BUFFALO | Development Thread

[mrussell83]

BUFFALO, N.Y. (AP) -- A construction worker died this morning after he fell more than 30 feet at building renovation site in downtown
Buffalo.

Authorities say Jonathan Fundalinski, 24, of Elma was working at the nearly 120-year-old Webb Building when he fell around 7:45 am. He was transported to Buffalo General Hospital, where he was pronounced dead a short time later.

Police say he was working on the second floor when he lost his balance and fell into the basement.

Investigators from the federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration were at the scene.

[chevy064]

BUFFALO, N.Y. (AP) -- A construction worker died this morning after he fell more than 30 feet at building renovation site in downtown
Buffalo.

Authorities say Jonathan Fundalinski, 24, of Elma was working at the nearly 120-year-old Webb Building when he fell around 7:45 am. He was transported to Buffalo General Hospital, where he was pronounced dead a short time later.

Police say he was working on the second floor when he lost his balance and fell into the basement.

Investigators from the federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration were at the scene.

THIS IS SAD - I read it in the Buffalo News this morning.

Sounds to me like there were some safety issues going on with missing railings. Things like this should never happen in our modern world of technology and safety requirements.

[BUFFALOVE!!]

I hope this accident at the Webb Building doesn’t do something to f-up the construction. Its sad that such a young man died but it was an accident, accidents happen. I am just waiting for OSHA to come in and pull the plug on the whole project and that building will sit empty for years to come.

ON A HAPPY NOTE: on buffalorising.com they cover a great article in newsweek mag. it’s about a man that was born and raised in Buffalo and hated it. But now after living all over the country w/ the air force he realized that its TIME TO MOVE BACK TO BUFFALO FROM LAS VEGAS with his family. On the buffalorising page there is a link to the actual article on newsweek. But look at some of the comments below the story buffalorising ran.

http://www.buffalorising.com/story/honey_get_my_shovel_im_heading#sca

[Derek]

^i like your name BUFFALOVE ;)

[mrussell83]

OSHA and Buffalo's police and fire departments are investigating. The city's Commissioner of Permits and Inspection sent an inspector to the site Wednesday.

"He reported back to me about 11 o'clock today - that everything was in order, that the things he inspected for were safety-related issues. That he made sure that all the railings were up around the openings. All the shafts were enclosed, and all of the normal safety features were in place," said Richard Tobe, Commissioner of Economic Development, Permits and Inspections for the city.

Tobe says the inspector found all of the railings in the same place they were during the last inspection, which occurred within the past two weeks. Tobe also says the building was unstable. That's why Jonathan's employer, David Burke Construction, had to get approval for its plan to stabilize it with cables and girders.

"They had to demonstrate to us that they were doing that safely and that the results were sufficient," Tobe said.

[Downtown Bolivar]

Well I'm going to broach the subject which I'm sure is on everyone's mind here on the Buffalo thread. Things are not looking good for the mayor, Rocco Termini, or the Webb Building at this point. When the FBI decides to get involved, it probably means that things haven't been done above board.

This begs the question though. Have things gotten so bad in the city that the only way for developers to move something forward through the permitting process is greasing the wheel? Does Issa even stand a chance in such a climate?

I'm not pushing the panic button here and I don't want to blow things out of proportion, but this is an embarrassment at the very least. :shrug: I'm really interested to hear what's on people's minds.

By the way, the aqua colored international style facade of Healthnow didn't do anything to snap me out of my bad mood either. What were they thinking?

[westcoastperspective]

Breaking News: Developers Have Influence at City Hall

Shocking- hardly. Favors and pressure for the 'connected' happen on a daily basis- I could tell you stories about what happens in the county that I work in- developers rule the roost out here as we're the fastest growing county in California. A $9000 campaign contribution isn't much grease for a wheel.

I say let the investigations find out if anything illegal was done at Webb. If anything, this makes the administration look bad, not so much Rocco. Now if rules were bent and safety was compromised, thats another story.

Rocco produces, and in my book, that counts for something. If Issa moves forward, the city will be tripping over themselves to get it built. It needs the tax revenue.

[BUFFALOVE!!]

They just need to get this investigation crap over with quickly. I have a feeling it will be drawn out for a long time while a beautiful building that was being remodeled will sit to rot. Investigate, pay the fine and move on with the renovation. And if people were shocked that Rocco was getting special treatment for giving a campaign contribution then you are pretty naive. It happens all the time.

And speaking of Issa its been really quiet recently. Any news on the Statler renovation or the Tower developments?

[homestar]

Warehouse rehab project moves forward

Plans by a local development group to bring new life to a vacant Ellicott Street warehouse cleared a major hurdle.

The Buffalo Urban Renewal Agency closed on a $2 million loan Monday afternoon from its Livable Communities Loan Fund to 210 Ellicott Holdings LLC - key funds needed for the renovation of the former Seneca Paper building into a mixed-use facility that will include residential and commercial space.

210 Ellicott Holdings, a group led by Buffalo architect Jake Schneider, have been working in the building since January.

The seven-story, circa 1913 warehouse, has been empty for the better part of a decade.

Schneider plans to house about 8,000-square-feet of office space on the building's second floor and renovate the remaining floors into 30 market rate apartments. Two neighboring vacant lots are being transformed into a gated and landscaped parking lot.

"This project is taking a long vacant building and transforming it into lofts and office space, which will further strengthen downtown Buffalo's appeal as a 24/7 destination," said Buffalo Mayor Byron Brown.


http://buffalo.bizjournals.com/buffalo/stories/2007/03/26/daily14.html

[homestar]

NFTA sells property

A large swath of former railroad right-of-way land that cuts through North Buffalo is about to open up for possible development purposes.

In a deal that's been in the works for the past few months, the Niagara Frontier Transportation Authority has agreed to sell 26 acres of vacant land to the Buffalo Urban Renewal Agency -- one of the city's primary economic development arms -- for $130,000. The city will then market the property to would-be developers, with some already expressing interest in the land.

The deal was formally approved by the NFTA commissioners Monday afternoon.

The property runs from near Shoshone Park to Kenmore Avenue with a leg that veers west towards Starin Avenue and almost parallels St. Lawrence Avenue. The NFTA had acquired the land with the eye towards extending Metro Rail or other service that would have feed directly into the Metro Rail line.

The deal does come with one footnote.

"If it is not sold or developed within the next five years, it will revert back to us," said Gregory Stamm, NFTA chairman.

With at least one developer already talking to the city about a mixed-use residential project along significant portions of the land, that scenario is not likely to happen.

...

Full: http://buffalo.bizjournals.com/buffalo/stories/2007/03/26/daily10.html

[Rue B]

City allows renovation work to resume at Webb Building
Developer pays fee; bank admits error
By Sharon Linstedt
Updated: 03/26/07 12:40 PM

The City of Buffalo rescinded its "stop work" order at the Webb Building in downtown Buffalo this morning, allowing work to resume at the site of last week's fatal construction accident.

Peter Cutler, spokesman for Mayor Byron W. Brown, confirmed the city lifted the stop work order that was issued Friday afternoon after the developer's permit fee check bounced. Rocco Termini's bank took the blame for the payment mix-up later that day, but city officials wanted more time to review the situation before lifting the order.

While the city edict was not tied to physical conditions at the 119-year-old building which is undergoing a $9.2 million conversion to apartments and a daycare center building inspectors visited the site shortly after 9 a.m. today.

Cutler said inspectors found no violations related to the permit, allowing work to restart.

Termini said construction crews probably won't return to 90 Pearl Street until Tuesday morning, when they can put in a full day of work.

Richard Tobe, the city's commissioner of economic development said the order was issued after the city learned the developer's $3,410 permit fee check, dated March 19, had bounced.

And while Termini immediately produced documents showing it was a bank error, along with a certified replacement check, Tobe said the events unfolded too late in the day on Friday to make an informed decision.

"Technically, I could have lifted the 'stop work' order, but I decided to sort it out [today] when I could meet with staff and make sure everything is as it should be," Tobe said.

The commissioner also said the review gave the city a fresh opportunity to have a building inspector make a site visit.

"We always want to be sure the work being done complies with the permit, but obviously this situation calls for extra care," Tobe added.

The death last Tuesday of 24-year-old construction worker Jonathan Fundalinski following a 30-foot fall in the Webb Building has raised questions about the crew's safety practices, as well as questions about the city's building permit procedures.

The federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration is continuing its probe of how Fundalinski fell from the building's second floor to the basement. Meanwhile, the FBI and Erie County district attorney's office have initiated investigations into whether criminal negligence played a role in the fatal fall.

The investigations are expected to focus on whether Deputy Mayor Steven M. Casey interfered with inspector efforts to shut the project down for lack of permits in late February. The $9.2 million building renovation project got under way in early January after the city issued a permit for asbestos removal and related stabilization.

On Feb. 23, inspector Peter Kleman attempted to halt the project after determining the work exceeded the scope of the initial permit, enlisting the help of Buffalo police officers. Kleman claims when the responding police officer phoned the mayor's office to find out how to proceed, Casey took the call, waved off police and suggested Termini come to City Hall to resolve the permit stand-off.

Brown has denied claims Casey did anything improper. The mayor said Casey was "trying to avert a confrontation on the streets that had potential to escalate."

The mayor and Tobe both contend Casey didn't interfere with enforcement of a "stop work" order in February because the order was never officially issued.

The work-halting edict issued Friday relates to one of the permits that was approved following that City Hall meeting. Tobe said while the content of the permit is not at issue, the bounced check caused it to be null and void.

Termini provided The Buffalo News with a copy of a letter from the Bank of America he delivered to Tobe late Friday. In the correspondence, Anne L. Schule, the manager of the bank's Fountain Plaza office, states, "The funds in Mr. Termini's business account were in fact available, but a bank hold was placed in error."

The bank provided Termini with a certified check, which was presented to the city on Friday.

Tobe also said the city is penalizing Termini $500 a day for failing to pick up the permit after it was approved.

"There was verbal agreement they qualified for the permit, but they didn't pick it up and didn't pay for it, so we have concluded they were working without a permit," Tobe said.

The fine, which totals $12,500, covers the 25-day period from Feb. 22 through March 18.

http://www.buffalonews.com/258/story/40138.html

[Cyburbia]

This begs the question though. Have things gotten so bad in the city that the only way for developers to move something forward through the permitting process is greasing the wheel? Does Issa even stand a chance in such a climate

The one thing that strikes me about the development process in Buffalo is that it seems so ... well, unorganized and unpredictable compared to other American cities. Most have a very predictable planning and development review process; pre-application, in-house development review with a fixed calendar of what step of the processes to be done on what day, Planning Commission, and then the municipal legislative body if a rezoning or PUD is involved.

The British planning process is much different than that of the US/Canada/Australia/New Zealand, but it too is predictable; it's quite uniform across the country. Still, it won't be Issa himself taking his tower through the process; it'll be a consultant. In Buffalo, though, he'll probably have to get his hands a bit dirtier than if he proposed his tower in ... oh, Denver.

The development scene in Buffalo has so few players; nobody with national prominence, and only a few locals whose names seem to keep coming up over and over again. If the city wants to attract the attention of national developers, they need to start by cleaning up their review process.

[homestar]

Possibly. But on the other hand, Issa's project is so huge for Buffalo that I think the city will make more of an effort to make sure it doesn't get lost in red tape like smaller projects might.

[Downtown Bolivar]

The one thing that strikes me about the development process in Buffalo is that it seems so ... well, unorganized and unpredictable compared to other American cities. Most have a very predictable planning and development review process; pre-application, in-house development review with a fixed calendar of what step of the processes to be done on what day, Planning Commission, and then the municipal legislative body if a rezoning or PUD is involved.

The British planning process is much different than that of the US/Canada/Australia/New Zealand, but it too is predictable; it's quite uniform across the country. Still, it won't be Issa himself taking his tower through the process; it'll be a consultant. In Buffalo, though, he'll probably have to get his hands a bit dirtier than if he proposed his tower in ... oh, Denver.

The development scene in Buffalo has so few players; nobody with national prominence, and only a few locals whose names seem to keep coming up over and over again. If the city wants to attract the attention of national developers, they need to start by cleaning up their review process.

That is my point exactly. Developing in Buffalo is an extraordinarily arcane process that is highly unpredictable unless you have friends in high places. The presence of an FBI investigation suggests this is so. This scares away national players.

[Jasonhouse]

People who insist on hijacking this thread will soon find themselves unable to post... And I don't care who it is doing it... I didn't spend hours and hours building this forum for people to fuck it up.

[westcoastperspective]

Hijacking? Huh?

Development news has been slow...but with Spring coming, let's hope for some ground-breakings. News on Waterfront Place tomorrow on BRising, and some nice images of Warehouse Lofts too. Frustrating sneak peak:

http://img265.imageshack.us/img265/1643/ellicottya5.png

[BUFFALOVE!!]

...but with Spring coming, let's hope for some ground-breakings.


Lets hope 50 court st. and the nursing home near the 33 are on that list!!

[westcoastperspective]

Warehouse Lofts, currently underway. A model is expected to be open during the Downtown Housing tour on July 7th. Residents moving in by September.

http://img300.imageshack.us/img300/7251/2101uy4.jpg

http://img300.imageshack.us/img300/3277/2102ir3.jpg

http://img458.imageshack.us/img458/5608/2103eg4.jpg

[Halovet]

Those Lofts are outstanding, and LOU DOBBS on The TV? Priceless!:notacrook:

[westcoastperspective]

Huh? Bass Pro being announced tomorrow and no commentary???

[believeinbflo]

Huh? Bass Pro being announced tomorrow and no commentary???

mayor said this plan is better and more exciting than the one announced 3 years ago.

higgins mentioned a great lakes museum and an aquarium will be built along with it.

oh boy (?!)

[buffaLOVE]

mayor said this plan is better and more exciting than the one announced 3 years ago.

higgins mentioned a great lakes museum and an aquarium will be built along with it.

oh boy (?!)

Where did you hear that from?

[believeinbflo]

the video/audio clips were on channel 2 news

[BUFFALOVE!!]

If this is all true then i might just cry. Years later and looks like its happening w/ spin off development. I cant wait till tommorow. With all sorts of people bitching about having bass pro I have to say that it is critical to get a big NATIONAL retailer downtown. National retailers draw people like it or not.

[Rue B]

Bass Pro landed — at last
Central Wharf site will be the location of multilevel store
By Sharon Linstedt NEWS STAFF REPORTER
Updated: 03/30/07 6:40 AM

After six years of casting its line, Buffalo has finally hooked a Bass Pro Shops Outdoor World store for the downtown waterfront.

The long-sought retailer has signed a predevelopment agreement for a multilevel, period-style store on the former Central Wharf site along the Buffalo River.

The 100,000-square-foot store — about half the size of the Bass Pro store originally proposed for the nearby Memorial Auditorium site — will be flanked by an Erie Canal Museum, 50-foot-wide waterside boardwalk, a public plaza, marketplace and a 300- car parking ramp.

http://img360.imageshack.us/img360/9067/395bn20070330a001bassprmc1.jpg

Bass Pro President Jim Hagale said the retailer intends to be “respectful of the historical significance” of what he called a “very special location.”

“Our store design will pay tribute to the heritage and national importance of the Erie Canal Terminus,” he said.

“I can’t think of a more appropriate type of retail business to be located on the water’s edge than Bass Pro Shops,” said Anthony Gioia, chairman of the Erie Canal Harbor Develop-

ment Corp., which brokered the deal. “Bass Pro loves the idea of being on the water, and we feel the same way.”

The Bass Pro store will serve as anchor tenant for Canal Side, which is billed as a $275 million mixed-use development that will fill the Erie Canal Harbor neighborhood with a mix of shops, restaurants, entertainment venues, museums, a hotel, and residential and office space. Planners are predicting the reborn haborfront will attract 5 million visitors a year.

The agreement also provides the City of Buffalo $10 million in state money to demolish the idle Aud, with promises of additional funding to meet costs in excess of that allotment.

“What started as a one-dimensional project in the Aud has evolved into a visionary and far-reaching development plan that will finally allow for Buffalo’s waterfront to reach its potential,” Gioia said.

The harbor development board will meet in special session today to approve the agreement. That vote will set in motion a final design and environmental review process aimed at a spring 2008 construction start.

“This is a significant project that will both energize development in Buffalo and connect the downtown area to the waterfront,” Gov. Eliot L. Spitzer said.

Mayor Byron W. Brown called the project blueprints “very appealing.”

Under terms of the agreement, the harbor development corporation will invest $25 million in public funds to prepare the riverfront site and construct the shell of a three-story retail building, designed to resemble the original Central Wharf terminal that stood on the property in the mid-1800s.

Bass Pro Shops will spend approximately $15 million to build out the interior of the store and also will pay $300,000 a year in fees to support Canal Side.

Over the course of the proposed 20-year lease, those fees would total $6 million. And if Bass Pro exercises all lease renewals, that sum would climb to $15 million over 50 years.

The store, which will employ about 1,000 full- and part-time staffers, is expected to generate $3 million annually in sales tax. The agreement also calls on the harbor development corporation to construct a 20,000- square-foot Erie Canal Museum and a 30,000-square-foot public market.

Bass Pro and the development agency are thrilled about putting Bass Pro on the Central Wharf — adjacent to the historic, rewatered Commercial Slip and other artifacts of Buffalo’s Erie Canal heyday.

But preservationists have serious concerns.

Tim Tielman, of the Campaign for Greater Buffalo History, Architecture & Culture, called the plan “an abomination.”

“This couldn’t be farther from an homage to the Central Wharf. It’s a themed retail environment designed by bureaucrats gone wild,” he said.

Tielman predicted the battle to retain the historic site as a public plaza with small-scale development will be fought beyond the preservation community.

“Anyone who loves the waterfront will hate this,” he added.

Rep. Brian Higgins, D-Buffalo, who is a champion the area’s waterfront redevelopment efforts, disagrees with that assessment.

“[The proposal] preserves the integrity of our city’s great history and maintains public access for residents and tourists in a setting that draws people downtown seven days a week,” Higgins said.

Harbor District Associates, LLC, an affiliate of Buffalo-born Benderson Development Co., also has signed onto the deal and will act as Canal Side’s master developer. In addition to overseeing the projects on the Central Wharf site, it will lead a mix of private and public developments on the site of the Donovan State Office Building, the Aud and the vacant Webster Block in front of HSBC Arena.

Buffalo’s fishing expedition to land Bass Pro began in July 2001, when former Mayor Anthony M. Masiello went to Washington, D.C., to lobby the federal delegation for funds to create something then called the Erie Canal Harbor Urban Entertainment District.

In November 2004, Masiello’s dream appeared to have come true, when Bass Pro announced it would turn the Aud into a 250,000-square-foot store with a museum, restaurant and hotel. But by mid-2005, negotiations toward a binding lease were at a standstill.

The Bass Pro drive took on new life in August 2005, when the local harbor development panel was established to put a finer point on talks with the retailer. While success seemed likely through fall 2006, updated information on the physical state of the Aud and cost estimates associated with its conversion caused the ambitious plan to go belly up.

On Dec. 18, 2006, Bass Pro was given 30 days to fish or cut bait, but as the deadline expired, the planners shifted their focus to the Central Wharf site, a fresh idea that kept the retailer talking.

http://www.buffalonews.com/101/story/42941.html

[mrussell83]

I think it can be done right, I like it.
Love how they left out the roadbed of the skyway :)

[Downtown Bolivar]

Whew! Can you feel the love? There were some great stories today in the Snooze. The Bass Pro deal got a whole lot sweeter. A new boardwalk and a30,000 sq ft public market included--awesome! Money included for Aud demo--nice! Somehow we got a whole list of wish list projects included with bass pro and now it's a signed deal. Watch out for preservationists though! Higgins can give'em the old South Buffalo Irish treatment if they foul this up!

Did anyone else see that an architectural team is going to draw up new blueprints for the HH Richardson building? Maybe once we get those plans we can figure out what to do with it.

[shovel_ready]

I hate the idea of an on-site parking facility though.... it means a lot of people will visit the store without even exiting the building and walking the streets :yuck:

Oh btw, Here is another place to discuss Buffalo urbanism, development, preservation, sustainability, photos, ect. I just started up this new forum, the builtbuffalo forums :
http://www.builtbuffalo.com/forums/

Stop in and say Hi :)

[westcoastperspective]

Quinn addressed the parking. There will be 300 spaces directly attached to the BPro store, they need 1000 for BPro alone. The balance will be across Main Street and at the Aud site- meaning people will have to WALK to BPro, bringing live bodies onto the streets and passing the other stores:

http://download.gannett.edgesuite.net/wgrz/news/CanalSideparkingplan.jpg

I think the number they mentioned was 80,000 of restaurant space, the balance retail. There will even be a set-aside of money to be used to lure other unique retailers into the project.

http://img206.imageshack.us/img206/2128/dsc0304bv2.jpg

http://img206.imageshack.us/img206/7631/dsc0299wp3.jpg

http://img120.imageshack.us/img120/6483/dsc0300jv6.jpg

Higgins-
http://img120.imageshack.us/img120/5448/dsc0315pv6.jpg

Site Plan- sorry not very clear:
http://img206.imageshack.us/img206/6909/dsc0311jk3.jpg

[BUFFALOVE!!]

Its better than I ever expected. Lets start friggen digging. And screw the people bitching about the parking because who wants to walk 5 blocks in the snow with their bags. In addition tear down the skyway!! no one wants bird poop and slush on them while shopping too.

[gregduh]

I agree, and after seeing these plans, it seems like they have to take the skyway down if they want to get any of the stores built. Or maybe they are thinking the roofs of the buildings will hold up the deck? I dunno. It makes me wonder why they didn't clear up the situation to us already but for now I will just enjoy the fact that something is actually going to be done. This along with the new courthouse and possibly Issa's tower is really going to add some shine to the city that everyone wants to see.

[Austinlee]

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v284/austindaniel/buffaloloft66.jpg


Get it???



Awesome lofts by the way.

[Halovet]

I agree, and after seeing these plans, it seems like they have to take the skyway down if they want to get any of the stores built. Or maybe they are thinking the roofs of the buildings will hold up the deck? I dunno. It makes me wonder why they didn't clear up the situation to us already but for now I will just enjoy the fact that something is actually going to be done. This along with the new courthouse and possibly Issa's tower is really going to add some shine to the city that everyone wants to see.All of this is very exciting, but lets not start slaping each other on the ass just yet. The preservationist haven't begun to clown yet.:fingerscrossed: :hyper:

[Downtown Bolivar]

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v284/austindaniel/buffaloloft66.jpg


Get it???



Awesome lofts by the way.

Took me a minute--LOL!

[BUFFALOVE!!]

As for Bass Pro I'm going to say that should this be built as it’s designed now then GO BUFFALO!!! Finally a national retailer downtown and a cool one at that. I went to a Bass Pro in Charlotte and it makes Dick’s look like the Dollar Tree. It’s an amazing store that fits on the water. This design is great. Finally we have something for our visitors to see when they go to events at HSBC Arena. From my estimation when this is going to be constructed so will 50 court St, Buffalo City Tower, The Federal Courthouse, Statler Renovation, Nursing Home on the 33, and the condo tower on the water front.
*** THERE WILL BE CRANES IN BUFFALO and not for building roads!
What an exciting time the next 5 years should be. Stay positive people and most importantly STAY IN BUFFALO!!!
I agree with the mayor, we have turned a corner and lets start running in the right direction!

[Sulley]

Don't list a nursing home as a major development for ANY city ...ever... again. thanks!

Where is Bass Pro in Charlotte?

[steel]

Don't list a nursing home as a major development for ANY city ...ever... again. thanks!



Because an $80M project is not a big project?

[Sulley]

No, because it's a nursing home.

[steel]

No, because it's a nursing home.

Actually it is and it is not. It is a retirement community that offers continuing home care. Either way $80M is $80M and that is major especially in an inner city neighborhood and especially when it is eliminating a vacant housing project.

The architecture however of this project is an abomination.

[Halovet]

Actually it is and it is not. It is a retirement community that offers continuing home care. Either way $80M is $80M and that is major especially in an inner city neighborhood and especially when it is eliminating a vacant housing project.

The architecture however of this project is an abomination.Which Housing Project is it replacing?

[Sulley]

Actually it is and it is not. It is a retirement community that offers continuing home care. Either way $80M is $80M and that is major especially in an inner city neighborhood and especially when it is eliminating a vacant housing project.

The architecture however of this project is an abomination.

Why not build a real, mixed use Hope VI community in its place?

[Halovet]

How Ironic! I went to the City Discussions thread to post something, and the first thing I saw was RETIRMENT HOMES GO HIGH-RISE AND URBAN.

http://forum.skyscraperpage.com/showthread.php?t=128458

As usual, STEEL is "On It"! Willis McGahee, maybe you should concentrate on toating that rock for B~more.

Hey, Rumors are heating up about the Bills getting Michael Turner! What~cha~think?

[Sulley]

Okay, sorry. Yay nursing home!

[Halovet]

So Is it good for The City or not?:shrug:




Bass Pro plan puts history in back seat

Donn Esmonde-Buffalo News

Updated: 04/01/07 6:48 AM



I walked past the under-construction Erie Canal Harbor historic site Friday morning, to imagine what ought to be.

Bass Pro may be coming. A less-thanconcrete “predevelopment” agreement was struck Thursday. It would plop on the historic site a Wegmans-sized sporting goods store and an adjacent multilevel parking garage. Add a concrete “green space” plaza, and it all but swallows the 12-acre swatch that celebrates the definitive site on the Erie Canal. It is our page in America’s story, and Bass Pro would shred it.

If Bass Pro comes to Central Wharf, we lose our planned waterfront green space. Gone would be cobblestone streets and planned 19th century-style buildings to complement history and to bring commerce. Gone would be the sense of historic place the site demands.

It is a good thing the historic Commercial Slip is already dug, building ruins unearthed and the bowstring bridge built. Otherwise they would likely be sacrificed for a blue historical marker, reading: “Here, in 1825, Gov. DeWitt Clinton drew

a bucket of water and launched the canal that built Buffalo and changed America.”

I was nervous about Bass Pro since it was first mentioned for the old Aud. I knew our politicians and some business “leaders” were desperate for anything to happen. I knew that without a second thought they would sacrifice to Bass Pro the historic site that so many people — after a huge battle — persuaded the state to unearth and celebrate.

My fears were justified. After Bass Pro’s Aud plan fell through, CEO Johnny Morris eyed the public space on the historic Central Wharf. He should have been told no, that a historic plan — forged by years of lawsuits, public protests and, finally, common sense — was in place. Instead, Larry Quinn — the driving force of the recently created waterfront development corporation — said, “Whatever you want, Johnny.”

It is sad when a community cares so little about its own story that it would needlessly sacrifice it. If Bass Pro comes to Central Wharf, our piece of national history — an attraction in its own right — will become a mere accessory to a sporting goods store. We already have a historic plan for the site, approved by the city, county and state in documents stacked two inches high. Messing with it merely invites a lawsuit.

It doesn’t have to be that way. The historic site is a small slice of the downtown waterfront. There are a half-dozen other places nearby — including the soon-to-be demolished Aud — where Bass Pro (or a substitute) can go.

This plan gives us the worst of both worlds: a Bass Pro big enough to overwhelm and diminish our history, yet too small — at half the size of the Aud plan — to attract crowds from distant parts.

We can have it both ways — a fullblown history site and a nearby full-sized Bass Pro or some replacement. Instead, this plan would give us a half loaf of Bass Pro and a half slice of history. That isn’t progress, it’s desperation.

Along with Bass Pro would come “Canal Side,” courtesy of strip-mall king Benderson Development. We will get on streets near the Aud the Starbucks and other chains found in most malls.

I am as frustrated as anybody about so little getting done around here. But we also have a history of screwing up, from the University at Buffalo in Amherst to an instantly obsolete Convention Center. We ought to finish the history site, with the step-by-step development that would follow. Instead, Quinn & Co. opt for “instant neighborhood”: Commandeer a historic site and add spoonfuls of Bass Pro and Benderson and stir.

The get-it-done-yesterday mentality feeds a shortsightedness that time and again has hurt us in the long run. In terms of what will endure, let’s not get it Bass-ackwards.

email: desmonde@buffnews.com

[Halovet]

If Bass Pro comes to Central Wharf, we lose our planned waterfront green space. Gone would be cobblestone streets and planned 19th century-style buildings to complement history and to bring commerce. Gone would be the sense of historic place the site demands.

It is a good thing the historic Commercial Slip is already dug, building ruins unearthed and the bowstring bridge built. Otherwise they would likely be sacrificed for a blue historical marker, reading: “Here, in 1825, Gov. DeWitt Clinton drew

a bucket of water and launched the canal that built Buffalo and changed America.”

I don't think there was ever a "Real" plan to do all that anyway. If this site were not being marketed as "shovel Ready", Bass Pro would not have been able to get it so easily. That's my take on it .
Anyway, reguardless of Donny's Editorial tantrom, the Project has much potential. Let's build it, and see if they come.:cool:

[Sgt. Sabre]

Hey, it's going to be a piece of "temporary" strip mall suburbia in the city either way you cut it. If it's successful, great! If not, then it won't be too hard to tear it down and try it again - even if it is successful, and it breeds more success - leading to replacement.

I usually agree with Donny (he won me when he grilled Dale Volker at the toll closing "ceremony"), and I see his point. I just don't think it's that bad.

Re: Nursing/Retirement Homes: This country is aging rather quickly, aren't more needed? They might as well be highrise as opposed to these sprawling 2-3 story and occasionally detached unit things that seem to be so popular.

[Halovet]

Hey, it's going to be a piece of "temporary" strip mall suburbia in the city either way you cut it. If it's successful, great! If not, then it won't be too hard to tear it down and try it again - even if it is successful, and it breeds more success - leading to replacement.

I usually agree with Donny (he won me when he grilled Dale Volker at the toll closing "ceremony"), and I see his point. I just don't think it's that bad.

Re: Nursing/Retirement Homes: This country is aging rather quickly, aren't more needed? They might as well be highrise as opposed to these sprawling 2-3 story and occasionally detached unit things that seem to be so popular.I believe they told Cordison the same "suburban strip mall thing when they began the Inner Harbor in B-More.;) I can't hate on the retirement issue, i'm 5 to ten years away myself. One thought though, If they don't go highrise, who's going to want to push our wheel~chairs across a sprawling campus?:shrug: It will be a hell of a thing trying to use a Walker. Energy prices will be to high on fixed income to "Hover~Round". Dam that, build high.

[BANKofMANHATTAN]

...and the condo tower on the water front.

What condo tower on the waterfront? I must have missed something...

[westcoastperspective]

Paladino broke ground on the first four units at Waterfront Place:

http://buffalorising.com/story/hot_property_waterfront_villag#sca

[Halovet]

anything on The Gates Circle Condo Tower or Dulski Renovation yet? It's been about a year hasen't it? I'm no expert, but, There should have been a rendering by now, am I right?:shrug:

[BUFFALOVE!!]

anything on The Gates Circle Condo Tower or Dulski Renovation yet? It's been about a year hasen't it? I'm no expert, but, There should have been a rendering by now, am I right?:shrug:

Or how about the Statler renovation or the Buffalo City Tower. The article on BuffaloRising made it seem like a brochure should be out with in the past month or so. I’m just getting antsy and nervous because id friggen die if that project fell through and the no news for a month is just scaring me.

[homestar]

anything on The Gates Circle Condo Tower or Dulski Renovation yet? It's been about a year hasen't it? I'm no expert, but, There should have been a rendering by now, am I right?
I don't think it's been a year yet... more like late summer or early fall.

Still, they've been awfully quiet.

[homestar]

Don't list a nursing home as a major development for ANY city ...ever... again. thanks!
Fool.

ANY project that involves an expensive cable-stayed signature bridge that may never get built, is worthy of mention in the Buffalo threads.

So, this project qualifies.

[westcoastperspective]

Ellicott Commons....Tenants will start moving in soon. Most of the units are already leased- some at close to $3000 (units with rooftop patios).

http://img407.imageshack.us/img407/6569/dsc0158ky3.jpg

http://img407.imageshack.us/img407/9004/dsc0156pd3.jpg

http://img407.imageshack.us/img407/8311/dsc0083wz3.jpg

[homestar]

^^ Wow. $3000 per month for a rental... In a city where $1000 per month can get you an extremely nice apartment.

How do these people get their money? I want in!

[westcoastperspective]

The Roanoke Bldg. expansion approved today by the Preservation Board. Aids Community Services is using the new space for expanded programs.

http://img120.imageshack.us/img120/2366/roanokemainfb3.jpg

http://img464.imageshack.us/img464/3268/roanoke1fj1.jpg

http://buffalorising.com/story/roanoke_building_expansion_app#sca

[steel]

There is that guy with the Photoshop lens flare again. WTF!

[BANKofMANHATTAN]

There is that guy with the Photoshop lens flare again. WTF!

seriously, that's gotta stop.

they're not even warranted.

Photoshop does have other features you know.

[chevy064]

There is that guy with the Photoshop lens flare again. WTF!

LOL - in the front elevation it kinda works as a reflection of the sun off the glass facade.

On the other elevations it looks like a mistake. Not sure what they were going for as brick tends to not have "reflective" qualities.

:shrug:

[westcoastperspective]

Silvestri seems to be one of the busier architectural firms in the city all of a sudden. Roanoke, Niagara Center, 878 Main and Statler Towers are some of their most recent projects.

[homestar]

Firm leases space in Cobblestone District
By Fred O. Williams
04/06/07

Clark Patterson Associates, a Rochester-based architect and engineering firm, has signed a lease at 26 Mississippi St. in Buffalo’s Cobblestone District, marking a milestone in the district’s redevelopment, the developer said Thursday.

“We have now filled 26 Mississippi — in a pretty short time,” said Eva M. Hassett, executive vice president of developer Savarino Construction Services Corp.

Built in 1910, the 18,000- square-foot building is part of a block of former dry-goods warehouses that are being turned into offices, apartments and retail space. The Mississippi block sits between Perry Street and South Park Avenue.

The 4,500-square-foot office leased to Clark Patterson will house its Buffalo-area office, which is moving from its current location in Cheektowaga.

“We’re excited about everything that’s going on at the foot of Main Street,” senior associate Steven Ranalli said, citing specifically plans for a Bass Pro outlet and the proximity of the HSBC Arena.

Clark Patterson will have seven employees in the office, which is to open in July, he said. The 210-employee architecture and engineering firm has offices in five upstate New York cities and in Georgia, North Carolina and South Carolina, he said.

Elsewhere on the Mississippi block, an Irish pub is set to open in renovated space in about two weeks, Hassett said.


http://www.buffalonews.com/147/story/47949.html

[westcoastperspective]

Firm leases space in Cobblestone District
By Fred O. Williams
04/06/07

Clark Patterson Associates, a Rochester-based architect and engineering firm, has signed a lease at 26 Mississippi St. in Buffalo’s Cobblestone District, marking a milestone in the district’s redevelopment, the developer said Thursday.

“We have now filled 26 Mississippi — in a pretty short time,” said Eva M. Hassett, executive vice president of developer Savarino Construction Services Corp.

Built in 1910, the 18,000- square-foot building is part of a block of former dry-goods warehouses that are being turned into offices, apartments and retail space. The Mississippi block sits between Perry Street and South Park Avenue.

The 4,500-square-foot office leased to Clark Patterson will house its Buffalo-area office, which is moving from its current location in Cheektowaga.

“We’re excited about everything that’s going on at the foot of Main Street,” senior associate Steven Ranalli said, citing specifically plans for a Bass Pro outlet and the proximity of the HSBC Arena.

Clark Patterson will have seven employees in the office, which is to open in July, he said. The 210-employee architecture and engineering firm has offices in five upstate New York cities and in Georgia, North Carolina and South Carolina, he said.

Elsewhere on the Mississippi block, an Irish pub is set to open in renovated space in about two weeks, Hassett said.


http://www.buffalonews.com/147/story/47949.html

I'm vaguely familiar with that building... ;)

[DetroitSky]

Congratulations Buffalo :tup:

[steel]

Silvestri seems to be one of the busier architectural firms in the city all of a sudden. Roanoke, Niagara Center, 878 Main and Statler Towers are some of their most recent projects.

They must have a lot of talent

[STERNyc]

Re: The Skyway.

Buffalo should accept that the Skyway is there to stay, as NYC has accepted its urban planning mistakes the WestSide Highway (now at streetlevel) and the FDR Drive are there to stay. After years of political wrangling and millions promised in federal funds NYC still found it impossible to tunnel a mere few blocks of the WestSide highway. Likewise, forget about a tunnel for the Skyway.

The fact that the Skyway is raised is actually an advantage as pedestrians don't have to worry about crossing a physical barrier; it’s just a visual barrier that they can transverse far easier with the right amount of vision and foresight. Buffalo needs to think beyond the Erie Canal Harbor Development and beyond the limitations of its past mistakes and embrace the Skyway as an opportunity, much as NYC has done after they hired innovative A-List architects Richard Rogers Partnership and Sharples Holden and Pasquarelli Architects to push the envelope and reinvent what is otherwise a past mistake, cutting off the East River waterfront with the FDR Drive. They propose keeping the FDR after examining proposals to tear it down, and to remake the underside of the FDR into an urban panorama, a sheltered colonnade with retail, recreational facilities, food pavilions, and seating as well as a boardwalk area. That it what needs to be done with the skyway, it can be made into a destination!

The FRD now:

http://www.downtownexpress.com/de_74/city5.jpg

Look vaguely familiar?

What the FDR will be, what the Skyway could also be (the skyway has the advantage of being raised higher):

http://www.downtownexpress.com/de_74/city4.jpg

http://downtownexpress.com/de_59/river.jpg

http://www.downtownexpress.com/de_75/waterfront.gif

http://www.downtownexpress.com/de_96/boardeast.gif

http://www.downtownexpress.com/de_96/render2a.gif

http://www.tropolism.com/archives/water.slide.4.jpg

http://www.nyc.gov/html/dcp/gif/erw/esplanadeview_shop.jpg


LMDC:

The new waterfront walkway will include traditional waterfront amenities such as seating and plantings, as well as innovative improvements that blend into the areas beneath the FDR. Initially, Pasquarelli and Rogers considered lowering parts of the elevated freeway to ground level, but the cost was prohibitive. Eventually the team decided that the FDR's aggressive form could be used to instill the site with energy.

Taking advantage of the natural "roof" that is the FDR Drive, the plan proposes that the underside of the FDR, as well as the steel beams that support the freeway, be clad with contoured metal and sound attenuating material with enhanced lighting. Such artistic touches would mesh well with an elaborate system of landscaped noise barriers (also known as berms) and shelters to be scattered along the waterfront. Planted with colorful shrubs and wild grasses, the berms will rise right out of the pavement's surface. A series of glass pavilions planned for underneath the FDR viaduct will include commercial, cultural, and community uses that will complement the public open space experience by bringing activity and the vitality of New York City to the water's edge.

[homestar]

Buffalo should accept that the Skyway is there to stay, as NYC has accepted its urban planning mistakes the WestSide Highway (now at streetlevel) and the FDR Drive are there to stay. After years of political wrangling and millions promised in federal funds NYC still found it impossible to tunnel a mere few blocks of the WestSide highway. Likewise, forget about a tunnel for the Skyway.
Sternyc - that was an excellent post! I don't think the people involved with the skyway decsions have really considered how the current skyway could be improved for pedestrians underneath.

What is that status of the FDR Drive project? Is it fully funded? Does it have a start date yet?

[Halovet]

All of this is very exciting, but lets not start slaping each other on the ass just yet. The preservationist haven't begun to clown yet.:fingerscrossed: :hyper:

GOTDAMIT! I KNEW IT!:hell:



Bass Pro deal likely to end up in court
Critics charge concept doesn’t fit historic theme

By Mark Sommer
Updated: 04/08/07 10:24 AM



http://media.buffalonews.com/smedia/2007/04/08/09/821-0408bassmapweb.standalone.prod_affiliate.50.jpg

Here we go again. The battle over how to develop Erie Canal Harbor has returned with a tentative agreement to locate a Bass Pro Outdoor World on the Central Wharf.

The result, critics predict, will now be what Buffalonians dread — more lawsuits and delays.

They say the tackle and hunting store — and four multitiered parking ramps to be built within one block of the site — will irrevocably alter the historic site’s authenticity and pedestrian-friendly ambience.

“There’s nothing wrong with putting Bass Pro on the water, but it is essentially a large suburban store being plopped down on the most historic urban site in the city,” said Richard Lippes, board member of the Preservation Coalition of Erie County.

But Larry Quinn of the Erie Canal Harbor Development Board, who negotiated the nonbinding, predevelopment agreement with business leader Mindy Rich, said critics are overreacting and misinformed.

He said the retail giant will be in a building that has “an authentic look and scale” and will generate the desired pedestrian activity for the inner harbor.

The critics — including five business leaders who requested anonymity fearing political repercussions — also complain that closed-door negotiations upended a state-approved consensus plan in place after a painstaking, years-long public process.

Lippes, who is general counsel to three organizations — Buffalo Niagara Riverkeeper, Sierra Club and the Preservation Coalition — that went to court to stop an earlier waterfront plan, said a new lawsuit is all but a certainty.

“It is my expectation that those organizations will uniformly want to assure the [existing] plan continues, including litigation if necessary,” Lippes said.

One business executive said planned parking spaces — a 300-car ramp at Erie Canal Harbor, 500-car parking ramps on the nearby Webster and Donovan blocks, and a 1,000- car ramp on the site of Memorial Auditorium — were too close to the site.

“Parking structures are death to an urban landscape,” he said. “There is no vibrancy, no street activity, no visual appeal. It is like driving a stake through the heart of downtown.”

Quinn countered that argument by saying development at the inner harbor requires substantial proximity parking to be successful.

Departure from plan

The biggest departure from the state-approved plan, Quinn claimed, is jettisoning the openair public and festival space along the Central Wharf.

“I think the whole notion that you build a plaza that is the site for a couple of open-air concerts a year is a very limited vision of what the waterfront can be. We’re proposing a bigger vision,” Quinn said.

He and other supporters say bringing a Bass Pro store to the newly named Canal Side district is the tourism magnet needed to jump-start development. They say shops and restaurants are sure to trail behind the anchor store, and with an added emphasis on fishing and boating, produce a thriving destination point.

“This is the best project that will happen in my lifetime in Buffalo,” declared Anthony Gioia, chairman of Erie Canal Development Board. “We’ve got the money. We’ve got the client. We’ve got the developer. This thing is ready to go.”

Gov. Eliot L. Spitzer, who visited Buffalo on Wednesday, applauded the tentative agreement with Bass Pro. The governor was unaware of criticism over the deal.

“It’s the first that I’ve heard that there are significant concerns about the way that decision was made. The more important thing is that the project is moving forward,” Spitzer said. “We will take a look at it to see what the concerns are, but again it’s important that the project move forward.”

The historic 12-acre canal site, centered around the recently excavated Commercial Slip, has a stormy history. Gov. George E. Pataki halted a generic plan in 2000, following public opposition and court challenges after buried slip walls were discovered.

The governor’s call for a more heritage-based plan was finalized in 2004 after a lengthy public process. The plan celebrates the site’s history and incorporates public space, recreation, and small-scale, mixed-use development that includes shops and restaurants.

Guidelines prohibit parking ramps and “large-scale big box retail spaces that discourage street level activity and interaction.”

Quinn, however, questions whether the three-story Bass Pro, which he expects to occupy 120,000 square feet, fits that description, and said the store would generate enormous street traffic.

A long courtship

Pitfalls also have followed attempts to lure Bass Pro to Buffalo. A long courting begun in 2001 led to a November 2004 announcement that the retailer would be part of a 250,000- square-foot development in a retrofitted Aud. The company backed out last year, concluding it would not be economical. It then turned its attention to the smaller, nearby Central Wharf.

Critics complain the negotiators did not solicit more input from the community.

Scot Fisher, president of Righteous Babe Records and one of the activists who successfully fought for a history-based plan, expressed anger that the agreement already in place was being usurped.

“Who appointed Larry Quinn and Mindy Rich to represent the community? Where are our elected officials?” Fisher said. “What’s happened is profoundly insulting to the people of Buffalo and Western New York, and we will fight this.”

A business leader also expressed disapproval.

“It wasn’t an inclusive process,” he said. “There was no involvement of organizations like the [Buffalo Niagara] Convention and Visitors Bureau, and Buffalo Place.”

But Quinn pointed out that he consulted with political leaders and others, including Rep. Brian Higgins, D-Buffalo, Mayor Byron Brown and County Executive Joel A. Giambra.

“I involved everybody that I think had a place at the table,” said Quinn, who noted that business negotiations are typically conducted in private with a small number of people.

The process of negotiating the Bass Pro deal isn’t the only objection. Some business leaders question the result.

“I don’t like the economics of the deal, and I don’t like it from an urban planning perspective,” one business executive said. “It’s a big building, it’s too close to the water, and there is way too much parking around it.”

A downtown business leader said he is concerned it’s a suburban plan for an urban setting.

“People don’t want Disneyland, they want authentic history, and that is where we were headed with this site before Bass Pro landed there,” said the downtown business leader who requested anonymity.

Mark Goldman, author of the newly published “City on the Edge: Buffalo, New York,” also expressed dissatisfaction with what he considers a doomed “silver bullet” solution.

“I don’t think we should sell off our waterfront to big-box retailers. It doesn’t make any sense. Plus, from my perspective it’s too highly leveraged with [$25 million] of public money.”

But Quinn said he has studied successful waterfronts in Chicago, Boston and elsewhere, and believes the proposal — which he said needs “refinement” — can make Canal Side a premiere destination attraction.

The agreement calls for Bass Pro to receive $25 million for construction costs, along with free rent and no real estate taxes. In return it must pay $300,000 to support activities and cleanup for the entire site.

Quinn defended the amount, saying it would cost Bass Pro “a fortune” to develop the company’s most challenging and unusual building.

He also expects some to fiercely oppose it.

Tim Tielman of the Campaign for Greater Buffalo said he’ll be among those doing so.

“This is an absolutely redmeat issue for us,” Tielman said, “and I can’t believe they have the temerity to impose something like this on that site.”

msommer@buffnews.com

[BANKofMANHATTAN]

Well, if people have problems with stores being in cities, go live in the f'ing country. It's business, and business that the city NEEDS, mind you.

Sure, I'm for preserving things that need preserving. But when your city's in need of revitalization, you need to let some development happen so there will be something TO PRESERVE.

The land just sits there, useless, abandoned, or shovel-ready - but sure enough, the minute someone tries to do something beneficial with it - boom! They're on it like flies on shit : "We think it's wrong to do so and so in this spot, so were going to take you to court for 10 years, loose business and interest in the area, and let some weeds grow there instead." Bravo, i hope they're happy.

Hmm...why aren't people coming downtown? why are people moving away?

They sure can come up with ways to stop people, but I don't see them coming up with good solutions to big problems or looking at things in the long-run.

There are plenty of things worth saving, but don't kill your city doing it.
Let the city build itself up again and take advantage of the great things
it has to offer.

[Legend]

I was born and raised in Buffalo for 26 years. Received my education from there and attempted to create a business there. Here is the problem, they try and try to re-build and re-create, but lets face it, Buffalo cannot and will not pull anything off. They have been trying to build a new peace bridge, a new waterfront, a new downtown, a new eveerything for as long as I can remember, and NOTHING ever follows through. Just like saving the old grain elevators! For what! Rats and rust?! And no, Im not saying a casino is the answer, but at least its something.

Look at what happens when development is allowed...a great example being Niagara Falls Ontario. That place is on fire!

Thats whay myself and countless others have left Buffalo. I now reside in Atlanta, and its explosive with growth. New skyscrapers going up faster than you can count! Historic or not, they just keep building. There was an area where an old steel mill existed, and now they transformed that old brownfield into an whole new thriving city know as Atlantic Station. Could you even see that happening to the old Bethlehem Steel site?

Im not trying to be negative, but lets face the facts. When you only allow a few developers to develop everything in an area, wont let anybody else in, and have corrupt politics, nothing will happen. Let progress happen!

[Sulley]

Why do you hate Buffalo so much?

[Legend]

I didnt say I hate. Its a city where nothing ever gets done. There is no development there. Jobs are few and far in betwen. Look how many people have and are leaving. The politics are horrible. The taxes insane. Its a city where nothing ever changes, but everything remains the same.

[BANKofMANHATTAN]

I didnt say I hate. Its a city where nothing ever gets done. There is no development there. Jobs are few and far in betwen. Look how many people have and are leaving. The politics are horrible. The taxes insane. Its a city where nothing ever changes, but everything remains the same.

I agree, I, by no means hate Buffalo, but there are many contributing factors to the halted development. It can be frustrating when all you want to see for a city is for it to get better.

Looking at Buffalo from Atlanta must be even more frustrating because of the amount/frequency of development is so high. It would make it seem as though nothing at all is happening in Buffalo, when in reality there are still some projects actually getting done.

I definitely agree that the taxes are absolutely insane and the politics are off the hook. They are both unattractive points about Buffalo.

Oddly enough, there are people leaving Pittsburgh according to the lastest census numbers and there's still lots of new development all around the city. Its also being rated very highly on the "Best cheapest places to retire to" list. Now I'm not sure how the rate of people leaving PGH compares to BFLO, but it shows that is not necessarily a development-stopper.

[Visiteur]

Sometimes, I wish someone would go through Buffalo City Hall and shoot all the politicians. Is that a bad thing?:koko:

[Downtown Bolivar]

I'm really disappointed by how much opposition has been stirred up against this new version of Bass Pro. I hope that large companies stay away from Buffalo for good--this city needs to wake up! It largely deserves everything that happens to it. Maybe they could build Bass Pro in Cheektovegas or Amherst or better yet Charlotte Beach in Rochester on the fast ferry terminal site. Truly pathetic Buffalo! It makes me glad that I live in Allegany County--and that's really saying something!

[Sulley]

PEOPLE!

Quit thinking like me, okay?

[Sgt. Sabre]

Sometimes, I wish someone would go through Buffalo City Hall and shoot all the politicians. Is that a bad thing?:koko:

You take City Hall, I'll take the State Legislature chambers.

We need two more volunteers - one for County Hall and one for Washington.

[homestar]

Cars Sharing Main Street project has been delayed.


Main Street Traffic?

Why aren't cars on Main street in downtown Buffalo?
2 On Your Side talks to a top city official about the matter.

Buffalo Commissioner of Permits and Inspection, Richard Tobe admits the timeline has changed. Tobe says the federal environmental review called on the city to answer safety questions. Last week, the city submitted the final documents for review.

You may be able to drive downtown Main street in Buffalo, NY in 2009 or 2010.

http://www.wgrz.com/news/news_article.aspx?storyid=47007

[Downtown Bolivar]

Cars Sharing Main Street project has been delayed.

You may be able to drive downtown Main street in Buffalo, NY in 2009 or 2010.

http://www.wgrz.com/news/news_article.aspx?storyid=47007

Or maybe never?:whip:

[steel]

interesting bro post first in a series
http://buffalorising.com/story/video_johnson_park_horizon_rea#entry

[Sulley]

DBolivar, you're sounding more and more like me. Watch it...

[homestar]

http://img400.imageshack.us/img400/4756/dsc01623bgte3.jpg


http://img340.imageshack.us/img340/3175/dsc01623bvx0.jpg

[Halovet]

DBolivar, you're sounding more and more like me. Watch it...Naw, he just knows how things can be in Buffalo. We're all thinking it, he just said it first.:yes: Hey, is the NEW ERA sign Awesome or what?:banana: and to think what the dam thing looked like before. REMARKABLE!:tup:

[Halovet]

Cars Sharing Main Street project has been delayed.


Main Street Traffic?

Why aren't cars on Main street in downtown Buffalo?
2 On Your Side talks to a top city official about the matter.

Buffalo Commissioner of Permits and Inspection, Richard Tobe admits the timeline has changed. Tobe says the federal environmental review called on the city to answer safety questions. Last week, the city submitted the final documents for review.

You may be able to drive downtown Main street in Buffalo, NY in 2009 or 2010.

http://www.wgrz.com/news/news_article.aspx?storyid=47007
Hey, WCP posted this last Feb 1st. work was to begin Fall 2006. Perhaps Downtown Bolivar is right. "Maybe Never?" :shrug:




Car sharing Main rendering from Buffalo Place:

http://img22.imageshack.us/img22/6262/carsonmain1ga.jpg

Cars Sharing Main Street Open House:
Wednesday, February 1, 2006
4:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. - Lobby of the Market Arcade Film and Arts Center - 639 Main Street, Buffalo NY 14203

This informational meeting is expected to be the first of a series and will focus on the current status of the project and an overview of design issues being considered by the engineering and project team.

Staff and consultants familiar with the project will be available to answer questions and discuss project objectives throughout the meeting. Written comments pertaining to the project will be accepted.

Should you need further information, please contact Mr. John Bidell, Project Engineer for the City of Buffalo at 716/851-5625, or Debra Chernoff, Buffalo Place Manager of Planning at dchernoff@buffaloplace.com.

Preliminary Engineering for Cars Sharing Main Street will determine the design and location of Metro Rail stations, an attractive pedestrian streetscape, how traffic signals, bicycles and short-term curb parking spaces will be incorporated and coordinate with developments in lower Main Street.

The design will utilize the “Share the Train Way” design alternative, selected through the New York State Environmental Review, SEQRA, in 2003.

Future Cars Sharing Main Street Open Houses will present alternative design concepts for public opinion (expected this spring) and the preferred alternative will be developed over the summer and be publicly presented in the Fall. Final design of the first construction phase is expected to start in the fall of 2006.

[Downtown Bolivar]

Sorry for the negative tone lately--just been really bummed out that things seemed to have stalled all at once. I've kind of retreated back to my fantasy of "what could be" if we could just get our stuff together.

There just seems to be a real confusion in Buffalo about what is positive deveopment and what is negative development. Private investment and even public-private investments are good because they add to the tax rolls. Public projects, which in the case of the waterfront seems what preservationists want across the board will not help Buffalo to get back on its feet. We only have to look as far as Baltimore to see how this works (still bitter that Cordish tried it in Buffalo first but was rebuffed in the early 80's). My big concern is that without new major private investment or public-private partnerships within the city, Buffalo is going to have a big problem with long term viability. If public employees think they are living a nightmare now without raises, bankruptcy will be even worse.

At least the Sabres won last night--15 more to go!

[westcoastperspective]

AM&As back up for sale. :(

http://buffalorising.com/story/black_cloud_returns#sca

[Sulley]

CORDISH tried a development in Buffalo and was rebuffed? Oh my GOD... :no:

[westcoastperspective]

CORDISH tried a development in Buffalo and was rebuffed? Oh my GOD... :no:

Their plan for waterfront village was a joke, then they tried to get in on the inner harbor development team, and went no where. Their reputation here is garbage- see Rainbow Centre Mall in NF. Slumlords.

[believeinbflo]

AM&As back up for sale. :(

http://buffalorising.com/story/black_cloud_returns#sca

may the steve christie poster stay up forever.

[Downtown Bolivar]

I don't think anything in Niagara Falls should be held up as a good example of anyone's development skills. That place, much like the whirlpool downriver is a vortex that flushes people's hopes and dreams down the toilet. I lived there for 15 years and each year was convinced it couldn't get worse--guess what--IT DID!

The substance of Cordish's plan for the outer harbor in the 80's really doesn't matter--it just serves notice to national developers that it's impossible to get anything done. Speaking of AM&A's, doesn't downtown need a surface lot on Main for the return of vehicular traffic. Hmm...better sign off...I'm on a roll. Nearly 30 years of frustration in the making.

15 games and counting...

[Halovet]

AM&As back up for sale. :(

http://buffalorising.com/story/black_cloud_returns#scaI KNEW IT!

[westcoastperspective]

Three versions of the waterfront marketplace...

http://img144.imageshack.us/img144/104/wfrfc0.jpg

sorry, too lazy to individually scan

[Halovet]

I like the third version.

[Halovet]

Kensington Village, the area’s first major suburban apartment complex, could be reborn as a gated community for students.







Student housing complex planned
$96 million project will convert Kensington Village in Cheektowaga



Updated: 04/14/07 7:35 AM

http://media.buffalonews.com/smedia/2007/04/14/06/267-bn-20070414-D001-studenthousingc-59729-MI0001.standalone.prod_affiliate.50.jpg

Kensington Village in Cheektowaga, the area’s first major suburban apartment complex, will be converted into a gated community for student housing in a nearly $100 million project.
http://media.buffalonews.com/smedia/2007/04/14/07/158-kenville04142007.standalone.prod_affiliate.50.gif
The apartments just off Eggert Road near the Buffalo city line will be aimed at students attending the University at Buffalo and Buffalo State, Daemen, Canisius, Erie Community, Medaille and Villa Maria colleges.

The Town of Cheektowaga would convey Kenville Road to the developer under the plan to spend up to $96 million to renovate 529 apartments, build a community center and new pool.

“I think it’s terrific,” Cheektowaga Planning Board Chairman Anthony Sisti said. “I like the fact it’s going to be for students. I like the fact they’re remodeling the whole thing. I really think it’s going to be an improvement over there.”

The Planning Board has approved the site plan for the project, pending the legal approval for the town to convey the road and sanitary sewers to entities headed by developer Mark Chason.

The renovation is to take place in two phases, with the first phase of renovating 70 buildings for 552 beds starting this summer. The second phase would start next year, for 652 beds in 82 buildings.

The development is to be called University Centre Student Housing Community.

“This new off-campus community, located within minutes from the academic centers, downtown Buffalo and numerous arts, entertainment and cultural attractions, will create a blended environment of shared learning and living for a diverse college community,” said Chason. “We are working to develop a comprehensive model for student living that will stimulate new business growth and property value stabilization throughout the neighborhood.”

Some student apartments in Amherst have generated complaints from neighbors about rowdiness, and more than 200 police calls in a year. But Cheektowaga officials are encouraged that University Centre will have private security, and student tenants would have to enter through a gate.

“It’s a safe project,” Supervisor James J. Jankowiak said. “I think it gives the parents a sense of well-being.”

“I think that would protect them,” Sisti said. “Sometimes they [students] become easy prey for people.”

MSH-Kenmore, under an agreement with Capstone Chason Development, wants to acquire, redesign, rehabilitate and convert the apartments, according to the town. The Kenmore Housing Authority would issue up to $96 million in tax-exempt bonds for the project.

A total of 1,208 beds will be available in one-, two- and fourbedroom apartments in buildings on the 51-acre site, according to a project overview provided for the Kenmore Housing Authority.

The developers plan to reposition the property, and include about 16 acres of green space. Twelve buildings may be demolished. A running track and an outdoor basketball court would be centrally located, and the developers plan to build a 16,000-square-foot community center with meeting rooms, student lounges with fireplace, community theater, gym and fitness room, outdoor pool, vending and rental offices.

About one-quarter of Kensington Village’s current tenants are students, and the developer is hoping the complex’s proximity to area colleges will attract more, according to the overview.

Chason said the new housing will be a change for some of Kensington Village’s current residents.

“As part of our planning, we are sensitive to the needs of those residents and their relocation opportunities. This is a phased development plan that will happen over a couple of years and will not affect the entire property,” he said.

The growth of private student housing is a nationwide phenomenon, said Joseph K. Krakowiak, UB’s director of housing.

“It’s a style,” he said.

Many university students live off campus, and UB does not require them to live on campus, he said.

“We know statistically people who live on campus, especially new students, do better academically and stay with us,” he said. But he added, “I don’t think one size fits all.”

Since the development would be nonprofit, town officials hope to negotiate a payment- in-lieu-of-taxes agreement that would provide the town with payments equivalent to what it receives in taxes today from the complex.

The late Herbert S. Chason developed more than 1,000 apartments at Kensington Village in the late 1940s and 1950s.

bobrien@buffnews.com

[steel]

I don't know, this just sounds like a "keep the coloreds out of cheektowaga "project to me. I am not sure why.

[Downtown Bolivar]

I like the 2nd or 3rd versions. Is it just me or does the 1st version look like the main branch of the Niagara Falls public library?

[Halovet]

I don't know, this just sounds like a "keep the coloreds out of cheektowaga "project to me. I am not sure why.Strange you should say that. My niece lives in that Amherst complex, she's what you would call "Colored" (so am I for that matter:haha: ) and has been raising "Holy Hell" out there sence she's been there, six years now. She was one of the first few people of color out there. Fair or not, trust is earned. I told her what a resposability she had going in, and her Dad's (my Brother) good standing was the selling point in the decision to let her in there. Seems she brought the entire Hip~Hop Nation with her. I don't know about kids today. No respect for anything. I thank God I came up in the 60's.:offtopic: :rant: Oh Well!

Anyway steel, I agree, but, I'm not sure I blame them given the problems in other burbs.:shrug:

[steel]

I like the 2nd or 3rd versions. Is it just me or does the 1st version look like the main branch of the Niagara Falls public library?


The 1st and 3rd are the same

WCP, I wish I was as big a geek as you and saved all those clippings. You and I need to do something with the corner of Allen and Main on BRO. I have a picture of the buildings that used to sit on that shovel ready site. I think you said you have clippings of the controversy over demo?

[westcoastperspective]

The 1st and 3rd are the same

WCP, I wish I was as big a geek as you and saved all those clippings. You and I need to do something with the corner of Allen and Main on BRO. I have a picture of the buildings that used to sit on that shovel ready site. I think you said you have clippings of the controversy over demo?

I think I have two clippings about that corner- one about Towne's plans for a restaurant there, the other about the City wanting to tear it down.

That must have happened in the early years when I didn't save everything. :) It's really only 1 1/2 filing cabinets full (and growing) :koko:

[Halovet]

Isn't The Anchor Bar at Allen and Main? Or P~D close? Seems to me another
restaurant might be in order, but it would have to be unique

[homestar]

If the city is going to reconfigure the train station at Allen, it may be a good opportunity for new business to move nearby.