by the proposals. Each of the six priority development projects is discussed in detail below.
A. River Road Relocation
The relocation of River Road inland provides a major opportunity to create substantial waterfront development potential. The relocation would be a public effort of some significance and regional visibility and has the potential to leverage significant private investment over the moderate term. The estimated cost of the relocation, not including right- of-way acquisition, is $4.7 million, (Associated planning and design costs, environmental reviews, and the like are estimated at $700,000, for a total cost of $5.4 million.) This would be expected to be a public investment that would create approximately 75 direct construction jobs (measured as person-years). The indirect benefits of this capital improvement are substantial and are discussed further below.
B. Office and Light Industrial Development
The plan focuses on two key areas for target action projects of office space and light industrial development The first, the so-called 300 Acres site, builds upon the existing success of the Fire Tower Industrial Park. Access to this site would be provided by a central spine road starting from River Road at the southwest corner of the site and moving through the site to connect a new road running along the Niagara Mohawk power line to Two Mile Creek Road and potentially extending from Military Road to Grand Island Boulevard This new spine road would intercept truck traffic before it reaches the residential development to the north.
The light industrial park on the 300 Acres site would offer a range of individual parcel sizes to accommodate the flexible needs of individual tenants or multi-tenant buildings. At buildout this 225-acre site would support an estimated 3.2 million square feet. In this case, project infrastructure costs of $6.1 million would likely be a public investment (most likely made by a non-profit development corporation, as was the case at Fire Tower Industrial Park). This public expenditure could potentially leverage up to $163.3 million in additional private investment at buildout, The development on the site could accommodate approximately 6,800 waterfront-region jobs. The construction of the infrastructure and improvements alone would mean substantial employment, up to 2300 jobs (measured as person-years). 1ublic~service costs for the town and county would run approximately $7.9 million per year for what would be a major regional employment center. However, development on the property would directly provide to town and county coffers $8.1 million per year. In addition, indirect public benefits would include an annual payroll of approximately $204 million that would produce income taxes to the state of $6.1 million annually.
The second office/light industrial project, the proposed Thruway Commerce Center takes advantage of more valuable frontage on River Road, visibility from I-I 90, and views to the never. This initiative is divided into two components.
The first, Thruway Commerce Center I, contains 64 acres of light industrial use on the eastern portion of the site. An additional business park of 37 acres could be created along the River Road frontage, with three acres of convenience retail planned for the intersection of River Road and 1-190. These parcels total some 1.9 million square feet of development. The light industrial Portion is similar in concept to that proposed for the 300 Acre site. The business park portion, however, anticipates a higher percentage of office and a higher level of site improvements and architectural amenities. A central spine road from River Road runs through the site to ultimately connect with a new road along the Niagara Mohawk right- of way.
A second component, Thruway Commerce Center II, is an 11.5 acre development that anticipates a high proportion of office development in a campus-like setting. This site offers a potential 210,0(X) square feet of development at buildout. Access would be provided from River Road, and the roadway terminus at the Niagara Mohawk right-of-way.
Total public and private development costs for the Thruway Commerce Center sites are estimated at $81.5 million. Approximately $4 million of this total would represent public investment for infrastructure. Importantly, this total does not include the costs of site preparation. In the case of the former Ashland Refinery site, these costs require further investigation and may affect project feasibility.
The Thruway Commerce Center site's ultimate development potential represents private investment of $77.6 million. The 4,900 permanent jobs located on the site, in addition to a payroll of $145.5 million, would produce recurring public costs (in the form of county and town services) of $5.6 million, along with property tax revenues and other revenues totaling $5.8 million.
Both the 300 Acre site and the Thruway Commerce Center site produce annual operating surpluses to the town and county. In addition, they provide substantial employment benefits and activity in the waterfront region.
c. Recreational Projects
The plan proposes two major areas of intensive recreational development: the Cherry Farm Park south of the Grand Island Bridge, and the Riverfront Park north of the Bridge. The Cherry Farm Park, located south of the Grand Island Bridge, is a proposed 55-acre regional public park. The park would include a wide range of recreational opportunities. including boat launch ramps, dry stack boat storage for 260 boats, transient docks, trailer parking, court sports, food service pavilion, a bandshell, trails, and so on. Trails will be provided through the wetlands and a section of the old Erie Canal is to be excavated to the entrance. The development of the park is expected to cost $6.3 million, assuming nominal land acquisition costs and assuming that the major costs of remediation of this currently classified hazardous waste site are born by the responsible parties. This regional recreational resource would cost an estimated $8 15.000 per year to operate, provide public services for, and pay the required debt service. The park would provide direct public benefits in the form of taxable sales and net operating income of $452,000.
The Riverfront Park is envisioned as a destination/activity center in a highly "imageable" area of the waterfront region. The Riverfront Park would have a more intensively developed portion providing a range of commercial components. including a restaurant, an interpretive center, and perhaps a small hotel. The Riverfront Park would be centered on a small transient boat basin. Public access to the river would be available in informal park settings and with the more formal, hard-paved pedestrian promenade along the town harbor.
The estimated cost of the Riverfront Park is approximately $17.5 million. This includes some $3.6 million in public expenditures for infrastructure and basic improvements. Private investment for the commercial components totals $13.9 million. Public-service costs of approximately $239,000 are offset by recurring public benefits--mainly in the form of tax receipts-of $879,000. All told, the project would create about 280 construction jobs and would support permanent employment of just over 200.
D. Riverfront Housing
An area of housing is proposed for the riverfront bluffs west of the relocated River Road, This area would provide for a range of housing densities and product types such as single family homes. townhouse, condos, and apartments. The overall density expected from this portion of the site would be from five to eight dwelling units per acre, for a total buildout range of approximately 285 to 450. The development of riverfront housing will likely occur in phases throughout the mid- and long-term development period Based on a buildout of 346 units, development costs are projected to total $35.2 million, with $4 million in infrastructure investment leveraging $31.2 million in private housing investment. Annual town and county service costs of $938,000 for these residents would be offset by $1.4 million in property taxes and other revenues.
Summary of Economic Costs and Benefits
The total cost of the target action projects is estimated at about $315 million. Infrastructure costs. which may be borne mainly by the public sector, are expected to total $27 million, or tune percent of the total. This investment could leverage some $287 million in private investment, an excellent ratio of public to private investment.
This new development pattern would cost an estimated $15.5 million annually to local governments for the provision of public services. However, the new land uses would produce annual revenues of some $16.6 million, for a net annual recurring benefit of $1.1 million. (This annual surplus could support debt service on bonds of up to approximately $12 to $15 million.)
The target projects would create about 4,800 construction jobs (in person-years). When built out, the waterfront region would support nearly 12,000 permanent jobs with an annual payroll exceeding $350 million. The indirect regional economic benefit acids $298 million during the construction of the projects.
Phasing of the Target Action Projects
Project phasing must consider early actions that can help to initiate a sustained region-wide redevelopment pattern. This will generally mean a greater degree of public involvement and expenditures for infrastructure and image-enhancing improvements, such as parks. Also. early phase private investment will be in those areas most likely to take advantage of existing market opportunities. Finally, early actions should include those capable of taking advantage of existing funding sources. For these reasons, the plan identifies the following as short-term priorities: