From the Niagara Falls Reporter:
Was the recent proposal by Niagara Falls Redevelopment to build a $205 million hotel on the site of the long-vacant Native American Center for the Living Arts, better known as “the Turtle,” designed to fend off a proposal by the state to seize it and other downtown properties under eminent domain?
Documents made available to the Niagara Falls Reporter and sources with knowledge of the state’s plan indicate that might be the case. In addition to the Turtle, other parcels being targeted by Gov. Andrew Cuomo include the One Niagara building, the former Niagara Club and Mark Hamister’s nondescript Hyatt Place hotel – which is still under construction.