Tonawanda moving forward in restoring Huntley Plant property

BUFFALO, N.Y. (WIVB) — After years of legal battles, the Town of Tonawanda is finally moving forward in restoring the Huntley Plant waterfront property.

Town Supervisor Joe Emminger said Friday that the former owner of the land has exhausted all of his legal options, and the town will be moving forward to acquire the property.

Now, the town will spend the next 30 to 60 days sending out requests for proposals to developers who may have interest in buying the 93-acre riverfront property, cleaning it up and turning it into something that will benefit the town.

What’s going on with the Huntley Plant waterfront property?

The waterfront property is on River Road off of the Niagara River. Huntley burned coal on the land for more than 100 years before the plant closed in 2016. Eminent domain action was first initiated in 2019. The site has not yet been cleaned up.

“The next step is finally in the town’s hands and we are taking those steps as we speak,” Emminger said during his State of the Town address on Friday morning.

Emminger also said portions of the former Tonawanda Coke plant, which closed in 2018 amid air pollution issues that drew the attention of state regulators and environmental activists, will be ready for development and re-development by 2026.

Taking a closer look at Tonawanda Coke’s turbulent history

Ontario Special Contracting took control of the land in 2020. Cleanup costs for that plant are estimated at $80 million. Plans for what it is being turned into have not yet been finalized, but are in the works.

You can watch Emminger’s full State of the Town speech from Friday in the video player above.

Latest Local News

Buffalo Sports Hall of Famer Danny DiLiberto dies at 89

Families gather for vigil to remember loved ones 16 years after Flight 3407 crash

Jr. Sabres program to usher in new era for girls hockey in Buffalo

Buffalo Public Schools Superintendent to retire in June

$40M manufacturing facility coming to Niagara County

Aidan Joly joined the News 4 staff in 2022. He is a graduate of Canisius College. You can see more of his work here.

Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to News 4 Buffalo.