It’s official now…the Seneca Nation has been sued by a group of Buffalonians who site various violations by the Senecas in persuit of this “Buffalo Creek Casino”. Good points brought up by both sides. The Anti-Casino peoples in the lawsuit site that the acquisition of the land, the proceedings to begin construction and ignoring the historically significant “H-O Oats” grain elevator put them in violation. These issues are debatable since a New York state judge did give the Senecas permission to build in Buffalo and in fact a judge DEMANDED that they build in Buffalo and nowhere else. Masiello and Snyder (head of the nation) cite the creation of 1,100 jobs downtown and $11 million in profits for the city of Buffalo. Knowing the way Buffalo works, the Senecas will get this thing done with very little delay. Personally, I’d feel more comfortable with a casino next to the airport, but in reality-we are looking at a desolate part of downtown with no projects planned at the site of the casino. The H-O Oats grain elevator has been abandoned for a very long time with no development in site…this might be progress after all. Not so much the fact that we can gamble downtown, but because to out-of-staters, a casino is more interesting and worthy of one’s time than a decaying abandoned grain elevator with no signs of life.

Driving to Toronto through Niagara Falls, USA two days ago I saw the new Seneca Nation Hotel/Casino thingamajigger

and I must admit it looks quite sleek and then I picked up the Buffalo News and saw this…

“The Senecas will top their new hotel with a five-story high-definition television screen shaped like a feather, an embellishment expected to outshine anything across the border and be visible as far away as the upper floors of some buildings in downtown Buffalo.
‘On a clear day you can see the hotel from Rich Stadium,’ said Dennis Ryan, the Korea-based company’s director of sales in North America and a Buffalo resident.”

…So who knows what the Sencas are gonna do with the “Buffalo Creek” casino. I’m sure it won’t be nearly as breathtaking but it would be nice to have a nice additon to the already nice skyline of our city.

PS…how cool would it be to have a Times Square-Esque TV in Downtown Buffalo!?!?

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HO_Oats, originally uploaded by believeinbflo.

According to the Buffalo News, the Seneca Nation will tear down the historic H-O Oats Grain Elevator to meet their December 9th constuction deadline. Depending on how negotiations go with the NFTA, this former elevator will either be a parking garage, or the actual casino. I’m sure the people who live in the new residental units nearby absolutley looooove this decision by the Seneca Nation, better yet, that they do it without giving the public any say.