Last night was the city council meeting where the proposed Clifton Hill developments were discussed. It was approved. We expect to have a similar write-up like we did for the Falls Avenue meeting, but for now, here is the information from today’s Niagara Falls Review:
This is an artist�s rendition of the proposed amusement park on Clifton Hill that would be owned and operated by HOCO Ltd.
Photo: HOCO Ltd.
Next generation of amusements
High-tech rides planned for Clifton HillBy COREY LAROCQUE Review Staff Writer
Local News – Tuesday, May 31, 2005 @ 02:00NIAGARA FALLS – Extensive landscaping and making use of a new generation of amusement park rides, like a high-tech ferris wheel, will make a family entertainment centre a good fit on Clifton Hill, says Harry Oakes, president of HOCO Ltd.
“We’re really looking to ensure the long-term vitality of the Clifton Hill area,” Oakes said following Monday’s council meeting.
City council approved his company’s application to build a $100-million family entertainment centre on the undeveloped land at the top of the escarpment, stretching from Clifton Hill to Robinson Street. It’s similar to an amusement park, but on a smaller scale, with up to 20 rides.
Attractions repeat visitors to Niagara Falls will be interested in seeing is the key to getting people to stay longer after they have seen the falls, Oakes said.
HOCO, which owns businesses on the south side of Clifton Hill, will build two roller coasters, a 28-storey hotel and two water parks. It’s an attempt to put an amusement park in an urban setting.
HOCO’s property sits directly west of Queen Victoria Park. Using landscaping features will make it fit in with the park’s existing natural setting.
“We’ve introduced 43 per cent of the site as streetscaping or landscaping,” Oakes said.
His family’s company has owned the site for years. Because it owns such a large site, it wouldn’t face the same urge to “maximize the density” of the area.
“We’re looking at the long-term family-ownership of the site as important to us,” Oakes said.
Developing HOCO’s site is an important step in linking Clifton Hill and the Fallsview area, said Oakes’ lawyer Victor Muratori.
“It’s a key property, along with the People Mover System, to create a link between these two subdistricts,” Muratori said.
Oakes said the 294-room hotel and a portion of the ferris wheel would be the only parts of the development seen from the park. At 175 feet tall, the ferris wheel will have glass-enclosed, heated cars to allow it to run year-round.
“We’re looking at a new generation of Ferris wheels. There has been a renaissance of ferris wheels throughout the world,” Oakes said, referring to their growing popularity at other famous high-end tourism locales.
The thought of a ferris wheel returning to Clifton Hill was an initial concern for Ald. Selina Volpatti, but she said she was satisfied Oakes’ plan was more upscale than the carnival feeling that used to exist across the street at the now-defunct Maple Leaf Village.
“You have to realize you have to keep up with the times. This is far removed from the carnival atmosphere (associated with Maple Leaf Village),” Volpatti said.
Two residents who live north of Clifton Hill said they were concerned more development in the tourism area could mean more noise in their neighbourhood.
“I really enjoy listening to the falls. It’s already diminishing,” said Marya Buckingham, an Eastwood Crescent resident. Noise from Clifton Hill already filters toward her home, she said. Buckingham urged council to be “judicious” about how the tourism industry is allowed to expand.
Oakes said studies show noise produced by the midway rides will be contained on his property because the rides are set back far enough from Clifton Hill.