The Seneca Nation are now owners of a 200-plus acre plot of land on Grand Island. It’s the same parcel which was once at the center of a controversial development plan.
“Whenever we can get back land within our aboriginal territory, it's a great day, whether it's one acre or whether it's 200 acres," said Seneca Nation President J.C. Seneca.
The president is hailing the $1 land donation from William and Michael Huntress of Acquest Development. The company was behind plans to build one of the world’s largest warehouses for Amazon on Grand Island. After years of push back from local residents and officials, Seneca said the Huntress’s opened an opportunity for the Senecas.
“It's a big piece of land. It's in a great location. I think there's plenty of opportunities out there, we could speculate for a lot of different things," said Seneca. "Our business council will take a look at the different opportunities out there. We may possibly, who knows, get some calls from different ones now that may be interested in possible development”
In their donation, the Huntress’s called the Senecas the “rightful owners of Grand Island.” The island’s ownership was the subject of a legal battle launched by the Seneca Nation in 1993 that stretched for more than a decade. They argued an 1815 sale to New York State was null and void, because it lacked federal approval. But courts ruled the Senecas had already ceded land in prior treaties with Great Britain, a ruling the nation contests.
President Seneca said the door is still open for the Huntress’s to do business on the parcel, or elsewhere.
“Certainly would love to maybe do some business with them," he said, "You know, they were so gracious in donating this land in regards to believing it was the right thing to do at the moment, right now.”
Seneca tells BTPM NPR the nation will be pursuing restricted fee status with the Department of Interior for the Grand Island property. That would exempt the 207 acres from local and state taxes, as well as many land use regulations.
“We want to make sure that we take small steps and make good decisions and create something there," said the nation's president. "It's going to be a great benefit to the people of the Seneca Nation and Western New York.”
