Existing code required the wheel to be set back 100 feet from the nearby Buffalo River. The Ferris wheel was planned to be erected 87 feet from the water’s edge.
BUFFALO, N.Y. — The City of Buffalo’s zoning board of appeals has granted Buffalo RiverWorks a needed variance in order to continue in its plans to erect a 105-foot Ferris wheel on its property.
RiverWorks hopes it will operational by early summer
RiverWorks needed the variance, which was approved unanimously by the board, because existing code required the wheel to be set back 100 feet from the nearby Buffalo River, and the Ferris wheel was planned to be erected 87 feet from the water’s edge.
The next step, according to RiverWorks general manager Bill Casale, is to obtain building permits for the project.
“We’re ready to start the second we get the permit in hand,” Casale said.
RiverWorks originally sought to buy the Ferris Wheel at the now-shuttered Fantasy Island, but it was in such disrepair that it would be cheaper to have a new one built at a cost of $1.1 million, according to Casale, who says manufacture of the new wheel has been completed and that it is about to be shipped from Italy.
“We have a contractor hired to build the foundations, and an erecting crew to erect the Ferris wheel that we hired from overseas, and also a ride company coming in to assist in that process,” Casale said.
The top of the wheel will be 105 feet above ground level, once it is built upon the ruins of some old grain silos, which RiverWorks refers to as Buffalo Stonehenge.
Casale also believes RiverWorks will be able to operate the attraction, even if the COVID-19 pandemic remains, due to the inherent social distancing component that exists with Ferris wheels.
Noting that cars are spaced apart from each other, he added, “four people should be able to ride in the cars similar to the way four people can sit in a table at our restaurant.”
Once operational, Casale believes patrons will not only enjoy the ride itself, but also the views that will come with it.
“It was strategically placed to have both views of the city skyline and of Lake Erie. So, it will be a really unique and, we think, a word-class attraction similar to Coney Island or Navy Pier in Chicago,” he said.
Click on the video player to watch our story from reporter Dave McKinley and Photojournalist Dooley O’Rourke.
March 20, 2021 at 03:45AM
https://www.wgrz.com/article/entertainment/buffalo-riverworks-ferris-wheel-project-pushes-forward-105-feet/71-c7fdc545-2535-446d-9ee9-28fb48825ca0
Ferris wheel project pushes forward at Buffalo RiverWorks - WGRZ.com
https://news.google.com/search?q=Wheel&hl=en-US&gl=US&ceid=US:en
No comments:
Post a Comment