BUFFALO, N.Y. -- The City Honors/Fosdick-Masten Park Foundation revealed plans Tuesday that are a year in the making: to construct a new and improved Fosdick Field that can be used by students and youth athletes and for neighborhood recreation.
"This is a unique opportunity that we have to build a park in the middle of our city," said City Honors/Fosdick-Masten Park Foundation President James Eagan. "There's not many times that you are going to get this kind of opportunity; we call it a generational opportunity."
The design also includes removing Fosdick Street, as well as installing a tunnel to locker rooms and underground equipment storage space.
"We are 75 percent complete with the architectural and engineering work needed to begin construction," said City Honors School Principal William Kresse. "This design also returns the land to its practical purposes prior to 1977."
In 1977, the original Fosdick field was taken from the City Honors School by the Buffalo Municipal Housing Authority to be used for public housing. After being vacant for many years, it was demolished in 2013.
Since then, dozens of local organizations have endorsed plans to restore the historic field. Now they're one step closer to seeing that happen.
"Biggest hurdle now is putting together a deal now with the Housing Authority to transfer the land over," said Assemblyman Sean Ryan, D-Buffalo. "You know, it's a very complicated process. The Housing Authority, if it was up to them, they would just give it over for community use but the federal regulations don't allow that."
The park foundation says the property also contains human remains from an 1800s potters field.
Officials say acquiring and developing the land could cost several million dollars.
"The city is committed to providing some of the funding to make this happen but the city cannot do it by itself," said Mayor Byron Brown, D-Buffalo.