With 140,000 square feet of indoor and outdoor space and some of the city's best views of the Buffalo River, Rep. Brian Higgins believes the second floor of the old DL&W Terminal is an attraction waiting to happen.

"It's a missing link between Canalside and the Buffalo River Corridor that's developing very nicely," he said.

Higgins said he is impressed with a proposal from Savarino Companies that would include a public market.

"I think it's very exciting," he said. "Our developer community is very creative. They're very hardworking."

But the congressman said it's his understanding the Savarino bid was the only one returned in a public request for proposals and even it had conditions.

"He submitted a plan but it requires the NFTA to make the infrastructure investments for access to the site without which Savarino or any other developer can't undertake that plan, that development," he said.

Higgins believes no developer will take on the DL&W project until the Niagara Frontier Transportation Authority makes sure people and materials can get to that second floor.

"If it doesn't have the stairs, if it doesn't have the escalators, if it doesn't have the elevators, it's not going to be a viable development site," he said.

The NFTA said it shares Higgins’ passion to bring the terminal back to life and is working hard to execute the first phase of the project, which includes essential track work. It said that work has already started. A spokesperson would not comment on the second floor or who has bid, noting the RFP process is technically still open.

"NFTA should just move forward with an infrastructure plan and either award the contract to develop it to Savarino or issue a new request for proposal," Higgins said.

State Senate Transportation Committee Chairman Tim Kennedy noted he helped deliver an "unprecedented amount" of funding for the NFTA this year. He agreed the transformation of the DL&W station is an essential component of the resurgence of Buffalo's waterfront.