Buffalo planners can ensure success by not relying on gambling alone
While it looks inevitable that downtown Buffalo will be the latest Las Vegas-style gambling hotspot, there is a lot that should be done to make sure it turns into a tourist-driven plus for Buffalo, not a crime-soaked minus. Despite marked objections from local citizenry advocacy groups, the deal that the Seneca Nation negotiated with New York State virtually ensures Buffalo's membership in the casino community. The key is for this arrangement to be advantageous for the city of Buffalo and her people, not the business interests aligned with the Seneca Nation.
There are benefits to creating a casino in Buffalo. Casinos have the potential to draw lots of money into an area. They can create an attraction to a normally barren wasteland, much like how Las Vegas formed. There are, however, potentially serious side effects.
Gambling presents numerous social costs to communities that are compounded when poverty is entered into the equation. Buffalo's economic woes, both governmental and those of its citizens, are well documented and will provide ominous problems ahead if not properly addressed in the early stages of any casino development. A study compiled by UB's Research Institute on Addictions presented evidence that living near a casino or in a poor neighborhood could double a person's chances of becoming a problem gambler. Findings of this sort present a dilemma for Buffalo's city planners. How they can best serve Buffalonians should be their first concern. A casino that preys on the citizenry without generating tourism would lead to even more problems for the city.
At first glance, the DL & W terminal site seems perfect for a casino. The historic building was built as a rail and ship complex and is currently used as a storage facility by the Niagara-Frontier Transit Authority. It is massive and sits atop a network of piers that overlooks Buffalo Harbor, which would serve any development well. It sits on existing light-rail lines and is near the planned Bass Pro mega-store while surrounded by plenty of developable land. This is why, in comparison to earlier publicized downtown locations proposed, the DL & W terminal site seems a much better fit. Dropping one in the middle of downtown would have been a disaster for the city; the new proposed location holds more promise. The city has already dumped big money into the surrounding failed cobblestone district and a casino might make the previous upgrades worthwhile.
But what will play the biggest factor into gambling's future in Buffalo would be the type of casino built. It is undeniable that Niagara Falls, Canada has been successful in implementing its vision as to what kind of gaming city it needs to be. By becoming a resort destination for gamblers, they have succeeded in rebuilding their skyline and pumping tourist dollars into their economy. However, its neighbor across the border has not fared nearly as well in their attempts at revitalizing their city on the backs of casino development. Though the Seneca Niagara is a moneymaker for the Seneca Nation and is set to expand into its new 26 story, $200 million home by March - the redevelopment boom it was expected to lead never appeared. There are plans to build two more hotels nearby but there has not been an increase in new businesses in the surrounding lots. Downtown Niagara Falls still looks like a war-zone and one would be hard pressed to find a positive impact on the city's greater good due to a casino.
Buffalo's city planners need to ensure that what happened on the American side of Niagara Falls doesn't repeat itself here. Building a casino with shortsighted goals lacking on long-term vision won't be beneficial for anyone but the Seneca Nation. The DL & W terminal site affords a good choice in terms of Buffalo's existing infrastructure but what is eventually built there is what matters. A tourist destination is the answer, preying monies from the local population is not.