NIAGARA FALLS — When Frank Parlato Jr. came to Niagara Falls six years ago, he helped fill a void left over from what is considered to be one of the biggest economic development blunders in the city’s history — AquaFalls.
Now, just days after Parlato sold his interest in One Niagara to a group of local investors, the controversial developer is looking to move forward, but not necessarily away from the issues that dotted his tenure in the Cataract City.
“I am proud of what I have accomplished, sure I have had my share of issues, but nobody is perfect,” he said during an interview with the Niagara Gazette on Friday. “My record is hardly perfect and I made a lot of mistakes, but I did it based on what I believed was right without reckoning the consequences.”
Parlato added, “I think that I took (One Niagara) to a certain level, I filled the hole, I developed a tourism enterprise there that employed a lot of people — local people and it’s all local vendors.”
During his time as owner of One Niagara, Parlato developed a rocky relationship with Niagara Falls city officials, often butting heads with city planners over provisions of a proposed site plan for the building. He also has had a long-standing feud over what he considered an over assessment of the building’s value on the city’s part. Recently, One Niagara’s co-owners, Incredible Investments LTD., filed suit against Parlato, calling into question his management of the downtown tourism center.
In the wake of the recent workplace accident which resulted in the death of a One Niagara employee, Parlato sold the management rights to a group of local investors including attorneys Paul Grenga and Jim Roscetti, former Lewiston mayor Dick Soluri, local realtor Mike Hooper, Cataract Tours operator Frank D'Agostino, local businessman and restaurateur Dan Cipollitti, Niagara Sports Entertainment President Steve Carrella and former city Fire Chief Rich Horn.
Parlato would not divulge any financial details into the sale but did call the offer “generous.” He also said the workplace death had no bearing on his decision to sell.
“I got the right offer at the right time, it was a generous offer and it was a hometown team and that’s the most important thing to me. These are all hometown guys,” Parlato said. “These are Niagara County guys and I believe that we have to raise ourselves by ourselves. I don’t think that we should have our property owned by people from Baltimore or Hong Kong. Our best properties should be owned by local people.”
Parlato said he may aid or share in the transition process of the new management team, but no longer has ties to One Niagara. Parlato who also controlled a company called Tourist Services LLC., said that company was also part of the deal brokered on Tuesday.
Born in Buffalo, Parlato said he has traveled all over the country brokering business deals and working as a journalist. Parlato said he is proud of the doors he has opened at One Niagara.
“I developed the first non-government funded tourism project in Niagara Falls in a long time that actually employs people, actually makes money from the tourists and puts it in the local people’s hands,” Parlato said. “I didn’t get there by natural cooperation, because I think I was an offense to the elites here in Niagara Falls. I was an insult to them, because I came without their permission. I did things that I believed were right.”
Parlato’s relationship with Niagara Falls Mayor Paul Dyster has been sour at best. Parlato consistently denied the city's requests that he make various improvements to the One Niagara property, particularly the condition of the parking lot and landscaping improvements around the building’s exterior. Last, the city denied Parlato’s bid to open the ninth floor observation deck at the former Occidental Chemical Corp. complex, forcing Parlato to secure an injunction from Supreme Court Justice Richard Kloch allowing him to continue operating the ninth floor while issues with city planners were resolved.
“I’ll fight you to the end,” Parlato said. “I don’t think I started the fight, I never asked for it and so far I never lost one.”
Dyster said he doesn’t harbor any personal vendetta or animosity against Parlato and does not wish him ill going forward.
“We don’t have a Frank Parlato policy here at city hall, we have laws and regulations that apply to everyone equally,” Dyster said. “People may find it hard to believe that despite all of the venomous attacks Mr. Parlato has waged against myself and city hall, I did not take revenge. Mr. Parlato may say differently, but I would put my word against Mr. Parlato’s any day.”
Even with a change of guard at One Niagara, Dyster said city officials will still demand the same compliance from the new management at the facility.
“I am not going to prejudge these individuals,” Dyster said.
While Parlato looks for his next opportunity, he said there are things that need to be done locally to ensure the long-term success of not just One Niagara, but the entire city.
“We need to get rid of these vacant out-of-town investors. When you live in Baltimore or Hong Kong it doesn’t matter if you have a vacant eyesore, it doesn’t matter to you, because you don’t have to look at it everyday,” he said. “Local people have to own the local real estate. We have to kick out the Senecas or make them equal with us. We have to kick Albany to the curb, we have to make tourism our prosperity not Albany’s and we have to seize our hydro-power and make it ours and we will be one of the richest city’s in the world, not the poorest.”
