Seneca Nation President J. Conrad Seneca says the Nation will defend its sovereignty and keep building at the site
J. Conrad SenecaPresident of the Seneca Nation of Indians
Responding to the city's lawsuit, Seneca says the Nation will keep developing the site and creating local jobs, as it has on its other sovereign land in Buffalo, after saying it will always defend its sovereignty and treaties.
Responding to
The 5 Miami Street site is sovereign Seneca Nation land, and the City of Buffalo has no authority to stop construction there.
“While Sean Ryan continues his act, we will continue developing our land for the benefit of our people and creating local jobs, just as we have done with our other developments on our other sovereign lands within the city of Buffalo.”
Reporting
Reporting
Where this statement fits
Buffalo sues to halt the Seneca Nation's gas station on Miami Street; the Nation says the land is sovereign and outside city control
The City of Buffalo sued in New York State Supreme Court on October 7, 2026, to halt construction of a Seneca Nation fuel station and convenience store at 5 Miami Street in the Old First Ward. On October 8 it asked a federal court to vacate the Interior Department's 2023 decision placing the 3.8-acre site in restricted-fee status. The city says the land was not bought with Seneca Nation Settlement Act money and remains subject to city zoning, permits and environmental review. Seneca Nation President J. Conrad Seneca says the site is sovereign Seneca land and that construction will continue.
Source and context
Reporting
About this source
Spectrum News report on the city's state-court lawsuit, quoting Mayor Sean Ryan and a statement released that afternoon by Seneca Nation President J. Conrad Seneca.
Reporting
About this source
Spectrum News report on the state-court lawsuit, the project's planned uses, the 2023 restricted-fee decision, Mayor Sean Ryan's remarks and Seneca Nation President J. Conrad Seneca's statement.
Archived copy (opens in a new tab)Before the quotation
Seneca released the statement on the afternoon of October 7, after the city announced its state-court lawsuit. According to Spectrum News, the statement says the land is Seneca Nation land now and forever, accuses Ryan of mischaracterizing the project as a truck stop, and says the mayor answered an invitation to meet with a stop-work order followed a day later by a lawsuit. It also says the Nation will always defend its sovereignty, its treaties and its right to create economic opportunity on its lands.
After the quotation
Spectrum News notes that the lawsuit comes as the Nation and New York State negotiate a new gaming compact, which it describes as a separate matter.
How this statement is classified
The label describes this statement's response within the context above.
Why this label?
The reference point is the Seneca Nation's construction of a fuel station at 5 Miami Street on land it holds in restricted fee, without the city permits and reviews Buffalo says are required. Seneca defends the construction as the Nation's sovereign right on its own land and says work will continue despite the lawsuit.
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- People and groups discussed
- Sean Ryan, City of Buffalo
More from this case
Read the full caseJ. Conrad Seneca says the city acknowledged the site's restricted-fee status in writing in 2023
“Our nearly four-acre site is sovereign land and was placed in Restricted Fee status by the Department of Interior three years ago, something that the City acknowledged in writing in 2023. Despite meeting with Sean Ryan and other City officials in person in early September to open dialogue between our governments, the City instead chose to fight the Nation over our sovereign rights on our land. I have made it clear that the proposed Seneca One Stop project will move forward and that the Seneca Nation will always fight to defend our sovereignty, our treaties, and our rights to create economic opportunity on our lands in the way we best see fit for the benefit of our people.”Read statement
City of Buffalo asks a federal court to annul Interior's restricted-fee decision on 5 Miami Street
City of Buffalo
“The City of Buffalo brings this action under the Administrative Procedure Act to annul an arbitrary, capricious, and facially defective decision by the Department of the Interior”Read statement
Mayor Sean Ryan says any entity building in Buffalo must account for its impact on the community
“We have a responsibility to protect those investments and the people who live, work, and spend time here. It is incumbent on us to make sure that any entity developing a project in Buffalo understands the impact it will have on the surrounding community and does its part to be a good neighbor.”Read statement
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The Dispute Index. "Seneca Nation President J. Conrad Seneca says the Nation will defend its sovereignty and keep building at the site". First published: 2026-10-21. Last updated: 2026-10-21. https://disputeindex.com/events/6425-responding-to-the-city-s-lawsuit-seneca-says