Buffalo Mayor Sean Ryan is taking his battle with the Seneca Nation over a parcel of land along Miami and Ohio streets to the courts.
The mayor announced Wednesday morning the filing of a lawsuit in New York Supreme Court to halt what he calls "a proposed 28-bay truck stop and fuel depot" in Buffalo's Old First Ward.
Seneca Nation President JC Seneca has said the project is not a truck stop — pointing to plans that show only two diesel pumps and no allowance of semi-trucks parking overnight — instead describing it as a gas station with a 9,200 square-foot building that will house a convenience store, cannabis dispensary and to-be-determined fast food restaurant.
"This project would have a major impact on the surrounding neighborhood, the Buffalo River, and the public investments we have made in this part of Buffalo," Ryan said in a press release. "We have a responsibility to protect those investments and the people who live, work, and spend time here."
He added that construction on the site, which is already underway, has disturbed "potentially contaminated soil" and released soil into the Buffalo River.
President Seneca previously defended the nation's right to develop the land under its terms, a parcel that was put into restricted fee status by determination of the federal Department of Interior in 2023.
"The state and city may want to fight us on our compact, on our sovereign rights, on our land, but our message is clear: the Seneca Nation will keep moving forward," Seneca said when he revealed more details on the project last week. "We will always fight to defend our sovereignty, our treaties, our rights to create economic opportunity on our sovereign lands for the benefit of our people and to create even more jobs in the local community."
The release included statements from nearby business owners and executives such as Rick Smith of Silo City and Kevin Heffernan of GObike, who both lauded the City for the improvements it has made in the corridor.
BTPM News has reached out to the Seneca Nation for a comment on the filed lawsuit.