Greenway Commission far to go in gaining plan approval

by Joshua Maloni
Niagara Wheatfield Tribune, December 7, 2006
Lewiston Porter Sentinel, December 9, 2006

With a little more than three months before it’s due in Albany, the Niagara Greenway Plan is seemingly miles away from gaining the necessary approval of local municipalities within its proposed boundary.

On Tuesday, two Greenway Commission meetings were held at the Beaver Island Clubhouse on Grand Island. The intent was to have Mark Mistretta of Wendel Duchscherer Architects and Engineers field questions from local government leaders and the public at large on the draft plan and generic environmental impact statement, which were presented at the end of November. However, it was a statement made on behalf of the Niagara Power Coalition that left those in attendance wondering if the design will ultimately be approved.

“We’re extremely concerned about that eventuality,” said Greenway Commission Chairman Robert Kresse.

No sooner did Mistretta say, “This is a great time in the (planning process)” at the earlier meeting, than Ferraro, speaking on behalf of the seven-member NPC, called the plan a “narrow interpretation for project implementation.”

“The document provides a platform that interprets the legislation in favor of the Niagara River exclusively, and not the region as a whole as was originally intended in the legislation,” said Ferraro, the Niagara County Center for Economic Development Commissioner. “The report’s disregard for many of the 15 items in the enabling legislation, such as economic development and tourism, skews the direction of the plan’s focus to the river. The plan’s recommended use of strict guiding principles will force the NPC members to be held at a higher standard for its projects. Our Host Community Agreement provides project consistency as determined by the host communities in Niagara County.”

In late August, a three-tiered boundary was presented to the Greenway Commission. The first and most important layer consisted of areas directly along the Niagara River. It was created in keeping with local waterfront revitalization plans and coastal management programs. The second layer included areas that were “contributing,” or adjoining, pieces of land. The final level was “complementary” and incorporated areas farther away from the water that were deemed important.

“The NPC lobbied loud and clear for a municipal boundary. While this boundary was incorporated to some degree on a map, it has no relevance to the overall plan, since the NPC will be governed by strict guidelines and principles,” Ferraro said.

Mistretta said projects would be evaluated not just upon where they’re located but with a 10-point measure that also includes environmental soundness, economic viability and consistency with plan principles and goals.

The NPC has advocated for the inclusion of the Seaway, Wine and Erie Canal trails in the Greenway Plan. Moreover, it recommends information be derived from sources other than the LWRP and CMP, as not every municipality has waterfront access.

Location isn’t the only concern the NPC has. Ferraro distributed a 15-page document to commission members that spells out numerous inconsistencies with the enabling legislation, namely failing to clarify the difference between New York Power Authority relicensing host community funds and dedicated Greenway monies, and excluding industrial heritage initiatives and regional activities.

In short, the critique says the draft plan does not “mirror” the legislation in terms of accessibility (waterfront over region), ecological integrity (important water and upland areas weighed higher than “multi-use and conversation areas”) and connectivity (failing to link interior communities).

“As recommended throughout our critique, the Greenway needs to recommend principles consistent with the legislation,” Ferraro said. “This will allow the NPC to be flexible, yet prudent, when it decides to spend its funding. The plan needs to outline the fact that the host communities of the NPC have suffered greatly over the last 50 years in lost taxable revenues, and that NPC funds were negotiated in good faith with NYPA as a means of compensation going forward.

Therefore, based on discussions with members of the Niagara Power Coalition, it is the consensus that the NPC is not in a position to accept, nor support, the draft Greenway Plan as written.”

The NPC includes Niagara Falls, the towns of Niagara and Lewiston, Niagara County and three school districts.

Despite the unfavorable review, Ferraro concluded by saying, “We look forward to working with the Greenway Commission in making the necessary revisions to this document,” thus offering some hope an agreement could be reached.

Mistretta, though calling the NPC input “not what we hoped to hear,” said his team would review the group’s concerns.

If the municipalities in the Niagara Power Coalition do not sign off on the Greenway Plan, they will still receive money from NYPA as part of the host community relicensing agreement. That fact, coupled with uncertainty over how funds will be distributed, is causing concern with residents and local elected officials.

North Tonawanda Mayor Lawrence Soos said the plan was sound, but fears his community will not receive project funding, as it has no representation on the Niagara County Standing Committee.

“I don’t think these plans should be put in the hands of the powers-that-be,” Soos said.

The Greenway Commission has no authority to approve projects for funding. Though projects need the commission’s endorsement, they will ultimately be funded or not based on their respective standing committee’s decision.

In Niagara County, the standing committee is comprised of NYPA and the NPC.

“I hope the members of the Niagara Power Coalition represent the views of the county,” said Terry Yonker of Youngstown.

The standing committees will be in place for the full 50 years of the relicensing agreement. Committee meetings will be open to the public.

Local Government Advisory Committee Chair Ron Moline, the Town of Tonawanda supervisor, said the Greenway Commission had no control over the creation of standing committees.

“Our job is to develop a plan,” he said. “We hope that we have a well balanced plan.”

Next Meetings

Two Greenway Plan public hearings are scheduled for next week. The first will be held on Tuesday, at 7 p.m., in the Niagara Falls Conference Center, 101 Old Falls St. The second will take place on Wednesday, also at 7 p.m., in the Buffalo and Erie County Historical Society, 25 Nottingham Court, Buffalo.

The draft Greenway Plan/DEIS is online at www.niagaragreenway.org. Copies of the design are also available for review at the City of Tonawanda Public Library, 333 Main St., Tonawanda; Earl W. Brydges Library, 1425 Main St., Niagara Falls; Niagara Falls Public Library-LaSalle Branch, 8728 Buffalo Ave., Niagara Falls; Lewiston Public Library, 305 S. Eighth St., Lewiston; North Tonawanda Public Library, 505 Meadow Drive, North Tonawanda; Ransomville Free Library, 3733 Ransomville Road, Ransomville; Wilson Free Library, 265 Young St., Wilson; Youngstown Free Library, 240 Lockport Road, Youngstown; Buffalo and Erie County Public Library, 1 Lafayette Square, Buffalo; NRGC Office at the Beaver Island State Park Offices.