By Milo Armstrong
On September 17th, Governor Kathy Hochul announced a partnership with Empire State Development and the Columbus, Ohio-based urban planning and design firm MKSK to proceed with the forthcoming study and redevelopment of parts of Buffalo’s Canalside district. The study area for ‘Canalside: The Next Wave’ is bounded to the east by Michigan Avenue, to the north by the I-190 and Scott Street, and to the south by the Buffalo River. The area extends west to include the Naval Park, Erie Basin Marina and Observation Tower, the Templeton Landing restaurant and the parking lots sitting slightly northeast of it. The study area also includes Sahlen Field, and the entire city block it sits on.
The area is already undergoing major redevelopment, as evidenced by a quick look at the skyline. At the corner of Main and Scott Streets, Sinatra Development’s Heritage Point project at the South Aud Block resumed construction after a period where construction was paused. Meanwhile, at the North Aud Block, Pennrose has broken ground on a dual 12-story and 6-story complex also adjacent to the existing canal/ice rink. Also on this block are the Explore and More center and Chandlery buildings, both recent developments contributing to the regrowth of the study area. Development hasn’t been restricted to this block, either; the NFTA has constructed a new MetroRail station at the DL&W Terminal, providing a new method for access to the KeyBank Center and waterfront.
What the strategic vision for the Waterfront District will be remains to be seen. Public outreach and feedback sessions were held three times from September 20th to October 1st, but a community outreach survey has been posted and is still available at this time. The survey asks the respondent about their level of interaction with the study area, as well as their preferences for what the vision of the neighborhood should look like in the future in a few short answer and multiple-choice questions. This truly is a critical opportunity for Buffalo and a heavily impactful moment to make your voice heard to shape the future of the region. If you want to make your opinion known about the future of Buffalo’s waterfront, please take the survey at www.surveymonkey.com/r/canalside.
As a member of the organization, I attended a meeting of the local volunteer and community group Strong Towns Buffalo that focused on this project. The focus of the meeting was largely on what sort of construction and development to advocate for in the segment of the undeveloped lots of the Cobblestone District, mere blocks from the water, railway stations, and major event centers like KeyBank Center and Sahlen Field. As it stands, the area is hugely underutilized, full of typically empty parking lots in relatively prime real estate. As such, the opportunity for development on this land is seriously important to get right: opportunities like this aren't terribly frequent. Members of Strong Towns put together a wishlist of sorts at this meeting at Eugene V. Debs Hall, of qualities and characteristics of excellent development that would make the healthiest, most livable neighborhood possible based on the space available.
What we saw as desirable was not a neighborhood of high-rise apartments and office buildings, like those visible in Toronto, but one of smaller, four to six-story mixed-use buildings. These offer the feel of a more approachable neighborhood, much like traditional city development with denser, yet not towering, buildings. Making the neighborhood have mixed-use buildings ensures that it stays active and populated at all hours: a neighborhood of only retail and offices empties out after closing, leaving part of the city desolated. Also on the list were narrow building plots and multiple developers given these smaller plots to work with, which encourages interesting facades from a pedestrian or cyclist's perspective. At the speed of a car, curb appeal from vibrant and interesting facades is less important. Yet, for a neighborhood to be pleasant to walk and live in, curb appeal is critical and must be encouraged. Think of which is nicer to walk past: slabs of unadorned concrete supporting massive parking garages or small storefronts offering new sights every time you walk by. More developers would lead to competition to create nicer buildings to attract customers, benefiting the community's appeal and character. Development style guidelines could be helpful to ensure attractive buildings full of local character get built, rather than buildings that could be found anywhere in the country. Reawakening the traditional building styles that were lost in a neighborhood with as much history as the Cobblestone District could be a beneficial investment and mesh well with the existing neighborhood's brick buildings and cobbled streets. A less thought about feature of walkability is wanderability, or the feasibility of getting 'lost' in a neighborhood. In a gridded street pattern, there are no surprises: you can see everything in your path. With wandering curved streets or even just T-shaped intersections, a trip becomes less mundane and predictable. Compare walking through a streetscape like a medieval European town versus a strip mall: one has visual appeal and immersion while the other does not.
Getting this development right could mean great things for the neighborhood and the revitalization of downtown. As such, it is important to submit your thoughts about what would make this neighborhood a fantastic one to live in and visit. Please do at the link above, and even get involved with Strong Towns Buffalo at www.strongtownsbuffalo.com!
Sources
“Governor Hochul Announces Launch of ‘Canalside: The Next Wave’ to Develop a Strategic Vision for Buffalo’s Waterfront District.” Governor Kathy Hochul, 2026, https://www.governor.ny.gov/news/governor-hochul-announces-launch-canalside-next-wave-develop-strategic-vision-buffalos. Accessed 21 Oct. 2026.
“New Look: North Aud Block.” Buffalo Rising, 18 June 2025, https://www.buffalorising.com/2025/06/new-look-north-aud-block/. Accessed 21 Oct. 2026.
