Preservationists celebrate Turtle eligibility

In the face of the Niagara Falls City Council declining to consider the eligibility of the Turtle as eligible for historic preservation, Preservation Buffalo Niagara has pressed on and receive a positive designation of eligibility for the Native American Center for the Living Arts.

The council earlier this year hosted a public hearing after a recommendation  eligible even iof a designation from the city's Historic Preservation Commission unanimously recommended the building be listed on the National Register of Historic Places earlier this year. 

The city council helded a public hearing and declined to accept the recommendation or even discuss the building, instead turning the recommendation into a discussion of property rights and whether private property should be eligible for designation.

 Preservation Buffalo Niagara celebrated with a champagne toast Friday at Cataract House Park

James Haggerty spokesman for Niagara Falls Redevelopment said NFR is still reviewing the designation internally.

“As a general matter, we believe the local Niagara Falls community has spoken on the issue, through their elected representatives, in rejecting historic landmark status” Haggerty said. “We don't believe state or out-of-town elements should be forcing their views upon the local community.

“For further detail on the history of the Turtle and the difficulties in developing it, please review our submission to the city council, attached, and Roger Trevino's Op-ed in the Niagara Gazette.”

Haggerty said said NFR continues to look for opportunities that would ensure the highest and best use for the City of Niagara Falls for the Turtle.

“As you know, several years ago we proposed a mixed use hotel and retail development on the site (which included parking – as you know, much needed)” Haggerty said. “That project failed because the property had been downzoned in the years since NFR took over the building, and the City wouldn't grant a variance back to the original height limit.

Haggerty said NFR checks the property daily and while there have been incidents of trespassing to seek shelter, the incidents are infrequent.

“A bigger problem is littering, particularly around the bus drop off on the west side of the building” he said.

He also offered an update on the Niagara Digital Campus with data center developer Urbacon. He said plans are moving forward.

He called for the NFR and the City to work together on the project which is on the same site as the proposed Centennial Park development. He said Urbacon will result in more than 500 permanent jobs.

“Toward that end, NFR design, engineering, and legal team members recently met with the city’s Planning Department to share and collaborate on project plans and requirements” Haggerty said. “We look forward to continuing this collaboration in the weeks and months to come.”