Niagara Falls' newest tourist attraction came under court order.
A ninth-floor observation deck at One Niagara on Rainbow Boulevard opened Friday after a judge ruled that the building could temporarily sidestep the city's approval process.
A story in today's Niagara & Region section explains how building manager and co-owner Frank Parlato Jr. received court permission to open the top floor.
It's not the first time Parlato has taken an alternative route to opening the building. In 2007, he struck a deal with city officials to allow him to bypass the city's Planning Board for several months so that he could operate through the tourist season while he worked to bring the building up to code.
The building plunged back into regulatory limbo last year after the city revoked that site plan approval, but allowed its certificate of occupancy to remain. It has not issued proper approvals for the ninth floor.
Some see the building as an eyesore. Others see it as one of the few options open for tourists outside of Niagara Falls State Park and the Seneca Niagara Casino & Hotel.
What do you think?
-- Denise Jewell Gee
tagged
redevelopment
