In late October, a host of economic development and political leaders gathered at the former Union Ship Canal for the grand opening of a 20-acre park considered a key amenity of Buffalo Lakeside Commerce Park.

Now the momentum being generated there is spilling over to its companion development site, the neighboring RiverBend industrial and office park.

The 200-acre site runs along South Park Avenue and the Buffalo River and sits on the bulk of the former Republic Steel property. Much like Buffalo Lakeside Commerce Park was considered an industrial wasteland - that is, until a Herculean redevelopment by Buffalo Urban Development Corp. - the same scenario is in play for RiverBend.

The BUDC crew, led by Peter Cammarata and David Stebbins, started the first phase of rebirth for RiverBend. A new brochure touting RiverBend as 200 acres of shovel-ready, development-friendly land is hitting the streets and making its way into the hands of key real estate, development and site-selector officials.

Between Riverbend and Buffalo Lakeside Commerce Park, more than 430 acres of prime land is ready for new tenants.

"It's really soft marketing," said Stebbins, BUDC's vice president.

A push is on to secure public funding for key infrastructure work on the RiverBend property. That includes renovating a long stretch of South Park Avenue that is less than traffic-friendly these days because of broken pavement. South Park offers key access to RiverBend. Its reconstruction is considered a linchpin to RiverBend's ultimate success.

Lobbying efforts are under way to secure the nearly $7 million needed for South Park's reconstruction. The Buffalo Niagara Partnership listed the project as one of its land development items in the 2012 legislative agenda.

Now calls are being made to the right people in Albany to get the money.

In all, some $25 million is needed for not only the South Park Avenue repairs but for building RiverBend Drive, a proposed road that would service the park and build out Republic Park, a small swath of green space that would be a key amenity.

"In a perfect world, we could start some of this work by the spring if the money is there," Stebbins said.

A big "if" is the money.

Doubters need only look at Buffalo Lakeside Commerce Park, which a decade ago was considered a vast tract of ... well, nothing. The Union Ship Canal was probably better known as a dumping ground for abandoned cars and other debris.

The RiverBend property was only marginally better.

Fast-forward to today and Buffalo Lakeside Commerce Park is home to more than 800 workers. It caught the eye of a lot of developers and site selectors. Of the 230 acres, 105 remain available for development. Cammarata and Stebbins frequently provide tours of the park to site selectors.

"RiverBend is probably at the same place where Lakeside was eight years ago," Cammarata said.

The difference is that Buffalo Lakeside Commerce Park has created a development template for RiverBend.

What's interesting is that RiverBend - because of its direct access to the Buffalo River - could be open to other, nonindustrial or commercial projects. It is not outrageous to see some form of residential development taking place there. Perhaps even some retail or restaurants.

Spring training

Remember three years ago when parking was at an absolute premium at Buffalo Niagara International Airport during the busy spring break?

To make sure that doesn't happen again, the Niagara Frontier Transportation Authority cut a deal once again with Ciminelli Real Estate Corp. to lease off-site parking spaces at the Concourse Center. The massive building, once the Peter J. Schmitt Co. warehouse, is located across Genesee Street from the airport.

The NFTA and Ciminelli cut a deal to lease two parcels on land there to handle the airport's anticipated overflow parking. The short-term lease, which also includes property owned by GECCMC 2003-C1, a receiver for a portion of the property, runs March 1-April 30. The NFTA also has an option to use the land in February, if needed.

The NFTA is paying $20,250 to lease the land, and if other parcels are used, the most the bill will run is $34,650.

In 2010, the NFTA put 746 vehicles on the land. This past spring, it parked 706 vehicles at the Concourse Center.