Falls officials say they are seeking to kick-start the city’s Downtown Redevelopment Initiative (DRI) by moving forward with plans for a state-funded Main Street enhancement project that would include various streetscape enhancements as well as the creation of a “public plaza” at the Cleveland Avenue intersection.
The city has released a request for proposals (RFP) from design and construction services firms to assist in the project.
“The DRI rose and fell with the Blue Cardinal proposal, so now we’re going to try to move ahead with some stuff that we can do while we deal with Blue Cardinal,” Mayor Robert Restaino said.
Blue Cardinal Capital announced in June 2019 that it had reached an agreement to purchase 38 properties — 22 on Main Street and 16 on neighboring side streets — from long-time owner, Youngstown businessman Richard Hastings. The deal included a pair of empty lots and dozens of mostly vacant commercial buildings, including the old Jenss department store located at 1708 Main St. In total, the $3.2 million agreement included roughly 200,000 square feet of real estate in the city’s North End.
But the project never moved forward.
State funding that had been earmarked to assist Blue Cardinal has now been pulled and redirected to the Whirlpool Street Connectivity Enhancements Project, to fund streetscape improvements along Cleveland Avenue, Linwood Avenue, and Lincoln Place between Whirlpool and Main streets. Those enhancements are designed to improve connections between the new Gorgeview Trail, created by the removal of the Robert Moses Parkway, and Main Street businesses.
In addition to its loss of state funding, records on file with the Niagara County Clerk’s office show CNB Bank has begun foreclosure proceedings on 27 Blue Cardinal properties on Main Street and several surrounding streets.
And in a separate filing, Western New York architectural firm Cannon Design has sued Blue Cardinal seeking payment of $416,126 for services rendered in 2020. According to the lawsuit, Niagara Village, LLC, an affiliate of Blue Cardinal, hired Cannon to provide programming, concept design and schematic design services.
Blue Cardinal also owes $14,500 in overdue property taxes on 37 of its properties.
Restaino said the city is working to gain ownership of the Blue Cardinal holdings.
“We’re in talks regarding the foreclosures,” Restaino said. “We are looking to give the city a little control over north Main Street development.”
The pending RFP seeks proposals to help develop a plan for Main Street that would include:
• Sidewalk reconstruction on both sides of the street.
• Enhancement of pedestrian crossings with Americans with Disabilities Act curb ramps.
• Streetscape beautification measures, including “trees, flowers and other seasonal or permanent installations.”
• Installation of pedestrian and cycling amenities, “including but not limited to benches, bicycle racks and trash/recycling receptacles” and
• Replacement of existing light poles and conversion to LED.
The largest component of the project involves the proposed plaza, which, according to the RFP, would “transform an underutilized lawn space” in front of the city’s police station and courthouse into an “attractive plaza for recreation and relaxation, as well as event and performance space.” That aspect of the project would include “special paving and pavement treatment” from the plaza to Main Street and Cleveland Avenue, installation of pedestrian and cycling amenities, the addition of trees, flowers, light poles and other seasonal or permanent installations and “creative elements,” such as public art that would “contribute to a lively and exciting place for residents and tourists to visit and spent time.”
A third “alternate” component that could be added to the overall project is identified in the RFP as involving the improvement of “neighborhood connections” to Whirlpool Street and the New York State Park trail system on Linwood and Cleveland avenues and Lincoln Place. The preferred bidder would be hired to develop a plan for that component to include new milling and street paving, sidewalk reconstruction, pedestrian crossing enhancements and landscaping improvements.
The projected budget for components one and two is listed in the RFP at $4.015 million. Adding the third “alternate” component involving the Whirlpool Street upgrades would increase the cost by $1.6 million, which would up the total to $5.615 million.
“The DRI has been in place for a few years, but got stalled out by Blue Cardinal,” Restaino said. “With their properties now in foreclosure, we’re looking to make that section of Main Street more attractive and we can go forward with some things to advance that district.”