Buffalo and Erie County Greenway Fund Standing Committee: Funded Projects

1. Buffalo and Erie County Greenway Fund Standing Committee: Funded Projects Irene Rekhviashvili

2. Summary Parks, recreation and historic preservation Title G, Article 39 engendered the aggregation of areas in the Niagara River corridor into the Niagara River Greenway by creating the Niagara River Greenway Commission. The legislation provided goals for the Greenway, a linear track going along the Niagara River corridor, and called for a strategic plan that would put the aggregation and revitalization of the Niagara River corridor into action. The funding for greenway projects will be provided by the New York Power Authority, and the funding for projects meeting the goals of the legislation and the strategic plan is distributed by four standing committees. There are numerous goals provided by the legislation and greenway plan. The legislation focuses on the shoreline of the Niagara River, while the greenway plan affects the riverside, large portions of Lake Erie and Lake Ontario, as well as large inland spaces in regions that border the river and lakes. Overall, the legislation’s and plan’s goals focus on access to the river, and revitalization of economy through this access. Environmental and historical preservation also goals of the greenway initiative. The Buffalo & Erie County Greenway Fund Standing Committee receives two million dollars per year until 2057*. The committee has so far approved 27 projects. When looking at the projects they approve, the standing committee is supposed to focus on how the project grants the public access to the waterfront, and the project’s consistency with the greenway plan. A project does not need to meet specific priorities of the legislation or greenway plan, but must achieve “most favorable balance of grant priorities from among eligible projects.”*

3. The issue with this funding set-up is that the greenway plan’s goals are broader than the legislation in many ways, and the funding committees have broad discretion in deciding what projects get funded. For example, while the focus of the legislation was on riverside, a large part of inland space and lakeside areas are labeled as eligible for greenway funds. Although various projects have an undeniable public benefit, they appear to be outside the bounds of the general goal of the greenway, which is supposed to be a mostly linear, interconnected area along the Niagara River corridor accessible to the public. For example, the 1812 Bicentennial Commemoration takes place on Lake Ontario, but areas that are miles away from the Niagara River. Further, the Bicentennial Commemoration is a one-time event, and will not have be able to draw people to the water over and over again. Further, historic markers such as the Fenian Invasion Marker, do enhance Buffalo’s historic past, but its location away from the riverside, do not compactly fit into the general greenway plan, and set up a precedent for other projects that the funds don’t seem to be designated to. Other projects, such as the Riverfest Park, seem to fall perfectly into the general idea of the greenway plan. Located on the Niagara River, it provides access to history, to the water, to the riverside, and strives to be self-sustaining financially. The standing committees need to make sure that the general idea of the greenway plan is being satisfied when they choose which projects to fund. Their stricter analysis of what advances the greenway will lay precedent for project applicants, so that they can understand what greenway goals are, and plan their projects accordingly. The following pages depict the Buffalo & Erie County Greenway Fund Standing Committee’s approved projects, and the legislative and greenway plan goals those projects have met.

4. Greenway Plan Goals • P1: Improve Access • P2: Make Connections - throughout regions, link communities and regions • P3: Protect and Restore Environmental Systems –restore environment’s health, building environmental assets, build awareness • P4: Celebrate History and Heritage • P5: Spark Revitalization and Renewal –tourism, brownfield revitalization, culture and recreational offerings, economic prosperity • P6: Promote Long Term Sustainability – maintenance, etc • P7: Extend Olmsted’s Legacy • State Legislation Goals • L1: Increasing landside access to the river; • L2: Creating complementary access to the greenway from the river • L3: Augmenting economic revitalization efforts, • L4: Celebrating the region's industrial heritage. Meets Goal Does not meet goal

5. State Legislation Goals • L1: Increasing landside access to the river; • L2: Creating complementary access to the greenway from the river • L3: Augmenting economic revitalization efforts, • L4: Celebrating the region's industrial heritage. • Greenway Plan Goals • P1: Improve Access • P2: Make Connections - throughout regions, link communities and regions • P3: Protect and Restore Environmental Systems –restore environment’s health, building environmental assets, build awareness • P4: Celebrate History and Heritage • P5: Spark Revitalization and Renewal –tourism, brownfield revitalization, culture and recreational offerings, economic prosperity • P6: Promote Long Term Sustainability – maintenance, etc • P7: Extend Olmsted’s Legacy Meets Goal Does not meet goal

6. Greenway Plan Goals • P1: Improve Access • P2: Make Connections - throughout regions, link communities and regions • P3: Protect and Restore Environmental Systems –restore environment’s health, building environmental assets, build awareness • P4: Celebrate History and Heritage • P5: Spark Revitalization and Renewal –tourism, brownfield revitalization, culture and recreational offerings, economic prosperity • P6: Promote Long Term Sustainability – maintenance, etc • P7: Extend Olmsted’s Legacy • State Legislation Goals • L1: Increasing landside access to the river; • L2: Creating complementary access to the greenway from the river • L3: Augmenting economic revitalization efforts, • L4: Celebrating the region's industrial heritage. Meets Goal Does not meet goal

7. Greenway Plan Goals • P1: Improve Access • P2: Make Connections - throughout regions, link communities and regions • P3: Protect and Restore Environmental Systems –restore environment’s health, building environmental assets, build awareness • P4: Celebrate History and Heritage • P5: Spark Revitalization and Renewal –tourism, brownfield revitalization, culture and recreational offerings, economic prosperity • P6: Promote Long Term Sustainability – maintenance, etc • P7: Extend Olmsted’s Legacy • State Legislation Goals • L1: Increasing landside access to the river; • L2: Creating complementary access to the greenway from the river • L3: Augmenting economic revitalization efforts, • L4: Celebrating the region's industrial heritage. Meets Goal Does not meet goal

8. Greenway Plan Goals • P1: Improve Access • P2: Make Connections - throughout regions, link communities and regions • P3: Protect and Restore Environmental Systems –restore environment’s health, building environmental assets, build awareness • P4: Celebrate History and Heritage • P5: Spark Revitalization and Renewal –tourism, brownfield revitalization, culture and recreational offerings, economic prosperity • P6: Promote Long Term Sustainability – maintenance, etc • P7: Extend Olmsted’s Legacy • State Legislation Goals • L1: Increasing landside access to the river; • L2: Creating complementary access to the greenway from the river • L3: Augmenting economic revitalization efforts, • L4: Celebrating the region's industrial heritage. Meets Goal Does not meet goal

9. Greenway Plan Goals • P1: Improve Access • P2: Make Connections - throughout regions, link communities and regions • P3: Protect and Restore Environmental Systems –restore environment’s health, building environmental assets, build awareness • P4: Celebrate History and Heritage • P5: Spark Revitalization and Renewal –tourism, brownfield revitalization, culture and recreational offerings, economic prosperity • P6: Promote Long Term Sustainability – maintenance, etc • P7: Extend Olmsted’s Legacy • State Legislation Goals • L1: Increasing landside access to the river; • L2: Creating complementary access to the greenway from the river • L3: Augmenting economic revitalization efforts, • L4: Celebrating the region's industrial heritage. Meets Goal Does not meet goal