ROMULUS, N.Y. -- The former Seneca Army Depot is what attracted Earl Martin, when he decided to expand his family business.
"The one thing the depot has is a lot of area that's open for development," Martin said.
There are more than 6,000 acres at the former Army munitions storage site in Seneca County. It was shut down in 2000, but there is another big attraction there.
"The white deer have a history that goes back to the Army days," said Bob Aronson of the Seneca County IDA.
Hundreds of them, inside the depot fence which, in the rural community of Romulus, are a big draw.
"Everybody including myself have been seeing the white deer since we were kids," Aronson said.
One reason why Aronson and other members of the Seneca County IDA were happy to hear of another of Martin's plans.
"There is a lot of interest in the white deer," Martin said.
He recently gained approval to create Deer Haven Park, to help white deer and other depot wildlife to thrive. Reaction has been supportive.
"100 percent positive, yeah," Aronson said.
Martin has already begun planting food for the deer and other wildlife here on the Depot site. He hopes to begin offering tours next year.
"There are very few areas with things like this," Martin said.
County planners are also happy to see a big part of an even bigger chunk of land being put to good use.
"It's been a challenging task to attract business here, especially because of the size of the place," Aronson said.
A place the new owner believes will be productive, and protective of a precious species.
"When you have an opportunity to come in and see what we've got back here, you're gonna see why it's worth preserving," Martin said.