Big Plans for Former Bethlehem Steel Parcel Near Buffalo

Officials in Erie County believe the former home of Bethlehem Steel, south of Buffalo, will be attractive to manufacturers given its proximity to Lake Erie and various highways and rail lines.1

Erie County is taking the first step toward turning a significant portion of the long-abandoned Bethlehem Steel site from an industrial wasteland into an industrial park.

With a deal in place for the Erie County Industrial Development Agency to acquire nearly 148 acres of land along Route 5 from Dona Street to the south and just beyond Ridge Road to the north, county officials said the acquisition will put a swath of prime industrial land in local hands, with an eye toward turning it into a site that can be quickly developed by manufacturers. ... The land purchase, which is expected to close in four stages through the rest of this year, is part of a broader plan that also includes capping about two-thirds of the parcel by year-end to meet environmental requirements and clear the way for development. ... The zero net energy building that the Erie County IDA is planning to build will be located on the northern end of the property. Welded Tube, a tubing manufacturer that opened one of the first new facilities on the former steel site, is located next to the southern end of the parcel that the county is acquiring.