http://www.niagara-gazette.com en-us Copyright CNHI All Rights Reserved. 5 Wed, 04 Feb 2009 00:27:00 +0000 http://www.niagara-gazette.com/usaniagara_reportcard/local_story_034221159.html http://www.niagara-gazette.com/usaniagara_reportcard/local_story_034221159.html Christopher Schoepflin gets a good look at downtown Niagara Falls at least five days a week.From his office on the seventh floor of the Giacomo — formerly known as the United Office Building — Schoepflin has a bird’s eye view of many of downtown’s problem areas, places where buildings remain vacant and properties are still not being used to their full potential. Wed, 04 Feb 2009 00:39:00 +0000 http://www.niagara-gazette.com/usaniagara_reportcard/local_story_034221829.html http://www.niagara-gazette.com/usaniagara_reportcard/local_story_034221829.html USA Niagara Development Corp. arrived on the scene in 2001 armed with some potentially powerful tools for dealing with one of the city’s most-pressing concerns: downtown land owners who have for years sat idle on their vacant properties. Tue, 03 Feb 2009 22:20:00 +0000 http://www.niagara-gazette.com/usaniagara_reportcard/local_story_034222131.html http://www.niagara-gazette.com/usaniagara_reportcard/local_story_034222131.html World-renowned chef Walter Potenza came to Niagara Falls last year looking to open a bistro restaurant and bar in the downtown area.He left with a bitter taste in his mouth after a few interviews with USA Niagara Development Corp. officials. Tue, 03 Feb 2009 17:56:00 +0000 http://www.niagara-gazette.com/usaniagara_reportcard/local_story_034174034.html http://www.niagara-gazette.com/usaniagara_reportcard/local_story_034174034.html Q: What should USA Niagara do next to develop downtown Niagara Falls? Tue, 03 Feb 2009 07:21:00 +0000 http://www.niagara-gazette.com/usaniagara_reportcard/local_story_033232833.html http://www.niagara-gazette.com/usaniagara_reportcard/local_story_033232833.html Here is how nearly $60 million in state funding has been allocated through USA Niagara Development Corp. Mon, 02 Feb 2009 23:29:00 +0000 http://www.niagara-gazette.com/usaniagara_reportcard/local_story_033233017.html http://www.niagara-gazette.com/usaniagara_reportcard/local_story_033233017.html Of all USA Niagara’s projects, the reconstruction of Third Street has garnered the most attention — and not in the way the agency had hoped.The entertainment corridor has failed to live up to its billing and more businesses have closed than opened since the project wrapped up in 2005. Mon, 02 Feb 2009 23:19:00 +0000 http://www.niagara-gazette.com/usaniagara_reportcard/local_story_033232534.html http://www.niagara-gazette.com/usaniagara_reportcard/local_story_033232534.html The scene at the west pedestrian mall this past fall was a typical one in Niagara Falls.Dozens of politicians decked out in three-piece suits congratulated each other and signaled a new dawning for a city that has been promised that so many times before. Sun, 01 Feb 2009 21:49:00 +0000 http://www.niagara-gazette.com/usaniagara_reportcard/local_story_032214937.html http://www.niagara-gazette.com/usaniagara_reportcard/local_story_032214937.html An overview of the key areas of development listed in USA Niagara’s 2002 strategic plan Sun, 01 Feb 2009 21:47:00 +0000 http://www.niagara-gazette.com/usaniagara_reportcard/local_story_032214739.html http://www.niagara-gazette.com/usaniagara_reportcard/local_story_032214739.html Former Gov. George Pataki signaled the beginning of a “new chapter” in the history of Niagara Falls in January of 2001 — the formation of USA Niagara Development Corp.The division of the state economic development department was formed with the express purpose of bringing a “brighter and stronger” future to the city’s downtown business district. Sat, 31 Jan 2009 15:34:00 +0000 http://www.niagara-gazette.com/usaniagara_reportcard/local_story_013151038.html http://www.niagara-gazette.com/usaniagara_reportcard/local_story_013151038.html Q: What needs to be done to transform 3rd Street into a permanent entertainment district.