The Village of Lewiston grew through adversity in 2005
A year in review

by Joshua Maloni
Lewiston Porter Sentinel, December 31, 2005

It was a silver lining year for the Village of Lewiston. While the Board of Trustees is quick to point out the year’s successes and ever-growing tourist base, and rightfully so, it may be fair to say that many of the notable achievements in 2005 were birthed in controversy and complaint. But, as John Ruskin said, “Highest reward for man's toil is not what he gets for it, but what he becomes by it,” and the board became a better board by listening to residents, familiarizing themselves with the Village Code and setting a vision for Lewiston’s future.

It was a year of growth and a year of learning for the board and residents alike. The year’s top issues included:

Master Plan/Rezoning

The Board of Trustees approved the Village of Lewiston’s Master Plan in October 2004. However, it wasn’t official until August, thanks to a lawsuit brought before state Supreme Court Justice Richard Kloch in November of 2004 by Brian and Kathleen Harold.

The Harolds charged that the Master Plan included faulty environmental assessments and contradicted the Local Waterfront Revitalization Program, or LWRP. The judge disagreed and ruled in the village’s favor.

The issue of rezoning was a contentious one, and residents expressed concern about cluster housing developments and losing Lewiston’s historic look and feel. In the end, the board modified the minimum cluster acreage requirement and changed the zoning schedule, thus shooting down one development and paving the way for two more in the process (read on).

“It was just a revision, but they (the Master Plan Committee) deliberated long and diligently,” Village of Lewiston Mayor Richard Soluri said Wednesday.

“Village View Estates”

Village Planning Board meetings are traditionally sparsely attended. It was during one of these meetings in January that a development plan to build a dozen cluster homes on 1.67 acres of Mohawk Street was presented. No sooner did the Sentinel print the words “Village View Estates” then a widespread protest began. Calls and letters began to pour in to the newspaper, residents raised money to retain a lawyer and both Planning Board members and the Board of Trustees were carefully scrutinized, as watchdog groups made their presence known at monthly meetings. An orange sign campaign began on doors and windows across the village encouraging residents to fight the development.

In the end, trustees re-examined the minimum acreage requirement for cluster housing and set it at five acres, thus preventing “Village View Estates” from happening. Soluri said there are no current plans for the 1.67 acres, but should there be, they should “complement the neighborhood.”

“Gardens at Oxbow”

Not soon after the “Village View Estates” debate, a second proposal to put in cluster housing on Mohawk Street was presented. This time, however, the project was presented by Lewiston residents who could better understand the nature of the neighborhood and most importantly, understood the zoning laws. Developers Paul and Bill Game and George Grasser, via Spruce Moose owner and engineer Rick Haight, presented the board with a project set to include 23 homes, set on a little more than six acres, highlighted by 36,000 square feet – or 45 percent – of open space across Mohawk Street and Oxbow Lane.

“We’re very pleased with the “Gardens at Oxbow”; it’s what we call ‘new urbanism,’ ” Soluri said.

The project received little protest, and the board approved the project in April. The first home, located on Mohawk Street, has been built already.

“Niagara at Barton Hill”

While Lewistonites were wrapping their brains around cluster housing, developers and Barton Hill occupants Ed and Diane Finkbeiner purchased property on the corner of North First and Center streets, hired tested and true Lewiston engineers and architects and presented the Board of Trustees with a plan to build a “destination hotel” of their own.

The development was discussed in state Supreme Court as part of the Master Plan lawsuit, but work continued and the case was ultimately dropped.

The project was widely supported at a public hearing, and the board approved a special use permit to build the inn in October.

“That’s always been a vision – that we’d have an inn here,” Soluri said.

Frontier House future

At the kickoff press conference for the Lower Niagara River Region Chamber of Commerce last December, developer Richard Hastings presented a plan to transform the Frontier House, formerly home to McDonald’s, into an upscale restaurant and retail location and to build an inn in the parking lot behind the building.

Local leaders greeted the plan warmly, but the building was in rough shape and needed time to be bolstered. So too, incentives to build were sought to compensate for the desired renovations.

While this plan was unfolding, the Finkbeiners presented their own plan to build an inn on First Street. The Board of Trustees approved their request, and work began this past fall.

Hastings has questioned the viability of two inns in the village. Much to the chagrin of the chamber and board, he spoke in March of demolishing the historic building. While he awaits the result of grant applications, he says, “I have not found a viable use for the building. With the inn on the waterfront, the incentive is gone.”

Artpark’s growth

Out to prove a better-than-expected 2004 summer entertainment season was no fluke, Artpark and Company officials poured time, money and effort into making 2005’s season even more successful. Thanks to headliners like Michael McDonald and Foreigner, an average of more than 7,500 people visited Artpark each of the 13 weeks in the “Tuesday in the Park” concert series. Moreover, the season included popular stage shows celebrating the work of Cole and Kander and Ebb; and the BPO returned and brought new and creative shows like “The Lord of the Rings.”

“Everybody’s excited about Artpark,” Soluri said.

Chamber birth

Seeking to further bolster tourism, and to strengthen and unite local communities, the Greater Lewiston Business and Professional Association morphed into the Lower Niagara River Region Chamber of Commerce in January.

Lewiston and its neighbors in Porter, Youngstown, Ransomville and Sanborn each benefited from increased exposure and festivals and events grew and drew in more tourists than ever before.

“To me, it made a lot of sense,” Soluri said of the chamber’s creation. “The reason I like it is that it brings all of our communities together.”

Corner of Fourth and Center streets

Over the summer, village residents began to question the status of the land at the corner of North Fourth and Onondaga streets. Herbert Richardson told the Sentinel that he would create a hub of creativity and imagination, complete with artistic displays, coffee and other refreshments, and retail activity. He expected the corner to be completed and its storefronts occupied by the end of summer 2006. Since then, more stores have opened, and external work continues.

“That’s going to be one of our best projects,” Soluri said.