To view our videos, you need to
enable JavaScript. Learn how.
install Adobe Flash 9 or above. Install now.

Then come back here and refresh the page.

That was the unanimous response of the Niagara County Industrial Development Agency and chairman Henry Sloma when asked to vote on a proposal worth 15 years in tax abatements for One Niagara Wednesday morning.

"The tax issue loomed too large for us to look at it favorably at this point," Sloma said.

Dick Soluri, One Niagara’s Director of Government and Community Relations, said he was prepared for the decision.

"I'm very disappointed. It was not unexpected," he said.

In November, One Niagara owners approached the NCIDA for abatements in order to fund $6 million in renovations to the building. They were hoping to turn it into a mixed-use facility.

At a meeting last month, Sloma asked One Niagara owners to provide a plan detailing how they plan to address ongoing litigation with the City of Niagara Falls over back taxes.

"The board and the staff and certainly the public at large was struggling with this agency providing incentives to someone who hadn't satisfied their taxes," Sloma explained.

Based on the situation, Niagara Falls Mayor Paul Dyster said he was pleased with the outcome.

"It's basically taking money from one group of taxpayers to give to someone who's basically delinquent in their taxes. I think that would set a bad precedent and I think they made the right decision,” he said.

City officials say close to $4 million in taxes are owed to the city and Niagara Falls City School District.

One Niagara president Tony Farina believes that number is lower based on a recent assessment by the city and said the matter will likely be taken up in court.

"We have an assessment, they have an assessment and somewhere along the lines it's got to come together," Farina said.

Sloma noted that despite the vote, the board would welcome a future proposal from owners once tax issues are resolved, and a detailed plan for the building is provided – something he said he never received.

Soluri said this isn't the last the community has heard from One Niagara.

"The door is still open and I believe this will make us even more determined than before,” he said.