The former “Crossroads” project has major construction hopes through 2027
By Andrew Harris
An approximately $14 million dollar project in Allegany County got a big boost from a NYS housing fund. The “Gateway” project might sound new to some. For many years the effort was coined, the “Crossroads,” which encompasses county owned property on the east side of the Route 19 and I-86 interchange.
An idea many years ago to build a waterpark themed hotel didn’t come to fruition but the overall concept of a major development at the interstate exchange has never died.
In fact, Allegany County has earmarked and set aside over $6 million dollars from the Covid-19 funding glut to take the overall concept to the next level. Much of that current effort is employing a “build it and they will come” strategy. While the waterpark feature isn’t necessarily part of the plan, the hotel with a full service restaurant is still central. A housing component has been added to the site planning, which is practical from a public need and funding perspective. Allegany County needs more housing and that has become a focus of the state and federal government.
From the initial “waterpark” concept, the idea has been pitched many times to developers without success. During that process Allegany County learned that major developers are looking for sites that already have key infrastructure in place. The property now known as the “Gateway,” doesn’t have the water, sewer, drainage, or utilities in place.
Since 2023 the Allegany County effort, led by the man-of-many-hats Tim Boyde(currently serving in a Deputy County Administrator role,) has sought the services of a project management firm to start putting years of planning into action. They enlisted the Delta Development Group who made a lengthy appearance in Belmont this year to brief legislators on the progress. That started with a review of the project goals:
Much of that briefing, summarized here, included the plan to acquire the funding necessary from state and federal sources. Delta Development laid out all of the potential sources of funding, when applications open, and when decisions would be made. One of those funding options recently came “home to roost,” as Allegany County announced today:
“On December 23, Governor Kathy Hochul announced that Allegany County has been awarded $3 million through the Regional Economic Development Council’s Pro-Housing Supply Fund.
The funds were awarded to support the construction of a wastewater package plant on County Road 20 in the Town of Friendship. The infrastructure project is in support of a proposed 220-unit housing project at the “Gateway” development site, which will serve to address the County’s housing shortage. The application was developed through collaboration with the Allegany County Administrator’s Office, Office of Economic Development, the Planning Department, the Allegany County Industrial Development Agency, and Delta Development Group, Inc.”
Allegany County Board Chairman Brooke Harris said, “It’s challenging for rural areas to address their housing needs without support from state and federal partners. This funding enables Allegany County to provide the necessary infrastructure to attract private developers and expand its tax base. Most importantly, it will serve to support high-quality housing that encourages retention of current residents and attracts relocation to our area.”
“The County is thankful for the recognition of this need by Governor Hochul and the WNY Regional Economic Development Council,” Harris continued. “After decades of work towards developing the ‘Gateway’ site in Belvidere, we’re seeing meaningful progress.”
Outgoing legislator Deb Root from District 2 has long been a champion for the effort as the Chair of the Economic Development Committee. She reacted to the Delta Development presentation earlier this year with, “I think it is a great plan, it is long term and fluid.”
More decisions will rest upon the flow of funding. With this funding in place the “engineering/bidding/contracting” piece of the project should begin in mid-2026 and actual construction could start in December 2026.
Below is the current proposed project timeline, which is subject to funding and regulatory approvals but offers a glimpse into the goals of the “Gateway” project.
