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Hotel planner told new design needed
By John J. Hopkins Times
Opponents of a proposed eight-story hotel near Buffalo- Niagara International Airport and the developer met last week in an effort by the town board to negotiate common ground, but in the end the developers were instructed to come back with an alternate design.
Manga LLC, a Mississauga, Ontario-based firm, hopes to build an eight-story, 147-room hotel for the Aloft Hotels chain.
However, residents from Surfside Parkway, Bay Lane and other nearby streets don't want an eight-story hotel sitting behind their homes. Nor do they appear willing to allow the structure to be constructed if Manga purchased a 100-foot wide "buffer" area along a former railroad bed.
Manga representatives, residents and town board members attended last Thursday's meeting in the town council office.
"Why do we need the tallest building in the suburbs by the airport?" one man asked about the proposal for a three-acre portion of land off Burgess Boulevard.
John Garas, an attorney representing the developer, said the airport's growth and its affordable airfare is creating the need for more hotel rooms in the area. It is becoming an attractive flying option for people who live within a few hundred miles of Buffalo.
"This is not an extended stay or family-oriented hotel," Garas said. "Many of its users will be coming on Thursday and flying out on Friday."
Garas said there will actually be two heights for the hotel because of its sloped roof. The front of the building, facing Genesee Street, will be 97-1/2-feet tall, but the building will be 87 feet, eight inches tall in the back.
Still, residents and town officials would prefer a five or six-story hotel on the site.
The developers say they are hindered by the size of their lot and must build upwards to include the number of desired rooms.
"We can't move it north because of the roadway," said Garas. "We've tried to move it as far away from the houses as possible."
Supervisor James J. Jankowiak advised Garas that it would behoove Manga to create a second blueprint for the hotel. An alternate plan has been requested by the Cheektowaga Environmental Advisory Committee and Zoning Inspector Dan Ulatowski sketched some possibilities.
Jankowiak pointed out that an alternative could allow the hotel to be built and keep residents satisfied.
"The art of negotiating is [that] everybody loses or gains the same amount," Jankowiak said.
Yet, Garas wondered if the neighbors were willing to negotiate, noting they don't favor a buffer and the "visual screening" opportunities a buffer would provide. He also said that many of those who signed a petition stating their opposition to the building would not be affected by the hotel.
"Their sight gets obstructed by the (Maryvale) senior center after about 900 feet," Garas stated, adding some of the petition signers live 1,500- 2,000 feet away form the hotel site. "No neighbor has indicated a willingness to consider visual screening."
Councilmember Tom Johnson said buildup at the airport and its surroundings has created a "sensitized" community.
"Eight stories has taken them to the camel's back," Johnson added. "We know what the perceived impact is. Show us the line of sight and the impact screenings will have."
Discussions focused on partially covering a parking area along the building, which would allow the developer to use more of the parcel's surface for the building rather than parking.
Garas noted that Aloft has strict standards concerning the outward appearance of its hotels. Therefore, "cantilevering would be up to Aloft."
Purchasing the adjoining former RJ Corman Railroad right-of-way to use as a buffer may not be possible, because of a "complicated series of events," Garas added.
He explained that RJ Corman is insisting that Manga purchase an additional 1,000 feet of property that is not needed for the project, and is asking 2.5 times as much as what it charged Calspan for a similar portion of the right-of-way.
"Corman is playing hardball," Garas said. "They are a recalcitrant landlord."
The owner of one adjoining property is unwilling to sell to Manga unless other events- including selling a portion of the property to another developer- happens first.
Garas said most Aloft hotels in the Toronto area are between 4-6 stories in height. The difference between the Toronto locations and the Cheektowaga site is the size of the lots; the Canadian sites are larger.
The groups will likely return to Town Hall on December 19 to continue discussions.
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