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Well it looks as the time ran out for that developer out of Toronto. The Restoration Corporation pulled the plug on his plan and decided to go a different route.
Thou he meant well, I felt the pans were too aggressive and too far reaching (literally). Those 'structures' past the five story 'baggage' extension of the main terminal were beyond trying to do anything with and placing housing that close to former railroad property was questionable.
Here is the article from the Buffalo News:
Quote:
By Mark Sommer Fri, May 5, 2017
The Central Terminal Restoration Corp. announced Friday that it has severed negotiations with designated developer Harry Stinson, and it will now undertake a comprehensive reuse study in June. The announcement put a sudden end to Canadian developer Harry Stinson's bid to redevelop the Central Terminal into an office, hotel and entertainment complex, with hundreds of new housing units on the property. Stinson was seeking a second six-month extension as designated developer. His current option expires May 24. The developer and members of the Central Terminal told The Buffalo News in April that both sides were nearing an agreement.
"We would like to thank Harry Stinson and his team for the work they put in over the last 12 months, and the passion they have for the Central Terminal," said Jim Hycner, the group's chairman. "We feel at this time that it's in the best interest of the building, our members and volunteers and our East Side neighbors to pursue a different direction for the ultimate redevelopment of the Central Terminal."
Stinson said he was dumbfounded by the abruptly announced decision. "We – and I include all the members of the team – were totally blindsided," Stinson said. "As recently as this morning, there were phone conversations with CTRC without even an inkling that this was going to happen." Stinson said it was just several weeks ago that the restoration group wrote a letter saying they had reached an agreement, with no insurmountable issues in the way.
"I heard about this from a press release," Stinson said. "I was responding to media calls before I even knew what had happened. It was a questionable way of doing business. "This turn of events is quite astonishing." Stinson said he thought all of the attention on the Central Terminal during the train station debate may have influenced the board's decision. "I think it's political," Stinson said. "I think our proposal was viewed as disposable for other reasons. And now their solution is a study."
Last month, the Central Terminal was not selected as a site for a new train station. But numerous politicians pledged to find a solution that would revitalize the 1929 art deco landmark, which was the city's train station from 1929 to 1979. The Urban Land Institute – the world's largest group of real estate and land use experts – has in recent years played a prominent role in reimagining uses for the Richardson Olmsted Complex, the old Millard Fillmore Gates Circle Hospital, One Seneca Tower and Artspace Buffalo Lofts.
Buffalo businessman Howard Zemsky, who heads Empire State Development, previously served on the Richardson Center Corp. board and played a key role in bringing the institute to Buffalo to study the H.H. Richardson Complex. The Hotel Henry opened at the complex this week, the kind of development the institute recommended. "I take my hat off to the Central Terminal Board for changing gears and beginning a planning process with the Urban Land Institute," Zemsky said. "It’s an important step in the journey ahead toward adaptive reuse of the terminal. We have obviously seen this work successfully at Richardson. "Having a broad-based community planning process which results in a consensus going forward plan is an important step to raising funds from individuals, foundations and government."
The comprehensive study is being fast-tracked, with completion by June 30. The process includes a panel of experts who will be in Buffalo for a week to conduct interviews and make a concluding presentation. Zemsky said New York State and the City of Buffalo will split the $100,000 cost. A $35,000 grant in the institute's possession lowered the initial cost. Rep. Brian Higgins, D-Buffalo, who pushed for the train station at the Central Terminal, said in a statement that bringing in the Urban Land Institute was "fantastic news," noting its "great record of accomplishment in Western New York and around the world."
As long as they aren't the same "experts" that did the new Amtrak station study.
Central Terminal gets $250,000 from state for electrical work
A little dated, I forgot to add this tidbit from the Buffalo News;
Quote:
By Aaron Besecker
Wed, Apr 19, 2017
State funds will help pay for electrical upgrades at Buffalo's Central Terminal.
A $250,000 grant will upgrade the landmark's electric panels, allowing "full utilization of the historic building," according to a statement from the Central Terminal Restoration Corp. and Assemblywoman Crystal Peoples-Stokes' office.
The state money is administered by the state Dormitory Authority. The money will cap a $500,000 investment effort that includes roof restoration and will allow the completion of solar panel installation, officials said.
Canadian developer not ready to quit on Central Terminal project
Not sure if this is good news or what considering whatever 'politics' were/are involved here. Note the name (in bold) of the president of ROAR!
From the Buffalo News;
Quote:
By Mark Sommer Mon, May 15, 2017
A New York City company wants to set up a movie, TV and music production and post-production facility at the Central Terminal. And, ROAR Logistics, run by Bob Rich III, wants to relocate its headquarters there. But there's a hitch: Both companies are part of the mix of tenants for the Central Terminal that were being assembled by Harry Stinson of Hamilton, Ont. – and his status as designated developer expires on May 24. The Central Terminal Restoration Corp., the not-for-profit owner, announced May 5 it had ended negotiations despite recent statements suggesting an agreement was near.
Stinson sought to redevelop the former train station into an office, hotel, residential and entertainment complex. On Monday, Stinson – who said he remains frustrated and bewildered by the end to negotiations – and members of his team told The Buffalo News they hope to be given another opportunity. They revealed the two potential tenants – the New York City-based company, Brickz City Ventures, would also be a partner – as an example of the deals they were working on before learning by text and then press release that yearlong negotiations with the Central Terminal Restoration Corp. had concluded.
Entertainment facility
Gail Leibowitz, who heads Brickz City Ventures, said the large art deco landmark is the kind of property she has been looking for to create "an innovation studio." Leibowitz said a movie, TV and music production and post-production facility, with sound stages and space to build sets, would be the biggest component. "It's just the perfect place. I couldn't think of a more ideal building and layout," Leibowitz said. Dorian Forbes, a partner who grew up on the East Side, said the facility would employ people in a range of positions, from production assistants and set builders to costume makers and sound technicians, with entry-level training.
Leibowitz said she has worked in operations, overseen offices, worked in entertainment and helped build companies. The economics of the entertainment industry make Buffalo, with its 40 percent film tax credit, an attractive place to be, she said. "We have reached out to many major players to see their appetite for something like this, and everyone, hands-down, was in," Leibowitz said. "We know we can put the financing together." "I think it's very important to stress that we want to create a vibrant for-profit industry, but with a very big social impact on a community that certainly could benefit from that," she added. Forbes said the film industry could give the East Side a needed shot in the arm. "I'm in L.A. working on a television show, and even here, there's not a lot of places to shoot," Forbes said. "That's why Hollywood is migrating to places like Buffalo." Stinson, whose father worked in Canada's film industry, said his own deep ties to that industry would be beneficial.
Logistics Bob Rich III, the president of ROAR Logistics, a Rich products subsidiary, believes in Stinson's vision for the Central Terminal, and his ability to succeed. "We believe the endeavor he is undertaking is very exciting because it restores a building that holds a very special piece of Western New York history," Rich said. "I would be very interested in locating my logistics company in the Central Terminal once it has been restored. "I believe Harry has a tremendous vision for this building, and everything I have seen shows me that Harry has the financial backing and the foresight and vision to make this a successful project," Rich said. Stephen Fitzmaurice, former chief operating officer of One Seneca Tower and one of the Stinson team members, said the logistics company could occupy up to 25,000 square feet initially. "Bob came to us," Fitzmaurice said. "They love the idea of looking out on the train tracks and seeing trains go by, because that's what they do."
Development team
Doug Swift, a developer who joined the team several months ago, stressed their credentials and how they were put together for the long haul. "I have come to believe in and trust in Harry and more importantly, the project itself," Swift said. "The team that he has assembled is impressive by anybody's measure, and it's all local and all high-level experts." The team also includes architects Carmina Wood Morris; the legal team of Adam Walters of Phillips Lytle and Steven Weiss of Cannon Heyman Weiss; environmental consultants LiRo Engineers; construction management and cost projections experts Waterbourne Construction Advisors; and historic tax credit consultants Cohn Reznick. "Between the three of us," Swift said, referring to himself, Stinson and Fitzmaurice, "we have owned, developed and managed over 4 million square feet, totaling about $500,000 million of projects in our resumes."
The projects he referred to included the Larkin at Exchange Building, One Seneca Tower and Genesee Gateway in Buffalo, the Candy Factory and One King West in Toronto and the Stinson School in Hamilton. "We weren't given a chance to do our job, and our job is to do these kind of deals," Swift said.
Stinson noted there were spending benchmarks tied to time frames that was part of the agreement. He said the building would have returned to the not-for-profit through a mortgage mechanism if the benchmarks weren't met. Stinson said the pictures of a glowing concourse hide the fact that the complex is rapidly deteriorating. He said there is an urgent need to fix the building. "In the time I've been aware of this building, it's actually alarming," Stinson said. "If you go past the confines of the concourse, it's falling down, it's decaying, it's molding. Water is coming in, floors are cracking, steel is badly rusting and the ceiling is literally falling in." Stinson said the baggage building is structurally compromised, and will need significant engineering to stabilize the structure.
"It is at the eleventh hour for a lot of the functional and really usable spaces," Swift added. The Urban Land Institute is bringing a team of land use experts to the Central Terminal in June to study future uses. That process will be wrapped up by the end of the month. It's possible the Central Terminal Restoration Corp. will decide afterward to issue another request for proposals from interested developers. The Central Terminal Restoration Corp. had no further comment Monday evening.
Last edited by videobruce; 05-16-2017 at 12:55 PM..
Some buildings are deeply associated with a city. The beloved Fellheimer & Wagner-designed Central Terminal, which rises 17 stories above the East Side, is one such place for Buffalo. Families said goodbye there to loved ones departing for military service during World War II, and later the Korean and Vietnam wars. Many immigrants who settled in Buffalo stepped foot in their adopted city for the first time at the Central Terminal.
The platforms are where passengers, for 50 years between 1929 and 1979, boarded iron horses to travel around the country. After Amtrak departed, the art deco buildings fell into disrepair, victimized by an inattentive city administration, poor private ownership, vandalism and the march of time.
Today, the enormous complex – which includes a concourse, tower building and baggage building – has urgent repair needs. The cost of the repairs is estimated from tens of millions of dollars to upwards of $100 million. Although a recent push to site a new train station there was unsuccessful, the effort brought renewed attention and political expressions of support.
In June, the Urban Land Institute, a research and education organization, will convene a team of land-use experts in Buffalo to consider future uses for the Central Terminal. Meanwhile, a Canadian developer who until earlier this month was in late-stage negotiations to buy the building is waiting in the wings. The Central Terminal remains the last major historic building in Buffalo yet to be preserved. Will its location on the impoverished and mostly African-American East Side continue to work against it, as many supporters believe? Or is there really a second act ahead for the landmark?
Stay tuned – an answer appears closer than at any time in decades.
Stakeholders call ideas for reusing Central Terminal familiar and 'underwhelming'
Oh boy, a "panel of eight experts". From the same mentality that was responsible for the Kensington expressway, the Skyway, the Niagara Thruway, building a university expansion way out in Amherst instead of downtown, IDA's that give handouts to suburban companies, ignoring the city where it is needed, as opposed to where it is NOT?
Among others, here is another killer:
Quote:
the terminal should be viewed as a canvas for culture, art, sports, food, music and theater," the report said.
Then why the hell was that children museum sandwiched in around Canalside instead?
I had reservations about Harry Stinson's plans, but at least he didn't charge $135,000 for them, or $1,000,000 for a already decided location of a new Amtrak satation. .
From the Buffalo News;
Quote:
By Mark Sommer | Published June 30, 2017
A lot of people had high expectations Friday for the release of a report on the rebirth of the Central Terminal. Then came the recommendations. “This was sorely, sorely disappointing,” said Elizabeth Giles, a board member with Citizens for Regional Transit. “What a waste of time.” “There was nothing new,” said Eddy Dobosiewicz of Forgotten Buffalo, an educational and tour company. “It was a $135,000, political cover-your-behind exercise. Some civic leaders had to do something because of the train station process that turned into a public relations disaster, but it’s nothing we haven’t heard before.”
“I was filled with such hope,” said Marlies Wesolowski, executive director of Lt. Col. Matt Urban Human Services Center of WNY. “Instead I came away feeling disappointed and underwhelmed.” Wesolowski thought there might be calls for a museum to anchor the site. Or perhaps studios for artists. What she didn’t expect were recommendations without any permanence.
The Urban Land Institute’s panel of eight experts said the Central Terminal’s comeback is linked to the return of the Broadway-Fillmore neighborhood. Considering that neighborhood's low market value, they concluded it would be premature to attempt to lure private development, or to plan for transformative projects. Instead, the panel called for arts and cultural events year-round in the Central Terminal concourse to improve the former train station’s image and appeal. Community investment was also recommended to improve nearby housing stock and infrastructure.
There were calls for more engagement with the multicultural community around the terminal, and for the Central Terminal Restoration Corp., which owns the former station, to broaden its focus to include promotion, management and planning. Sean Kirst: A lost sister, a Central Terminal reunion, the long road home. But a lot of things were missing during the 80-minute presentation in the Buffalo Museum of Science auditorium.
*There were no recommendations for the reuse of the Central Terminal’s tower and baggage buildings.
*Nothing was said about the feasibility of adding a future train stop.
*The need to stabilize the complex – estimated in the tens of millions of dollars – let alone restoring the 1929 art deco landmark was given only passing mention.
*And the potential for private development anytime soon was dismissed.
Community interest in the Central Terminal was sparked by the recent, unsuccessful attempt to have a new Buffalo train station located there. Harry Stinson, a Canadian developer, pursued plans for over a year to create permanent event spaces and a hotel there. The Central Terminal Restoration Corp. severed negotiations, but the development team is hoping to try again.
Some were surprised by the panel’s focus on one-day events, or the need to “brand” the site when thousands have attended art and train shows and other events there for years. “The Central Terminal is already doing a lot of one-day events, and there already is a buzz around it,” said Wesolowski, who works in the Broadway-Fillmore neighborhood.
The dozen members of the Urban Land Institute, including staff, arrived in Buffalo on Sunday. They spoke to 95 people from community groups and the neighborhood, and toured the facility and the area before writing their recommendations. “The future is bright,” declared Michael Stern, who chaired the advisory panel. “This is a great asset to the community. Efforts to enhance the Central Terminal and the Broadway-Fillmore area need to be aligned and coordinated in order to achieve the best outcome.”
Both the city and Empire State Development Corp., the state’s development arm, paid $50,000 each for the study, with a $35,000 grant coming from the institute. “The terminal is a symbol; it has been a symbol of decline but can now become a symbol of hope,” the report said.
Malaika Abernathy Scriven, a panel member from Washington, D.C., said while the Central Terminal is a place of fond memories for many, others have only known it as a mostly empty and rundown building. The report said it was necessary "to change the perception, reputation and vibe" in order to overcome "existing market challenges."
"The Central Terminal should be the most interesting and creative venue in Buffalo," the report said. "Not an imitation of other successful places and spaces, but wholly new and unique." To that end, recommendations included "raves, festivals, concerts, food stalls and art shows." "Inside and out, the terminal should be viewed as a canvas for culture, art, sports, food, music and theater," the report said. Developing outdoor recreational spaces in the vicinity of the Central Terminal, and creating a park on the grounds were also proposed.
Studies were recommended on the conditions of the buildings, and to estimate repair and restoration costs. Fillmore Council Member David A. Franczyk suggested the real benefit of bringing the Urban Land Institute in was getting the involvement and hopefully bigger buy-in of Mayor Byron W. Brown and Howard Zemsky, president of Empire State Development.
“The analysis and recommendations for the Central Terminal complex have certainly given my administration and partners at Empire State Development and the Central Terminal Restoration Corp. a realistic path forward,” Brown said. “I am pleased the panel recognized the diversity of the neighborhood, and the multicultural aspect of those who live in the surrounding neighborhood, which has to be addressed as we move forward.”
Zemsky said the number of people who were engaged bodes well for the process moving forward. “Through this process we have been able to gather so many stakeholders and neighbors from the community, and maintaining that dialogue and participation will be important for the ultimate success of this project,” Zemsky said. “The governor is focused on Buffalo, and I think this is good timing.”
Wesolowski said she also thought the timing was right for good things to happen there. But she didn’t see any new or big idea emerge from the recommendations to propel things forward.
“We are such an out-of-the-box city,” she said. “You mean we can’t come up with one more out-of-the-box idea for an out-of-the-box icon?”
But, it doesn't change the fact not all trains are served. If this was 150 years ago, it probably wouldn't matter, after all there wasn't much out west to go to.
Not everyone wants to fly and not everyone is in a hurry. At least you don't have to be striped searched to get on a train.
Dedicated, free shuttle service for Amtrak (and bus) passengers between CT and downtown is a no brainer solution to the location.
At least one bus company wants out of the existing outdated NFTA terminal to move into a 'intermodal' facility.
There is plenty of room around for a integrated bus terminal and other attractions starting with that children's museum. No need to 'shoehorn' something in where there is little room and a noisey, ugly thruway overhead.
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Central Terminal gets $250,000 from state for electrical work
