The grand opening of the environmentally revamped Union Ship Canal is more than just a feel-good story.

The Oct. 31 press event stood as a public marker for a decade's worth of planning and work that turned the Union Ship Canal - rebranded as Ship Canal Commons - from an industrial eyesore to a key amenity for Buffalo's new mixed-use park.

There is still work to be done at the site, including constructing the 200-foot pedestrian bridge that will provide a shortcut across the water while adding to the park-like atmosphere.

Visitors will find new walking and biking trails, more than 400 newly planted trees, historical markers that pay homage to the property's industrial past and a wildlife habitat. In other words, it is light years away from what it was: a former steelmaking site.

State, federal and local representatives made it official when they dedicated Ship Canal Commons and the 22 acres that ring the body of water as the centerpiece for Buffalo Lakeside Commerce Park. The 220-acre park runs off Route 5 and straddles the Buffalo-Lackawanna border. It's already home to three companies that collectively employ more than 800.

The canal and park sit where Hanna Furnace Corp. once churned out more than 3,000 tons of pig iron each day. With guidance from Buffalo Urban Development Corp., the property was transformed from a gritty, abandoned reminder of Buffalo's industrial past into a tree-lined, suburban-looking office park.

"This is a 10 out of 10," said Joe Martens, commissioner of the state Department of Environmental Conservation. "I consider this Exhibit A in how to take a brownfield site and make it a greenfield site."

Funding for the $9 million cleanup was secured through a combination of federal, state, county and city dollars.

The money was well-spent.

"You can't just build on old industrial sites," said Rep. Brian Higgins. "You need to clean them up and remediate them first."

Before Buffalo Urban Development undertook the Ship Canal Commons and Buffalo Lakeside Commerce Park projects, the property was better known as the final resting spot for abandoned cars and discarded shopping carts. Officials say they lost count of how many rusted-out cars were pulled from the site and the canal.

The turnaround is something of an environmental landmark.

Erie County Executive Chris Collins, who pushed hard for Ship Canal Commons along with Higgins, Buffalo Mayor Byron Brown and the BUDC, said the park stands as a model of collaboration.

Through the efforts of the BUDC staff, as well as Buffalo City Hall staffers, the park has brought in such tenants as Cobey, CertainTeed and Sonwil Distribution. Interest remains high in other parcels.

At the same time, BUDC is working on a similar industrial reclamation at the neighboring RiverBend property that overlooks the Buffalo River. Between the two parks, nearly 400 acres of shovel-ready development sites are on the market or will be ready soon.

"We're not finished here," Brown said.

As nice as the Ship Canal Commons looks, however, the larger benefit for the region is having a new supply of shovel-ready development sites.

These days, commercial development is about "just in time." Companies don't want to have to wait months for a site to be development-ready. They want infrastructure in place such as roads and water and sewer lines.

If the property is an older industrial site, they want it pre-cleaned and shifted from a brownfield classification to greenfield. That means all the environmental issues have been addressed and/or remedied.

Buffalo Lakeside Commerce Park, despite its industrial past, is a greenfield site. Riverbend isn't far behind.

"This park has been cleaned up to a very high standard," said Tom Kucharski, Buffalo Niagara Enterprise president and CEO. "That makes a big difference."

He said it's easier now - make that a lot easier - to showcase Buffalo Lakeside Commerce Park to prospective tenants. When the BNE takes site selectors on tours of development sites, Buffalo Lakeside Commerce Park is one of the first stops.

"It fits in well," Kucharski said. "Because it is shovel-ready, it is getting a lot of looks."

That's where the Ship Canal Commons property is playing a role.

Buffalo Lakeside Commerce Park is the only industrial/office park with a 22-acre canal as a main amenity.

"In some respects, it will give Lakeside a leg up on other parks," Kucharski said. "It could be a sweetener for quite a few deals but remember - the deal has to make sense to a company in terms of finances, incentives and numbers before the canal comes into play."