NIAGARA FALLS, N.Y. (WKBW) — It's been roughly 25 years since the property at 907 Falls Street in Niagara Falls was occupied. Now, we may finally see some development, should the city choose to accept a $4 million settlement.
A legal settlement between the City of Niagara Falls and Niagara Falls Redevelopment (NFR) has been brought to the city council for a vote.
The settlement would, among other things, split the land at 907 Falls Street into two. The city could build its $200-million Centennial Park stadium concept, and NFR could develop its $1.5-billion Niagara Digital Campus data center.
While the settlement lists half of the property as a "donation," signing this would still cost $4.029 million, as a "reimbursement of costs and expenses incurred by NFR in connection with the Donated Property."
The settlement would also resolve ongoing litigation, such as eminent domain proceedings, and it would require NFR to design, construct and operate an electrical substation to power its data center.
WATCH: Niagara Falls City Council to vote on property settlement with NFR
The city council meeting will start at 6 p.m. on Wednesday. Mayor Robert Restaino said that he will speak publicly after the vote.
I've covered the $200-million arena concept several times, including in September when commissioners of the OHL and USHL said they'd like to put an expansion team in the arena.
WATCH: ‘Great opportunity’: OHL and USHL looking at Niagara Falls for a potential expansion franchise
"The sport is in growth mode in the United States," said Glenn Hefferan, commissioner of the United States Hockey League (USHL). "I certainly think that a tourist destination could be an interesting place for us to operate. The town is, I think, just about the right size for us. I think it's just far enough from Buffalo that it could really work."
"I think there's a great opportunity for us to build something pretty special," said Bryan Crawford, commissioner of the Ontario Hockey League (OHL). "Great youth hockey programs, great and passionate hockey fans, most importantly. Second thing is that it's a great fit within the footprint of the OHL. We have teams in Michigan, Pennsylvania [and St. Catherines]. 15 of our 20 teams are within three hours or less of Niagara Falls, New York."
