Buffalo city officials have given the thumbs up to a huge project that will locate an arena-sized Bass Pro Shop in the old Memorial Auditorium on Main Street in downtown Buffalo.
The project will bring an infusion of people and money to Buffalo's waterfront, say some local officials.
Bass Pro Shops specialize in equipment ranging from fishing and hunting to camping supplies, boats and other outside activity gear and apparel. Plans for the Buffalo store include a pond-sized tank where shoppers could try fly fishing equipment, a canal connecting the store to Lake Erie, a hotel, and a museum.
The effect on the economy could be considerable, officials say. Three to five million people will visit the Bass Pro Shop each year, and create 400 new jobs, Gov. George Pataki said in a Business First report.
But a few members of the UB community aren't convinced that putting a giant fishing store in an old hockey arena is the right way to develop the waterfront.
The plan could prove to be nothing but a sinkhole for public money, said Bruce Jackson, an English professor who is an expert on urban planning in Buffalo.
"I've just seen so much pie in the sky and money given away without getting anything back," he said. "It may do some good, but it's far too early to tell."
Officials say the amount of public funds contributed towards the project figures to be $66 million. They predict that the project will add $17 million to the local economy each year.
But even if the project is successful in drawing tourists, it might not help the residents and neighborhoods of Buffalo, argues one UB urban planning professor.
"Bass Pro is a major step that's a part of a bigger strategy," Taylor said. "It will make Buffalo a tourist city, a city that people visit, a city being built for visitors. Not a city built for the residents."
Taylor expressed concern that by expanding downtown Buffalo, the neighborhoods are being neglected, and it's the neighborhoods that make Buffalo what it is.
"If you believe in a downtown development than that's a great move," Taylor said. "But 15 to 20 years from now, it's not going to mean anything. I simply do now believe that downtown will trigger neighborhood development."
Taylor said he thinks city officials have already invested millions of dollars into downtown Buffalo, and that this is just money that could be better spent elsewhere.
According to a local preservationist, however, the project will help Buffalo residents by boosting the economy and providing for the construction of a museum of local nautical history.
Scott Field, the executive director for the Preservation Coalition of Erie County, said he is more willing to open the new business with open arms. Field said he heard that along with the docks and boats, Bass Pro will be building into the Erie Canal, and constructing a museum on the site.
"We do want to see development down on the canal, and it's nice to see they're (Bass Pro) going to do a museum, with real history," Field said.
Jackson, the English professor, added that he has spoken to several people from City Hall who are ecstatic about the idea of a new prominent business in Buffalo, but the question of spending unnecessary money still lingers in his mind.
Jackson chronicled the local government's gridlock on the Peace Bridge construction. He is guardedly hopeful, however, that Bass Pro could deliver on its promises.
"I've seen the city pour far too much money into corporate welfare," Jackson said. "But if all the promises come through, it'll be wonderful."
UB students, too, said they have mixed reactions about the county's so-called "catch."
"Any business place will be beneficial because it will help create jobs," said Brittany Shapiro, a sophomore communication major.
A downstate resident, Shapiro said she has seen advertisements for the store on television, but has never been into one. There are no Bass Pro shops in downstate New York. The closest locations to Buffalo are across the border in Toronto and in Auburn, N.Y., near Syracuse.
She added that when the store comes to Buffalo, she still probably won't make the trip to the old Aud.
"I probably won't ever go," she said. "I mean, if someone else was going, I might go with them, but I don't really see myself needing a tent anytime soon."
Nate Miller, an employee of Campus Crusades, said he's definitely interested in checking out the new addition to downtown Buffalo when, and if, it arrives.
"I really enjoy the outdoors," Miller said. "I've been to one Bass Pro in Missouri, and it was fun to go through once or twice."
Miller added that although there is controversy over what kind of impact the business will have on the Buffalo community, he doesn't see it as a major issue.
"I've been wondering how one store can really change downtown Buffalo that much," he said.
