Latest news with #Restaino
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6 days ago
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Centennial Park feasibility study expected to be released this month
Niagara Falls Mayor Robert Restaino says he expects to release a feasibility study on the proposed Centennial Park project later this month. He also said Monday that the study supports the project and 'its ability to be successful.' Restaino spoke to the Gazette after making an 'informal presentation' on the project to mayors from across New York at last week's New York Conference of Mayors meeting in Albany. The mayor said he is arranging to meet with the 'stakeholders who paid for the study' prior to publicly releasing its findings. 'One of the things we will do is meet with the stakeholders (representatives of Empire State Development and the National Grid Strategic Economic Development Program) who paid for the study and show it to them,' Restaino said. 'And then we'll release it to the public. This month everything is going to be out in the open.' Restaino did not discuss any specific findings of the study, indicating that it was still 'being completed.' But he did say that the findings of the study were 'supportive' of the Centennial Park proposal. Empire State Development (ESD) and the National Grid Strategic Economic Development Program are reimbursing the city up to $140,000 for the cost of the study which has been prepared by Sports Facilities Advisory LLC, a Florida-based sports facilities consulting company. An additional projected $5,000 to $6,000 in expenses for travel and travel-related costs is being covered by American Rescue Plan (ARP) funds. The contract with Sports Facilities called for the preparation of a 'market analysis and feasibility study' of the Centennial Park plans which call for the construction of a 'multi-faceted, year-round event campus' that would include a 6,000 to 7,000-seat arena for sporting and entertainment events, a smaller multi-purpose facility and a splash pad that could be converted into an ice-skating rink during winter months. The project also calls for the construction of a parking ramp with exterior walls that could be used for rock climbing and a roof that could be used as a location for concerts or movie screenings. The estimated cost of the project is between $150 million to $160 million. The park would be constructed on up to 12 acres of South End property described as 907 Falls St. and an adjacent portion of the property along John Daly Memorial Parkway. That property had been owned by Niagara Falls Redevelopment (NFR), and an affiliated company, Blue Apple Properties. The city was awarded the property as a result of a successful eminent domain proceeding against NFR. Restaino said during his discussion of the project with other mayors the city leaders were focused on the Falls' use of eminent domain. Eminent domain refers to the right of 'a government or its representative to take private property for public use, as long as the land owner is fairly compensated.' The use of eminent domain has been enshrined in American law for more than 150 years since the U.S. Supreme Court's decision in Kohl v. United States in 1875. 'Some (of the mayors) wanted more information on eminent domain so I did provide that,' Restaino said. 'I think they were happy to have a conversation and some of them had (expressed) a fear of the length of time to make eminent domain work. But in our case, it only took 21 months.' The mayor expressed disappointment that the city council, at its last meeting, tabled his request to begin the process of purchasing roughly 5 acres of the proposed Centennial Park project site. Restaino had asked for authorization to submit a $4.029 million offer to NFR and its affiliate, to purchase the property based on an independent appraisal of the land. Several council members objected to authorizing the offer without having a chance to first review the appraisal and the feasibility study. The mayor said council members could review the appraisal, but it would not be publicly released because it is part of the ongoing litigation with NFR. 'We're waiting to make (NFR) an offer,' Restaino said. 'We've put a number forward. It's more a question of if the council is going to approve going forward with it.' The purchase offer is based on the acquisition of only slightly more than half of the land the city originally sought in its eminent domain action. In January, the city began legal proceedings against NFR claiming that 5 acres of the contested South End property, already subject to the eminent domain action, was never legally transferred to NFR's ownership. The city is claiming that property formerly known as the 10th Street Park, at the intersection of 10th and Falls streets, was never properly deeded to NFR as part of a deal in 2003-2004 between the South End land owner and former Falls mayors Irene Elia and Vince Anello. Restaino has said the city's special counsel for the Centennial Park project has determined that NFR never completed the process of taking control of the land by gaining approval of the property transfer from the New York State Legislature. The city and NFR are currently contesting that claim in New York State Supreme Court.
Yahoo
20-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
NFR: Data center tax payment plan could aide arena project
Backers of an announced plan to build a $1.5 billion data center in downtown Niagara Falls on Monday floated the idea of using a portion of tax-related payments from the project to cover costs associated with another big idea in the same area — Mayor Robert Restaino's proposed arena and events campus known as Centennial Park. During a Zoom call organized by the data center's lead advocate, Niagara Falls Redevelopment, company representatives suggested they're open to using a specialized payment program that would allow tax payments from their project to be placed into a fund the city could use for a designated purpose such as paying for Centennial Park, which is expected to cost at least $150 million. NFR representatives, joined by the company's economic consultant, Michael N'Dolo of the MRB Group, said municipal governments that would derive tax revenue from the data center could authorize what's called Pilot Increment Financing, or PIF, for the project. The tax payment structure allows local governments to enter into payment-in-lieu-of-taxes agreements with the owners of specific redevelopment sites, with a portion of the proceeds from those projects being set aside to cover capital improvements. Restaino and some city lawmakers have previously said they may borrow funds through the bond market to cover costs associated with building Centennial Park. During Monday's Zoom session, NFR's long-time Executive Vice President Roger Trevino suggested authorizing the so-called 'PIF' to be created for the company's Falls data center could help the city cover the cost of any such bond. 'This is the revenue stream that would be used to pay down a bond,' Trevino said. 'At present, all the discussions have not involved a mechanism to pay down the bond.' Monday's review of the project and its potential benefits included guests invited by NFR, including what Trevino said were developers, attorneys, political activists, tour operators and school officials. City Council Chairman Jim Perry did not attend the session but said on Monday he had no faith in the possibility of the data center supporting the city's arena efforts, suggesting it's a 'waste of time' to discuss another 'false story' being put out by NFR. Perry said he's convinced, based on the company's track record in the Falls, which has included decades of promising developments that have never materialized, that the data center is 'just another publicity stunt.' 'I will tell you with no hesitation, there is no data center going to be built,' Perry said. Restaino, with support from Perry and some other council members, has aggressively sought to use the city's power of eminent domain to forcibly acquire 10 acres of NFR's land off John B. Daly Boulevard near the intersection of 10th and Falls streets for the purposes of developing Centennial Park. NFR insists its consultants have determined that the same exact 10 acres must be the starting point for the first phase of its data center, which the company publicly announced in 2022 with its partner in the project, the Toronto firm Urbacon. The companies claim the first building would be part of a larger nine-building complex to be developed on part of the 140 acres of land NFR owns to the east of Seneca Niagara Resort & Casino. The city and the company have for years been at odds over which of the so-called two projects for the Falls has more merit. Restaino, like Perry, has consistently held that the company's data center and its lofty revenue, tax and jobs numbers are not real, while NFR has frequently questioned the cost of Centennial Park, the chances of the city obtaining the money needed to build it from the state and the project's ability to offer any real return on investment for taxpayers. On Monday, Trevino suggested his company is not opposed to the city having an arena, despite what some officials have viewed as the company's opposition to Restaino's idea. 'We are not against an events center, never have been,' Trevino said. 'In fact, we actually believe in the two-project solution.' Some critics view NFR's plan as a ruse designed to inflate the value of the 10-acre site in court. As part of the eminent domain process, final value will be determined by a local judge based, in part, on the property's 'highest and best use.' Restaino's administration, in documents filed in 2022 with the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, estimated it would cost $10 million for land acquisition, which would be about $1 million per acre. Data center advocates, including the Niagara Reporter, have suggested that the site, due to its proximity to the old Niagara Splash Park property across John B. Daly Boulevard, has a true value closer to $20 million. NFR and its partners previously sought $75 million for the Splash Park site, which was forcibly acquired by the state using its power of eminent domain to support the development of Seneca Niagara Casino. In a 2010 decision, former Niagara County State Supreme Court Justice Richard Kloch determined the Splash Park land had a final value of $17.17 million, or about $1 million per acre. NFR spokesperson James Haggerty previously called suggestions that the company introduced its data center proposal in an effort to drive up the value of its 10 acres 'utter nonsense.' He also noted that NFR and Urbacon first inquired about the possibility of building a data center on land in the Falls eight months before Restaino first publicly discussed his plans for Centennial Park in October 2021 and more than a year before the city formally commenced eminent domain proceedings involving the company's 10 acres. NFR officials continue to insist the data center proposal is genuine and have hired MRG Group to reinforce the point by conducting a study of the project's potential economic benefits. The Rochester-based firm's study claims NFR and Urbacon's Niagara Digital campus could result in 'more than $414 million in additional tax revenues' for the city, county, state and local school district over a 20-year period. It also claims the data center development would create 'almost 1,000 jobs per year on average' with estimated earnings of '$1.66 billion over 20 years.' On Monday, N'Dolo spent about a half hour reviewing his company's findings including MRB group's suggestion that tax revenues resulting from the development of the data center over 20 years would equal more than $400 million in total, including $298 million for the city and Falls school district, $54 million for Niagara County and $62 million for the state. The MRB study calculates what it calls a 'property tax savings to a 'typical' owner of an average-priced single-family home,' concluding that the homeowner would 'save approximately $14,603 over 20 years' or 'an average of approximately $730 per year.' The consultant defines the 'savings' as 'revenues that the city and school district otherwise would have to collect via their respective tax levies.' 'If the project moves forward, you get this; if the project doesn't move forward, you don't get this,' N'Dolo said. Data center advocates did not directly answer a question from the Niagara Gazette about what the city may be doing, or not doing, to prevent NFR and Urbacon from moving forward with the data center. Haggerty did say that the firm submitted updated documents for the data center to the city's planning board last week. Those documents include an updated application to establish a Negotiated Planned Development District, also known as a Planned Unit District, for the purposes of developing the data center in the city's South End. The updated planning documents, which would require approval from the city before the project can move forward, will be made available on NFR's digital campus website on Tuesday, according to Haggerty. 'All we need is cooperation to put shovels in the ground and move this forward,' Haggerty said. Trevino said there are still many 'moving parts' to this type of development and with a project of the size and magnitude of the data center. He said his company remains open to answering questions and doing its part to make the plan happen. 'At the end of the day, what we need here are jobs and we need high-tech, not low-paying jobs. We need good-paying jobs,' he said.
Yahoo
17-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Falls extends Casella contract in return for purchase of 18,000 new totes
Just over a year into a five-year deal to provide garbage and recycling collection for Niagara Falls, city council members have approved a five-year extension of the city's contract with Casella Waste Management. In exchange for the doubling of the term of its contract, Casella has agreed to spend 'approximately $1.2 million this year to purchase 18,000 new 96-gallon blue garbage totes.' According to a memo from Mayor Robert Restaino (D) to the council members, the purchase would allow the city to replace its current collection of roughly 18,000 'smaller-seized blue totes.' The extension moves the expiration of Casella's contract from April 30, 2029, to April 30, 2034, 'under the same terms, conditions, and specifications' currently contained in its agreement with the city. Restaino has characterized the Casella contract as 'much more in line with our refuse fee' revenue. The mayor had previously expressed concern over the cost and necessity of replacing the city's current collection of blue garbage totes, which he says 'are at the end of their useful lives. Those totes are owned by the city and are maintained and repaired by the city's Department of Public Works (DPW). Under the terms of the contract extension, Casella will dispose of the old blue totes and will retain ownership of the new totes for the length of its contract with the city and any additional extensions. The waste removal contractor will also be responsible for the maintenance of the new totes. Restaino said DPW will still be responsible for the maintenance of the city's 96-gallon green recycling totes. But he estimated the DPW's tote repair work would decrease by up to 75%. The mayor cautioned that if the city was required to buy the new totes, it would likely have to fund the purchase by increasing the city's garbage user fee. The original Casella contract replaced an expiring, decades-old agreement with Modern Disposal Services. The Lewiston-based company had handled trash and recycling collection in the Falls since the late 1990s. Modern had been the target of continual complaints about its services from city residents. Council Member Donta Myles (D) said those complaints have increased in the first year of the Casella contract. 'Since they've started, I've got more complaints about totes being torn up and tops of totes being ripped up and never replaced,' Myles said. 'And not picking up all of the trash, leaving totes in the middle of the street when they dump them. Trash falling in the street and they don't pick it up. Extending their contract right now is not valid cause we're getting more complaints right now than we had with Modern.' Myles said that until Casella improved its services, he would not agree to extend its contract. Council Chair James Perry (D) and members Traci Bax (R), Brian Archie (D) and David Zajac (R) voted to approve the extension and tote purchase. The city charges residents a solid waste disposal or 'user' fee to offset the cost of having a private company handle garbage and recyclable collections. The fee, established in 2019 at $181 a year, is billed directly to property owners and must be reauthorized every year as part of the city's budget approval process.
Yahoo
17-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Restaino: Talk of costly KeyBank Center upgrades not a concern for Falls arena plan
Mayor Robert Restaino does not believe recent conversations about the possible need to pump tens of millions of dollars into renovation work at KeyBank Center in Buffalo will have any impact on ongoing efforts to secure state funding to develop an arena that could accommodate a minor league hockey franchise in Niagara Falls. During an interview with local media members earlier this week, Restaino said he's not at all concerned that the state might consider putting money into fixing up the long-time home of the NHL's Buffalo Sabres before it gives the Falls funds to build Centennial Park, a proposed arena and events campus that is expected to cost at least $150 million. 'The City of Niagara Falls exists independent of the City of Buffalo and the City of Niagara Falls is a regional destination and, at some point, I think it's just obvious to everyone, that investment in this community returns itself with a great return on investment,' Restaino said. Multiple Western New York media outlets, including the Buffalo News, have reported in recent weeks that Erie County Executive Mark Poloncarz intends to walk away from the KeyBank Center lease when it expires on Oct. 1, 2026. The arena, which opened as Marine Midland Arena in 1996, has been home to the NHL's Buffalo Sabres for nearly three decades. The Buffalo News reported last month that the facility is facing a 'host of pressing renovation needs,' which the newspaper said could 'supersede its original construction cost of $127.5 million. Accounting for inflation, the News reported that the cost would be equivalent to $247 million today. WGRZ Channel 2 in Buffalo reported it is believed the facility needs between $75 million and $200 million in renovations. Restaino's administration, in documents filed in 2022 with the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, estimated $122 million in state funding would be needed to build Centennial Park. The paperwork listed the total project cost at $165 million. Restaino noted that Sabres owner Terry Pegula has already benefited from substantial public support through the development of a new football stadium in Orchard Park for his other team, the Buffalo Bills. The $2.1 billion football stadium included $600 million from the state and $250 million from Erie County. 'The Sabres have a wonderful ownership,' Restaino said. 'He has already seen $600 million of state investment in the football stadium, so I'm not at all concerned about it.' Restaino revealed in response to questions earlier this week that he has a draft version of a feasibility study for the Centennial Park project, but said it is not yet finalized. The study, which was financed with support from New York State's lead economic development agency, Empire State Development Corp., and National Grid, was conducted by the Florida-based firm, Sports Facilities Advisory LLC. It was done to flesh out the concept and to assess whether the project makes sense in the city. Restaino has said that he envisions the facility, which would include a 6,000- to 7,000-seat arena, as a future site for an Ontario Hockey League team. The minor league OHL is considering expansion by up to three teams and Restaino met with the league's commissioner, whom he said told him would consider placing a team in Niagara Falls, New York, if the city had an arena in place.
Yahoo
15-05-2025
- Business
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Local tourism leaders plan for 'unpredictable' summer season
With the official start of the 2025 tourism season just weeks away, local industry leaders and city officials are keeping a wary eye on what the summer season will hold for the Cataract City. A Wednesday afternoon summit with Mayor Robert Restaino, Destination Niagara USA President & CEO John Percy and members of the Niagara Falls Hotel and Motel Association seemed to yield equal measures of concern and confidence. 'We've seen some reduction in (local) cross-border traffic,' Restaino said. 'We met to make sure our (local tourism) industry is nimble enough to react to it.' But the mayor cautioned that local governments 'have very little ability to impact' tourism. The industry has been hit by headwinds created by dramatic changes in the United States' policies on immigration, travel and tariffs. In particular, a trade war and suggestions by President Donald Trump that the U.S. should simply annex Canada as a 51st state have plunged the relationship between the two neighbors into a deep freeze. Mass deportations and other aggressive law enforcement actions against immigrants have also led many nations to issue advisories cautioning against travel to the U.S. Frank Strangio, whose family operates multiple hotel properties in the Falls, said his sites have seen lower occupancy rates in the run-up to the Memorial Day kick-off of the tourist season. He said booking projections suggest those occupancy declines could continue into the summer, fueled by an absence of both Canadian and international travelers. 'We're seeing a downturn in international (travelers),' Strangio said. 'I don't know if maybe they don't feel welcome here. But that is the wrong message. Come and stay. That's what makes America great. We want to see people from all over the world.' Restaino told the association members that city officials are 'exploring doing something with the occupancy tax. The 6% surcharge on what travelers pay for hotel and motel rooms is used to fund tourism-related expenses, including the Niagara Frontier Transportation Authority's trolley service and the Discover Niagara Shuttle. The mayor said he hoped a 'holiday' on the occupancy tax collections might make room rates more affordable. 'We're not looking at a permanent reduction,' Restaino said. 'We're trying to protect the trolley and the shuttle (both services receive 1% of the occupancy tax revenues).' Strangio said he believes that with the uncertainty of the upcoming tourist season, the region's tourism promotion efforts shouldn't be put at risk. He advocated for continued support for local marketing efforts. 'We need to keep spending on marketing,' Strangio said. 'When we spend less, we make less.' Percy, a long-time tourism industry leader, agreed with Strangio and said Destination Niagara USA is looking to remain aggressive in its advertising and promotions. He said his agency was 'paying attention and has its finger on the pulse' of the decline in Canadian and international travel to the Falls. But he also said Niagara USA was ready to 'pivot' its message to a 'domestic audience of travelers' who live from 3 to 5 hours from the Falls. 'We've always fared well (in tough economies) and we feel we will again this time,' Percy said. 'We don't pull back. We forge ahead.'
