Title - Alternative

Buffalo Harbor Center Themed Visitor Attraction Study-Feasibility and Economic Impact Analysis

Subjects

Buffalo (N.Y.); Real estate development; Business planning; Market research; Economic Research; Tourism

Description

The city of Buffalo, New York is situated at the heart of the nation's largest tract of undeveloped urban waterfront, some 90 miles of shoreline, extending along Lake Erie, the Niagara River, and the Buffalo River in Erie County. This invaluable natural resource, much of which had been abandoned for several decades and virtually cut off from public access and enjoyment for more than 160 years, had become the focus of a comprehensive planning program designed to restore its deserved prominence in the economic and recreational life of the city. Charged with implementing waterfront rejuvenation is Horizons Waterfront Commission, established as a subsidiary of the New York State Urban Development Corporation under legislation sponsored by veteran Congressman Henry J. Nowak of New York's 33rd Congressional District. Representative Nowak, Chairman of the House Subcommittee on Water Resources, had long been an advocate of water management, pollution abatement, and environmentally responsible waterfront development efforts in the Great Lakes region. Under the auspices of the Commission, a draft Action Plan encompassing goals, a generalized land use scheme, and an implementation strategy for the 90-mile zone was approved in May 1991; various elements of this overall plan were undergoing more detailed study. A key component of the Action Plan was a major recreational complex proposed by Representative Nowak for Buffalo's downtown harbor at the hub of the larger waterfront study zone. To include an aquarium, a hands-on industry and technology center, a large-format film theater and planetarium, and an environmental education and research center as focal attractions, this complex--known as Buffalo Harbor Center--would serve as a catalyst for tourism and economic development on the waterfront while simultaneously providing Buffalo with a highly visible symbol of its historic importance as a gateway to the Great Lakes. The umbrella theme of the complex would be the "Great Lakes ecosystem," a multidisciplinary presentation of the interrelationships of water, land, animals, and man. Horizons Waterfront Commission retained Cambridge Seven Associates, Inc. to develop a concept and illustrative facilities program for the attraction, which in turn engaged Harrison Price Company (HPC) to conduct a feasibility analysis and economic impact assessment of the project based on the envisioned concept. This report contains the findings of HPC's analysis. Following this introduction, Section 2 presents a brief summary of major conclusions and recommendations. The attraction concept and its site environment are the subject of Section 3, while Section 4 addresses resident and tourist market support available to the project. Section 5 then develops attendance forecasts and translates these estimates into physical sizing guidelines for major project components. The financial performance of the project is analyzed in Section 6, and the report concludes with an economic impact assessment in Section 7.

Publisher

Harrison Price Company

Client

Cambridge Seven Associations, Inc.; Horizons Waterfront Commission

Date Original

8-1-1992

Document Type

Report

Identifier

106; DP0004144

Language

English

Rights

Copyright: University of Central Florida Special Collections. Permission to publish must be obtained from Special Collections in writing. Contact (407) 823-2576 or online at http://library.ucf.edu/about/departments/special-collections-university-archives/

Number of Pages

113 pages

Keywords

Buffalo (N.Y.); Feasibility studies; Real Estate; Mixed Use Development Projects; Waterfront development; Buffalo Harbor Center

Place

Buffalo (N.Y.)

Type

document

Digital Reproduction Specialists

Electronically reproduced by the Digital Services unit of the University of Central Florida Libraries, Orlando, 2005.

Is Referenced By

http://purl.flvc.org/UCF/EAD/CFM2003-12h (University of Central Florida Special Collections Harrison "Buzz" Price Papers finding aid); https://ucf-flvc.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/permalink/01FALSC_UCF/6a1ouu/alma990332062850306596 (University of Central Florida Libraries Online Catalog)

College

Information Technologies & Resources

Unit

University Libraries

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