The Seneca Nation announced today that its petition to the Department of Interior for restricted fee status on the 200 acres of land on Grand Island it received from William and Michael Huntress of Acquest Development was approved.
The Senecas called the approval "a significant step forward with a key approval."
Restricted fee status is a designation that can be given by the federal government to land acquired by a Native nation. It exempts the property from taxes and many local and state land-use regulations.
But if the land gets sold, gifted or leased further, it must be approved by the secretary of the Interior, according to the Bureau of Indian Affairs.
“We’re excited to take this next step in making this piece of our ancestral homelands a vital part of the Seneca Nation’s future,” said Seneca Nation President J. Conrad Seneca.
It was December when the Huntress brothers, owners of Acquest Development, gifted the land between Long and Bedell Roads to the Seneca Nation for one dollar.
Acquest Development was the developer behind a failed project to bring a large Amazon warehouse to the same parcel of land. The yearslong push for construction was eventually called off, after much community pushback on Grand Island.
The Seneca Nation has historically claimed ownership of all of Grand Island, and launched legal action in 1993 that argued the 1815 acquisition by New York State was illegal, because it did not have federal approval. Litigation stretched until 2004, but was unsuccessful for the Senecas.
“Now that our permanent future on Grand Island is secured, the Seneca Nation will forever be connected that community,” President Seneca said. “We think there are significant opportunities for how the site can be developed to benefit the long-term future of the Seneca Nation and our people, as well as the surrounding community and region. We look forward to exploring those opportunities in the days ahead.”
BTPM NPR has reached out to Grand Island Supervisor Peter Marston for comment.
