u/Weekly-Law-2544

Ha. 😂

We need the Beauts back.

🙃😒

Interesting tactic.

Over 1M pounds of food have been donated since 2013.

Looking to model it off of Titletown in Green Bay.

Site work wouldn't start until the second quarter of next year, so I wouldn't bet on this opening before 2029.

A national nonprofit is working with local organizations to turn an abandoned rail corridor into a walking and cycling trail that connects northwest Buffalo neighborhood to the Niagara River and the Empire State Trail.

The proposed River Rock Connector Trail would be more than five miles of trail, including a 1.5-mile stretch of abandoned railroad that runs along River Rock Drive, Rano Street and the west side of the Wieland Buffalo campus.

The Trust for Public Land is working with the Black Rock Riverside Alliance and the Buffalo Niagara River Land Trust on the project, which would serve the Black Rock, Riverside, West Hertel and Grant-Amherst neighborhoods.

“It’s a large right-of-way where we would cut this trail, but there’s opportunities to activate the space in other ways,” said Mike Lieberman, program director for New York community trails for the Trust for Public Land.

That could include a playground, park or bike pump track. The trust's goal is to reconnect communities and improve public health by turning unused spaces into modern parks and trails.

The area is about 41 acres owned by CSX Transportation, which whom the Trust for Public Land working on an acquisition agreement for the property.

“We’re in the final stages of an options agreement with CSX, so that we can have access to that property for the purpose of acquiring it,” Lieberman said. “We would then work with the municipality and the local nonprofits to make sure they are the stewards of the land. They’ve told us they’re a willing seller.”

Buffalo adopted a plan in 2024 to better connect the trails and parks and neighborhoods of Black Rock and Riverside, Lieberman said. The plan looked at 50 acres of public space, 10 miles of new trail opportunities and potential connections to SUNY Buffalo State University’s campus, existing trails like the Empire State Trail along the river, and parks like Unity Island and Riverside Park.

The River Rock Connector Trail aligns with that plan perfectly.

The project received about $300,000 from the state Department of Environmental Conservation for a feasibility study, which will determine which of those 10 miles of trail opportunities to prioritize and how to weave them together. The grant also will cover the cost of an environmental review, he said.

Once the agreement with CSX is signed, which Lieberman expects to be done in the coming months, a feasibility study can begin. The total cost of the project hasn’t yet been determined.

“Now we’re at a point of putting together a package and getting people excited about it, whether it’s private philanthropy opportunities, the city of Buffalo or another funding source,” he said.

Norfolk Southern, a freight railroad company with about 130 employees in Western New York, donated about $15,000 to the project through its foundation.

“The River Rock Connector Trail is important to Norfolk Southern because, once complete, the company’s employees and their families will benefit from its existence,” said Kristin Wong, director of the Norfolk Southern Foundation and community impact. “We understand the impact that creating access to trails has on communities from a health perspective but also known economic benefits.”

Given how feckless our politicians are about standing up to people opposing projects on NIMBY grounds, this sounds like a terrible idea.

11 measures that we are set to vote on.

Shocking.