Eleven people joined the Niagara County Brownfields Program’s walking tour for the area south of West Avenue. The tour was an opportunity for residents, business owners, and elected officials to assess the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats to the stability and redevelopment of the city’s west side.
“We’re looking at the whole picture,” said Joy Kuebler, tour organizer, while viewing residences on Webb Street. “When we are making recommendations for new businesses, we can think of the impacts on 100-year-old homes.”
A tour of the area north of West Avenue will be held Thursday, with parking for participants at 650 West Ave.
Participants received route maps and headed to Windsor Village Shops at 43 Stevens St., 100 yards from the Erie Canal on Thursday. Owner Kathy O’Keefe discussed her observations of the neighborhood and answered questions.
O’Keefe said she moved her toy and gift store to Stevens Street because she experienced parking issues when operating on West Avenue and the Bewley Building.
“My goal here has shifted and changed as we figure out the place,” she said.
O’Keefe said there are more and more people from Amherst moving to the west side to buy small homes.
“They’re open-minded about everything,” she said. “Their eyes are way different than people I see from Lockport. I get a lot of visitors from the canal tours. We do get a lot of bicyclists. Meeting their needs is just as important as meeting the needs of the community.”
Kuebler asked O’Keefe about weaknesses in the business environment.
“There’s people that live in Lockport that never cross the bridge and come to the west end,” she said. “My goal is to be a destination.”
O’Keefe said she “doesn’t get” the mindset of dividing the west side into north and south ends.
“Breaking up Lockport like they have in the past is not working,” she said.
Marketing Lockport as a short drive from Amherst is a strategy O’Keefe said interests her.
City resident Mike Weber said he participated in the tour because “I want to see things get better.”
He said he sees benefits in creating a welcoming gateway to the west end and the city as a whole on Route 31.