Mayor urges action on sports store for Aud
By SHARON LINSTEDT
News Staff Reporter
5/3/2003

Mayor Anthony M. Masiello has an ultimatum for those trying to lure a large outdoors store to the waterfront: Fish or cut bait.

"I'm not happy with the state of the negotiations. Things appear to be just drifting," Masiello said of plans to attract Bass Pro Outdoor. "I'm not pointing fingers at anyone, but I want answers for everybody involved here about where we are with Bass Pro. I want closure."

The mayor is trying to arrange a meeting with representatives of Erie County, Empire State Development and the Bos Group, the project's designated developer, in the next week.

"We need to go in a room, shut the door and roll up our sleeves on this," he said. "It would be a damn shame if we let this slip through our fingers. I want Bass Pro on the Buffalo waterfront."

A key discussion point will be financing the ambitious effort to convert the mothballed Memorial Auditorium into a state-of-the-art retail facility, anchored by a 130,000-square-foot Bass Pro Outdoor World store. The mayor confirmed a gap of about $20 million in public and private funding to cover the project's estimated $104 million price tag.

Under the current funding framework, the Bos Group would contribute nearly $45 million in private dollars, while the state has pledged $21 million and the county has signaled it will kick in $20 million.

"This is an enormous, very expensive project. There's no getting around that if we want to do it right," Masiello said. "There's serious money on the table, and we're close. Close isn't good enough."

The mayor declined to discuss how the money gap might be bridged.

The possibility of bringing Bass Pro to the Aud, serving as a key piece in development of the larger Erie Canal Harbor Entertainment District, has been in the works since mid-2001. The city's chances of landing the sports superstore appeared to improve in June when it named the Bos Group of Baltimore, a firm with strong ties to Bass Pro, as the project's designated developer.

Mark A. Lichtman, a Bos Group principal and Kenmore native, said he would welcome a meeting with the various governments to cement a funding package. While the state and county have shown "enormous interest" in the project and have floated financial assistance offers, it's time to put the offers on paper, he said.

"You've got to show Bass Pro the money," Lichtman said. "There are hundreds of developers all over the country trying to get Bass Pro's attention, and many of them have state and local governments standing behind them with economic development dollars. Now's the time for the Buffalo group to make a firm offer."

While outdoor retailing was a hot commodity when Buffalo cast its line for the company two years ago, Bass Pro's clout as a retailer and economic development engine has grown exponentially. Cities have been tripping over each other to land the stores, which are regional draws, attracting an average of 2 million visitors each per year.

Offers have been made, and deals have been consummated in such places as New Orleans, Kansas City and Little Rock.

But potentially more disturbing is a recent push by Pyramid Cos. of Syracuse to land Bass Pro for its Destiny USA mega-mall.

"Bass Pro is clearly looking all over the country, all over the region and all over the state, but it's my gut feeling that their interest in Buffalo is genuine," Lichtman said. "But it will still take an attractive deal that's locked and loaded."

In a visit to Buffalo in late April, Charles Gargano, chairman of the Empire State Development Corp., confirmed the state's $21 million package for Bass Pro, adding that the funds were specifically tied to the Buffalo site. While he was aware the company had feelers out in Syracuse as well as downstate, Gargano said he did not consider those inquiries as death knells for Buffalo's hopes.

"That's what these companies do; they look at everything they can," Gargano said. "Based on what we know about their site requirements, the Buffalo site is a perfect fit, and we intend to get back in contact with them to remind them of what we're willing to do to make that happen."

The Bos Group faces a June 30 dealine to deliver a master plan for the harborfront - including the Aud, Donovan State Office Building, the former Delaware, Lackawanna and Western Railroad terminal and the vacant Webster Block south of the Donovan Building - as well as a signed letter of intent from Bass Pro.

Lichtman admitted the time frame is a "bit of a stretch," but said he was not focusing on the calendar.

"We're committed to bringing Bass Pro to Buffalo, however long that takes," he said. "If the 60 days comes and goes and things are still progressing toward that goal, we'd hope to stick with the task."