Brian Higgins is confirming that the Bass Pro deal is signed, and will be announced on Friday.
I actually spoke with a representative from the Erie Canal Harbor Development Corporation and Bass Pro on Tuesday, and you can get some more details about that here.
UPDATE: From the Buffalo News:
The agreement forecasts a spring 2008 construction start, with Bass Pro and other retailers opening by mid-2009 on the five-acre site, which is bounded by Scott and Main streets, the historic Commercial Slip and the Buffalo River.
In addition to construction of a Bass Pro store, designed to resemble a circa 1800s commercial building, the plan also calls for an adjacent cluster of retail shops, linked to a 300-car parking garage.
An Erie Canal/Great Lakes Museum, waterside promenade, public plaza, and a linear water feature on the former site of the Prime Slip are also part of the blueprint.
Under terms of the predevelopment agreement, Bass Pro would receive $25 million in public funding to open a waterfront store. Bass Pro would be required to pay a common area fee of $300,000 a year to help support the Erie Canal Harbor district.
The deal also provides the city with $10 million to pay for demolition of the vacant Memorial Auditorium, which had long been the hoped-for site of a Buffalo Bass Pro Shops store.
Buffalo-born Benderson Development will act as the project’s developer, overseeing construction of the outdoor store and additional retail on the waterfront site, as well as mixed used projects on the Aud site, Donovan State Office Building site, and the vacant Webster Block, in front of HSBC Arena.
The development process “will necessarily” include fresh environmental impact studies to evaluate the feasibility and appropriateness of bringing the mix of retail, entertainment and historical venues to the site, according to the harbor panel source.
The Buffalo Record 
Nobody loves to hunt or fish more than I do… however, this project just is “anchor” in the wrong part of town. Typical of “just build something anywhere” mentality.
I would argue that Niagara Falls would be a better location for Bass Pro.
… this project is the wrong “anchor” in the wrong part of town….
“pre-development agreement” – what a fricking joke! Pundit, what does this really mean…?
http://www.bizjournals.com/buffalo/stories/2007/03/26/daily39.html
Also, Bass Pro is a better fit in Buffalo. If this store is truly built on the water; you can see the obvious connection between the water, their boats/fishing rod sales and clinics. Heck, we may even see greater boat traffic in the harbor. Can’t do that on the Mighty Niagara.
Besides, Niagara Falls has the Seneca’s – aren’t they going to develop some high-end retail around/behind the Mall?
“high-end retail around/behind the Mall?”
that should read: behind the Casino.
The development process “will necessarily†include a lawsuit by someone to try and stop it from being built.
The more things change…
Already Hysterical Obstructionist Tim Tielman has appeared on WBEN thretening a lawsuit to stop this project. Thursday night on the Ron Dobson show around 9:30pm.
How can Benderson be named as project developer when there hasn’t been any sort of RFP….what ever happened to public bidding? I guess the new buidling will look like a giant Rite Aid.
25 million isn’t 50 odd million in Corporate Welfare, but Bass Pro builds centers in other locales without any breaks at all from the local/state governments. Guess WNY is just an easy “mark” for extortionist retailers.
300,000 divided into 25 million means that the city/county/state will get back their investment into this private venture in 83 years, no interest of course.
We’ve heard all of this before, a new story with some new numbers and much to-do has been made. Lets wait and see.