Niagara Falls City Council agreed on Monday to sell a land-locked half-acre City-Owned parcel to Sheraton at the Falls owner NFNY Hotel Management for $190,000. Although formal plans have not been announced by Michael Dicienzo, President of NFNY Hotel Management, City officials have confirmed that the intentions are to add a water park to the hotel that has in recent years developed a T.G.I. Fridays, Rainforest Cafe, a candy store, and a Starbucks Cafe. The parcel has been used as short-term parking by the hotel for several years with few redevelopment opportunities available due to its size and location.
The Dicienzo Family, which are prominent developers in Niagara Falls, CA, opened a 90,000 square foot water park in 2006 attached to its Sheraton on the Falls hotel which has proven extremely successful over the last 10 years of operation. While the proposed water park in Niagara Falls, New York would equate to only approximately 25,000 square feet based on the parcel’s size, it is a welcomed addition to downtown Niagara Falls that has been focusing on adding additional attractions to extend visitor’s stay and spending.
The proposed Rainbow Center redevelopment into the Wonder Falls Resort by Uniland Development and Delaware North is also expected to included an indoor water park, albeit a substantially larger one, as part of its $150 million dollar redevelopment. Negotiations between Empire State Development and the Uniland/Delaware North team are ongoing.