ECHDC is eager to receive additional public comment and feedback on the Canal Side design, and we look forward to presenting an evolved and more-detailed project plan for the initial phase of build out in the coming weeks, as the required environmental review process moves toward completion. Actual project construction is finally in sight, and we join all those in the community that can’t wait to see shovels in the ground for this great project. Western New York deserves nothing short of greatness on its waterfront, and Canal Side will answer that call.

So what is on the horizon for the impending first phase of Canal Side? And what can WNY residents and visitors look forward to? Phase one focuses on several specific development features that will initiate the revitalization of the canal district.

First and foremost are the Public Canals, a component envisioned as an Erie Canal-era “journey” through Canal Side, where visitors travel from one place to the next and experience a wide variety of sights, sounds, environments and vistas along the way. Along the journey, there are dramatic views and wonderful places for relaxing or people watching, as well as opportunities for recreation, cultural immersion, dining and special events.

The Public Canals include various depths, from 18 inches to 36 inches, lined by towpaths harkening back to the days of the Erie Canal when mules would pull barges on such trails. This theme is the organizing feature of the Public Canal vision. These towpaths will most certainly be for pedestrian use, and will be lined with restaurants and shops, connecting to the many different levels of public and retail environments. At points along the canal, visitors will be able to actually occupy the canal on a series of “anchored” barges housing, recreational areas, cafes or restaurants. The Public Canals may also feature an aquarium stocked with local species of fish; an attraction unique to the Great Lakes. Visitors will be able to experience all angles of this aquarium by traveling beneath it in a “water tube” which connects public spaces within Canal Side.

In warm weather the Public Canals will usher in a comfortable breeze from Lake Erie, and be the site of varying events and activities. Visitors may rent small paddle boats or crafts and navigate the canals. Meanwhile, Bass Pro Shops Outdoor World—another project component and destination retail anchor—will host periodic fishing tutorials in this space. Nearby tables, outdoor seating and staging areas will be sprinkled throughout the area and line the towpaths, creating a Public Canal environment animated with music and activity.

In the winter these same Public Canals will become a larger central community space dominated by skating rinks, heated canopies, fireplaces, warming huts and crowds. Such rinks will be lined with seating at the edges of the drained canals, and skate rentals will be available from a mobile kiosk. Public restrooms will be provided nearby in all seasons. The Canal Side project design pays special
 

Elevated above the towpath level, and fronting directly on the Bass Pro Shops Outdoor World will be the Canal Side Common, a major new public space for the City of Buffalo. The Common will provide ample room for public picnicking, events and recreation, as well as for coordinated programming. This area feature may be highlighted by a large fireplace and gathering point. Canal Side Common will also accommodate van accessibility and a special events tent, and may also have the ability to be gated for occasional ticketed events.

Located under the Canal Side Common is Canal Side Hall. The Hall will be a premier venue for boutique shops, events, cultural functions and quite possibly a children’s experience center. Quickly becoming one of Buffalo’s great interior spaces, the Hall will serve as a valuable draw for visitors and tourists, offering travelers instant access to the Canal environment. With adjacent retail options located within the Hall, and a direct connection to the Bass Pro Shops Outdoor World atrium available, the Hall is a central point in the Canal Side experience.

At the same time, Canal Side will be serviced by convenient, yet unobtrusive parking options. On the former Memorial Auditorium block alone—located beneath the Bass Pro Shops Outdoor World—will be an Underground Parking Garage providing around 532 vehicle spaces. The proposed Commercial Slip Garage will offer more than 1,283 spaces of public parking, as well as a direct pedestrian connection into the canal environment, all while maintaining parking—much of it covered—for residents of the Marine Drive Apartments. Other parking options will be made available through the first phase of Canal Side via private development. These structures include a small parking ramp on the current General Donovan State Office Building block, and a garage on the Webster Block, which will be hidden from the Main Street corridor by hotel and retail uses. Street parking will also be available wherever possible throughout Canal Side.

The Canal Side project will also benefit from significant private sector involvement during the initial phase of development and beyond. As previously mentioned, a Bass Pro Shops Outdoor World will offer 130,000 square feet of a recreational outdoor, hunting and fishing retail experience. The Bass Pro Shops Outdoor World store—a brand known to attract patrons from vast locales—will not be contained just within the store, rather it will be infused with the surrounding Canal Side development theme. With an interest in marine activity, the Bass Pro Shops Outdoor World store will also have a presence on the Central Wharf area, through expanded floating dock and boat slip opportunities.

Another private development space along the Public Canals is an area envisioned as a Wintergarden setting, with an enclosed atrium and the beginnings of the Prime Slip located nearby. The multi-level design for this building will create an indoor canal environment—particularly important in the winter—and the opportunity for active uses on the connected, elevated portion of Canal Side Common.

As the Public Canals terminate around the existing General Donovan State Office Building Block, the actual vacant building structure will be refurbished with a Canal Side look and feel. The existing structure may continue as office space or other uses, but along with an updated façade, it will have an added ground floor retail and restaurant presence. Such venues will help establish this area as a more social, nightlife driven section of Canal Side. A new free-standing building will potentially be built on the south end of the block completing the Public Canal setting, while possibly offering office or residential uses on the upper floors, and mixed uses below. Defining this area is a Liberty Pole, similar to the famous monument that stood in several places throughout the old canal district.

Moving south along Main Street away from the Public Canals is a redefined Webster Block; the prospective site of a new hotel. Such development will create a critical link to the already standing HSBC Arena, which welcomes scores of hockey fans, concert goers and many other visitors throughout the year. Continuous active ground floor uses are sought leading up Main Street to the Public Canals.

Following the important first phase of Canal Side development, additional phases of activity are expected, allowing for the entire canal district and inner harbor area to blossom to its fullest potential. With much progress seen recently in the waterfront development effort, Canal Side is a welcome undertaking that could forever transform downtown Buffalo and Western New York.