By Frank Parlato Jr.
Aaron Besecker interviewed me on my plans for One Niagara. These two stories appeared in the Niagara Gazette on March 23, 2006
Standing Tall
Former Oxy site owner to ready building for tourists
Aaron Besecker
March 23, 2006
The owner of the former AquaFalls site has withdrawn a proposal to the city that would have razed the nine-story, downtown structure in favor of a parking lot.
With the approach of the tourist season, and a lack of interest in a possible partnership on the part of the City Council, the building now known as One Niagara will remain a part of the downtown skyline.
“I’m going to keep the building standing, at least for the time being,” Frank Parlato Jr. said.
Parlato had previously stated a Monday, March 27, deadline for the city to take action. But now that city officials are busy dealing with the pressing business of the Main Street public safety complex, the time has come to move forward with at least temporary plans, he said.
Seven food vendors serving a variety of cuisine from Indian to Chinese to Mexican food, as well as souvenir shops and entertainment facilities are coming to the One Niagara grounds before the end of spring. They’re all part of what Parlato envisions to be an eventual “welcome center” for the city of Niagara Falls.
The developer also said he expects to have the former 40-foot “Aquapit” completely filled and the perimeter fence removed in three weeks.
“We’re real close now,” Parlato said.
He took over the 2.27-acre property at 360 Rainbow Blvd. in December 2004. Each of the building’s nine, 17,000-square foot floors are currently vacant.
Parlato admitted his plan, which would have tried to establish a public-private partnership with the city in order to operate a surface parking lot, wasn’t the ideal, end use for a property adjacent to Niagara Falls State Park and an international border crossing.
But at least it was something, Parlato said.
He may set up a lounge or coffee shop-type establishment on the building’s ninth floor before the year is out, he added.
The building would likely never be an office building again, since he’s seen little demand for more office space in the city.
Several potential buyers have made offers for the property, Parlato said, including a developer from China.
Another purchaser would have taken the property off the tax rolls had a deal gone through, he added. Two other interested parties included a developer from Lebanon and a U.S. investor.
Mayor Vince Anello, who had been authorized by the City Council to begin negotiating with Parlato on the parking lot proposal, said his administration remains interested in a possible deal.
But he also appreciates a private business owner must make decision in preparation for the future.
“I think if any businessman wants to prepare for the tourist season, I think that’s great,” Anello said.
City Councilmember Sam Fruscione, who originally said the former Oxy building should come down, said he was skeptical of the parking lot proposal initially because of questions surrounding a possible partnership between the city and Parlato.
Under the city charter, a private landowner cannot operate a surface lot in the city. It may have also been illegal for the city to enter into such a partnership, Fruscione said.
The ongoing issues with the municipal services complex are taking much of the council’s attention, he added.
Parlato said his view of his relationship with the city has changed since he originally took over the property.
He realizes he doesn’t need the city’s help, the city needs his.
“I’m not a beggar,” he said, “I’m a giver now.”
One Niagara seems intact
Integrity of building not in question, owner says
Aaron Besecker
March 23, 2006
Even though most people can’t see it, soil, stone and concrete fill creeps toward the surface of the former AquaFalls hole, the once 40-foot pit that symbolized the Cataract City’s continued development failures.
And while the infamous, outdoor stain on the city’s image is between six and 10 feet from reaching ground level, a tour of Frank Parlato Jr.’s One Niagara revealed the building’s condition isn’t as bad as one city councilmember characterized it.
Visitors would find some floors of the former Occidental Chemical building littered with crumbled building materials, piles of excess pipe, soaking wet rugs from dripping ceilings — sights not unusual for a completely vacant office structure.
Parlato admits the building has a few flaws, but stressed there was nothing structurally wrong with the building.
“There’s nothing that couldn’t be fixed,” he said.
A few hops over piles of metal sheeting or some looms of wire and electrical cords would distract a visitor from views of the falls or downtown. Still, it was nothing a little elbow grease, a vacuum and some mops couldn’t heal.
A ride up the building’s elevator, often aided by a rider’s manual push to fully open the chute’s doors, was steady for the most part.
Interesting sites on the way to the roof included portions of the flooring on the fifth floor, which housed Oxy’s computers, had been removed to reveal the skeleton of a sub-floor.
The building’s seventh floor was the cleanest in the building. The ninth showed signs of a leaky roof, which Parlato admitted needs to be patched.
Still, he dismissed statements made by City Councilmember Sam Fruscione, who recently told the Niagara Gazette, “I’ve been in that building. It has to come down.”
Fruscione called the building “a shell,” saying he believed the building’s heating and air conditioning systems were in disrepair, and there was significant damage to the ninth floor.
Parlato said both systems function properly, but neither has been turned on since the building currently lacks occupants.
He can see the building’s ninth floor used as a restaurant, Parlato said, but isn’t sure how likely a project of that type would get done this year.
As for the building in general, any required improvements to a building originally designed for a single tenant wouldn’t hold up progress there, according to Parlato.
“Nothing’s impossible if you have enough money,” he said.
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