BUFFALO, N.Y. (WKBW) — Sitting along Buffalo's waterfront, Templeton Landing's property will soon no longer be city-owned. When the land lease expires this fall, ownership is set to transfer to California-based Specialty Restaurants Corporation, according to Fillmore District Council Member Mitch Nowakowski, who represents the waterfront.
"This might surprise a lot of people," Nowakowski said. "Somebody that lives in California or has a business in California will then own a large part of our waterfront development. As a district council member, it's incredibly important for me to work with whoever this ultimately gets transferred to, per a 25-year-old court agreement."
The agreement, made more than two decades ago, required the restaurant operators to pay taxes and maintain the property. Once those obligations were met, the city could hand over ownership after it expired.
"This decision was made by the courts well over 20 years ago," Nowakowski said. "The city was in a similar position back then, and history has now repeated itself amid our current fiscal deficit."
WATCH: Templeton Landing property to transfer to California-based restaurant operator
Templeton Landing is currently closed to the public and open only for special events as renovations take place. General Manager Debashis Das (Raj) says the restaurant plans to fully reopen and operate long-term.
Nowakowski emphasized that while ownership will transfer, the property will still need to follow municipal protocols if further development is proposed.
"We want to have a good relationship with whoever owns the land to ensure it contributes to Buffalo's waterfront and the city," he said.
The agreement and property transfer will be discussed at the Waterfront Committee meeting on September 2.
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