NFTA puts Outer Harbor out to bid
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BUFFALO, N.Y. — The Niagara Frontier Transit Authority is asking for formal proposals from the City of Buffalo and the Erie Canal Harbor Development Corporation for Buffalo's Outer Harbor.
"We feel like both entities are qualified to potentially advance the waterfront going forward," Chairman Howard Zemsky said.
Chairman Howard Zemsky hasn't indicated how much money the authority wants.
"The NFTA is interested on behalf of its riders and consistent with its obligations under public authority law to get a good value," Zemsky said.
"My view is the city nor the Erie Canal Harbor Development Corporation pay for that land," said Byron Brown, (D), Mayor.
"They need to turn it over and they need to turn it over for exactly what they paid for it, nothing," said Rep. Brian Higgins, (D), 27th Congressional District.
Higgins said there shouldn't be any bidding for a property that needs $30 million in repair.
"It's not an asset," he said. "It's a liability."
He said it should be turned over to the Harbor Development Corporation which specifically funds waterfront projects.
"The NFTA has issued now three requests for proposals in the last five years with no tangible progress," he said.
Brown said he wants to work with the corporation on a proposal.
"We're going to get together. We're going to meet. We're going to talk through it. We're going to talk through it," Brown said. "We're going to look at a range of possibilities. We're very creative people. we will come up with a way that makes sense."
The Transit Authority wants proposals to be submitted within 60 days.