NU, NCC, a Craft Beer Brewery, a free parking ramp, student dorms reportedly part of plans
By Frank Parlato
Sometime soon Gov. Andrew Cuomo will arrive in Niagara Falls to announce the Hotel Niagara will be developed and operated by Delaware North.
He won’t say he is gifting the hotel to them of course, he will say the state is “partnering”.
The historic Hotel Niagara will be quite literally given to Delaware North, as you, the taxpayers pay…
But gifting is what he means.
New York taxpayers, through Empire State Development, bought the historic Hotel Niagara from developer Harry Stinson paying him several million more than what he paid. The published price of purchase or sale is irrelevant since there are paper expenses on Stinson’s side, while taxpayers paid in hard cash.
And when you peel back the onion, and get rid of all the paper investment credited to Delaware North, the billion dollar company will get a free hotel [wonder if it was all pre-planned when the state approached Stinson to buy his hotel?]
State and the city taxpayers will enjoy the pleasure of paying to renovate the property and tenants will be produced for Delaware North most likely at taxpayer expense.
Some of the plans may be subject to change but here is what has been discussed so far, according to a high level source:
The hotel will be owned [or leased] and operated by Delaware North.
Forget the fact that all the markers are ‘A.’ You can figure it out. The hotel by the ‘A’ is the Hotel Niagara. The traffic circle, where the A’ is, on Rainbow Blvd, is where Mayor Dyster is going to place a gorgeous modern art $600,000 statute in front of the historic Hotel Niagara with its classic lines (a perfectly hideous clash of concepts). The parking lot by the ‘A’ is contemplated as the site for a taxpayer-funded parking ramp for Delaware North’s hotel patrons.
Niagara University is expected to play an educational role by renting space in the hotel for its Tourism, Hospitality and Event Planning instruction. Students can work inside the hotel and get real hands on experience and Delaware North can get free labor. With NU paying rent and with Start-Up NY, IDA, or Empire State Subsidies, the property should be safely off the tax rolls forever, and the flow of money going from NU to Delaware North where it will be accepted gladly.
In addition, Niagara County Community College is expected to bring a culinary school component with much of the same concepts as NU. The flow of money once again will go from NCCC to Delaware North.
One or both educational institutions may also lease rooms for student dorms assuring Delaware North of sufficient year-round occupancy for a hotel business that otherwise has low occupancy during the winter.
State taxpayers will chip in too with subsidies so Delaware North can renovate the property with taxpayer money instead of their own.
The City will also be permitted to contribute. The biggest problem with the Hotel Niagara is that there is no parking. The City therefore will build a multi-story parking ramp next to the Hotel Niagara on the city owned surface parking lot behind the Jefferson Apartments.
Last, but not least, NCCC, or perhaps another tenant, will develop a craft beer brewery in the hotel.
Mayor Paul Dyster owns a craft beer supply store in Tonawanda and is a Certified Beer Judge.
He can be counted on for advice, one would think.
And please don’t forget there is going to be in the traffic circle that Dyster fought so hard to spend more than $600,000, a funky, metal, cool-toned red, white and baby blue, phallic, obscure boundary waters treaty statue right in front of the warm, rich earth tones and classic lines of the historic Hotel Niagara.
Sounds like a plan.
The photo shopped image of the proposed new taxpayer funded $600,000 plus phallic symbol will adorn the circle in front of the Hotel Niagara. Isn’t the statue perfectly incongruous with the hotel? And Niagara Falls loves perfection….