BUFFALO, N.Y. — A controversial plan for a $12 million amphitheater at Buffalo's Outer Harbor is moving forward.

The city planning board approved the project Monday.

The Erie Canal Harbor Development Corporation wants to convert the former Terminal B site on Fuhrmann Boulevard into an open-air pavilion capable of holding 8,000 people.

The ECHDC plans for the amphitheater to eventually become a new home for Canalside's summer concerts.

Community members are criticizing the project, saying the corporation ignored calls for the area to instead become part of Buffalo Harbor State Park.

There's also a similar amphitheater planned for Ralph C. Wilson Jr. Centennial Park just three miles away.

State Senator Sean Ryan has also been critical of the project, saying public response has been overwhelmingly negative.

ECHDC says the amphitheater is part of a larger initiative for the Outer Harbor, involving five years of public input.