In recent years when people talked about Canalside, their attention was focused on the Donovan building, the Aud site and the Buffalo Place concert series. And with good reason.

Since Bass Pro pulled away from the downtown project, they were the most tangible developments people could identify with when it came to Canalside.

It was hard not to talk about it and think of the boarded-up, eight-story Donovan building or the nearly two-acre hole where the Aud once stood.

For all the goodwill created by the evolution of the Central Wharf site, those two properties stood as stark reminders that Canalside was a work-in-progress.

Still, there weren't any headline-grabbing developments that took hold in the past year.

Last winter, when Erie Canal Harbor Development Corp. spent $3,000 to buy 100 brightly colored Adirondack chairs - so-called "Buffalo Sunset Chairs - few noticed. That is, until the chairs arrived and quickly became a popular attraction.

In recent weeks, much of the Canalside news has been focused on Benderson Development starting work on the Donovan conversion and the awarding of the $23 million contract to DiPizio Construction to build the first phase of the replica Erie Canal waterways.

Other things have been taking place, however, that show Canalside is moving from a bunch of pretty renderings to an actual development.

Under the leadership of Maureen Hurley, a Rich Products Corp. executive and board member of Erie Canal Harbor Development, the Canalside cultural steering group has created its own blueprint for a series of projects that could be as transformative as the Donovan conversion or Buffalo Place concerts.

The new master plan calls for development of a 29,000-square-foot "children's experience" museum on a portion of the Aud block, along with a "Buffalo Fed America" theme for the public market - also planned there - and the Story of Buffalo Center.

"These are developments that could bring people back to Canalside again and again," Hurley said.

Last summer, it was a popular destination. More than 400,000 people attended one of the 300 events that took place from May through October.

Here's the catch, though: Attractions are needed for the rest of the year.

"We need mass-market, year-round appeal," Hurley said. "Bringing 400,000 people down there during the summer is one thing, but what is going to bring them down there at 10 a,m. on Tuesday in early February when the cold winds are blowing off the lake?"

The triumvirate of the children's museum, public market and Story of Buffalo Center could give Canalside the foundation it needs to evolve into the 12-month destination that planners say is possible.

Bids for the children's museum are due March 8, with bids for an operator due to the ECHDC by Feb. 10.

Who bids could be a telltale sign.

The museum could open by 2015, with the public market to follow. The story center could welcome guests by 2017.

Those developments, coupled with a revamped Donovan building and the critical mass that will follow once the canals are constructed, should be enough to entice private investment dollars.

"Last year was a breakout year for Canalside," said Rep. Brian Higgins. "What's happening now is a game-changer."

This year alone, some $75 million is being invested in Canalside-related projects. That investment number is projected for next year, too.

"Combined, all these things are making the waterfront more attractive," Higgins said. "And that means more attractive for private-sector investment, too."

Harbor development agency President Tom Dee and Jordan Levy, chairman, met with members of the local real estate and development community to talk up Canalside as an investment option.

Interestingly, the response they got was more than lip-service. The follow-up inquiries had a fair amount of substance.

Said Levy: "We told them, 'Go bring us your deals.' "

Options run deep on Canalside's 20 acres. The Webster Block in front of First Niagara Center sits waiting for the right development proposal. Same thing for a series of smaller blocks closer to the Central Wharf.

At some point, a viable option may emerge for the upper floor of the DLW Terminal - a 100,000-square-foot space with some great views of the Buffalo River.

"We are already seeing some historic series of investments in Canalside and more will follow," said Buffalo Mayor Byron Brown, adding, "The stimulus for the private-sector interest and investment is there."