Niagara Falls New York September 23–28, 2012 A ULI Advisory ServicesReport Panel A ULI Niagara Falls New York Strategies for Reimagining the Former Rainbow Centre Mall and Downtown Niagara Falls September 23–28, 2012 Funded in part through generous grants from: National Grid and Urban Land Institute Foundation A ULI Advisory Services Panel Report About the Urban Land Institute THE MISSION OF THE URBAN LAND INSTITUTE is ■ Sharing knowledge through education, applied research, to provide leadership in the responsible use of land and in publishing, and electronic media; and creating and sustaining thriving communities worldwide. ■ Sustaining a diverse global network of local practice ULI is committed to and advisory efforts that address current and future ■ Bringing together leaders from across the fields of real challenges. estate and land use policy to exchange best practices Established in 1936, the Institute today has nearly 30,000 and serve community needs; members worldwide, representing the entire spectrum ■ Fostering collaboration within and beyond ULI’s of the land use and development disciplines. ULI relies membership through mentoring, dialogue, and problem heavily on the experience of its members. It is through solving; member involvement and information resources that ULI has been able to set standards of excellence in develop- ■ Exploring issues of urbanization, conservation, regen- ment practice. The Institute has long been recognized eration, land use, capital formation, and sustainable as one of the world’s most respected and widely quoted development; sources of objective information on urban planning, ■ Advancing land use policies and design practices growth, and development. that respect the uniqueness of both built and natural environments; Cover photo: USA Niagara Development Corp. ©2013 by the Urban Land Institute 1025 Thomas Jefferson Street, NW Suite 500 West Washington, DC 20007-5201 All rights reserved. Reproduction or use of the whole or any part of the contents without written permission of the copy- right holder is prohibited. 2 An Advisory Services Panel Report About ULI Advisory Services THE GOAL OF ULI’S Advisory Services Program is to and to provide recommendations in a compressed amount bring the finest expertise in the real estate field to bear of time. on complex land use planning and development projects, A major strength of the program is ULI’s unique ability programs, and policies. Since 1947, this program has as- to draw on the knowledge and expertise of its members, sembled well over 400 ULI-member teams to help spon- including land developers and owners, public officials, sors find creative, practical solutions for issues such as academics, representatives of financial institutions, and downtown redevelopment, land management strategies, others. In fulfillment of the mission of the Urban Land evaluation of development potential, growth manage- Institute, this Advisory Services panel report is intended to ment, community revitalization, brownfield redevelopment, provide objective advice that will promote the responsible military base reuse, provision of low-cost and affordable use of land to enhance the environment. housing, and asset management strategies, among other matters. A wide variety of public, private, and nonprofit or- ULI Program Staff ganizations have contracted for ULI’s Advisory Services. Gayle Berens Senior Vice President, Education and Advisory Group Each panel team is composed of highly qualified profession- als who volunteer their time to ULI. They are chosen for their Thomas W. Eitler knowledge of the panel topic and screened to ensure their Vice President, Advisory Services objectivity. ULI’s interdisciplinary panel teams provide a holis- Annie Finkenbinder Best tic look at development problems. A respected ULI member Director, Education and Advisory Group who has previous panel experience chairs each panel. Caroline Dietrich The agenda for a five-day panel assignment is intensive. Panel Associate, Education and Advisory Group It includes an in-depth briefing day composed of a tour of Gwen McCall the site and meetings with sponsor representatives; a day Senior Administrative Manager, Education and of hour-long interviews of typically 50 to 75 key commu- Advisory Group nity representatives; and two days of formulating recom- James A. Mulligan mendations. Long nights of discussion precede the panel’s Managing Editor conclusions. On the final day on site, the panel makes an Laura Glassman, Publications Professionals LLC oral presentation of its findings and conclusions to the Manuscript Editor sponsor. A written report is prepared and published. Betsy VanBuskirk Because the sponsoring entities are responsible for Creative Director significant preparation before the panel’s visit, including Deanna Pineda, Muse Advertising Design sending extensive briefing materials to each member and Layout Artist arranging for the panel to meet with key local community members and stakeholders in the project under consider- Craig Chapman ation, participants in ULI’s five-day panel assignments are Senior Director, Publishing Operations able to make accurate assessments of a sponsor’s issues Niagara Falls, New York, September 23–28, 2012 3 Acknowledgments THE PANEL WISHES TO THANK the city of Niagara The panel’s appreciation also goes to Ryan Coate and his Falls, especially Mayor Paul A. Dyster and his staff, for the staff at the Conference Center Niagara Falls, Jeff Deming time and support lent to the panel during its visit. and his staff at the Giacomo Hotel & Residences, and James Klyczek and Mark Mistriner at the Niagara Falls Special thanks go to Christopher Schoepflin, the president Culinary Institute for hosting work and reporting sessions of the USA Niagara Development Corporation, and his during the panel’s week in Niagara Falls. The panel mem- entire board of directors for inviting the panel to take on bers were sincerely impressed by your respective facilities this effort, as well as staff members Holly Ortman, John and the professionalism of your staff—you are all clearly Risio, Paul Tronolone, and Jocelyn Viola for their support. setting a new bar for quality and service in your city. The time and effort they spent in preparing the briefing materials and the involvement and coordination of the Finally and most important, the panel acknowledges the panel’s interviews and tour were invaluable. members of the Niagara Falls community—residents, employees, business people, agency representatives, and The panel wishes to formally acknowledge and thank neighborhood leaders alike—who participated in the panel National Grid Corporation and the Urban Land Institute interview sessions. Representing a diverse and informed Foundation for their financial support of the panel’s effort. public, through their passion and understanding these stakeholders provided valuable information and perspec- tives, greatly aiding the panel in its analysis. 4 An Advisory Services Panel Report Contents ULI Panel and Project Staff ................................................................6 Foreword: The Panel’s Assignment ..........................................................7 Initial Observations and the Market .........................................................11 Development Recommendations ..........................................................20 Planning and Design ...................................................................26 Implementation .......................................................................37 Conclusion ..........................................................................40 About the Panel .......................................................................41 Niagara Falls, New York, September 23–28, 2012 5 ULI Panel and Project Staff Panel Chair Monte Ritchey President Glenda Hood The Conformity Corporation President Charlotte, North Carolina Hood Partners LLC Orlando, Florida Kathleen Rose President Panel Members Rose & Associates Southeast Inc. Davidson, North Carolina Nancy Cappola Vice President, Business Development North Star Advisors ULI Project Staff Bloomfield Hills, Michigan Thomas W. Eitler Vice President Bill Clarke Advisory Services Planning Consultant Caroline Dietrich Ross, California Logistics Manager David Hancock Principal Student Intern CBT Architects/Childs Bertman Tseckares Inc. Julia Triman Boston, Massachusetts University of Virginia School of Architecture Charles Johnson President C.H. Johnson Consulting Inc. Chicago, Illinois John Orfield Principal BOKA Powell Dallas, Texas 6 An Advisory Services Panel Report Foreword: The Panel’s Assignment NIAGARA FALLS, NEW YORK, is a city of 50,000 people located on the Niagara River at the United States/ Toronto Canada border. The city is world famous for its proximity to Niagara Falls. In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, it was a center for both tourism, because of the falls, and Lake Ontario manufacturing, with its readily available electric power. As distinguished from the city of Niagara Falls, Ontario (popu- ORLEANS lation 82,000), Niagara Falls, New York, has been losing NIAGARA population since the mid-1950s as industry and corpo- rate headquarters have abandoned the city. The Rainbow Niagara Falls Toll Bridge, a steel-arch bridge across the Niagara River, is an GENESEE international border crossing connecting the United States Buffalo with Canada. Built in 1941, its terminus on the U.S. side discharges approximately 130,000 vehicles a month into the downtown area. WYOMING Lake Erie ERIE