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

The nearly two-acre hole in downtown Buffalo where Memorial Auditorium once stood could be replaced by more than 200,000 square feet of mixed-use development space that plays off replica Erie Canal waterways.

The tentative development plan, unveiled Tuesday morning during a lengthy Erie Canal Harbor Development Corp. meeting, would replace the massive Bass Pro store previously eyed for the site. Last summer, the retailer dropped plans for a local outlet that would have anchored the Canal Side development.

Instead, planners from Ehrenkrantz & Eckstat Architects redefined their vision of what could be built on the Aud site, utilizing public input and concepts from Erie Canal Harbor Development.

"We looked at what is achievable," said Hilary Kinder Bertsch, an associate principal with the New York City-based firm.

While the canals, waterfront and public access are critical, she said, so is the presence of such magnets as destination retailers and restaurants.

The new plan calls for development of a 150-room hotel, 126,600 square feet of restaurant and retail space, 46,500 square feet of offices, a 5,500-square-foot visitor center, 6,500-square-foot transportation center and 140-car parking lot.

The property encompasses about 10 percent of the 20-acre Canal Side complex, set for the lower Main Street portion.

Other elements could include an outdoor market and room for small food trucks and retailing operations.

"This is a market-driven plan," Kinder Bertsch said. "It's about getting people down there."

Jordan Levy, ECHDC chairman, said Benderson Development Co. - which is working on bringing tenants to Canal Side - has started courting potential retailers and restaurants for the site. No leases have been signed.

"They are talking to small and boutique retailers," Levy said. "This is where the opportunities lay. We don't want another Subway; we want something unique. The focus is to bring something unique to Buffalo."

Bids on the canal work will go out later this year. Construction should begin this fall and the canal work should be completed next year.

That work will make it easier for Benderson to land tenants.

"Still, ultimately, this remains a work in progress," Levy said.