Years after the demolition of the old War Memorial Auditorium was complete, steps are finally being taken to fill-in the hole-in-the-ground next to Canalside.
Erie Canal Harbor Development Corporation Vice President Steve Ranalli says a Request For Proposals has been issued for a consultant to help get through the planning process for the site.
Once the streets are restored, Ranalli says there should be several parcels available for mixed-use development.
"We know there will be underground parking and historic streets up above, but it's ultimately trying to interpret those historic streets both the literal historic right-of-way lines versus what fits within the current urban and street context out there. So it's putting together a lot of those pieces, figuring out structurally what that parking garage will need to support above in terms of future building," Ranalli said.
The planning process could take about a year. Ranalli said the board will have "a good sense of where the North Aud Block is headed" within the next 12 months.
In August, Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced $10 million in state funding for transforming the two-acre site.
