BUFFALO, N.Y. — There were bold goals laid out when the $50 million film studio on Niagara Street was announced in July 2020.
"We have a number of requests for shows that want to be in the studio next September, so we're going to rush to get a studio, Studio A, built," Robert Halmi said last year during the announcement for the project.
Halmi is with Great Point Capital Management, one of the partners in the 20,000 square foot film studio project on Niagara Street. The other partner is the future studio's neighbor across the street, Rich Products.
Nearly a year since the announcement, however, there's little evidence of activity at the corner of Niagara Street and West Ferry Street.
A spokesperson for Buffalo Mayor Byron Brown's office told 2 On Your Side that it was the mayor's understanding that brownfield cleanup work was being done.
2 On Your Side reached out to Larry Quinn, former Buffalo Sabres president and Buffalo School Board member, who was named the project manager of the project in July 2020.
Quinn confirmed that brownfield cleanup was underway at the site, though our photographer didn't see any signs of cleanup when he checked it out. Prior to the announcement in July 2020 the building on the site had been demolished and debris was removed.
Quinn said that crews have finished their on-site investigation and are compiling a proposal for New York State. Quinn did not elaborate if that proposal was for environmental cleanup assistance. Quinn said additional cleanup would be needed once construction began.
2 On Your Side reached out to Rich Products and Great Point Capital Management for additional comments but did not receive a response.
In southern Buffalo, across from the Tesla facility, a $75 million film studio project was also announced in 2020.
"Buffalo Studios will be the first true Hollywood movie studio in Western New York, bringing unparalleled sound stage capabilities to the city of Buffalo for major film and TV projects and offering film industry jobs across Western New York," Buffalo Studios CEO Matthew Fleckenstein said in October 2020.
When Buffalo Studios was announced, a spring 2021 groundbreaking was also announced.
But 2 On Your Side crews scouted the future site of the studio in South Buffalo film studio and saw the site was also untouched.
WGRZ reached out to Buffalo Studios for an update but did not receive a response and the Buffalo Studios Website is also inactive.