The Niagara Falls Planning Board has given its unanimous approval to the site plan for the proposed Niagara Heritage Gateways project.
Preliminary designs for the $12 million project were first unveiled by Gov. Kathy Hochul in December. The site plan approved by the planning board is for 480 Main and 427 First streets which include the proposed Gorge Gateway Park and the Hydraulic Power Plaza.
The plaza and park will create what has been described as “a multi-use public space that serves as a landscaped connection between the state park and downtown.”
The project, which will be spearheaded by USA Niagara Development, the state agency charged with helping to redevelop the Falls, is the first phase of a broader Downtown Niagara Falls Heritage Walk concept that aims to strengthen the current connections between the city’s downtown area and the Niagara Falls State Park.
The gateways project also calls for a Tree Walk along the Riverway near the Niagara River Upper Rapids. The Riverway Tree Walk —which will be accessible from both Buffalo Avenue and Niagara Falls State Park via existing stairs — includes the construction of a platform that emerges from a wooded embankment and extends toward the river.
The Tree Walk is designed to provide “panoramic views of the Upper Rapids and Goat Island. USA Niagara officials say the walk will serve as “a beacon that guides visitors from Riverway to downtown.”
“These placemaking projects are the next step in rebuilding downtown Niagara Falls,” USA Niagara President Anthony Vilardo said. “Our aim with these designs is to tell the story of our city, and create beautiful, functional public spaces that set the stage for additional economic development in the years to come.”
New York City-based studio Practice for Architecture and Urbanism (PAU) and landscape architect firm Hargreaves Jones have designed and will oversee the construction of the project.
With the site plan approved, the project is expected to break ground this summer. The project is funded by the state through Buffalo Billion II and the Regional Revitalization Partnership.
Other elements of the project include a multi-use recreational space and a pocket park at the old DeFranco Park.
Hydraulic Power Plaza will be built on a portion of the former snow park at Main Street, between First Avenue and Second Avenue.