Millions of dollars in both public and private investment are transforming Buffalo’s Inner Harbor into what is now known as “Canalside,” a mixed-use urban neighborhood that includes cultural destinations, retail, food and beverage, residential, and landside/waterborne recreation. Shortly after the opening of the approximately 7-acre Erie Canal Harbor in 2008, ECHDC established a broader general project plan for a 20-acre area that encompassed City of Buffalo and New York State-owned properties.  As part of the plan, ECHDC also approved detailed design guidelines and a review process to ensure that new infill development evokes and emulates the peak Erie Canal-era development that once characterized the City’s historic section.   

Approaching its second decade, Canalside is now firmly fixed as an important part of the community fabric, with art and food offerings and boasting hundreds of events, including: festivals, family activities, attractions, tours, and historical and cultural programming, as well as New York State’s largest outdoor ice-skating rink.  It also supports several new, permanent mixed-use development projects and will continue to do so as the plan progresses.