RiverBend Development Plan

RiverBend, a 200+ acre brownfield reclamation site (formerly known as Steelfields) that once housed the Republic Steel and Donner Hanna Coke facilities, is a key component of the larger South Buffalo Brownfield Opportunity Area (BOA).

The City of Buffalo and Buffalo Urban Development Corporation (BUDC) set forth goals for the site, including: to become a model for sustainable development, to foster long-term economic growth by leveraging the assets of the site and region, to apply place-making principals to create special public spaces and a new community on the banks of the Buffalo River, to achieve the vision of the South Buffalo BOA Master Plan in a manner that will minimize harmful impacts to the environment as well as foster the on-going remediation and environmental restoration of the Buffalo River.

Progress

To further these goals, BUDC reviewed more than 25 proposals submitted by consultant teams from around the country. After a series of interviews, a consultant team led by Sasaki Associates was chosen as the lead consultant charged with creating a plan to market and develop the property.

The Sasaki-led team includes: Clough Harbour Associates, Foit-Albert Associates, Watts Architects & Engineers, Phillips Lytle, BioHabitats and HR&A Advisors.

An advisory committee made up of diverse stakeholders from throughout the community was created to advise BUDC and the consultants on the RiverBend Master Plan. The list of committee members can be viewed by clicking here.

Meeting 1: February 1, 2011

On February 1st, the first of four public information meetings was held. To view Sasaki's presentation from this session, please click here: Part 1, Part 2

Meeting 2: March 9, 2011

The second of these meetings was held on Wednesday, March 9th. Click here to view Sasaki's presentation. A summary of the meeting can be read by clicking here.

Meeting 3: April 27, 2011

The third meeting took place on Wednesday, April 27th. Click here to view Sasaki's presentation.

BUDC Board Approval of Final Draft: June 28, 2011

Click here to view the Master Plan that was approved by the BUDC Board of Directors

If you would like to provide feedback on the presentations or the RiverBend project in general, please visit our Contact page.