Brown unveils $75M project in address

BUFFALO, N.Y. (WIVB) - A big project is on the table to help boost development in downtown Buffalo. Mayor Byron Brown unveiled the blueprint during his State of the City address on Friday.

Brown's audience heard the mayor keep his no new property taxes promise, announce another drop in the city's crime rate and espouse billions of dollars in economic development.

"That the state of the city is the strongest it has been in years," Brown said.

The theme of Mayor Brown's eighth State of the City address was "progress," marked by the $1.5 billion in economic activity in the city, including the re-birth of Buffalo's waterfront and groundbreaking for the Sabres' new Harbor Center on the Webster Block just weeks away.

But the mayor had even more good news on the development front for the 1,100 civic leaders in attendance - a $75 million hotel and office project bordering the Erie Basin Marina.

"Offices, spa, and we have already negotiated substantial goals in the operation of the facility to ensure diversity in hiring and business opportunities," Brown said.

The project, a joint venture of Carl Paladino's Ellicott Development and Mosey-Castle Interests, would be a 138-room hotel and office complex located on property that is now a parking lot and open field next to Templeton Landing.

The property is owned by the Buffalo Urban Renewal Agency (BURA) and the project still has a lot of red tape to cut through. Common Council President Richard Fontana is on the BURA Board and is looking forward to reviewing the project.

"And see if it makes sense to put an office building and hotel and residential there by the marina. The residential I'm really excited about and I'll look at the market studies to see what they say about the rest of that project," Fontana said.

The mayor also stated Carl Paladino is not asking for any taxpayer funds for the project.