It wasn’t all that long ago when properties that neighbored Niagara Falls International Airport were viewed as a development nightmare in some quarters.
They sat there with little interest.
Times have changed.
Two recent, high-profile projects have changed that scenario.
Last summer, Amazon began work on its $550 million regional distribution center along Lockport Road and, in recent days, Saint-Gobain selected a Walmore Road site for a $41.5 million expansion.
That’s nearly $600 million in private sector investment, just off of two projects.
Those are the numbers that help attract development interest.
More projects are on the horizon says Andrea Klyzcek, Niagara County Industrial Development Agency executive director.
“The significance of the location being so close to our airport, and to see the revitalization of that area surrounding our airport is great,” Klyzcek said. “We have several other projects that are also going to be happening. So, you're going to see a lot of transformation in a really important part of the county.”
Potential new projects include a commercial warehouse development while others focus on more traditional manufacturing.
And, there are some possible distribution and logistics centers that may be added to Niagara County’s economic development pipeline.
In other words, interest in land in and around the airport is picking up.
“I think it's starting to pick up, certainly everybody heard about Amazon. This is going to be the second big, notable project. So, I think we're going to see that things are going to start loosening up,” Klyzcek said.
