WIVB-TV

The City of Buffalo has sent a cease-and-desist letter to the Seneca Nation over a second "One Stop" gas station under construction on Miami Street near Buffalo River Fest Park and Ohio Street. The city says the Seneca Nation began building without municipal approval and that the site does not qualify as restricted-fee land, since it was not purchased with funds appropriated under the Seneca Nation Settlement Act. The city also cites a 2006 agreement in which it says the Seneca Nation agreed not to acquire additional land in Buffalo under the Settlement Act for gaming operations. Buffalo has demanded construction stop by Wednesday.

Mayor Sean Ryan said the project conflicts with a decade-long effort to transform Ohio Street from an industrial corridor into a waterfront district for housing, recreation, and business. The Seneca Nation has not yet publicly responded to the letter; its president previously said he met with Ryan and remained confident the project would proceed. The dispute follows the opening of the Seneca Nation's first "One Stop" gas station near KeyBank Center.