Sisters is gross, dirty, and disgusting. Level it!

have you been in sisters?

Yes, that's why I said it was gross and dirty - especially the ER. Ugh, I get grossed out just thinking about it.

it is still the most profitabl hospital in the cathoilc health system. It is also the very first hospital in Buffalo. So if they did close it, CHS would loose a lot of profit and Buffalo would loose its first hospital.

..and a lot of germs and bacteria would lose a place to fester ;)

no, sisters hospital is clean. Every hospital that is more than 10 years old looks dirty.

Well St Joes is the closest hospital for the Alden, Lancaster, Eastern Suburbs
right now and its a 15 to 20 minutes ride now Lights & Sirens that's already a long time to do CPR etc... the next closest hospitals would be Mercy or Suburban your looking at 25 minutes or more Eta to the closest facility, Well if St Joes does close and you have a cardiac Arrest in Lancaster or Alden, you might as well call the ME.

DT doesn't like Sisters because it is on Humboldt Pkwy where the poor people don't have Cheescake Factories.

At one time or another I've been in almost every hospital in WNY, the only one that I can say is legitimately'dirty' would be the VA hospital...but I cut them a slack becuase its for veterans. But they have great views of Buffalo and NF so that negates the dirtiness imo.

..and a lot of germs and bacteria would lose a place to fester ;)
Well it is a hospital, after all. One of only a few places where germs are actually intentionally grown and cultivated.

At least their negatives seem to be custodial and not patient care. I'd chalk that up as a positive, especially if it is so filthy and their recovery rates are still so good!

As for festering, maybe the LoCocos moved back to Cheektowaga (or maybe they never left?). For those who don't remember, they were the focus of news reports 10-15 (I forget exactly) years ago. You know, the people that live with a 2 foot carpet of garbage, feces, etc. Dog poops on the carpet they think nothing of it, etc.

If you draw a 10 mile circle around Gates and a 10 mile circle around Suburban you will find a far far far higher population within the Gates Hospital circle.
An you will also see a far far far and far higher hospital bed to population ratio in the gates 10 mile circle than in the suburban circle. Your argument is naive at best, and is so tainted by your personal bias against those that voted with their feet, to move to a better life in the burb's, that it is rendered meaningless.

An you will also see a far far far and far higher hospital bed to population ratio in the gates 10 mile circle than in the suburban circle. Your argument is naive at best, and is so tainted by your personal bias against those that voted with their feet, to move to a better life in the burb's, that it is rendered meaningless.

Actually jerome you are incorrect

and as far as voting with their feet...yes they did decide to abandon the city and all of its treasures to live in plastic sided bliss among the chain restaurants and to leave our societal problems for someone else to deal with. Weather they actually have found a better life in the burbs is very much questionable.

In all fairness, even the 'plastic sided bliss' and chain restaurants are comparatively new to suburbia, at least Buffalo's version. I don't like everything about it myself, but I think you're putting the cart before the horse here.

Tonawanda, much of both West Seneca and Hamburg, NW Orchard Park, and gosh, even Cheektowaga predate the recent scourge of chain restaurants and plastic housing. Many of those areas are actually natural and logical extensions of the city; it doesn't take a magnifying glass or a degree in urban planning to see that.

WTF is up with the avatars on this site? (Along with everything else.) Mine was hosted off-site and still had the 'red x'.

Hmm... Aren't a lot of the old wood frame homes in the city of Buffalo now covered in vinyl siding as well?

And speaking of shitty internet, I my cable internet just shit the bed again. Ugh. When FIOS is finished being installed, I'm jumping ship faster than you can say "Titanic".

It's doing that a lot lately because of the migration of systems from Adelphia to Time Warner.

I hear there may be a big announcement on Monday.

I met some dude from Winnepeg today downtown that is now moving here to the Buff...he stopped me as I was walking down the 500 block to (randomly) let me know that we have such amazing buildings that he wished they had in Canada. He was taking pics of the Goldedome bank at that moment. Apparently he was just visiting some family in Toronto and decided to (permanently) take a day trip down to Buffalo to see what we're all about. His biggest compliment had to do with renovating old buildings and turning them into apts...supposedly there are laws against that in Canada (according to him) so it was new for him to see. I wound up talking to him for about an hour about different things that are going on around the city and the history of the city. He couldn't comprehend why developers weren't devouring up the surface lots and older buildings.

I hear there may be a big announcement on Monday.

what kind of announcement?

- T.W. acknowledging that they rape their customers with their prices?
- a new T.W. Tower?
- John Rigas is taking over T.W. Cable?

what kind of announcement?

- T.W. acknowledging that they rape their customers with their prices?
- a new T.W. Tower?
- John Rigas is taking over T.W. Cable?

Who cares about TW.

I hear there may be a big announcement on Monday.

tower tease...

Time Warner...Road Runner



SUCKS!!!

as for hopsitals...bring back the death wagons of the cholera years. :scouserd:

I met some dude from Winnepeg today downtown that is now moving here to the Buff...he stopped me as I was walking down the 500 block to (randomly) let me know that we have such amazing buildings that he wished they had in Canada. He was taking pics of the Goldedome bank at that moment. Apparently he was just visiting some family in Toronto and decided to (permanently) take a day trip down to Buffalo to see what we're all about. His biggest compliment had to do with renovating old buildings and turning them into apts...supposedly there are laws against that in Canada (according to him) so it was new for him to see. I wound up talking to him for about an hour about different things that are going on around the city and the history of the city. He couldn't comprehend why developers weren't devouring up the surface lots and older buildings.

There are plenty of buildings that have been converted into residential use in Canada... Silly Winterpegian. A prime example would be One King West in Toronto.

It's doing that a lot lately because of the migration of systems from Adelphia to Time Warner.
Makes sense, but there's more to it. It's been intermittent sometimes long before the takeover. I was thinking it was my cable modem getting too old, but it just doesn't hold water. About a month ago when there was a cut line that evidently knocked out both the Buffalo and Erie markets, that was the last straw.

FIOS is more channels at a lower cost, and cheaper internet (though I don't know how the speed & service compare). My apartment is already wired, and they've been working on the underground around the property for a few weeks now. I just don't know if the service is actually "turned on" in the area yet? Either way, the only thing missing from their lineup is MSG (Cablevision is illegally stonewalling them). Once the FCC clears that up (as they have several times in the past with this company), I'm all but gone.
Satellite prices without having the stupid dish or satellite company - what's better?

Though I still prefer Adelphia/TW to Comquack err Comcast. I didn't take too well to my bill going up 10% a year and consistently (albeit slowly) declining speeds & service.

Actually jerome you are incorrect



Actually I am not, if I am incorrect, then please provide the data that backs up the fact that there are fewer beds per persons in the Gates area than in the MF suburban area. But to use a 10 mile radius is ludicrous in an urban area. Why would you pick such a large radius? And if you did you would still want the hospitals scattered throughout the circle not concentrated in a one mile area. According to you. it is ok to have three major hospitals within one mile of each other but wasteful to have any in the suburbs. In a medical emergency time is of the essence - under your ideal many patients would arrive at the inner city hospital DOA... just like your argument.

There are plenty of buildings that have been converted into residential use in Canada... Silly Winterpegian. A prime example would be One King West in Toronto.

yeah but according to this guy who professes to be an urban planning enthusiast...it is much more difficult to it in Canada, more regulations and restrictions for some reason. I just told the guy that here in the Buff (or USA in general) you just buy an old building if you want and fix it up...with the biggest hurdle being the costs of renovation, not govt getting in the way with arbitrary regulations.

Winterpegian. Huh, sounds like someone is being almost...provincial.

But I suppose it's OK.

facetious \fuh-SEE-shuhs\, adjective:
1. Given to jesting; playfully jocular.
2. Amusing; intended to be humorous; not serious.


bj, I suppose that's true - our local governments even throw money at developers for conversion projects.

Actually I am not, if I am incorrect, then please provide the data that backs up the fact that there are fewer beds per persons in the Gates area than in the MF suburban area. But to use a 10 mile radius is ludicrous in an urban area. Why would you pick such a large radius? And if you did you would still want the hospitals scattered throughout the circle not concentrated in a one mile area. According to you. it is ok to have three major hospitals within one mile of each other but wasteful to have any in the suburbs. In a medical emergency time is of the essence - under your ideal many patients would arrive at the inner city hospital DOA... just like your argument.

You have not put your so called facts on the table. There are more people living on one Block of a Buffalo street than there are on 20 Amherst streets. If you want hospitals built where the people are then you would build one in Kenmore to serve North Buffalo, Kenmore and Tonawanda. You certainly would not choose Amherst. WNY needs to concentrate resources not spread them out. MF Suburban should have never been built. They should have pumped that money into Gates so that you had one great hospital instead of 2 watered down hospitals. Those 3 hospitals in a one mile radius are there because they are in the general center of the metro population...not on its fringe like Suburban is. Not everything revolves around Amherst. Like I asked earlier...are you advocating that a hospital be within a few blocks of every thinly spread out subdivision? Under your ideal everyone who chooses to move out into the wasteland has the right to demand instant medical care down the street. News flash...people move out to the burbs to get away from everything. They voted with their feet to be far away from hospital...remember!

I see what both are saying, but people moved to the suburbs trying to get away from everything (as stated) now that people are moving back to the city and perhaps by pattern the same people that should have moved to the suburbs or remained there...?

Places with the loft living, condos, West Village, Allentown and even North Buffalo have the same demographics as those living in Amherst, Tonawandas or even O Park.

With the influx of people moving back, the justification to leave the current hospital situation as is...is right on. Buffalo is changing, growing and evolving just like the suburbs are...nobody would open or build or even expand on any hospital unless it would be profitable.

Just leave the hospitals as they are...nothing is broke that I can see.

You have not put your so called facts on the table. There are more people living on one Block of a Buffalo street than there are on 20 Amherst streets.
Not to play devil's advocate...

Hopefully you're being, as DT highlighted, facetious \fuh-SEE-shuhs\.

Blocks in SW Amherst can compare quite nicely with any block in Buffalo. Plus you probably won't find as much abandoned housing (not that that's a good thing).

Plus we don't have 2 families, maybe 8-10 people, living in these Buffalo houses. People don't live like that anymore, and probably never will again.

Keep the suburb-bashing to arguments you can win.

I see what both are saying, but people moved to the suburbs trying to get away from everything (as stated) now that people are moving back to the city


LMAO at this comment. There has not been one census, estimate, or analysis of any kind from anyone showing that the population within the City of Buffalo has done anything but decline in any single year since at least 1950 and continuing through the most recent estimates released this year.

BTW the hospitals are broken here. We have too much brick and mortar that is costly to maintain which prevents the hopitals from investing in up to date technology. This causes a decline in the health care provided to the residents of this area. Take a look at the national hospital rankings when they come out and the only hospital on it in WNY for any category is Strong Memorial in Rochester.

Buffalo needs to quit living in a past that will never return and adjust to the realities of today.

If you want hospitals built where the people are then you would build one in Kenmore to serve North Buffalo, Kenmore and Tonawanda.

If you were not so backwardly provincial in your anti-suburb bias you would have enough knowledge to know that Kenmore Mercy Hospital really is intended to serve the Kenmore, Tonawanda area. You are so superficial in your "expertise" that you cannot be taken seriously anymore. Stick to subjects you at least have a clue about.

I have to agree with Jerome in this thread... Buffalo's hospitals are in dire need of a makeover. They're old and as evidenced by area hospitals not listed in national rankings, do not offer modern patient care. It's embarrassing.

We need a modern, state-of-the-art medical center that can compete with other facilities across the nation. I don't care if it's downtown or in the suburbs -- just get it built and get our medical care out of the 80s. I for one am sick of having to go back to Nashville (at Vanderbilt) to get my treatments done because there is no doctor in this area that can properly treat me.

Thank you - and based upon the proposal leaked to the media that is what the commission is proposing, It is a change that should be embraced, not one that needs to go down to defeat in yet another, Buffalo "we hate the way things are but don't you dare try to change them" battle for the status quo.

Some consolidated "super center" of sorts in the Medical Campus, I feel, would be perfect. You probably don't want to throw everything there (the whole 'all eggs in one basket' problem if something bad happens), but in general I think it's a great idea.

just an observation. buffalo has more hospitals than even quite a few larger cities,from what ive seen. it also has way more health care providers(catholic hospitals, kalieda, etc) than most comparable metros.
its great that we have such a robust medical sector. buffalo does infact offer a wider variety of services from a wider selection of providers than other upstate cities and the entire canadian health system for that matter. but i ask, are we a flooded market? many of our older facilities offer little more than emergency services and local clinic type activities that are duplicated at almost every hospital in america. should some of these facilities not be consolidated? or could their focus be shifted to handling more specified services? perhaps to services that are in limited supply or to emerging services that are projected to grow in the years to come.

If you are going to consolidate hospitals why would you put them on the fringes of the population. MF Suburban is on the fringe. It is in a thinly populated subdivision area. Farmland starts less than 3 miles from that hospital. I am all for consolidation of health care but investing in a hospital way out in the hinterland is stupid. Like I said MF suburban should have never been built in the first place. Are you suggesting that Buffalo should put its hospital investment way out in Amherst so that people who choose to move way out don't get inconvenienced? One of Buffalo's biggest problems is that it has not stopped spreading its limited resources out thinner and thinner. Jerome is not advocating for better hospitals for WNY he is advocating for better hospitals in Amherst. Everything for Amherst and the rest of WNY be damned. That has been their mantra.

LMAO at this comment. There has not been one census, estimate, or analysis of any kind from anyone showing that the population within the City of Buffalo has done anything but decline in any single year since at least 1950 and continuing through the most recent estimates released this year.

BTW the hospitals are broken here. We have too much brick and mortar that is costly to maintain which prevents the hopitals from investing in up to date technology. This causes a decline in the health care provided to the residents of this area. Take a look at the national hospital rankings when they come out and the only hospital on it in WNY for any category is Strong Memorial in Rochester.

Buffalo needs to quit living in a past that will never return and adjust to the realities of today.

if 6 people move from Love Joy to North Carolina, 3 from Riverside to Pittsburgh and 2 from the 1st ward to Amherst...but 10 move downtown, there is still a net loss right? I figure once the rest of the city is empty, we'll just start over from the middle.

One thing the hospitals should do is market themselves for certain procedures...like Heart Transplants (Buffalo General) Child Healthcare (Childrens) Cancer treatment (Roswell Park) but the others need to attract business, if Buffalo wants all these hospitals (which I think they do) then it's time to establish something with all the facilities. ECMC really does not help the cause, a county owned hospital in the middle of a private system throws it all out of whack.

U of R's Strong is only "strong" because they purchused hospitals and use them as research and education facilities and healthcare centers, behaps if UB purchused Sisters and Millard Fillmore...the entire situation in Buffalo would be different.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v69/Citysky/Buffalo%20West%20Village/IMG_5817.jpg

what about this one? lol

just an observation. buffalo has more hospitals than even quite a few larger cities,from what ive seen. it also has way more health care providers(catholic hospitals, kalieda, etc) than most comparable metros.
its great that we have such a robust medical sector.

Unfortunately our medical sector is far from robust. Hospital occupancy rates hover at the 50% rate. Over the last 10 years the local hospitals have had combined deficits in the tens of millions of dollars. The tiny surpluses of the last two years have done little to wipe out their accumulated deficts, let alone leave money for improvements to either their physical or technological plants. Rather than a few, well thought out, top quality hospitals we are left with a dozen old hospitals on life support. This situation benefits no one, neither City dweller nor suburbanite. Yet goofballs, such as Steel, want to maintain the status quo in the name of trying to put life into the city of Buffalo, it's a real shame.

if 6 people move from Love Joy to North Carolina, 3 from Riverside to Pittsburgh and 2 from the 1st ward to Amherst...but 10 move downtown, there is still a net loss right? I figure once the rest of the city is empty, we'll just start over from the middle..
Buffalo will never again have over 300,000 people within it's boundaries. With today’s smaller household sizes and the amount of available land, let alone desirable land it's just not going to be.

One thing the hospitals should do is market themselves for certain procedures...like Heart Transplants (Buffalo General) Child Healthcare (Childrens) Cancer treatment (Roswell Park) but the others need to attract business, if Buffalo wants all these hospitals (which I think they do) then it's time to establish something with all the facilities. ECMC really does not help the cause, a county owned hospital in the middle of a private system throws it all out of whack.

Problem is they are not good at the areas you suggest. Buffalo General no longer performs heart transplants because it could not meet standards.

Roswell Park did not even rate honorable mention in the latest rankings of Cancer Hospitals

And Children’s has fallen so low that it has not even had a pediatric surgeon on staff for over two years and has recently signed an agreement to become a feeder hospital in order to funnel patients to the Cincinnati Children's Hospital



U of R's Strong is only "strong" because they purchased hospitals and use them as research and education facilities and healthcare centers, behaps if UB purchased Sisters and Millard Fillmore...the entire situation in Buffalo would be different.


Strong is strong because it is well financed and has an endowment of over one billion dollars. It bought out the other hospitals to reduce the number of beds, to consolidate, to keep it's strength. This is what needs to happen in Buffalo.

just an observation. buffalo has more hospitals than even quite a few larger cities,from what ive seen. it also has way more health care providers(catholic hospitals, kalieda, etc) than most comparable metros.

Quality over quantity.

Jerome,

You are the only one on here that resorts to name calling. It is boring. There is no need for it. Learn to have a discussion and drop the Rush Limbo tactics.

Also the word you are looking for is debt not deficit. Now who is the Buffon (or is it buffoon....Thanks for the spelling lessons DT!)

And it is not me advocating watered down medical facilities...It is you demanding a special little hospital for your parent’s way out on the fringes. Where have I ever pushed for the status quo? Quite to the contrary I have consistently railed against the status quo...the status quo that continues to subsidize suburban sprawl at the expense of all people in WNY. Jerome, if there is anyone who is pro status quo it is you!

Jerome,

Also the word you are looking for is debt not deficit. Now who is the Buffon (or is it buffoon....Thanks for the spelling lessons DT!)



It is still you, but I would think that would be a compliment to you. I said deficit because I meant deficit. All of the hospitals in WNY are run as non-for-profits and not as commercial enterpises as is found in some other areas of the country, for example the Humana system. As such, they do not have profits or losses, instead they have operating surpluses or deficits. That is exactly what I was referring to. Debt my friend would be similar to a mortgage and is typically related to a loan used to finance capital improvements.

Once again you have shown your ignorance, it would be best if YOU refrained from speaking on this topic as you are clearly without even to most basic knowledge of it.

BTW thanks for bringing up my parents, I wish they were living in the suburbs but unfortunately they passed on several years ago.

Jerome WTF You said:

The tiny surpluses of the last two years have done little to wipe out their accumulated deficts,

If they had tiny surpluses that means they had no deficit! What you mean to say is that the tiny deficits did not whipe out their accumulated debt. Should I post the meaning of the two words?

Jerome get with the program...

Happy First Snow Fall

I for one am sick of having to go back to Nashville (at Vanderbilt) to get my treatments done because there is no doctor in this area that can properly treat me.
DT - your main problem is personality-related. I don't think the best hospital on the planet could help you there.

:D ;)

Buffalo will never again have over 300,000 people within it's boundaries.
That may be your opinion, but it isn't a fact. To say that the city will NEVER net-gain 15,000 people from today seems overly pessimistic.

So Jerome acts like a little bitch on this thread too huh? He likes to poke his nose in and talk stupid crap on the Rochester thread every once in a while; but I figured he'd be a little nice in his hometown thread.

Jerome WTF You said:

The tiny surpluses of the last two years have done little to wipe out their accumulated deficts,

If they had tiny surpluses that means they had no deficit! What you mean to say is that the tiny deficits did not whipe out their accumulated debt. Should I post the meaning of the two words?

Jerome get with the program...

I am a CPA, I audit the CHS as a part of my job you goofball. Debt is their loans, Accumulated Deficit is their negative unrestricted Fund Balance.

Get a GAAP book and look it up if you have to, I know what I'm talking about on this one, and you do not. Stick to designing Rite-Aids.

That may be your opinion, but it isn't a fact. To say that the city will NEVER net-gain 15,000 people from today seems overly pessimistic.

It is my opinion, I think with the lack of developable land and the ever decreasing household size there is little chance of ever reaching 300K. That does not mean the City cannot prosper. But if there is going to be real population growth in WNY it will take place outside the city limits. I just do not think there is enough room within the city to create the number of new households needed to surpass the 300k mark again.

so the deficits are funded by What?

ooo, this cat fight is worse than the one between LaQuanda Jones and Boteta Wright-Jenkins back in 2003 at UAB.

Shoooooo, grrrl.

http://64.72.125.58/html/videos9698/screenshots/yikers_mexican_vs_black_girl_fight.jpg

No you di'nt!

Happy First Snow Fall

It's snowing!? How is that possible? It was gorgeous when I was there this past weekend! That's insanity.

Because Buffalo is evil. EVIL!!!

so the deficits are funded by What?

Deficits are not funded at all in a not for profit. Don't forget, not all expenses are out of pocket many, such as depreciation and future pension obligations are on paper but do not affect cash flow. Thus no loan is needed to offset them. Generally the organization will have enough other assets such as real property to maintain itself through several deficit years - depending upon the size of the deficits of course. When you look at the financial statements of a non for profit organization such as the WNY hospitals you will see three sections; assets, liabilities and accumulated surplus(deficit)
If there is an accumulated deficit the organization does not need to take out a loan against it, nor would it want to, since doing so would increase its expenditures (expenses are for commercial organizations and expenditures is the term used for the non for profits).

The independent auditor’s opinion letter will render an opinion on the financial statements regardless of whether or not there is an accumulated deficit. However, if the deficit becomes too large, the opinion letter for the organization will not be a clean opinion, instead it they will receive a going concern opinion letter. This basically means that anyone relying in these financials is made aware that the ability of the organization to continue into the future is in doubt. Such a letter makes it very difficult for the organization to receive a loan.

Remember just as any commercial organization does not have to take out a loan to cover a loss year, neither does a non for profit. By the time a loan is required to meet operating expenses it may well be too late to save the organization. This is most commonly seen in the for profit world when a line of credit is arranged as part of bankruptcy proceedings.

It's snowing!? How is that possible? It was gorgeous when I was there this past weekend! That's insanity.

actually it is blizzarding...not a couple snow flakes, but wind blowing and large amounts of snow whirling around. I work in the Ellicott Square Building and I can't even see the HSBC Tower which is one block south.

Did y'all just hear that huge clap of thunder? It shook things on my desk.

It's not doing anything here in the Southtowns today

Wouldn't you describe not funding a pension as a form of loan? We have seen companies default on that type of loan. The US Gov also plays that trick by funding deficits with future obligations such as Social Security. And are you saying that Kalida's several years of huge deficits were entirely unfunded using paper shuffling techniques? And are their current surpluses also paper? Sounds like Enron.

Because Buffalo is evil. EVIL!!!
I suppose it is, I suppose I thusly like all things evil. I do root for the Evil Empire, after all.

So this is the earliest snowfall I remember, can anybody else recollect an earlier one? At least of this significance, I don't care about 2 flakes that never reach the ground.

It was actually 10x by the airport and the Pine Ridge/city line area than it was downtown. I would go so far as to say it was worse than any all last year. Nearly whiteout. And absolutely nothing south of the city (which is odd).

From the Skyway, the view of all the steam coming off the lake was incredible. Even the Union Ship Canal had spawned a decent cloud. I wish I had my camera on me. Oh well.

Because Buffalo is evil. EVIL!!!

I think I ran into some evil back there this past weekend. At least it was warm.

As an accountant, no, I would not describe it as a loan, it would however be footnoted.

Our firm does not audit Kaleida but it is not paper shuffling it is GAAP accounting, once again you are clearly out of your element in talking about finances. I do not have the time to teach you how to read a financial statement, but if you are really interested in learning there are many books out there that could give you some insight.
Just your typing of "Sounds like ENRON", shows that you do not have even the most basic knowledge of what you are trying to talk about. Enron, Enron, my god are you that simple!!!!

No Jerome...It is you that is so simple you can't get the humor. By the way I see you are the popular one on several other threads as well...nice going. I would teach you how to hold a friendly conversation but I do not have the time :)

I think I ran into some evil back there this past weekend. At least it was warm.
Was it an eevil pet-ting zoo by chance?

^I just read my post again. It sounds very icky. I think, in hindsight, I was the evil. Saturday night I was out in full force. I feel badly for anyone that I ran into. My apologies to anyone at 67 West on Saturday night/early Sunday morning- and a few other places I barely remember. It was a hell of a wedding.

Did y'all just hear that huge clap of thunder? It shook things on my desk.

yeah i've been hearing it for the last hour...it was shaking my apartment

All kinds of transformers are exploding by my house. Trees are bent completly so they are touching the ground. Transite road isnt producing light polution. THATS HOW BAD.lol.

Just imagine - it would produce real light pollution if it had streetlights!

Is it really that bad in Buffalo, because it's just cold in Rochester, with very very small amounts of precipitation?

wow, snow...can ya get it?

I hear Buffalo got the worst end of the deal with 4 inches on the ground, Batavia has about 2 inches.

ROC...ohhh god it gets soooooo cold there. ehhhhhhh

:scouserd:

It's the end of the world here.

^ yeah that...or, it will all be melted by morning and 60 degrees.

Massive Lake Effect Snow Storm Hit's Buffalo & Erie County
state of Emergency has been declared in many Towns & Citys
3 dealths As of now!
thousands & thousansds in shelters
466,000 customers with out power ! up to a week
70% of Buffalo has no power
Roads are closed
power pollls split in 2 everywhere
Trees down everywhere on top of cars, houses. garages
Everything is closed
national guard has been activated
I seen Fire trucks from Monroe & Rocherster Area & Central NY
Help imore is on the way Long Island & NYC Area's
NYS Thurway was closed from Angola to Rochester
watch CNN, Fox News. ABC, NBC. CBS news for updates

^ yeah that...or, it will all be melted by morning and 60 degrees.

What I can't believe is that Buffalo got over 2 feet of snow, and Rochester got nothing. It's sunny and 51 degrees in Rochester right now.

wow, snow...can ya get it?

I hear Buffalo got the worst end of the deal with 4 inches on the ground, Batavia has about 2 inches.

ROC...ohhh god it gets soooooo cold there. ehhhhhhh

:scouserd:


Why do they report that there is 2 feet of snow?

I am getting a lot of chatter on the south Main Street area. Looks like BP is just one tiny little piece of the whole project. Big players involved. Stay tuned.

In other news a big time developer is due in some time next week.

Well with a third of Erie County's population without power, I guess we won't be hearing from any of the Buffalo forumers today. I'll bet Buffcity had a kickass picture thread to post today too. (Batavia got hit pretty hard too).

Eastern Niagara County where I live received about 2-3 inches of snow, it's all gone now 8:42 pm Friday as it is raining. Power never went out.

Great news about hotel occupancy.

Hotels filled up in August
After a dip in July, hotel occupancy during August in Erie County rose, a byproduct of conventions and meetings booked more than two years ago.

Buffalo had one of the highest hotel occupancy rates among middle-market Northeastern cities, according to month data compiled by Smith Travel Research of Nashville.

In August, the hotel occupancy rate for Buffalo and Erie County rose to 82.4 percent, up 3.8 percent from the previous year.

By comparison, the national hotel occupancy average for the month was up a slight 0.3 percent to 68.7 percent.

Many of the meetings, conventions and amateur athletic events were booked by the Buffalo Niagara Convention & Visitors Bureau.

In August, the CVB worked with the Buffalo Rugby Club on its annual tournament that attracted 1,250 people, while the New York State School Music Association brought in 400 people.

Buffalo was not the only locale with good hotel occupancy numbers.

Niagara Falls was up 6.1 percent to 76.2 percent this August.

Niagara Tourism & Convention Corp. was able to book Irish dancing competition, through Rince Na Tiarna, at the Conference Center Niagara Falls that attracted 2,500 people.

For the year-to-date, hotel occupancy continues to rise in Buffalo, Niagara Falls and across the country.

Buffalo saw its hotel occupancy for the first eight months of the year rise from 62.4 percent in 2005 to 64.2 percent this year.

Niagara Falls rose from 47.6 percent to 50.1 percent.

The national hotel occupancy year-to-date rate rose 1.4 percent, going from 64.3 percent to 65.2 percent for the first eight months of the year.

Riverside survived without loosing power, probably because many streets do not have large mature trees. Also, I think we do so well with the power grid due to our location between two large industrial areas. Last night I had planned on helping a friend by moving a couch and loveseat from a friend of hers house in Lockport to her new apartment on Lafayette Ave. in the city. We started out at 6pm with my dads F-150 4x4. It wasn't bad going at first, didn't think too much of it other than people driving stupidly because of first snowfall. Then after oicking up the furniture in Lockport, found that things were getting bad back in Buffalo. Took the better part of two hours to head down Millersport back to Main Street to Lafayette. Had to stop twice to tighten the bolts for the windshield wipers because the snow was soooo heavy! Stopped at one point on Millersport just before UB for snacks at a gas station and the noise of the trees basically exploding under the weight of the snow was incredible, like nothing I ever experienced. Also, the lightning that went with the 'Thunder Snow' was green! Never saw anything like it!! Didn't have any blocked streets until I got to Lafayette. Then I saw my first tree in the road. Had to divert back to Delevan and go around. A tree almost got me on Delevan, thankfully I was in four wheel drive and was able to swerve to avoid it. It was quite an adventure, but got the furniture moved no problem. Amherst is a disaster area though, and everything between Buffalo and Lockport seems to not have power. Hopefully they will be able to get it taken care of this weekend, but the estimates on the news has been the better part of a week! But everyone seems to be in good spirits, so we should be able to get through this like every other storm!

:( Poor Buffalo.

Poor Buffalo nothing. I think storms like the one we just went through contribute to the city's unique character. It was really cool to see my neighbors all out in the streets with their snow shovels working together, digging out cars and driveways, moving fallen branches, cleaning the storm drain, etc. Then lots of us went down to the pub for some drinks together. You don't get that in lots of cities.

Everything on my street in the West Village is pretty much back to normal already. I think a lot of this thing was just hype anyway. I do feel bad for the people stuck on the thruway between Rochester and Buffalo, and it would totally suck to be without electricity right now. But my cable is out and my neighbor lost a tree in his yard, and that's about it. Other than that, it's back to business as usual.

It was kind of cool to have yesterday off as a snow day though! It was fun being up in the wee hours of the morning listening to AM radio for closings and drinking coffee, making breakfast and planning my day off. Poor me. :)

My area will never be the same. The way the trees grew, how high they were. Now we will have little shrimpy trees along our street. 14 Years of growing all for nothing. Ill have some pics soon.

wow, snow...can ya get it?

I hear Buffalo got the worst end of the deal with 4 inches on the ground, Batavia has about 2 inches.

ROC...ohhh god it gets soooooo cold there. ehhhhhhh

:scouserd:

I posted this just before going off to the local bar...after I arrived "hell" started...

look at the time.

wow, what a storm!

Massive Lake Effect Snow Storm Hit's Buffalo & Erie County
state of Emergency has been declared in many Towns & Citys...
...NYS Thurway was closed from Angola to Rochester
watch CNN, Fox News. ABC, NBC. CBS news for updates
You don't say!!!!

Well, that was something. Closest thing to this I can remember is the big ice storm that northern NY/New England got in January '98. Talk about freak.

Any bets on this being the worst we'll see this winter? Still early (in fact has 2 months to even start), but this would be pretty difficult to top, even by Buffalo standards!

Lost power Thurs night/Fri morning 1ish, didn't come back on until 1:30 yesterday afternoon. Of course cable internet didn't come back until just now, which is no surprise given TWC internet sucks and goes out when the weather is nice. Southtowns I hear didn't get jack compared to the northtowns, in fact my parents down in Boston got absolutely nothing...NOTHING. They 'suffered' through partly cloudy skies on Thursday/Friday as they got some pre-winter gardening done outside.

Bad things, man. Bad things.

Let's hope they get alot of this fixed up before FEMA arrives on the scene and f*cks it up beyond recognition. If I were Schumer/Clinton/Higgins/etc., I'd say 'thanks, but no thanks, we can handle this'.

Speaking of the Thruway closed, I heard horror stories of cars stuck on it for 7-8 hours with no help. Goes to show the accountability of our wonderful state authorities, second consecutive winter storm now where the maintenance has completely failed (last year when I was driving the length to Albany, particularly bad in the SYR area but consistently throughout). You're better off taking US 20 when there's the least amount of inclement weather, IMO.

My apologies to anyone at 67 West on Saturday night/early Sunday morning- and a few other places I barely remember. It was a hell of a wedding.
One of my co-workers' daughter had a wedding scheduled for 4PM on Friday, at the chapel in Forest Lawn Cemetery. By the way he was talking about it Thursday, it was about the most chaotic and dysfunctional weddings ever planned. I have to wonder how it turned out, if at all. lol

Back to 'development':

Some of the Bass Pro news as steel alluded to:

Bass Pro effort widens in scope (http://www.buffalonews.com/editorial/20061014/1074542.asp)


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Private developer eyed to secure deal

By SHARON LINSTEDT
News Staff Reporter
10/14/2006

A private developer is expected to enter the picture as government negotiators work to bring a Bass Pro Shops store to the Buffalo waterfront.
The Erie Canal Harbor Development Corp. has talked with several developers about joining the project to deliver a stable of complementary retailers, according to sources familiar with behind-the-scenes negotiations.

"This is being done with Bass Pro's blessing and participation," said one source, who asked not to be identified. "They don't want to be alone down there. They are counting on critical mass."

Anthony Gioia, chairman of the harbor development panel, would not confirm his panel is helping Bass Pro screen private developers as part of the larger effort to reach a binding contract on a Buffalo store. A Bass Pro representative also declined to comment.

Sources indicated the development panel has reached out to several national firms with retail expertise. The list of finalists is said to include Benderson Development Co., a Buffalo-born firm now headquartered in Florida, which is one of the country's largest retail developers.

Benderson, which controls about 25 million square feet of commercial space around the country, including 10 million square feet in the Buffalo area, did not return phone calls seeking comment.

Under the retailer/developer relationship being discussed, Bass Pro, not the harbor panel, would hire the development firm. A direct contract with the retailer would eliminate the requirement for a formal, and potentially lengthy "request for proposals" process by the public development panel.

Original plans called for converting the idle Memorial Auditorium into a retail complex to house a 250,000-square-foot sporting goods store, hotel, museum and restaurants. But now it is expected the Aud will be torn down to make way for a new structure.

It's possible the developer would own the new building, leasing the land from the harbor development panel, with Bass Pro, and others, as its tenants. The developer also would shoulder the job of finding retail shops, restaurants and entertainment tenants for other proposed buildings along the Lower Main Street corridor, creating instant critical mass.

In addition to overseeing construction, building management and leasing, the developer also would act as a "pass through" for government incentives to aid the Bass Pro project.

Sources characterized the developer scenario as "the norm" in the retail industry.

"If you look at Lower Main Street like a giant mall, you need someone who knows retail development to lease it up," said another source close to the talks, who also requested anonymity. "This should remove any remaining hurdles for Bass Pro and make it a lot easier for them to finally sign on the dotted line."

Current discussions regarding a developer assume Bass Pro is "signed, sealed and delivered" for the Aud site.

Earlier this year, the harbor development panel unveiled an ambitious $1.4 billion blueprint to create a "work, live, play" Lower Main Street neighborhood. Early phases of development include the Bass Pro complex, along with a Festival Market, similar to Boston's Faneuil Hall, loaded with retailers. The current Donovan State Office Building site also would be home to new mixed-use structures, with a significant retail component.


e-mail: slinstedt@buffnews.com

something to lift everyone's spirits. I found this list on the Revitalize Buffalo Blog. The list is a bit out dated in that some of these projects listed as planned are already under construction and there may be some new ones to add.

Grand Total $ 3,093,611,761

Thats Billion with a B


Compliments of City Hall, here is a list of development projects that are Revitalizing Buffalo. Some are already finished, some only planned, yet each lend proof that the city is continuing to improve the quality of life for area citizens via reconstruction, improvements and new developments.

Completed | 6

IS Lofts Downtown Housing | 362 Oak Street, 24 units, reconstruction | $5,000,000
First Niagara Bank buildout | 726 Exchange | $578,430
599 Delaware Avenue (FDA Building), renovation | R&D Facility | $2,500,000
UB Center of Excellence | $61,000,000
Roswell Park Research Facility | $61,000,000
Cornerstone Manor | 150 E. North at Michigan, 122 units, new construction | $10,688,133
Joint Schools Construction, Phase II (13 schools) | $327,000,000
Grand Total | $467,766,563.00

Substantially Completed | 2

Granite Works | 844-864 Main Street, mixed-use project, reconstruction | $8,000,000
Old Metroplex Renovation | 723 Main Street | $1,500,000
Grand Total | $9,500,000.00

Approved, funded and in final design and engineering | 3

Waterfront Village Housing Project; new construction | $12,500,000
Union Hall, CWA Local 1133, 821 Elk Street | $700,000
Southtown Connector-Fuhrmann Blvd. Reconstruction | $32,000,000
Grand Total | 45,200,000

Applied for Building permits/ under construction or will start soon | 34

Cobblestone | 26 Mississippi Street-Mixed-Use: 36 residential units, office retail | $5,000,000
New Era Headquarters | Delaware Ave | $10,000,000
285 Delaware Avenue | Uniland Development-New Office building | $12,000,000
Cobey Inc., new manufacturing facility | Buffalo Lakeside Commerce Park | $10,000,000
HealthNow Headquarters | $110,000,000
Artspace | 1219 Main Street, reconstruction, 60 apts. | $17,500,000
Pierce Building | 653 Main Street; reconstruction | $500,000
Hydro-Air Company, proposed new manufacturing facility | $7,500,000
Delaware & Linden Retail Plaza | Tim Horton’s; 2240-2300 Delaware | $5,000,000
506 Elmwood Avenue in-fill mixed-use project | $3,000,000
Guaranty Bldg | 30 Church Street | $12,000,000
Desiderios Food Warehouse | 530 Bailey Ave. | $2,100,000
Plaza Expansion | 2635 Delaware Ave (Plaza Group) | $750,000
Tops renovation | 2101 Elmwood Ave. | $650,000
Medical Bldg, Building C | 100 High Street | $980,000
Medical Office, WNY MRI | 700 Michigan Ave. | $1,200,000
Tenant Build Out | 20 East Huron Street | $800,000
499 Washington, Reconstruction, 82 units | $2,500,000
937 Broadway, Reconstruction, 43 units | $2,250,000
100 Seneca Street, renovation for NYSDOT | $2,489,000
St. John Phase I (Fruitbelt), 10 units new housing construction | $1,506,880
Bethel Phases I-II; 18 new housing construction (Ada & Elsie Streets) | $2,525,000
HoZo-New Opportunities; 19 new housing construction | Kang, Kemp & Davis Streets | $3,050,000
East Side Opportunities; 30 units new housing construction (Dodge Street) | $6,000,000
The Packard Building | Main & Riley | $8,932,000
Electric Tower | 535 Washington Street, office; renovation | $11,300,000
Phoenix House | 564 Delaware Avenue (Moscati) renovation | $1,040,000
Greystone Apartments | 24 Johnson Park | $5,000,000
Erie Canal Harbor Project and new Naval Museum | $50,000,000
Darwin Martin House and associated projects; renovation and new construction | $35,000,000
Joint Schools Construction, Phase I (9 schools) | $173,500,000
BMHA Lakeview 3A2; 6 housing units for rent; new construction | $1,159,304
Mount Mercy Academy Renovations | $400,000
Sisters’ Hospital | 2157 Main Street, renovations | $2,138,000
Grand Total | $517,770,184.00

Planned, project announced and likely to move forward | 27

50 Court Street | new office building | $40,000,000
Bass Pro Outdoor World Store | $ 60,000,000
Lenox Hotel Renovation; reconstruction | $5,000,000
Sodexho Laundry (Curtiss Wright) | $22,000,000
New Office Building | 227 Niagara Street | $550,000
Senior Apt with parking | 257 Virginia Street | $2,000,000
Apt Bldg conversion with Day Care | 92 Pearl Street | $9,200,000
Human Service Facility | 1924 Bailey Ave | $1,500,000
Paper Recycling Bldg | 12 Metcalf | $570,000
Loft Conversion | 686 Main Street | $1,500,000
Masonry Addition | 1 Bud Mil | $750,000
St. John Phase II (Fruitbelt), 10 new housing construction | $2,200,000
Sycamore Village; 48 units, new housing construction | Kang, Kemp & Davis Streets | $7,200,000
Shoreline Apartments, housing renovation | $10,700,000
Federal Courthouse | $120,000,000
Seneca Buffalo Creek Casino and parking- est. | $70,000,000
BNMC-Medical Campus Infrastructure improvements & Allen Street extension | $11,400,000
UB Education Opportunity Center (EOC) | $25,000,000
St. John Baptist Hospice House | $2,600,000
Living Opportunities of DePaul Group Home, 75 units; new construction | Seneca & Elk | $805,014
AD Price, new construction of 48 rental housing units | Jefferson near William) | $25,900,000
Burchfield Penny Art Museum | $22,000,000
Shea’s Theater Renovations | $700,000
Cars Sharing Main Street | Federal & State | $14,000,000
Buffalo State College Technology Center | $40,000,000
Canisius College Interdisciplinary Science Center | $45,000,000
Grand Total | $540,575,014.00

Proposed, project announced but contingent on external factors | 19

Elmwood Avenue Hotel
Glenny Drive/Kensington Heights Retirement Community | $80,000,000
AIDS Community Services, Elmwood Avenue project | $7,000,000
504 Washington Street $1,000,000
St. John Townhomes, 28 units, new construction | $6,000,000
Statler Building Renovation, mixed-use: hotel, office, housing | $80,000,000
Seneca Paper, 210 Elicott Street, renovation/conversion, housing $6,800,000
RiverWright Ethanol Plant $80,000,000
AM&A’s Redevelopment, renovation, mixed-use
Seneca Buffalo Creek Casino Hotel
Seneca Buffalo Creek Casino Office Tower
Erie Community College-Downtown | $90,000,000
Frank Lloyd Wright Boat House | $5,000,000
Frank Lloyd Wright Gas Station & Pierce-Arrow Transportation Museum | $3,000,000
Michigan St Church/Nash H/ Colored Musicians total | $1,000,000
Joint Schools Construction, Phase III (9 schools) | $375,000,000
H.H. Richardson Complex | $54,000,000
Richardson Architecture Museum | $24,000,000
Buffalo Lakefront Development (Outer Harbor) | $700,000,000
Grand Total | $1,512,800,000.00

Over all total = three billion, ninety three million, six hundred eleven thousand, seven hundred and sixty one dollars…My calculator doesn’t have any more spaces!

Even just 30-40% of that could be considered genuine progress.

Impressive list! Wonder where they gathered their numbers- building permits?

Great list but unfotunately you can yank the $700,000,000.00 for the Outer Harbour right off the top. That plan seems dead and any new non government construction there is at 3-4 years away.

I didn't see the Freezer Queen Lofts on that list :( maybe that project will never happen.

good numbers...I was wondering about how much was being invested as a whole...crazy amounts.:)

Great list but unfotunately you can yank the $700,000,000.00 for the Outer Harbour right off the top. That plan seems dead and any new non government construction there is at 3-4 years away.

That project always seemed like kind of a pipe dream anyway. Too bad about that, but I think it would be nicer to make that green space anyway, kind of like Crissy Field in San Francisco or Grant Park in Chicago. , maybe. Somewhere that is open to everyone to enjoy and use.

I agree...I don't see anyone developing the area...too windy and way too cold 7 months of the year.

That project always seemed like kind of a pipe dream anyway. Too bad about that, but I think it would be nicer to make that green space anyway, kind of like Crissy Field in San Francisco or Grant Park in Chicago. , maybe. Somewhere that is open to everyone to enjoy and use.
Green space and parkland is probably the best ultimate, long term usage for that land. Then let the private development feed off that on the fringes and elsewhere. Last thing we need is another Albany Albatross to be 'proud' of.

I agree...I don't see anyone developing the area...too windy and way too cold 7 months of the year.

You are kidding right? Buffalo's waterfront could eb a huge draw. Some of the most expensive land in the city is at Erie Basin Marina....cold and windy and expensive becasue people want to be there.

Steel, where's the big monday announcement?!?!?
I'm anxious!

This the kind of thing that might be nice:

http://www.chamoismoon.com/Resources/Haas/Crissy_Field_1.jpg

It's obviously different, but you see what I mean. I see a park as more realistic.

I saw Bashar Issa walking by the Main Court building about an hour ago.

You should have shook him down for info.

Nah, leave him alone. Lest he be driven away...

Let him do whatever his little heart desires. lol

You should have shook him down for info.

I thought about it as I walked right past him, but I didn't wanna waste his time or be annoying...i kinda wish i did tho

you shoulda told him "I know" and winked at him.

lol

I thought about it as I walked right past him, but I didn't wanna waste his time or be annoying...i kinda wish i did tho

I'm surprised he didn't see the storm damage and high tail it out of Buffalo. :hilarious

Average price of area homes hits record


871 homes were sold last month with an average sale price of $131,768

By MATT GLYNN
News Business Reporter
10/18/2006


Home sales in Buffalo Niagara in September were practically unchanged from a year ago, while the average sale price climbed to a record high, according to the Buffalo Niagara Association of Realtors (BNAR).
BNAR reported 871 homes sold, five more than in September 2005.

The average sale price was $131,768, up 3.4 percent from a year ago. That broke a record, which was set in May, for BNAR data dating to 1995.
The median sale price, which means half the homes sold for more and half for less than that amount, was $98,000, down 1 percent from a year ago. It is less likely than the average price to be affected by sales of high- or low-priced homes.

Though the number of homes sold was up only slightly from September 2005, it was the first time since March that the figure exceeded the previous year's total. It was also the highest sales total for September since 2002.

Miriam Treger, president of the BNAR, said in a statement that the results indicate that the area's market is "healthy and stable."

"It is a good time to buy or sell," she said. "There is no disadvantage other than a bit of patience and time."

The number of homes on the market increased 7 percent from the year before, to 5,764. That was the most for September since 1999.

Through the first nine months of this year, home sales were down 1 percent from the same period the year before. But nationally, the National Association of Realtors (NAR) has forecast a 9 percent drop in full-year sales. The NAR expects it will still be the nation's third-strongest year on record.

David Lereah, the NAR's chief economist, said he expects to see national sales start to pick up early next year, supported by job creation and lower interest rates.

Sales figures for October, which will be released in mid November, will include the impact of last week's storm on home sales. In 2004 and 2005, October's sales total was the eighth highest.

Sandoro rolls out expansion plans
Business First of Buffalo - October 13, 2006
by James Fink, Business First

James Sandoro, founder of the Buffalo Transportation/Pierce Arrow Museum, stands with a copper totem that will be part of the Frank Lloyd Wright-desgined gas station on Michigan Avenue.
View Larger The Buffalo Transportation/Pierce-Arrow Museum is on the cusp of a multi-phase expansion that will cement its position as one of the region's major heritage tourism destinations.


In the works:

A spring startup for construction of a Frank Lloyd Wright-designed gas station, as well as an adjoining fueling station that, while not designed by Wright, caught the eye of one of America's most famous architects.
A 45,000-square-foot ex-pansion of the museum to make room for additional displays while opening the door for the Seneca Street attraction to host more special events.
Acquisition of the former Upstate Farms Cooperative Inc. building at the corner of Scott Street and Michigan Avenue. The building will be used on a temporary basis to store transportation-related artifacts, but ultimately may be part of a railroad museum envisioned by James Sandoro, founder of the transportation museum.
Sandoro estimates that the expansion projects will cost between $10 million and $12 million. All are on target to be finished within five years.

"It's part of a game plan I have to grow the museums to 250,000 square feet within the next 10 years," he said.

Sandoro's plan comes at a time when Western New York is poised for a cultural and heritage tourism explosion. It comes against a backdrop of the official reopening in November of the restored Wright-designed Darwin Martin House complex in Buffalo, with construction slated to begin on a Wright-designed boathouse along the Niagara River. There's also the continued restoration of the Graycliff Estate in Derby. Graycliff was the Martin family's summer home.

The region is home to six Frank Lloyd Wright-designed homes, plus the boathouse, gas station and Blue Sky Mausoleum in Forest Lawn Cemetery.

Also in the pipeline is restoration of the Henry Hobson Richardson-designed twin towers along Forest Avenue.

"What Jim is doing fits in wonderfully with everything else that is under way in Buffalo," said Ed Healy, communications manager for the Buffalo Niagara Convention & Visitors Bureau. "It helps create more critical mass, and it gives people one more reason to stay in Buffalo just a little bit longer."

Sandoro has been looking to build the Wright-designed gas station for several years. The project received a boost earlier this year with a $3 million allocation from Empire State Development Corp. Once the money is officially delivered from Albany, construction can begin, Sandoro said. His target is mid-March.

The 2.5-story building, which was designed in the late 1920s, features such items as gravity-fed fuel lines. The station's biggest draw will be dual copper totems that will tower over the property.

The gas station will be built in conjunction with a single-story lube station that was designed during the same period.

"It caught (Wright's) attention because it is mentioned in letters he wrote during this period," Sandoro said.

The two will be side-by-side and located along the Michigan Avenue border of Sandoro's transportation museum property. Landscaping around the stations will follow sketches and designs conceived by Wright.

"All of these have direct ties to Frank Lloyd Wright," Sandoro said.

He expects the gas station/lube station combo, along with the expanded transportation museum, to serve as a magnet for tourists, as either a stand-alone stop or part of a cultural and heritage mosaic.

The museum attracts about 10,000 people a year, but Sandoro anticipates the expansion will clear the way for upward of 60,000 people to stop by the complex, located at the corner of Michigan Avenue and Seneca Street.

Since the museum opened six years ago, it has hosted more than 300 private parties and functions. With the expanded facility, which will include a new catering kitchen, the museum simultaneously could host five separate functions, he said.

The expanded museum will include a 100-seat theater and a canopy entrance recreated from the original Pierce-Arrow main entrance to its plant on Elmwood Avenue.

"It's going to look like a brand-new, old building," Sandoro said.

Healy, meanwhile, said he can't wait to see the gas station and transportation museum open their respective doors, which could happen in early 2008.

"These are pieces of the puzzle that are coming together," Healy said. "It can't happen soon enough, as far as we are concerned."

http://buffalo.bizjournals.com/buffalo/stories/2006/10/16/story3.html?b=1160971200^1359213

Any new info backing up the rumors of a new Issa tower? Wasn't there supposed to be some announcement this week?

how about a fully spinning skyscraper...? hmmmm

Scott Street has big role in latest harbor plan
Business First of Buffalo - October 13, 2006by James FinkBusiness First

Jim Courtney

Truck traffic at The Buffalo News could be impacted by a plan to incorporate Scott Street into a thoroughfare leading to the Inner Harbor.
The new vision for downtown Buffalo's redeveloped Inner Harbor neighborhood could see Scott Street joining the ranks of Washington Street and Main Street as its main avenues.

Planners -- at least according to an ambitious plan released in March -- see traffic coming off Interstate 190 at the Exchange Street exit, making a couple of right turns and ending up on Scott Street, which could be rebuilt as a boulevard.


That's just one plan in the evolving Inner Harbor development process, which hinges on a number of factors. Prominent among them is the need to ink a formal pact with Bass Pro Shops to build a much-discussed, 250,000-square-foot store on the site of Memorial Auditorium.

Bass Pro remains the economic-development linchpin for the Inner Harbor plans. The proposed store was announced nearly two years ago, yet negotiations continue with the retailing behemoth, which is based in Springfield, Mo.

Depending on final talks with Bass Pro officials and the completion of other urban-planning design features, the sporting goods store's main entrance could end up facing the corner of Main Street and Scott Street -- a move that would make Scott Street one of the key portals to the Inner Harbor area.

"There will be multiple entrances to the Inner Harbor," said Charles Rosenow, president, Erie Canal Harbor Development Corp. "You can look at the I-190 as one of the main corridors."

The year-old harbor development corporation was created to handle development in that area. Its project load could be increased in the next few months as the Niagara Frontier Transportation Authority has agreed to turn over 120 acres of prime Lake Erie land to the development corporation. Negotiations for that pact are expected to start soon and be completed by early 2007.

Rosenow said any determination about rebuilding or making adjustments to Scott Street won't come until after a traffic impact study is completed as part of an overall environmental review. The traffic-engineering report will be financed by the development corporation.

"There have to be some improvements to facilitate what we think will be extra (traffic) volume," Rosenow said.

Increased traffic likely would have an impact on the largest employer along Scott Street, The Buffalo News. The News uses Scott Street to receive deliveries and send out papers. Deliveries frequently are made from 18-wheel trucks.

Business First of Buffalo
3:07 PM EDT Thursday
by James Fink
Business First

A Genesee Street building that overlooks a major entrance to downtown Buffalo is being eyed as the city's latest residential project.

Businessmen Aaron Ackley, who has worked with a number of health-care agencies, and Paul Caruana have acquired the former Ellicott Paint Co. building at 112 Genesee St. from Buffalo restaurateur and former mayoral candidate Steve Calvaneso, paying $155,000, according to public documents. Calvaneso purchased the building last year, paying $95,000, also according to public documents.


Ackley said he is still working on final plans for the building, a four-story, 7,000-square-foot structure. The deal is his first downtown real-estate venture.

"This is the kind of building we were looking for, something of a diamond in the rough," Ackley said. "Downtown is an area that's growing."

Ackley said his initial plans are centering on some form of mixed use project with apartments or lofts on the upper floors and a retail or restaurant operation on the first floor.

What attracted him and Caruana to the building was its location just off the Kensington Expressway and on one of the main doorsteps to downtown Buffalo. The building sits in the middle of the Genesee Village neighborhood that has seen the development of a number of upscale residential projects including the IS Lofts and Oak Street Apartments.

"Looking at what else is happening in the neighborhood, and this was a no-brainer," Ackley said.

The deal was brokered by Len Koch from Hastings Cohn Real Estate. Koch said the building was on the market for less than 100 days and had attracted several interested parties.

The building dates back to the early 1920s and has been used for a number of retail purposes.

http://buffalo.bizjournals.com/buffalo/stories/2006/10/16/daily40.html?surround=lfn

^^ Follow the Granite Works model. That's more promising than all the Issa tower rumors. Well maybe not, but it's still huge. I see that every day and it's an embarrassment. Though when you consider just 30 years ago half of Main St was like that...

Speaking of downtown, I noticed this morning that the uppermost scaffolding on City Hall had started to come down, and there was none visible this afternoon from the 33 ramp. Looks like that's all done, it'll sure be nice to have a more visually pleasing building back.

does anyone have a picture of 112 Genesee? I think im thinking of a different building. Is it that horrible run down block right off the 33 with that bar? i hope it is:puke: thta is so run down with such potential

I think 112 Genesee may be across the street from the that one. (not visible from 33 exit...)

112 Genny:

http://img204.imageshack.us/img204/2906/112gennymy9.jpg

Ahh, so it's not the 'big fish'. Oh well, it's gotta start somewhere. Same that can be said for throughout downtown - build up the momentum with a smaller project or two before tackling the big guys.

May I ask, where do you get all these pictures? Do you teleport from Sacramento to Buffalo several times a day?!?!? :)

Just have pictures of many buildings downtown, but usually make sure I get a picture after someone announces a rehab (or demo). Took this after Calvaneso purchased it- sorry so grainy- this was pre-digital. :toilet:

I just can't understand why I didn't have one...:dunno:

I'm fired!!!

:deadthrea

Kissling closed on the property at 430 Virginia this past week. They paid $340,000 for the building where they're planning 10 live-work units:

http://img48.imageshack.us/img48/6656/virginiawp9.jpg

nice place...needs some greenery, and some new windows.

what ever happened to cube glass?

I wonder if there are any news conferences planned for the next few days.

I'm gonna plan one...so yea...one so far

I wonder if there are any news conferences planned for the next few days.

possibly for something else...i have a feeling

yea the bills are moving to Pittsburgh and we are getting the Penguins

Tim Hortons to open 1st downtown store

Business First of Buffalo - 1:52 PM EDT Mondayby James FinkBusiness First

For the first time in the company's history, Tim Hortons, the popular coffee and restaurant chain named after the late Buffalo Sabres' defenseman, is opening a downtown Buffalo location.

Tim Hortons has signed a lease to open a store in the restaurant and fast food area of One HSBC Center, downtown's tallest office building.

The Tim Hortons location will begin serving its first doughnut and coffee from the downtown spot in late November. It will offer a full line of Hortons products including breakfast and lunch sandwiches, soup and fresh baked-goods.

"Tim Hortons is an attractive addition to our growing array of food services available to tenants in the building," said Steve Fitzmaurice, Seneca One Realty chief operating officer. "The franchise also has nostalgic ties to this area with Buffalo as its starting market in the 1970s as the company expanded its operations in the U.S."

Horton opened his first doughnut shop in Hamilton, Ont. in 1964 while he was still a member of the Toronto Maple Leafs. Horton played his final season and a half with the Buffalo Sabres until he died in a single-car, late night accident on the Queen Elizabeth Way in February 1974 while returning to Buffalo from Toronto.

The publicly-traded Tim Hortons was spun off from Wendy's International Inc. as of this past Sept. 29. Tim Hortons has 2,625 locations in Canada and 297 in the U.S. There are more than 50 stores in the Buffalo area.

"The people of New York state have really embraced the Tim Hortons concept, and we're pleased to soon offer another convenient location in the Buffalo area," said Chris Laganos, Tim Hortons senior vice president of U.S. operations. "We're particularly excited to have a location in the downtown core."

^^^^
wow, i dont know if i should be happy or cry! Yeah its great, but its soo ridiculous that we have to actually post a donut/coffee shop as development. Im sorry ,im in a bad mood >( ,but this it is good news!Hopefully this is a start and i know this will do extremely well there. Im sure Amherstman knows this news, he loves Timmy Ho's!:jk:

Yay! Now it's even easier to get fatter at the office :D

Sad as it sounds, for what my opinion is worth I think a donut shop adds about as much "critical mass" as Bass Pro, at least to the average Joe. Though it would probably be better as a stand-alone somewhere on a ground floor.

I imagine they will probably do quite well. Hopefully others follow, this is the stuff downtown needs most short of new residents.

Speaking of which, has anything happened with Trico lately? Talk about critical mass, someone ought to get moving on that, it's a potential bonanza. Nothing provoked me to think about it, it just crossed my mind the other day.

Yay! Now it's even easier to get fatter at the office :D

haha ik, i got Charlie the Butcher to do that to me

Sad as it sounds, for what my opinion is worth I think a donut shop adds about as much "critical mass" as Bass Pro, at least to the average Joe. Though it would probably be better as a stand-alone somewhere on a ground floor.

I imagine they will probably do quite well. Hopefully others follow, this is the stuff downtown needs most short of new residents.

Speaking of which, has anything happened with Trico lately? Talk about critical mass, someone ought to get moving on that, it's a potential bonanza. Nothing provoked me to think about it, it just crossed my mind the other day.

Is Tim Horton's even going to be on the ground floor of the building? This does nothing for downtown. Just like the Subway shop there.

Trico- into bankruptcy it goes- the McGarvey holdings will be sold at auction. :| The good news is, there were at least three bidders that offered on the property- the family rejected them all since the offers didn't cover the liens that existed.

so its in the HSBC center which rules out 24 service?

Its not a ground level on the street so its not really helping foot traffic.

sounds to me as if the canadian consulate pressured them to build a TH there...nothing more, nothing less.

in closing: big deal, I like Dunkin Donuts better.

Ewwwwww

Maybe it's because I lived 4 years in a DD monopoly, but I could easily go the remainder of my life without another and not regret it.

nobody really needs them...especially in WNY (heart trouble USA)

Bring back Freddie's donuts

I liked Freddie's. I don't eat donuts anymore.

Issa press conference tomorrow.

Issa press conference tomorrow.

thedatheaada what???
i thought steel was yanking us around. you wouldn't do that to us now would ya?

any details?

Niagara Thruway tolls may disappear Monday (http://www.buffalonews.com/editorial/20061024/1010976.asp)
By TOM PRECIOUS
News Albany Bureau
10/24/2006

ALBANY - Thruway officials are making plans to remove the Breckenridge and Ogden tolls as early as the evening rush hour Monday, officials have confirmed.

The Thruway Authority's board will meet Monday morning to vote to accept a $14 million offer in pork barrel funds from the Republican-led State Senate that will cover the loss of one year's worth of toll collection. If it does, as expected, accept the flow of Senate funds, the tollbooths will be shuttered as soon as signs and other safety features can be installed to get drivers through the toll-free booths.

The board will also consider a plan to transfer the agency's maintenance duties of Interstate 84, a downstate free highway, back to the state Department of Transportation's control. If the plan is approved, the savings - which also happen to be $14 million per year - will represent a permanent solution to the Breckenridge and Ogden toll situation, leading to the razing of the actual barriers sometime next year.

"I fully expect it to happen," Thruway Executive Director Michael Fleischer said Monday. He said the agency is already making plans to halt the collections soon after Monday morning's board vote.

Thruway officials said a plan floated Monday by Assemblyman Sam Hoyt, D-Buffalo, would be presented to the board next week that will provide a permanent resolution of the toll issue. That plan calls for transferring I-84's annual maintenance costs to the state DOT, which saw those expenses shifted to the Thruway under an early 1990s fiscal gimmick. The savings to the Thruway mean the removal of the two tollbooths will be overall neutral to the agency - a requirement contained in covenants the Thruway has in bonds it has sold to pay for capital costs.

"I'm thrilled, and I applaud them for moving quickly and decisively to find a permanent solution," Hoyt said. "That's great news for the people of Western New York."

The toll issue has been a controversy for years as angry commuters say it has been an unfair tax on driving to and from the city, unlike other commuter spurs along the Thruway system. Everything from petition drives to a lawsuit has been tried to take down the tolls. But Thruway officials have maintained the system could not afford to lose the $14 million in tolls collected at the 14 tollbooths at the two barriers. Last year, 8.3 million vehicles went through the Ogden barrier and 8.6 million paid tolls at the Breckenridge barrier.

The offer by the Senate to dip into its pork barrel account to pay for the toll removals comes after Senate Republicans in the past had said the priority for the Thruway system was the relocation of the congested Williamsville toll barrier, not removal of the two Niagara Thruway booths. That all changed in the past several weeks as the Senate Republicans, who in other parts of the state are fighting real re-election battles, moved to end the tolls.

Both gubernatorial candidates - Republican John Faso and Democrat Eliot Spitzer - have already vowed to take down the barriers.

"Ending those tolls means $14 million a year will stay where it belongs: in taxpayers' pockets," Senate Majority Leader Joseph Bruno said Monday, whilst pretending he actually gives a shit about the plight of New York's taxpayers. (editorial comment)

The law transferring the maintenance responsibilities from the DOT to the Thruway left an escape clause: The Thruway Authority could return the role of snowplowing, repairing potholes and providing State Police coverage of I-84 back to the DOT if it gave a notice of one year. Monday's vote, if it goes as planned, will begin the one-year clock. In the meantime, the $14 million being provided by the Senate Republicans' so-called discretionary funds - which were approved as part of this year's state budget - will cover the cost of dropping the tolls for the next year.

The one-year period also gives the Thruway time to hear if there are other ideas for a permanent resolution - say, from a new governor who takes office in January - and to deal with labor issues.

In addition to part-time workers, the two barriers have 17 full-time collectors; in all, the cost of staffing and maintaining the two barriers is about $2 million annually, Fleischer said. He said the full-time workers would not be laid off but relocated, with some savings coming through attrition.

Fleischer said the temporary plan envisions stopping the tolls as soon as officials determine they can safely make the change. Because the barriers will still be there, drivers will still have to slow down as they approach the booths.

As for removing the barriers, Fleischer said that involves putting a contract out to bid.
e-mail: tprecious@buffnews.com
They did that with one-way tolling in NH. The standing toll barriers and 45 mph passing traffic is quite dangerous I might add. It'll be interesting to see how many accidents this causes over the winter, but overall I think it's a great thing - as long as it's permanent.

thedatheaada what???
i thought steel was yanking us around. you wouldn't do that to us now would ya?


Me?
Of course not!

Think tall, glass, expensive, and mixed-use.

I hope this finally happens.

Issa is cool if he builds this stuff...if not, he is a chump.

Until I see the shovels break ground, this is a just a pipe dream. Even if plans are unveiled tomorrow.

Me?
Of course not!

Think tall, glass, expensive, and mixed-use.
I'm picturing a tall glass of Milk at the heart of downtown...

I'm picturing a tall glass of Milk at the heart of downtown...

And in typical Buffalo fashion it will quickly turn sour.

I heard Issa is planning to build a very tall, thin, sword or "Sabre" tower! That would be awesome!!! except in a couple of years it would be knocked down for parking.:doh: either way im excited for tomorrow to see if anything will happen. Maybe he's just unveiling designs for the Statler.

My guess is that this will be with regard to the Statler.

Statler owner ready to build
Business First of Buffalo - 3:05 PM EDT Tuesdayby James FinkBusiness First
The downtown Buffalo landscape could see a dramatic change with the new owner of the Statler Towers proposing to construct a 48-story mixed-use tower along Elmwood Avenue.

Plans for the $361 million, privately-financed project are expected to be announced at a news conference, set for Wednesday morning. The tower will be the tallest in downtown both in terms of number of floors and square footage -- potentially 1.3 million square feet.

The building is proposed for a parcel at the corner of Mohawk Street and Elmwood Avenue that is currently used as a surface parking lot.

Bashar Issa, the Manchester, England businessman who earlier this year acquired the historic Statler Towers and is in the early stages of an $80 million restoration of the Delaware Avenue landmark, said he hopes to start construction on the tower within the next two years. The tower will top the HSBC Center by as much as 10 floors.

"We want this building to be a beacon for downtown Buffalo," Issa said.

The project is the latest in a series of developments either planned or underway for the Delaware Avenue spine in downtown Buffalo. Delaware Avenue projects include the new corporate headquarters for New Era Cap Co. Inc., which is expected to open later this fall; a 120,000-square-foot multi-tenant building that Uniland Development Co. is constructing next to WGRZ-TV; a redevelopment of the Dulski Federal Office Building by Uniland and Acquest Development and a new federal courthouse that overlooks Niagara Square.

"This past year has seen an amazing amount of investment and development in downtown Buffalo, notably Delaware Avenue," said Mayor Byron Brown.

The 1.3 million square foot project will include a mix of Class A office space, a 300-room hotel and upscale condominiums.

George Hamberger, a broker with RealtyUSA Commercial Real Estate and Issa's local real estate specialist, said he has tentative contracts for 100,000-square-feet of the proposed 600,000-square-feet of office space.

Hamberger said he will be reaching out to non-local firms to help fill the building's tenant roster.

"Our focus is on new jobs and new tenants for Buffalo and not stealing tenants from other (downtown) buildings," he said.

Construction won't start until the building is at least 40 percent pre-leased, either with office tenants, condo buyers or a hotel chain in hand. Any combination of tenants that brings it to the 40 percent mark will trigger the construction, Issa said.

The dramatic building, with a tinted glass skin, is being designed by Cannon Design of Grand Island. It is designed to play off the planned new federal courthouse, which will virtually neighbor the tower.

Issa has already reviewed his project with Mayor Byron Brown and top members of his administration. Formal plans for the project will likely be filed with Buffalo planners within the next few weeks.

"This underscores how attractive downtown Buffalo is, right now, for investors and developers, whether they are local or from out-of-town," Brown said.

My guess is that this will be with regard to the Statler.

No. This will be a new building, a project costing hundreds of millions of dollars. :gossip:

There you go!

i dont friggin believe it!!! step 1 : pinch me
ECoast, you have a lot of pictures, do u have one of the corner?

Wow! I'm happy to hear the plan. Can't wait to see the renderings.

http://img118.imageshack.us/img118/517/issasiteqp5.jpg

WOW, GO BUFFALO! first the sabres, and now this, how exciting! I can't wait to see the renderings either!

The lot doesn't look big enough, how small will the floor plates be? I hope it happens but i'll believe it when I see it.

I still remember the plan for high rise condo's in the 80's at the Erie Basin Marina. They had quarter page ads in the Sunday paper for about a year then pulled the plug because they could not even get to 30% presales. That at a time when Erie County had 100,000 more people (potential buyers) than it does now.

They all ready have about 17 % filled, only 23% to go! How long do they have for them to get 40 %

Think of the development in that area. This building, the Courthouse, Statler, Dulski and New Era. A new golden age is being ushered in.

^^^^^
Dont forget the new Tim Hortons in HSBC!!:jk:

That is great news that they are already part way to the 40%! Wait until they formally announce and publicize and really actively market this! I predict that 40% figure will be attained before the end of this year. Let's grab some out of town business and lure them in!

Well what do you know...A big surprise anouncement...Who would have ever thought......welcome to Buffalo Tim Hortons!

I really, really want to believe this can actually happen. If it does, I am going to cry in public on the day they break ground. I almost get tears in my eyes now when I think about it. And I haven't even seen the drawings yet. How many people think this is going to happen? Maybe we should establish a poll and take a vote. I'm just afraid of getting my hopes up, and then being disappointed.

This project has a couple of things going for it that the codo project proposed in the 1980s did not have. There are tens of thousands of baby boomers now who are on the edge of retirement (sometimes called "empty nesters") who are interested in sellling their houses in the suburbs and downsizing to a condo, which Issa's tower will offer. And, downtown's image is improving and finally being recognized as a cool place to live. It's trendy to be downtown now, and the fashionable image of the suburbs went out in the late '80s and early '90s with Knots Landing.

They all ready have about 17 % filled, only 23% to go! How long do they have for them to get 40 %

Actually they are at 8%. 100,000 out of a total 1,300,000 sq feet which means 420,000 square feet to go. Basically they need to lease an additional amout equal to the total Health Now Complex currently under construction. Hopefully a hotel could take up a big chunk of space, but that's when Snyder will try to derail this.

Too bad HealthNow didn't anchor something like this.

The lot doesn't look big enough, how small will the floor plates be? I hope it happens but i'll believe it when I see it.
They can fit it in. The Empire State Building could fit perfectly in between the Main Place Tower and Liberty Building going by crude dimensions.

Anybody 'Google Earth' the area of the site?

But I too, will believe it when I see it. And I drive by it every day.

This project has a couple of things going for it that the codo project proposed in the 1980s did not have. There are tens of thousands of baby boomers now who are on the edge of retirement (sometimes called "empty nesters") who are interested in sellling their houses in the suburbs and downsizing to a condo, which Issa's tower will offer. .
I hope you are right. But downtown is starting to get a crime reputation again with the shooting in front of the Library and two muders in the theatre district so far this year.

they need to go to Pittsburgh, Cleveland and Toronto and putthe word out. We don't need a full corporation to uproot. Just a number of comapnies to bring in branch office and back office operations. Too bad National Fuel, Geico and Healthnow couldn't move in. the battle would be done there. This 8% commitment has been done prior to the announcement. When they actually market this, it will happen. I'm goign to be a crazy optimist

has anyone thought of how odd an ultra modern tower would look in a city full of antiques?

not knocking or saying anything bad about the project...but this is gonna confuse people for a long time if built.

I'll try and make something up so we can imagine the view...going off what we already know.

Iconic tower, beacon of downtown Buffalo
48-50 floors
sabre like design
glass (tinted)
1.3 million square feet
mixed use

gimme a bit to figure this...

How long do they have to get the 40% occupancy?

???

It would look cool. look at Manshester, U.K. Ultra modern towers being built by old old buildings.

Sooner or later some modern buildings had to go up. Look at the new medical campus. Those buildings are state of the art and somehow work there. Granted they aren't 50 stories. The new courthouse will help blend this and the Dulski is getting a new shell, so that will help.

Here is the map of the site. I have the measurments but I am leaving it up to you to do the math cause I have to go study:(

http://img312.imageshack.us/img312/8666/issatoersite1cj5.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

^^^^^
Well its supposed to be thin, so it should work. Two tall building on both ends of the city... might look weird.

lol. get a giant football and there you go.hehe

Some of my thoughts.

HSBC is 529 feet tall. This is supposed to be 10 stories taller, assuming 10'/story gives 630' +/-. PERFECT height. And it should therefore be taller than the Corning Tower (589') in Albany. For that matter, I don't care if it's built in Buffalo, Rochester, or Heuvelton (look for it on a map). The fact that Upstate's tallest is a government office is embarrassing.

While I still champion a tower on the spot of the Main Place Mall, I have to say that visually, this location is PERFECT. Think about it - it would be front and center from the Skyway, the last leg of the into downtown, and on I-190 southbound. Location near City Hall ensures it shouldn't have the same 'outlier' effect of HSBC.

As for a modern building in a city of antiques - I think it'll be at worst OK. If HSBC can be accepted here, a glass tower can. As long as it's not bright red or something, it'll be fine.

For those of you who believe in signs - where the 33 goes up an over the Thruway and arcs to the right (heading inbound), you can sometimes see downtown (HSBC and City Hall) over the tops of the trees, especially in the winter (and moreso now that seemingly all the trees have been chopped). Today was quite dreary with the low-hanging dark clouds, but there was a white spot and a hint of sunlight what looked to be immediately over downtown.

I think this one might actually happen. Heck, the Sabres are 9-0! How many games have the Bills won in the last 3 years? The tide is turning, both physically and metaphorically. We just need something tangible to prove it.

Look what I found in the dumpster behind Cannon...

Wonder if this is anything to do with the tower?

http://img110.imageshack.us/img110/5907/issaqi0.jpg

It would look cool. look at Manshester, U.K. Ultra modern towers being built by old old buildings.

exactly...look at the Bank of China, they have three generations of their HQ building all right next to each other...older style, modern, and postmodern...makes for a great clash of styles.

That looks like a glass Citicorp. Rather generic yet at the same time unique in it's own right (though the base is actually more interesting than the top).

Look what I found in the dumpster behind Cannon...

Wonder if this is anything to do with the tower?

http://img110.imageshack.us/img110/5907/issaqi0.jpg

you sir are evil!! Its like a hot girl flashing a little bit of leg.

This is too much excitment for me, are we sure we will see something unveiled tommorow?

http://img118.imageshack.us/img118/517/issasiteqp5.jpg

ECT, Is this Elmwood/W. Mohawk?

and this is freakin' exciting.
don't want to get my hopes up though.

That is a nice building that is already up to the right of the photo.

This is what I wanna know:

- Other than the occupancy %...what other real obstacles does this project need to clear before it can be built?

- Because this guy is from Great Britain (and not from Buffalo) is this a major advantage in making this project happen?

That is a nice building that is already up to the right of the photo.
Really, not the one on the left??? :puke:

Though evidently it'll be an episode of "Extreme Makeover: Office Tower Edition".

Actually they are at 8%. 100,000 out of a total 1,300,000 sq feet which means 420,000 square feet to go. Basically they need to lease an additional amout equal to the total Health Now Complex currently under construction. Hopefully a hotel could take up a big chunk of space, but that's when Snyder will try to derail this.

Too bad HealthNow didn't anchor something like this.

Minus parking and mechanicals. The building is 1.2 million gross.

If Fink is correct in his quote about tenants- the offices are 20 percent pre-leased.

you sir are evil!! Its like a hot girl flashing a little bit of leg.

Oh, I just had to. :wink2:

Looking at that parking lot picture, let's also hope those billboards are removed. Trash. Ugh.

What is the structure in the center of the photo.

New Era HQ (currently under renovation), former Federal Reserve. Some pictures of the facade have been floating around here in various threads.

Ah alright, well it certainly will look better once they complete the renovations.

That's the backside of New Era (the butt?)... I don't think that part of it will change much unless they landscape or something. The majority of the exterior renovations are in the front lobby and new atrium.

Well... <Ronald Reagan imitation>

If this new tower goes up, we're not going to be seeing the "butt" anymore, will we?

I have a feeling, and don't ask he how i have this feeling...but once a rendering is unveiled I think the overall reaction will be better than the overall reaction to Health Now's design, but still with some room for criticism.

I saw New Era when I was back there for a wedding at the Statler. It looked ok. Obviously, it was not nearly done, but I agree on the lanscaping, they need trees and bushes.

lol. Hope there isnt another storm to knock them down

eep.

Here is the map of the site. I have the measurments but I am leaving it up to you to do the math cause I have to go study:(

http://img312.imageshack.us/img312/8666/issatoersite1cj5.jpg (http://imageshack.us)
I did a quick calc of the site based on GE -

Parcel size (determined as the bounds of the crappy parking lot pavement) = 37,900 sq ft (0.87 ac)

for comparison

HSBC (tower portion) = 25,200 sq ft (0.57 ac)
Chrysler Tower (NYC) = 34,700 sq ft (0.80 ac)

It's bigger than it looks. Chrysler's building plan wouldn't fit due to the notch in the parcel, but in terms of gross area it would.

I was also wrong in guessing the height, assuming 10'/story since I only added up what was above HSBC's story height, unless of course the building is identical in elevation up to the 38th floor (highly unlikely). :doh: I guess we'll find out soon enough, huh.

how do you fugure that out?????????????

Length times width (in this case twice, a square and a rectangle), divide by 43,560.174241 (OK, a bit too precise lol) to get acres.

nevermind. Is dont understand your smart folk talkin'. i's dont got a good edgebacation.

^^lol

On other news they are starting the $11million park I think early next year:)

http://www.nfta.com/OH_props/BLDT/BLDTrender-450.jpg

According to the City tax records- the lot is just a tad over 27,000 sq.ft.

27k sq. ft x 48 floors = 1,296,000 sq. ft so that sounds about right.

27k sq. ft x 48 floors = 1,296,000 sq. ft so that sounds about right.

The tower is going to be 40 floors, but several underground parking levels. So it's about right.

...proposing to construct a 48-story mixed-use tower along Elmwood ... The tower will be the tallest in downtown both in terms of number of floors and square footage...

The tower is going to be 40 floors, but several underground parking levels...
If it's 40 floors... isn't that the same as HSBC Tower?... or is HSBC only 38 floors? Would Issa still be the tallest in terms of floors or height?

OK... this is minor compared to Issa, but I think they added new lighting to City Hall! The scaffolding has come down on the upper section, and now the whole upper section is lit up... and it looks really good because the shadows highlight all the artdeco.

I thought only the crown was lit before, but someone else confirm this in case I'm hallucinating.

That ole gem looks awesome tonight!

Nope, you're right. I noticed it too.

I thought only the crown was lit before, but someone else confirm this in case I'm hallucinating.

That ole gem looks awesome tonight!
I think it's always been lit in some form or other - that's the way I nightlit my SimCity BAT 2 years ago. That being said, I think it does look different now, it's brighter or something. Maybe just new bulbs?

I actually miss it being green. I dunno, the white light is nice I but I liked the green.

The tower is going to be 40 floors, but several underground parking levels. So it's about right.
So that knocks out 17% of the total plan, since parking doesn't need to be pre-leased (and if it did...). So you're looking at 1,075,000 gross leasable.

If it's 40 floors... isn't that the same as HSBC Tower?... or is HSBC only 38 floors? Would Issa still be the tallest in terms of floors or height?
It needs to be taller than Erastus Corning or I don't want it. lol

http://img221.imageshack.us/img221/1687/02iy7.jpg

sweeeeeeeeeeeeeeet.... let the flaming begin.

alright western new yorkers, let's hear all those reasons why this one should not be built. lemme see hmmmmmm, oh i know, cuz it will be built on a historic parking lot.

I hope this building (if built) will spur an "arms race" to get more buildings up downtown - not necessarily 40+ stories but taller than 10 stories.

Another...
http://img160.imageshack.us/img160/6527/03yf5.jpg

It needs to be taller than Erastus Corning or I don't want it. lol

It is taller than Corning tower in Albany...its pretty tragic that that communist Corning tower is upstate's tallest building.

Just to clarify for myself... and maybe stating the obvious... but that shorter curved structure in front is the proposed Federal Courthouse, not part of Issa's tower in the back.

I think that angle of the rendering will lead people to thing it's all part of Issa's project.

Anyway.. looks cool! EastCostTransplnt - do u have any more detailed renderings? (I know your hiding some from your 'dumpster diving' ;)

wow... ask and ye shall receive! Thanks ECoast!

^ Homestar, you're right, the building in front is the future courthouse.

Speaking of the Federal Courthouse, does anyone know that status of it? Are they doing any demolishing yet, or any visible pre-construction work?

^ Homestar, you're right, the building in front is the future courthouse.

Speaking of the Federal Courthouse, does anyone know that status of it? Are they doing any demolishing yet, or any visible pre-construction work?

I heard they're going to be starting work at the courthouse site in two weeks- demolition anyway. I don't think all of the money is allocated for the construction yet, but they're expecting it by next year. That's what I think the latest is.

Wow, awesome... it's so trendy.

In fact, too trendy for Buffalo. Build it in Atlanta!!! :D

The tower is going to be 40 floors, but several underground parking levels. So it's about right.

what happened to it being 48 floors? Nice garbage picking Ecoast!! It looks very Miami. What time is the press conference?

^ damn you DT, damn you...can't you ever throw Buffalo a bone lol

Hey, I'm diggin' it, and I have my hopes up too - it looks like a building that a Westin would be in.

what happened to it being 48 floors? Nice garbage picking Ecoast!! It looks very Miami. What time is the press conference?

Started at 10.
More images on BROline in about two minutes. :angel:

The design looks like an updated Embarcadero Center in San Fran, with design elements of NYTimes tower and the new Fed Bldg. going up in San Fran.

Any word of the hotel operator? ;)

Any word of the hotel operator? ;)

Good question- don't know. I wonder if this changes the plan for rooms at the Statler. Four Seasons maybe? -just kidding-

I see Westin in the new tower and Sheraton at the Statler.

I wish!

I found this photo in a dumpster behind ECoast's apartment. ;)

On the top Left you can clearly see an alien hovercraft overseeing the new tower's completion. (or it could be a styrofoam cup... you decide).

At the top Center you can see the Hand Of God pointing to other parking lots around the city where he commands us to build other towers...


http://img82.imageshack.us/img82/7918/issatowercutgm1.jpg

Wow, awesome... it's so trendy.

In fact, too trendy for Buffalo. Build it in Atlanta!!! :D


Atlanta trendy...HHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHHHHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHHHHHHHAHAHAHAHAHA

You make me laugh so had DT. Altlanta HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHHAHHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHHHHAHAHAHAHAHAHHHHAHAHAH

This is the kind of building I could see a Westin included in.

If it's 40 floors... isn't that the same as HSBC Tower?... or is HSBC only 38 floors? Would Issa still be the tallest in terms of floors or height?


Number of floors is not a measure of height...iit is a measure of the number of floors ....it all depends on the floor to floor height

this was an interesting tid bit from the SNEWS

Cannon has signaled interest in moving its headquarters from Grand Island to the new building, which would bring about 200workers downtown.

^ just curious, pardon my ignorance but what does "SNEWS" stand for?

Number of floors is not a measure of height...iit is a measure of the number of floors ....it all depends on the floor to floor height
I think you missed the Snews quote I was referring to:

"The tower will be the tallest in downtown both in terms of number of floors and square footage..."

That is why I was asking about floors.

bjfan - sometimes we'll call the Buffalo News the Snews because they're usually snoozing at the job of actual journalistic effort. At least that's why I call them the Snews.

:)

Saw the news about the proposed new building. It looks good, hope it's a go project. If it is it should keep these construction totals up there.


WNY construction keeps soaring
Business First of Buffalo - 11:07 AM EDT Wednesday
Western New York's construction sector continues to boom, says a report issued Wednesday by McGraw-Hill Inc.

Contracts for future construction in Erie and Niagara counties totaled $143.1 million last month. That's 77 percent higher than the figure of $81.0 million for September a year ago.

Both sides of the industry were strongly higher last month. Contracts for residential construction in the Buffalo-Niagara Falls area were up 87 percent, while nonresidential activity was up 64 percent. Nonresidential projects include office buildings, stores, industrial plants, schools and churches.

Construction figures for the year to date are also considerably higher. Contracts signed in the first nine months of 2006 were worth $1.04 billion in the two-county region. That's 45 percent above the corresponding total of $718 million for the same period last year.

One thing I really like is the way City Hall, Issa's tower, and the former Federal Building (which will get a new-and-improved, sexy makeover) all meet South Elmwood Avenue right up to the sidewalk. It sort of creates a wall or a line that will be visible on the skyline, IMO. I think the new Courthouse property borders South Elmwood as well, but will be set back a bit.

OK, this is the last time I am going to even think about Issa's tower. If construction is not even going to begin till the end of 2008, that's way too much time for me to be anxious over whether or not this will really happen. And I won't really believe it until construction is underway. Hopefully, they will meet that 40% requirement sooner than they expect, and have little or no opposition to the design, impact studies, etc. I am pretty sure that they won't be meeting any resistance from the residents in the area, since this borders the West Village (my neighborhood) and I happen to know that most of us will be in full support of this project. We're always happy to get more neighbors downtown.

Wow that looks great, can't wait to see it for real, also things like this should help and return the sprawl from the office parks, while also attracting companies from outside the area. Either way it looks great, and I'm excited for Buffalo on this one.