By JAMES FINK
jfink@bizjournals.com | 716-541-1611

The Canal Side development in downtown Buffalo could be home to museums, stores, a water park, amphitheater or aquarium.

And that's just a sampling of ideas for its 1.1 million square feet of space.

On Monday, Buffalo Mayor Byron Brown delivered 1,757 suggestions made by 856 people to fellow board members of Erie Canal Harbor Development Corp. He asked for public input - and got it - over a month-long period.

"The public really got into this," he said.

Many of the ideas played off development themes already on the Canal Side radar screen, including a national retailing or restaurant anchor for the project.

Board member and Erie Canal Harbor Development Vice Chairman Larry Quinn suggested that perhaps the agency should reach out one last time to Bass Pro Stores, with the hope that it would reconsider a plan to develop a 130,000-square-foot store that would anchor Canal Side.

"Lots of deals in the world go south, then get revived when people have a chance to take a deep breath and figure out what they've lost," he said.

Bass Pro ended a nine-year courtship with Buffalo July 30, in part due to strong public attitude against the project, especially in recent months. Lawsuits were filed against the ECHDC concerning the proposed store, public opinion polls were heavily against the store and Rep. Brian Higgins demanded that Bass Pro sign a lease by early August or walk away from the project. In the end, Bass Pro shocked many by walking away from Canal Side.

"Maybe we go to Bass Pro and say, ‘Hey, look, what you experienced was a unique political firestorm and wasn't reflective of what people want,' " Quinn said.

Brown said he would be open to approaching Bass Pro again, but he wanted one condition: a more immediate decision.

"Any decision that involved foot-dragging is not acceptable," he said.

Brown's call for public input came as a result of the retailer's decision to abandon the Buffalo project.

The mayor's report clearly showed that the public wants a mix of retailers and attractions in the Canal Side footprint.

"What people are looking for is to escape the 9-to-5," Brown said. "We know the public is very interested, but they also want to see things happen quickly. They want to see progress."

Some of that may come from HSBC Bank, which is considering leaving HSBC Tower for the Webster Block near HSBC Arena. The ECHDC directors formally approved a plan to purchase the block from Buffalo for $3.2 million - if that's where HSBC decides to move its offices.

Among the retailers suggested for Canal Side are Ikea, Trader Joe's, the House of Blues and the Dinosaur BBQ, along with local favorites such as Mighty Taco, Wegmans and Wilson Farms.

The ECHDC said it will devote three sessions to review Brown's findings and hopes to use the mayor's report as a possible development road map.

"The bottom line is that we want to see a waterfront that's developed and vibrant," Brown said.