During the summer, fishing mega retailer Bass Pro announced that it was no longer pursuing development of a large store on the Buffalo waterfront after the project floated in limbo for the greater part of the last decade.
Many Buffalonians breathed a sigh of relief after hearing the news. Though many were excited when the project was first announced, the negotiations became increasingly tedious over time and enthusiasm waned quickly.
After all, how many people fish and hunt in Buffalo, and of those people, how many are not satisfied with the selection at local Dick's Sporting Goods or Gander Mountain?
Apparently Larry Quinn, vice chairman of the Erie Canal Harbor Development Corp., still thinks Bass Pro has the potential to be what is being referred to as the waterfront's "anchor tenant," as he revived the idea earlier this week when he proposed asking Bass Pro to reconsider.
We join the throngs of Buffalonians who are responding by saying "enough already."
The ECHDC's strategy of bringing in a nationally-known anchor tenant to attract initial consumers, and other smaller businesses to surround it, is the quick and easy solution that will not yield the best results in the future. The plan relies too heavily on the success of a company like Bass Pro, which only appeals to a specific audience. If the anchor tenant fails, the entire plan falls apart.
Those in charge of developing the waterfront would be better advised to bring in entertainment options that appeal to a wider demographic. Bars, restaurants and shops that could play host to concerts, comedy shows and other performances would all generate more interest. New York City's South Street Seaport could serve as a potential model.
The city would do well to subsidize a project like this, allowing each of these venues to get started and create some healthy competition and cooperation with one another.
Promoting local businesses and focusing on a wider range of options would also increase the area's cultural appeal. Bass Pro has stores all over the nation. Buffalo's waterfront should serve as a source of local pride and expression.
If there were to be one big anchor tenant, however, there is one perfect option that the ECHDC should pursue, though it will prove to be very difficult and time-consuming.
The Buffalo Bills currently play in Orchard Park's Ralph Wilson Stadium, one of the oldest in the National Football League. Many teams in other cities have recently built stadiums that easily surpass "the Ralph" in quality.
The logistics of the deal would be tough to come by, but this is a perfect opportunity for the Buffalo area to correct one of the biggest mistakes it has ever made: not putting its biggest attraction, the Bills, downtown, where they would attract an enormous amount of people and businesses.
Bills stadium or not, the waterfront must be developed soon, and we need to leave Bass Pro behind.
