Construction activity should be heating up soon at Canalside on the Buffalo waterfront.
The Erie Canal Harbor Development Corporation has approved design plans for Heritage Point on the South Aud Block. The $30 million private project, at Main Street and Marine Drive, includes two historic looking six-story buildings. Plans include a mix of residential, office space and a restaurant. ECHDC Chairman Robert Gioia says it will help create critical mass at Canalside.
"The key to a district like Canalside, like anywhere else in the country, is that there's always something going on. And people will mill around, they'll stay around, and I think you'll start to see that excitement. So I think that's another piece. You need people living there. Sso you do need a residential piece to it."
Gioia says construction should get underway around the end of the year. The board also approved design plans for the new home of the Buffalo Heritage Carousel near the Central Wharf. A groundbreaking for that project is set for Wednesday.
