Buffalo River Greenway Vision & Implementation Plan Implementation Guidelines for the Buffalo River, Cayuga Creek, Buffalo Creek and Cazenovia Creek within the City of Buffalo and Towns of Cheektowaga and West Seneca. Prepared For: Buffalo Niagara RIVERKEEPER® Prepared By: Lynn Mason, ASLA With Assistance From: Julie Barrett O’Neill Jill Spisiak Jedlicka Lynda Schneekloth May 2006 II TABLE OF CONTENTS FIGURE LIST pg. IV INVOLVED AGENCIES pg. VI EXECUTIVE SUMMARY pg. VII I. GREENWAY VISION pg. 1 1. Greenway Benefits pg. 3 2. Buffalo River Greenway Project Area pg. 8 II. GREENWAY PLANNING HISTORY pg. 15 1. Recent Projects pg. 17 2. Recent Planning Projects pg. 28 III. EXISTING GREENWAY RESOURCES pg. 29 1. Parks & Parkways pg. 31 2. Conservation Areas pg. 37 3. Bike/Hike Trails pg. 38 4. Boat Launches and Marinas pg. 41 5. Fishing Access and Hot Spots pg. 41 6. Urban Canoe Trail and Launches pg. 42 7. Heritage Interpretation Areas pg. 44 IV. PROPOSED NEW GREENWAY ELEMENTS pg. 47 1. Introduction pg. 49 2. Buffalo River Trail Segments pg. 56 3. Site Specific Opportunities pg. 58 V. IMPLEMENTATION pg. 95 1. Introduction pg. 97 2. Implementation Strategies pg. 106 3. Leveraging Resources and Identifying Funding pg. 108 4. Legislative Action pg. 110 5. Education and Encouragement pg. 110 6. Operations and Maintenance pg. 111 7. Trail Development pg. 112 8. Design Guidelines pg. 181 APPENDIX/ BACKGROUND INFORMATION pg. 189 A. Existing Greenway Resources pg. 191 B. Prohibited Uses pg. 209 C. Phytoremediation pg. 213 D. Buffalo River Paper Streets: A Status Report pg. 215 REFERENCES pg. 223 Buffalo River Greenway Vision & Implementation Plan III FIGURE LIST I. GREENWAY VISION Figure 1.1 – Greenway Project Area pg. 8 Figure 1.2 – Greenway Project Area – Sub-Areas pg. 11 II. GREENWAY PLANNING HISTORY Figure 2.1 – Recent Projects pg. 19 III. EXISTING GREENWAY RESOURCES Figure 3.1 – Parks-Parkways-Conservation Areas pg. 31 Figure 3.2 – Bike Lanes-Canoe Launches-Fishing Spots pg. 39 Figure 3.3 – Urban Canoe Trail pg. 43 IV. PROPOSED NEW GREENWAY ELEMENTS Figure 4.1 – Conservation Areas and Public Access pg. 50 Figure 4.2 – Paper Streets pg. 53 Figure 4.3 – Site Specific Opportunities pg. 59 Figure 4.4 – Ohio/Michigan Canoe Launch and Park pg. 63 Figure 4.5 – Ohio/Michigan Canoe Launch and Park pg. 65 Figure 4.6 – Ohio Street Site Connections (Greenway Plan 1996) pg. 67 Figure 4.7 – Ohio Street Site Connections (Greenway Plan 1996) pg. 67 Figure 4.8 – Ohio Street Site Connections (Greenway Plan 1996) pg. 67 Figure 4.9 – Old First Ward Link Site Concept (Greenway Plan 1996) pg. 69 Figure 4.10 – St. Claire Street Walking Trail pg. 71 Figure 4.11 – Smith Street Entrance with Railroad Berm (Greenway Plan 1996) pg. 73 Figure 4.12 – Proposed Smith Street Access (Greenway Plan 1996) pg. 74 Figure 4.13 – Existing Smith Street Site pg. 74 Figure 4.14 – Smith Street Access Site Concept (Greenway Plan 1996) pg. 75 Figure 4.15 – Parcels to be Developed as Mongovan Park (Greenway Plan 1996) pg. 77 Figure 4.16 – Mongovan Park Site Concept (Greenway Plan 1996) pg. 79 Figure 4.17 – Cargill Connection to Tifft Nature Preserve and Concrete Central pg. 82 Figure 4.18 – Southside School pg. 84 Figure 4.19 – Republic Steel Site Concept (Greenway Plan 1996) pg. 85 Figure 4.20 – South Ogden Estates pg. 87 Figure 4.21 – Cayuga Creek and Buffalo Special Focus Areas pg. 89 Figure 4.22 – Cazenovia Creek Special Focus Areas pg. 89 Figure 4.23 – Rails-to-Trails pg. 91 Figure 4.24 – Cazenovia Creek and Legion Drive Greenways (Greenway Plan 1996) pg. 93 V. IMPLEMENTATION Figure 5.1 – City-owned Parcels pg. 99 Figure 5.2 – City-owned Parcels pg. 101 Figure 5.3 – City-owned Parcels pg. 103 Figure 5.4 – Cayuga Creek – Town-owned Parcels pg. 104 Figure 5.5 – Buffalo Creek – Town-owned Parcels pg. 105 Figure 5.6 – Cazenovia Creek – Town-owned Parcels pg. 105 IV Buffalo River Greenway Vision & Implementation Plan GREENWAY TRAIL MAPS Buffalo River Trail Segments Map #1 pg. 115 Map #2 pg. 117 Map #3 pg. 117 Map #4 pg. 121 Map #5 pg. 123 Map #6 pg. 123 Map #7 pg. 129 Map #8 pg. 129 Map #9 pg. 131 Map#10 pg. 131 Cayuga Creek Trail Segments Map #11 pg. 136 Map #12 pg. 139 Map #13A pg. 143 Map #13B pg. 144 Map #14A pg. 143 Map #14B pg. 144 Buffalo Creek Trail Segments Map #15 pg. 148 Map #16 pg. 150 Map #17 pg. 152 Map #18A pg. 156 Map #18B pg. 157 Map #19 pg. 148 Map #20 pg. 163 Map #21 pg. 156 Map #22 pg. 157 Cazenovia Creek Trail Segments Map #23A pg. 170 Map #23B pg. 171 Map #24 pg. 175 Map #25A pg. 178 Map #25B pg. 179 APPENDIX/BACKGROUND INFORMATION Figure A.1 – Floodplains & Federal & State Wetlands pg.200 Figure A.2 – Site Map Showing Environmental Hazards pg. 207 Figure D.1 – Paper Streets pg. 218 Buffalo River Greenway Vision & Implementation Plan V INVOLVED AGENCIES The following are people that we would like to recognize as advisors and contributors to the Buffalo River Greenway Vision and Implementation Plan and the Buffalo River Remedial Action Plan. BUFFALO RIVER REMEDIAL ACTION PLAN ADVISORY COMMITTEE: Joe Atkinson, UB Great Lakes Program Christopher Balduf, PVS Chemicals Julie Barrett O'Neill, Buffalo Niagara RIVERKEEPER ® Phil Berkeley, US Army Corps of Engineers Peg Bogucki, Seneca-Babcock Community Association Barry Boyer, University at Buffalo Frank DiMascio, Buffalo Sewer Authority Helen Domske, UB Great Lakes Program/NY Sea Grant Marty Doster, NYSDEC Region 9 Robbyn Drake, Buffalo Niagara RIVERKEEPER ® Tony Friona, US Army Corps of Engineers Mark Gaston, Erie County Soil and Water Conservation District David Gianturco, RAC Chair Chuck Godfrey, Erie County Federation of Sportsmen's Clubs Michael Hamilton, Buffalo Ornithological Society/ RIVERKEEPER ® Thomas R. Hersey, Jr., Erie County Dept. of Environment and Planning Kim Irvine, Buffalo State College Laura Kelly, Old First Ward Community Center Sandy Nasca, City of Buffalo Office of Strategic Planning Peg Overdorf, Valley Community Association Michael Raab, Erie County Dept. of Environment and Planning Mary Rossi, Erie County Dept. of Environment and Planning Byron Rupp, US Army Corps of Engineers Jill Singer, Buffalo State College Jill Spisiak Jedlicka, RAP Coordinator-Buffalo Niagara RIVERKEEPER ® Joe Strasser, Old First Ward Community Center Mardell Sundown, Tonawanda Band of Senecas Betsy Trometer, US Fish and Wildlife Service John Whitney, USDA- Natural Resources Conservation Service Margaret Wooster, Citizen ADDITIONAL INVLOVED AGENCIES: EPA-Region 2 EPA-Great Lakes National Program Office NYSDEC - Albany VI Buffalo River Greenway Vision & Implementation Plan EXECUTIVE SUMMARY For generations, the Western New York community has advocated for the creation of a greenway corridor along the Buffalo River and its tributaries. Many people live adjacent to these waterways which offer opportunities for recreational activities, wildlife habitat, flood control and economic development; yet these people have limited access to them. When access is available it is often unsafe, overgrown, on contaminated property or accessed by crossing private property or old industrial property. The Buffalo River Greenway Vision and Implementation Plan, has been developed to illustrate how a Greenway can benefit local residents and businesses adjacent to the Buffalo River, Cayuga Creek, Buffalo Creek and Cazenovia Creek as well as all of Western New York; and as a tool for lawmakers and decision makers to see how the Greenway can be constructed and completed. Committed to transforming the vision of a Buffalo River Greenway into a reality, the Buffalo Niagara RIVERKEEPER® obtained $6,500 in grant funding from the City Community Development Block Grant and Kodak American Greenways programs to examine past greenway proposals and existing conditions conduct numerous public outreach meetings, develop a trail system that reflects current conditions and outline a strategy for greenway development. The Buffalo River Greenway Trail is the last segment of the City of Buffalo’s Greenway System that is to be implemented. Once completed The Greenway Trail will wind along the Buffalo River for over 13 miles, along Cayuga Creek for over 16 miles, Buffalo Creek for over 17 miles and Cazenovia Creek for over 17 miles and will create unprecedented public access and habitat areas along these waterways. The total estimated costs for Buffalo Greenway implementation is $5.83 million. In addition to the creation of the Greenway Trail itself, there are numerous opportunities for low-cost greenspace preservation for development of recreational opportunities or for protection of wildlife habitat and flood control. These additional properties will complement the Greenway and offer even more economic and tourist benefits to those who utilize or live near the Buffalo River Greenway Trail. The Buffalo River Greenway, as proposed and documented within this Plan, would gain national attention and would assist in Western New York’s vision as a tourist destination for people seeking unique recreational opportunities, unique historical and architectural tourism opportunities, and unique wildlife viewing and preservation opportunities for generations to come. Buffalo River Greenway Vision & Implementation Plan VII VIII I. GREENWAY VISION 1. GREENWAY BENEFITS pg. 3 GREENWAY GOALS pg. 4 GREENWAY OBJECTIVES pg. 4 ECONOMIC BENEFITS pg. 7 2. BUFFALO RIVER GREENWAY PROJECT AREA pg. 8 A. BUFFALO RIVER SUB-DISTRICT pg. 9 A.1 Inner and Outer Harbor A.2 Old First Ward/Tifft A.3 Valley/Steelfields A.4 Seneca Babcock A.5 Upper Buffalo River/Cazenovia Corridor B. CHEEKTOWAGA/WEST SENECA SUB-DISTRICT pg. 13 B.1 Cayuga Creek B.2 Buffalo Creek B.3 Cazenovia Creek FIGURES pg. 8 Figure 1.1 – Greenway Project Area pg. 11 Figure 1.2 – Greenway Project Area – Sub-Areas Buffalo River Greenway Vision & Implementation Plan 1 2 Greenway Vision 1.