The Buffalo Outer Harbor is located on the eastern shore of Lake Erie within the City of Buffalo’s waterfront and encompasses vast acreage of abandoned industrial land. The Erie Canal Harbor Development Corporation (ECHDC) is currently engaged in a multi-phase project to reconnect the city to the powerful Lake Erie waterfront. The outcome will be a network of public landscapes that balances ecological restoration and vibrant cultural attractions.

As the prime consultant, TWM managed a large consultant team to define the Outer Harbor development projects. The first major construction project is the Outer Harbor Lakeside Complex, which creates a series of connected spaces and experiences in an under-used corner of the Outer Harbor, providing a network of paths, visual landmarks, places to rest and engage in activities along the waterfront, and habitat restoration within its 30-acre post-industrial footprint.

The urban bike park provides a unique facility for the city’s youth as well as more advanced riders. An array of experiences is offered from the intensive pump track to nature-embedded trails. Facilities are targeted to a range of skill levels and provide an opportunity for skill-building.  A flexible plaza space offers food trucks, comfort, and a connection to a new event space.

The event space takes advantage of magnificent views of Lake Erie and creates a much-needed resilient venue for festivals and events. The Greenway Nature Trail was extended and connected to the Industrial Heritage Trail and the new network of interior trails.

The project has transformed a vast brownfield site into a new recreational destination while at the same time creating new habitat for the many bird species that travel within this Important Birding Area and International Flyway Landscape habitat is interwoven throughout the new improvements and builds on previous enhancements at Bell Slip.

All photos ©️ 2020 James Cavanaugh.