Buffalo’s waterfront has seen a transformation over the past decade or so — bustling with people at Canalside and the revamped Outer Harbor. Boats on Lake Erie and the Buffalo River are a common sight. But now, there’s a study happening to see if the city could become a port for cruise ships on the Great Lakes.
“Everything that’s already happening now I think will be attractive to bringing, welcoming and keeping that cruise business,” said Scott Lagueux, Waterfront Planning Director with the firm Moffat & Nichol, which is conducting the study for Erie Canal Harbor Development Corp.
They’re looking at the logistics, necessary infrastructure, costs, passenger demand and potential economic benefits of bringing cruise ships to Buffalo.
“We’re not talking about cruise ships that are carrying 5,000-6,000 guests. These are smaller cruise ships that are carrying 100-200 guests,” he explained.
Several lines already operate on the Great Lakes and Lake Erie, with ports in places large and small. Lagueux’s group is talking with cities like Cleveland, Milwaukee and Duluth, Minnesota that already have cruise businesses to see what works best. Buffalo could be a homeport (where the destination begins and/or ends) or a port of call (a stop along the voyage).
“It seems that it’s a great place to sort of geographically begin or terminate a cruise that’s going throughout and exploring all the Great Lakes,” he said.
Right now, they’re exploring two possible sites for ships to come in and depart — the DL&W Terminal, just across from KeyBank Center on the Buffalo River — and a spot along the Outer Harbor.
The location near Canalside is close to hotels, transportation and things for people to do. But there are concerns about the amount of traffic already on the water.
The Outer Harbor has plenty of space for the ships, but it’s further away from places to stay and attractions.
"These guests are like many cruise ships, looking for things to do, learn about communities, to have great experiences, see architecture, see natural areas, visit museums,” Lagueux said.
And the Western New York region has plenty of those, including Niagara Falls, which is just a 30-minute ride away from Buffalo. The prospect of bringing more people to discover what the city has to to offer is exciting to those in the tourism industry. It’s estimated 25,000 passengers will take Great Lakes cruises this year, bringing in millions of dollars to those communities.
“So many people think that Buffalo is a suburb of New York City, so this gives us that sense of place and that we are a lakefront city,” Patrick Kaler, Visit Buffalo Niagara, said.
The study is expected to be complete and available to the public by the end of this year. The Erie Canal Harbor Development Corporation will continue to seek public input and look at other sites and options before making any decisions. If leaders decide to move forward, those ships could be making port in Buffalo as early as 2025.