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

The vacant RiverBend property bordering the Buffalo River that once housed Republic Steel's local operation could find new life as a mixed-use development with commercial and residential elements.

On Tuesday, directors of Buffalo Urban Development Corp. got their first look at the 260-acre property, which is two miles south of downtown Buffalo and is a former heavy industrial site. The plan, which resulted from 30 weeks of work, was put together by a development and planning team led by Watertown, Mass.-based Sasaki Associates Inc.

Sasaki officials say it may take 30 years to fully develop the land. It would involve 3.3 million square feet of new buildings and 3,550 jobs would be created, with an estimated annual payroll that exceeds $200 million. Tentative plans call for 1.23 million square feet of R&D space to be developed in five different neighborhoods along the property. Also, 324,000 square feet of housing, including a 10-story apartment or condo building; 855,000 square feet of light industrial space; at least one hotel; and a 60,000-square-foot sports facility.

BUDC directors have approved the plan.

There would be lots of greenspace, with forested areas, public access at the water's edge and other components.

"Our goal was to find that sweet spot in the regional economy," said Willa Small Kuh, Sasaki senior associate and point-man on the master plan. "From Day One, it was never designed to compete with downtown Buffalo."

RiverBend is designed to complement BUDC's development of the neighboring Buffalo Lakeside Commerce Park with a town center-like atmosphere that attracts companies and residents alike. It could be a gateway between Buffalo and Canada and serve as a key economic bridge between Buffalo and Lackawanna and other municipalities heading south.

Tom Kucharski, president and CEO of the Buffalo Niagara Enterprise, said his agency has fielded calls from prospective developers and tenants who are interested in the property now that a master plan is in place. It's central to the South Buffalo Brownfield Opportunity Area, which has 1,900 acres, and is the largest BOA in the state.

"It is meant to be a campus, a low campus where developers can buy parcels," Kuh said. "It is a distinct district that just happens to be two miles from downtown Buffalo."

Mayor Byron Brown, BUDC president, said he supports the master plan but he wants to see how it fits in elsewhere in the region.

"We've got to do this in such a way that it enhances our ability to put people to work," Brown said. "And we need to aggressively market this."