Waterfront committee refers Erie Basin marina, Templeton Landing planning to City Development

On Sept. 3, 2025, the Buffalo Common Council Waterfront Development Committee voted to refer long-term planning for the Erie Basin Marina and the pending disposition of Templeton Landing to the council—s City Development Committee for further review, committee members said.

The referral came after Scott Billman, general counsel for the Urban Renewal Agency, told the committee that a 2001 ground-lease arrangement requires disposition discussions and that the current tenant, Specialty Restaurants, has rights tied to a decades-old lease. Billman said the lease "is expiring" and that "after that, we go to a month to month, per New York law." He added that under the lease provisions the agency would be required to transfer the property to Specialty "at no value," and that Specialty "are entitled to that transfer."

Nadine Marrero of the Office of Strategic Planning told members the city already has multiple waterfront planning efforts that bear on any future uses, including the Local Waterfront Revitalization Program (LWRP), several Brownfield Opportunity Area (BOA) plans, and a recently completed downtown waterfront improvement plan. Marrero said the downtown plan "put forth a number of proposals" including a pedestrian connection toward Templeton Landing and that the city recently received a New York State grant to fund engineering, design, infrastructure analysis, housing and marketing study, and predevelopment work for properties the Urban Renewal Agency owns in the area.

Why it matters: Billman—s description of the lease and Marrero—s planning briefing together prompted council members to press for a coordinated approach before any transfer or new development proceeds. Council Member Nowakowski said the waterfront "really belongs to all of us, all 9 districts," and urged a comprehensive planning process that would knit Templeton Landing, the marina, Canalside and other parcels into a single strategy. Several members voiced concern that an out-of-state owner could control a large, contiguous section of the downtown waterfront if the disposition proceeds under the existing lease.

Key details from agency staff

- Lease and disposition: Scott Billman said the Urban Renewal Agency—s lease with Specialty Restaurants dates back to 2001 and that Specialty has been a continuous tenant at the site for decades. Billman said improvements on the parcel were paid for by the tenant and that the agency "expended no money" on the property. He described a process in which both the Urban Renewal Agency board and the Common Council must approve disposition, and said the agency would aim to present informational materials to its board and to council in September.

- Legal timing: Billman told the committee the lease "ends on September 30," after which the tenancy converts to month-to-month under New York law. He said Specialty has asked about the disposition timeline and that the agency has been working to move "expeditiously." (Transcript: "The lease currently ends on September 30. So after that, we go to a month to month, per New York law.")

- Planning context: Nadine Marrero summarized existing planning tools that constrain and guide waterfront uses, including the LWRP (a state-authorized local waterfront program), multiple Brownfield Opportunity Area plans, and the city—s Unified Development Ordinance/Green Code. Marrero described the downtown waterfront improvement plan—s objectives: better connectivity to adjacent neighborhoods, infrastructure and traffic studies, and predevelopment work to move Urban Renewal-owned parcels back to productive use. On setbacks and resiliency she noted the city has a waterfront overlay in the UDO that imposes different setback standards by use but said she was "not positive" on exact numbers and that those specifics would need to be confirmed.

Council reaction and next steps

Council members from across districts emphasized the need for a holistic waterfront strategy rather than piecemeal decision-making. Council Member Rasheed Wyatt said the waterfront "should be the absolute mecca for Buffalo," urging a bolder vision. Members asked that the Department of Public Works be invited to the next hearing to discuss marina operations and an RFP the department is preparing for marina management.

The motion to refer Item 1 to the City Development Committee was made from the floor and seconded by Council Member Bowman; the record shows the referral motion and second but does not include a roll-call vote in the transcript. Committee staff said DPW and other agency partners will be invited to present at a future City Development meeting to address operational questions and predevelopment plans.

Ending: The committee—s referral aims to consolidate agency briefings and prepare the council to review any disposition or redevelopment proposals with DPW, Urban Renewal Agency staff and planning officials all at the table. Committee members said they want community engagement to accompany future steps and additional detail on resiliency standards, setback requirements and any proposed changes to the parcels before the council takes a final disposition vote.