Ok, lets stop right there, because your whole arguement is based on the idea that this is a bad thing.
No, it’s not. These area’s have people spending money in retail currently (well, maybe not Lackawanna). It would also draw from Amherst, and anyone that has tried to drive down NFB or Transit on the weekend knows these retail centers can afford to have some spending go downtown. As one of many WNY sportsmen I know a lot of us order online with Bass Pro, and if there was a local store I’d be much more likely to just go there.
The problem with WNY is people like you are in charge. If the project isn’t the silver bullet to downtown revitalization it’s deemed not worthy of doing, so nothing ever gets done. People like you sit there and have these grand schemes that would be better, but the problem is they are far too grand and will never happen.
“Lets put the stadium down there”. Give me a break. Ralph will be dead in a couple years and the Bills will be out the door. They couldn’t even sell out the Miami game this weekend yet people think investing a bazillion dollars on a waterfront dome stadium is a good idea. We won’t even discuss parking. And how would you get 80000 people out of there when the game is over? Oh, right, we’re in la la land. Just completely redesign the traffic and public transit system. Make that 4 bazillion dollars instead of a bazillion.
“We should put a huge university down there”. Uh… UB can barely handle it’s parking requirements with the cheap wide open space it has now. How much do you want to raise tuition to afford a massive parking structure so tall you’d probably need a sherpa to find your way to the top?
The reason I support Bass Pro, as well as the casino, is they are a starting point. Neither are a going to draw people from hundreds of miles away, but they will draw traffic and that’s a start.
Do you think people are coming to Clifton Hill by plane or long road trip? No, that is a bustling area because they put in a casino and locals went to it. Then other things popped up around it. I was here in 96 and Clifton Hill wasn’t much more than a couple bars and the Skylon. Canadian taxes make NY look economical but lots of us still go over there and spend money because there are things to do.
But whatever. Fuck bass pro. There is some new waterfront plan on paper, being designed by a bunch of politicians, so I’m sure that will happen and be much better. They’re probably going to start it right after they finish the peace bridge.