It's a road that serves as the border between the towns of Amherst and Tonawanda. It's one of the busiest thoroughfares for both municipalities. Leaders from both towns are planning to conduct a joint study to figure out how to address short-term and long-term issues along Niagara Falls Boulevard.
From Tonawanda Creek road south to Kenmore Avenue, Niagara Falls Boulevard is used by tens of thousands of motorists daily.
"It's not only one of the busiest strips for both towns but really one of the main arterials regionally," said Amherst Supervisor Brian Kulpa. "It's been an economic powerhouse for some time. But it's also undergoing changes."
Those changes include an evolution in how consumers make their purchases. The Amherst side of Niagara Falls Boulevard includes large box store plazas and a shopping mall. Kulpa recognizes that many shoppers, particuilarly millennials, are relying more and more on internet purchasing.
How to plan zoning and land use in the future is one of the topics to be addressed in the forthcoming study. There is also safety. Since 2013, there have been five fatalities involving pedestrians and vehicles. Leaders from both towns say lighting along the boulevard in the vicinity of Amherst's Willow Ridge neighborhood is inadequate.
"Both sides are moving forward with that," said Town of Tonawanda Supervisor Joseph Emminger. "It'll be easier on our side. We're going to be putting our lighting fixtures on existing electric poles. Amherst doesn't have that capability to do that, so theirs is going to be more expensive."
Another concern for Emminger is drainage.
"Some of the development that has occurred on the boulevard, there's not a lot of green areas on the Amherst side," he said. "You get the runoff from the water and a lot of runoff comes over to Tonawanda and affects our drainage."
Emminger said communication between both towns has improved in recent years. He also pointed to Kulpa's professional background as an urban planner and sees it as valuable to the study.
A timeline for completion of the study has not been settled. Kulpa would like to see it done in about 12 to 18 months but added that he and Emminger have had some talks but will soon have more. He anticipates opportunities for the public will be made available in the future.
"I think the message to the public is be excited and participate," he said.
