Niagara Falls Blog

Niagara Falls City Council met last night to discuss the application by HOCO Entertainment and Resorts for a zoning amendment to their property. The council voted unanimously in favour on 4 recommendations by city planning staff, with one councilor declaring a conflict of interest on the fourth.

The zoning amendment clears the way for HOCO to proceed with plans to build up to 20 amusement rides, including a 175′ (55m) Ferris wheel and two rollercoasters. The plans also include construction of a 28-storey, 294 room (all of them suites) hotel and two water parks (one indoor, one outdoor).

Two citizens spoke at the meeting to voice their concerns that the new developments would increase the noise in their homes located near Clifton Hill.

The proposed changes will happen in 3 phases, with phase one beginning in October. Phase one includes an expansion to the current Great Canadian Midway, construction of a new building on the current site of Niagara Marketplace and the building of the flagship ride, a 175′ Ferris wheel. The Ferris wheel features enclosed cabins for a climate controlled ride year round. HOCO President Harry Oakes said since the Millennium wheel opened in London, the London Eye has become that city’s premier tourist attraction and other high scale Ferris wheels have been constructed around the world. This new class of Ferris wheel gets away from the carnival type ride Niagara Falls has seen in the past with clean lines and architectural design.

The $100 million project is expected to take between 5 and ten years to complete all three phases.

Once again Chris did a great job taking screenshots of the proceedings. Here are a few of them:

This is HOCO Entertainment and Resorts President Harry Oakes. The Oakes family has had property in Niagara Falls for a long time.

The building of the London Eye has led to an increased interest in modern Ferris wheels around the world.

A few years down the road, HOCO also plans on building a 28-storey hotel at the back of the property (close to the Skylon Tower).

This image shows the entire HOCO property (it’s huge!) and how the new developments will fit in. Clifton Hill is on the right hand side. The Great Canadian Midway is the large building in the lower right corner. The green building near the top left is the existing Comfort Inn Clifton Hill. Near the centre of the image is a roller coaster. Near the bottom left corner is where the new hotel would be (you can see the blue pool).

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 Hill

By COREY LAROCQUE Review Staff Writer
Local News - Tuesday, May 31, 2005 @ 02:00

NIAGARA 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.