Can Niagara Falls (NY) grow again?

[J. Will]

http://www.theatlanticcities.com/jobs-and-economy/2012/06/can-niagara-falls-grow-again/2257/

In a state of decline since the 1960s, Niagara Falls, New York, has seen its population drop in half, from a peak of 102,394 down to 50,193 today.

Once Niagara Falls' population drops under 50,000 it will no longer qualify as a city, at least as far as the department of Housing and Urban Development is concerned. That distinction would lead to Niagara Falls losing its HUD status as an entitlement community. It could also affect the level of assistance the city receives from New York State.

But beyond this outside-the-box housing strategy, a series of initiatives have been underway for the last 10 years in Niagara Falls, all with the aim of making the city a more attractive place to live. So far, the results have been mixed.

While the casino offers a fair variety of entertainment options, it tends to exist as an island, with vacant lots and surface parking never far from it. Ten years since its initial opening, the casino has failed to generate spin-off development either by the Senecas or by developers along its surrounding parcels.

What a short walk east of the Seneca Niagara Casino, along Falls Street, looks like. Via Google Maps.