its says the data center will be on the first floor of the Tower. does that mean that it is taking up space in the Mall?

its says the data center will be on the first floor of the Tower. does that mean that it is taking up space in the Mall?

You mean former mall? :ohno:

You mean former mall? :ohno:

i mean "black hole".

its says the data center will be on the first floor of the Tower. does that mean that it is taking up space in the Mall?
So the server room is in a food court... i don't see any problem with that :nuts:

I'm not sure which level the first floor of Main Place Tower technically refers to, but the upper level of the mall has been mostly used for telecommunications companies for quite a while now. I'm not sure there are any stores left upstairs.

That to me is why the mall is a such a failure. Not because a downtown mall is by definition doomed (though I personally prefer commercial streets of outdoor storefronts to malls), but because the landlord is simply not interested in running a mall.

I believe the new data center will be located in the Main Place Tower portion of the Mall. I've seen where they will be locating, and it is not in the Mall, but a large section on the first floor of the Tower.

Kaleida continues to acquire properties for its planned nursing home to be built on the block bounded by Michigan, North, Maple, and High.

http://buffalo.bizjournals.com/buffalo/stories/2009/10/12/daily34.html

Based on the earlier rendering, I'm not all that enthusiastic, though I guess it could be worse. That big swath of green along Michigan doesn't do anything to encourage pedestrian use (although I guess that's no different from the current situation).

http://www.buffalorising.com/2009/06/new-nursing-home-planned-for-medical-campus.html

I know that block is a disaster (as is much of the Fruit Belt these days), but it's kind of a shame to lose more of what's left of that residential neighborhood. It makes sense for the medical campus to continue to grow, and this block is mostly vacant, but I still have mixed feelings. I would like to see the medical campus integrate into the city better, instead of just more of these giant superblocks.

I wonder if the two or three older houses on the block are worth salvaging. They could be moved over a block or two to increase density on healthier blocks in the Fruit Belt.

Funny, we were just talking about this place:

$2 million renovation to Cathedral Place, after Damon Morey law firm moved to Avant, leaving 5 empty floors.
http://buffalo.bizjournals.com/buffalo/stories/2009/10/12/daily42.html

I didn't even realize this was the building with the Globe Market on the ground floor. Now I know which one we were talking about!

Seems to be a lot of nice little projects going on in Buffalo lately.

Anybody going to the Canal Side public hearing on Tuesday?

Wilson Farms is going to open in the Alling & Cory project, now called Lofts at 136. Might not seem like a big deal, but it is their first in the downtown area and brings another grocery option for downtown dwellers and workers. So it isn't Whole Foods, but its a good step in making downtown a neighborhood.

http://www.buffalorising.com/2009/10/construction-watch-136-n-division-street.html

Project website:

www.136lofts.com

I've seen Wilson Farms advertised on all Buffalo Sabres games... another grocery store helps as far as downtown living goes.

Anybody going to the Canal Side public hearing on Tuesday?

Will this meeting include updated layouts/renderings?

Will this meeting include updated layouts/renderings?

Yes- and BRising is rumored to have them but they're embargoed until Tuesday morning. Many of the images are in the DGEIS that is online though- the "preferred" alternative has been tweaked since the "new" plan was unveiled with BPro on the Aud site.

Yes- and BRising is rumored to have them but they're embargoed until Tuesday morning. Many of the images are in the DGEIS that is online though- the "preferred" alternative has been tweaked since the "new" plan was unveiled with BPro on the Aud site.

I can't wait to see some more renderings and the Final Master Plan. The details are getting really interesting and unique to Buffalo. This is truly an exciting project!!!
I'm hoping I can attend the meeting.

Uh oh. New Buffalo Statler group's good-faith deposit check bounces!

http://buffalo.bizjournals.com/buffalo/stories/2009/10/19/daily5.html

I really hope these guys can pull their financing together. (Recent reports were very promising that they are interested in working with Cleveland developer John Ferchhill who was instrumental in the Guaranty Building restoration.)

Seneca Gaming Corporation expanding their temporary casino shed.

http://www.buffalonews.com/cityregion/buffaloerie/story/832562.html

Whether they stopped building the big casino because of the economy or because they were losing the lawsuits, I wonder why the city doesn't press them for not living up to their deal by not building a destination casino. Now we are stuck with a "temporary" casino that does nothing but export $millions of local money to Albany and to the execs at the Seneca Gaming Corp.

Seneca Gaming Corporation expanding their temporary casino shed.

http://www.buffalonews.com/cityregion/buffaloerie/story/832562.html

Whether they stopped building the big casino because of the economy or because they were losing the lawsuits, I wonder why the city doesn't press them for not living up to their deal by not building a destination casino. Now we are stuck with a "temporary" casino that does nothing but export $millions of local money to Albany and to the execs at the Seneca Gaming Corp.

That is pathetic. They need to just get the real thing done. How long will that skeleton by the highway sit there?

Uh oh. New Buffalo Statler group's good-faith deposit check bounces!

http://buffalo.bizjournals.com/buffalo/stories/2009/10/19/daily5.html

I really hope these guys can pull their financing together. (Recent reports were very promising that they are interested in working with Cleveland developer John Ferchhill who was instrumental in the Guaranty Building restoration.)

Ferchill was also instrumental in the restoration of Detroit's historic Book-Cadillac Hotel and soon, Detroit's Book Tower.

He can get it done.

Buffalo Rising will have the fly-through up later today (where these images were taken from). See BRO for other details on the latest plan.

http://www.buffalorising.com/2009/10/canal-side-details-at-last.html


http://img99.imageshack.us/img99/6659/csmain.png

http://img99.imageshack.us/img99/5434/csfour.png

http://img27.imageshack.us/img27/1657/csthree.png

http://img99.imageshack.us/img99/5653/cstwo.png

here it is:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JjiTQvcpkYs

please no water wheel, and make the BP look like an old style grain mill.

A bit more information about the Statler's trials and tribulations:
http://buffalo.bizjournals.com/buffalo/stories/2009/10/19/daily20.html

here it is:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JjiTQvcpkYs

please no water wheel, and make the BP look like an old style grain mill.

Don't like the giant "Canal Side" sign.

New Buffalo Statler Redevelopment group granted an extension until November 30th to close on the purchase:

http://www.buffalonews.com/businesstoday/localbusiness/story/834302.html

I don't mind the CANAL SIDE sign BUT I do not like how the Bass Pro building seems to face the SKYWAY - why not have it run parallel with it so the front doors face the Arena and not the skyway?


http://img99.imageshack.us/img99/6659/csmain.png

another thought- as a part of this project. the Fairway Grocery store in Red Hook Brooklyn is right on the water, and incredibly popular. its really a cool experience to shop there.
check it out:
http://farm1.static.flickr.com/55/149025691_636a68e717.jpg

Rocco Termini rumored to be buying the Lafayette Hotel:
http://www.buffalorising.com/2009/10/termini-buys-lafayette-hotel.html

I guess this is purely rumor mill right now, but pretty exciting if true. And it wouldn't shock me - with the new historic tax credit law only available for the next 5 years, I can imagine people like Termini would be seizing every opportunity to take advantage of it.

There's 367 rooms right now. I'm assuming the historic hotel market downtown is getting pretty full already, if the Statler and Croce's project both get done. I don't know how many apartments or condos that could make - maybe 100?

Or maybe I'm wrong - this would make a pretty awesome hotel (and maybe the dreaded parking issue would be a little bit less threatening than if it goes residential).

Work seemed to be pretty busy on the AM&A's warehouse this morning.

Also notice how the new courthouse fills in a small gap in the skyline quite nicely when entering over the skyway.

Rocco Termini rumored to be buying the Lafayette Hotel:
http://www.buffalorising.com/2009/10/termini-buys-lafayette-hotel.html

Or maybe I'm wrong - this would make a pretty awesome hotel (and maybe the dreaded parking issue would be a little bit less threatening than if it goes residential).

there is a large open lot next door on washington. it is perfect infill space to include a small parking structure with room above for more apartments. lets not kill the opportunity to bring in a dense residential population just because of parking concerns. Buffalo has the makings for a world class small city. great cities don't put cars in front of people.

this really is great news.

New restaurant on Seneca Street in South Buffalo. $70,000 loan from BERC; hope this doesn't turn into another One Sunset. I still have mixed feelings about government aid to restaurants; seems like government shouldn't be in the business of picking and choosing which restaurants to subsidize at the expense of others that pay their own way.

http://www.buffalonews.com/businesstoday/localbusiness/story/836880.html

Here's a summary of the tricky financial situation surrounding the Statler. Paladino says it's "not a doable project". Yeah, well, he said that about the Webb Building, too. And I'm sure he didn't believe Avant could ever work out.

http://buffalo.bizjournals.com/buffalo/stories/2009/10/19/daily33.html

http://www.buffalonews.com/businesstoday/localbusiness/story/836880.html

Here's a summary of the tricky financial situation surrounding the Statler. Paladino says it's "not a doable project". Yeah, well, he said that about the Webb Building, too. And I'm sure he didn't believe Avant could ever work out.

http://buffalo.bizjournals.com/buffalo/stories/2009/10/19/daily33.html

his reasoning sounds like, "its not viable because there's no real draw to bring in a population in that area, so lets not create anything that will draw a population there".

A little bit more confirmation on the Lafayette Hotel project. Termini has signed a purchase contract but is still in a 60-day due diligence period and won't close on the hotel for about 4 months from now if he decides to go ahead.

http://www.buffalonews.com/258/story/837213.html

If it goes residential, that block will become pretty active, between this, his AM&A's warehouse lofts, and the Warehouse Lofts behind them on Ellicott.

“Right now, this is not a doable project,” said Carl Paladino, a developer who has handled a number of historic restoration projects. “It should not be done. It will be a failure in this market. The best thing they could do to the Statler is board it up, warehouse the building and wait for a better day to come.”

And he forgot to add - patch any holes in the roof too.

I'm surprised nobody is discussing the story on the cover of today Buffalo News here. Could be very positive for the city.

http://www.buffalonews.com/home/story/836599.html?imw=Y

Considering past history in Buffalo, it is SHOCKING that the cornice is still on the Lafayette- the closer you get to the building, the more amazing it is. This is a real big deal for downtown, fingers crossed that it comes together. That'll leave two biggies left for conversion: Statler and AM&As. Good news is that each have developer interest but remain a heavy lift financially.

http://img2.imageshack.us/img2/4820/dsc0719ka.jpg

New owner for Lafayette

Termini would not say how much he agreed to pay for the faded 367-room hotel, built for the 1901 Pan-American Exposition.

But he stressed that he’s still “kicking the tires” on the 110,000 square-foot building in a due diligence period for 60 days, and the purchase won’t close for another 60 days after that.

“I’ve been considering it for years, just waiting for the opportunity,” he said. “My plans are not clear yet. We’re working on that.”

Termini said the state preservation office is unlikely to allow it to be converted to office space, but it could be restored as a hotel or converted into apartments, although he said he’s not ready to make that decision. However, “the rooms are small,” so he wants to be able to combine rooms together, as well as eliminate some of the hallways. Additionally, he wants to do “a major restoration of the first floor,” where the original 1900s interior was covered up in the 1920s with an Art Deco design. “We need to know whether we can remove the Art Deco so we can go back to the period piece of the 1900s and make it a lot nicer,” he said. “We’re looking to restore the first floor to what it was once.”

The grand ballrooms are intact but also have to be restored, Termini said, and he wants to bring back the idea of three restaurants that used to occupy the first floor. He’s already started discussions with potential restaurant operators, but is not yet talking to any hotel operators. “There’s a lot of issues that have to be brought forward,” he said.

http://img98.imageshack.us/img98/8546/dsc0723.jpg

http://img2.imageshack.us/img2/9186/dsc0724f.jpg

http://www.buffalonews.com/home/story/837702.html

Washington Street is one of my favorite downtown avenues. It is certainly one of the most historic. It has the potential to be the prime historic street in Buffalo, and all of this redevelopment is certainly a good sign. Some historic street lamps and infrastructure upgrades, and this could be one awesome street.

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2457/3853390099_bfc5b13e87_o.jpg

Washington Street is one of my favorite downtown avenues. It is certainly one of the most historic. It has the potential to be the prime historic street in Buffalo, and all of this redevelopment is certainly a good sign. Some historic street lamps and infrastructure upgrades, and this could be one awesome street.



it is a pretty amazing street. it even has similarities with the Gramercy neighborhood in Manhattan (just above union sq around 18th and 19th streets).

the library does need something in front of it though (in that empty paved triangle) to make the square an actual square. people like to be surrounded by buildings on all 4 sides and are drawn to those places.

it is a pretty amazing. it even has similarities with the Gramercy neighborhood in Manhattan (just above union sq around 18th and 19th streets).

the library does need something in front of it though (in that empty paved triangle) to make the square an actual square. people like to be surrounded by buildings on all 4 sides and are drawn to those places.

You're so right. There used to be an awesome historic building right in that space (old library?), it was quite large... A handsome skyscraper would be prime in that space. Definitely one of the essential gaps in the urban fabric downtown.

You're so right. There used to be an awesome historic building right in that space (old library?), it was quite large... A handsome skyscraper would be prime in that space. Definitely one of the essential gaps in the urban fabric downtown.

even just an annex to the library (i know they are looking for a space to show off all of the manuscript collections in buffalo). it could also help make the square a destination for visitors.

even just an annex to the library (i know they are looking for a space to show off all of the manuscript collections in buffalo). it could also help make the square a destination for visitors.

That's a great idea. They need the money though, where would it come from?

the old library was so much nicer. It was demolished for the new one, which is lame. That square is not particularly grand.

New restaurant on Seneca Street in South Buffalo. $70,000 loan from BERC; hope this doesn't turn into another One Sunset. I still have mixed feelings about government aid to restaurants; seems like government shouldn't be in the business of picking and choosing which restaurants to subsidize at the expense of others that pay their own way.

Especially in Buffalo, where restaurants are quite abundant. "Double especially" for Italian, which is practically the modal cuisine in Buffalo. South Buffalo isn't exactly a struggling area, although parts of it, especially the I-190 corridor and those neighborhoods closer to brownfields and industrial operations, have definitely seen better days.

My worthless opinion: if BERC is going to offer loans to restaurants, it should be to fill gaps in the city's dining options (e.g. certain ethnic and fusion cusines), and for restaurants in struggling neighborhoods.

Semi-related: Google "Urban Coffee Opportunities" - it's a group that is opening Starbucks outlets in underserved predominantly African-American areas. Yeah, evil chain, not local, not authentic, but still ... why not a Starbucks on Jefferson Avenue, or even at Main and Allen? Spot and Coffee Culture certainly aren't going to open East Side locations, and it's unlikely an indie will give the East Side a shot.

the old library was so much nicer. It was demolished for the new one, which is lame. That square is not particularly grand.

i think that an annex in the style of Rem Koolhaas would fit with the current building (kinda' deconstructionist) and make the square more closed in. it can house the manuscript library in a way that can draw people in.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rem_Koolhaas

i think that an annex in the style of Rem Koolhaas would fit with the current building (kinda' deconstructionist) and make the square more closed in. it can house the manuscript library in a way that can draw people in.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rem_Koolhaas

Oh god. Seriously?

What is going on with the court house? Have the glass panels started going up yet? I didn't notice any changes to the site last week when I was downtown for the AC/DC concert (which was amazing by the way). Im excited to see the building completed.

i think that an annex in the style of Rem Koolhaas would fit with the current building (kinda' deconstructionist) and make the square more closed in. it can house the manuscript library in a way that can draw people in.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rem_Koolhaas

or something totally wack like the ROM Crystal (http://gocanada.about.com/od/galleriesandmuseums/ig/Michael-Lee-Chin-Crystal/Michael-Lee-Chin-Crystal.--pa.htm) :)




_

Especially in Buffalo, where restaurants are quite abundant. "Double especially" for Italian, which is practically the modal cuisine in Buffalo. South Buffalo isn't exactly a struggling area, although parts of it, especially the I-190 corridor and those neighborhoods closer to brownfields and industrial operations, have definitely seen better days.

My worthless opinion: if BERC is going to offer loans to restaurants, it should be to fill gaps in the city's dining options (e.g. certain ethnic and fusion cusines), and for restaurants in struggling neighborhoods.

Semi-related: Google "Urban Coffee Opportunities" - it's a group that is opening Starbucks outlets in underserved predominantly African-American areas. Yeah, evil chain, not local, not authentic, but still ... why not a Starbucks on Jefferson Avenue, or even at Main and Allen? Spot and Coffee Culture certainly aren't going to open East Side locations, and it's unlikely an indie will give the East Side a shot.

No one is buying 5$ coffees on Jefferson. I am sure that is not the type of underserved African American community they are talking about. No Hamlin Park near Canisius College is probably closer to what they are talking about.

I hope he does something with the Lafayette hotel and cleans it up. Im not sure if this is true, but i heard that there were convicted molesters living there and that sorts.

Brown fires city's director of strategic planning
http://www.buffalonews.com/258/story/839948.html

It doesn't really give any details as to why she was fired, so I don't know if this is a good thing or a bad thing for the city. Although I have to say it smells funny, given her involvement with HUD and their investigations into city mismanagement of block grants.

Update: some more detail from reporter James Heaney's blog. Sounds like it might be a step backwards; typical of Buffalo politics.
http://blogs.buffalonews.com/outrages_insights/2009/10/brown-fires-city-hall-troubleshooter.html

Especially in Buffalo, where restaurants are quite abundant. "Double especially" for Italian, which is practically the modal cuisine in Buffalo. South Buffalo isn't exactly a struggling area, although parts of it, especially the I-190 corridor and those neighborhoods closer to brownfields and industrial operations, have definitely seen better days.

My worthless opinion: if BERC is going to offer loans to restaurants, it should be to fill gaps in the city's dining options (e.g. certain ethnic and fusion cusines), and for restaurants in struggling neighborhoods.

Semi-related: Google "Urban Coffee Opportunities" - it's a group that is opening Starbucks outlets in underserved predominantly African-American areas. Yeah, evil chain, not local, not authentic, but still ... why not a Starbucks on Jefferson Avenue, or even at Main and Allen? Spot and Coffee Culture certainly aren't going to open East Side locations, and it's unlikely an indie will give the East Side a shot.
Considering the alarming rate at which new restaurants fail anywhere (I forget the number but it's significantly higher), a taxpayer-funded entity has no business explicitly supporting one.

Statler developers still scrambling to keep their purchase contract afloat
http://www.buffalonews.com/258/story/840316.html
http://buffalo.bizjournals.com/buffalo/stories/2009/10/26/daily11.html

What is going on with the court house? Have the glass panels started going up yet? I didn't notice any changes to the site last week when I was downtown for the AC/DC concert (which was amazing by the way). Im excited to see the building completed.
No panels up yet, I believe.

I was at the Albright-Knox Art Gallery this weekend and they have an exhibit on the work of Robert Mangold. He has been commissioned to design a colored stained glass art installation for the entryway of the courthouse. They have a room at the gallery with some under-construction photos, a demo of the artwork, and a 3D scale model of the building design.

No one is buying 5$ coffees on Jefferson. I am sure that is not the type of underserved African American community they are talking about.

Of course not, there aren’t any Starbucks on Jefferson. Actually, very rarely have I ever spent more than $2 in a Starbucks.

As far as I can tell, Starbucks site selection strategy seems to be concentrate as much as possible in the upscale yuppie zones where their target market is heaviest. Even if that means, as often, a Starbucks on every block downtown & uptown block, often competing against each other, & very few, if any, in the ghettos.

Take NYC. By the time the Bronx got its first Starbucks, Manhattan had something like one Starbucks for every 11,000 residents, whereas that first Starbucks gave the Bronx one for every 1.3 million residents. Per capita, Manhattan had one hundred times as many Starbucks as its poorer sister borough.

The one & only Starbucks in Newark NJ was suddenly closed earlier this year. That despite that Newark has been rebounding quite well to the degree that it has now passed Buffalo in population.

Given that Starbucks has started downsizing over the past year, Buffalo's probably lucky to have the few Starbucks it does have. It doesn’t exactly help draw the attention of the corporate site selectors when one’s telephone book is named for the county rather than the city.

Still, Elmwood, that’s a very good idea about getting more Starbucks in Afro-American and other underserved areas. That triangle near Main, Jefferson & Delavan, that serves both the Hamiln Park & the Canisus crowds, that might make an ideal site for the next Buffalo Starbucks.

Especially in Buffalo, where restaurants are quite abundant. "Double especially" for Italian, which is practically the modal cuisine in Buffalo. South Buffalo isn't exactly a struggling area, although parts of it, especially the I-190 corridor and those neighborhoods closer to brownfields and industrial operations, have definitely seen better days.

My worthless opinion: if BERC is going to offer loans to restaurants, it should be to fill gaps in the city's dining options (e.g. certain ethnic and fusion cusines), and for restaurants in struggling neighborhoods.


I don’t know the record of the BERC so I don’t want to be overly critical here; I certainly wish this restaurateur the best of luck.

But it seems that the efforts to promote new "businesses" focuses on supporting older well established, politically connected groups rather than newer, growing immigrant groups who bring more in the way of the family & kinship economics that makes small startups work.

In reality, many, if not most, of the new restaurants, groceries & other smaller neighborhood businesses that have been established in Buffalo & around WNY have been started by new immigrant groups.

That’s been the national pattern. It’s just that since Buffalo attracts far fewer immigrants than average it has fewer such startups, less culinary variety & less neighborhood vitality.

Some years back, in hopes of rejuvenating one declining commercial strip. Niagara Falls NY tried to restart a “Little Italy”, as if it hadn’t already been one. When in fact, much of the real new businesses in the Falls have been started by East Indians & other recent immigrants. Evidentially, with little if any help from the established local “business” groups.

If Buffalo & other WNY suburbs & towns really want more vitality, their business development efforts would have more impact if they focused on supporting & promoting more immigrant entrepreneurs, rather than using public funds in hopes of trying to keep old, dying businesses alive.

That triangle near Main, Jefferson & Delavan, that serves both the Hamiln Park & the Canisus crowds, that might make an ideal site for the next Buffalo Starbucks.
Since everyone's talking about a Starbucks in the Hamlin Park / Canisius College area, I thought I'd point out that there is actually an independent coffee shop in that area - the Em Tea Coffee Cup Cafe on Oakgrove near Humboldt. It's the same people who opened the 2nd Cup Cafe in the "Buehl Block" building on Broadway downtown. I think the original location is still open.

Great shot of Washington street, Buffalonian4Life!

More details revealed about Termini's plans for the Hotel Lafayette - 115 apartments and 15,000 sqft of office space on the ground floor.

http://buffalo.bizjournals.com/buffalo/stories/2009/10/26/daily25.html

http://img408.imageshack.us/img408/1104/dsc0453.jpg

Also on the agenda- preliminary plans for the AMA&'s store-

:cheers:


City of Buffalo Planning Board
377 MAIN STREET
Request to be SEQR Lead Agency for the
rehabilitation project of the old "AM&A's" store
into a 117 room flagship hotel with banquet
facilities, a food court, offices and apartments.

http://www.buffalorising.com/2009/10/amas-store-rehab-plan-revealed.html#SlideFrame_0

Also on the agenda- preliminary plans for the AMA&'s store-
Oh, I will believe that when I see it! But if anyone can do it, it's Termini! (And I might believe it with the CityView folks, too.)

Another hotel, though? It'll be great to have more options in the city proper, but that's a lot of hotels coming downtown recently. Personally, I'd like to see a nice little hotel near the "museum district" (maybe the Elmwood/Forest or Richardson hotel projects will actually happen), or up in North Buffalo (maybe convert an apartment building?).

Great shot of Washington street, Buffalonian4Life!

I can't get enough of that street!!! :cheers:

I could shoot at it all year and still find different perspectives on this beautiful street.
Definitely one of Buffalo's most premiere downtown streets!!!

New Buffalo Statler Redevelopment group comes up with their down-payment.

http://buffalo.bizjournals.com/buffalo/stories/2009/10/26/daily35.html
http://www.buffalonews.com/258/story/842474.html

Lots of optimism about big downtown projects in the past week or so. If all of these things pan out, downtown should be significantly improved in a few years!

Do parking ramps count as development?

http://www.buffalonews.com/home/story/842327.html

Bleah. Downtown is over 50% parking; how could there possibly be a shortage of parking? And it really bothers me that we sunk half a billion dollars into the construction of the Metro Rail, and then we create disincentives to using it by encouraging the use of private cars downtown. :nuts:

Some UB stuff

This one has gotten much better as it nears construction
http://www.buffalo.edu/news/hires/DC_EOC.jpg


A cute hand rendering that does not show anything new except fro a couple reflecting pools?
http://www.buffalo.edu/news/hires/SC_TransitPlaza.jpg


Blah - UB North - just as nasty as ever, just with more buildings
http://www.buffalo.edu/news/hires/NC_LeeRoadRoundabout.jpg

Whoa, shrink your pictures!

Some articles about the UB master plan:

http://buffalo.bizjournals.com/buffalo/stories/2009/10/26/daily19.html
http://www.buffalonews.com/cityregion/buffaloerie/story/841979.html

"People haven't been that fond of UB’s campuses," said Frederick Bland, the firm's managing partner, "but with the right moves they can be fantastic. South Campus will shed its clutter so that its historic character shines through. North Campus lacks soul now, but the plan will create fabulous social spaces on the Academic Spine, Lake LaSalle and a new "Main Street" leading to the Ellicott Complex. And the potential for a great urban campus downtown is truly exciting."

As far as "soul" goes, my personal feeling is that North Campus is a lost cause. It was deliberately designed to be a chain of utilitarian buildings adrift in a dead sea of parking lots, without any meaningful gathering spaces so as to discourage student protests. But I guess since we're stuck with it, this plan is as good as any!

Why are they renovating a South Campus building for the pharmacy school if pharmacy will ultimately be moving downtown?

I think some of the aspects of the UB2020 plan are wildly optimistic (e.g., where will all these new students come from when foreign enrollment is already one of the highest?) but I applaud them for thinking big. And it's great to see this level of reinvestment in South Campus and in downtown - if long overdue.

Geesh it's a wonder those suckers didn't just crash the entire internet!

Geesh it's a wonder those suckers didn't just crash the entire internet!

quote of the day :lol:

Steel, I have a 22 inch monitor and I can't see the whole picture in one frame. lol

Oh dear, a big chunk of the Statler's cornice just collapsed...

http://www.buffalonews.com/437/story/843287.html

I hope the city doesn't go all brute force and take the entire cornice off, given that the ownership of the building is in such flux right now...

Yoga studio moving to Grant Street:
http://www.buffalorising.com/2009/10/great-yoga-experience-bank-on-it.html

Maybe Grant really *is* gentrifiying! :shifty:

Yoga studio moving to Grant Street:
http://www.buffalorising.com/2009/10/great-yoga-experience-bank-on-it.html

Maybe Grant really *is* gentrifiying! :shifty:

i spent the day on Grant the last time i was in town. the level of multiculturalism, diversity and activity i saw could compete with any large city. if it is possible to bring in some upscale living/shopping opportunities while keeping it as mixed economically and culturally as it is now, it will be a REAL asset to Buffalo.

:)

Oh no!

Federal courthouse opening delayed by 7 months to January 2011 :ohno:
http://www.buffalonews.com/home/story/843063.html

I kind of like this part though:

One thing the courthouse will not have is a coffee shop or cafeteria.

"The judges specifically did not want that, so the courthouse will not be competing with restaurants in the downtown area," O'Donnell said.

Federal courthouse opening delayed by 7 months to January 2011
Does this make sense? I'm glad they're thoroughly testing everything, but glass curtain walls are hardly new. Is this a revolutionary new security design that has never been done before?? What's different about it? Is this glass totally bomb-proof or something?

"testing of one of the building's most striking features — the curved glass wall that will face Niagara Square — is proving to be a complicated job. The testing is being done in a laboratory in York, Pa., where the safety glass is being analyzed for its resistance to wind, water, heat, seismic movements and other factors."

Oh dear, a big chunk of the Statler's cornice just collapsed...

http://www.buffalonews.com/437/story/843287.html

I hope the city doesn't go all brute force and take the entire cornice off, given that the ownership of the building is in such flux right now...

I hope not, either. Just get come guys with cement and they can have it repaired in no time, that is if the company looking after the building can afford it right now.

Oh dear, a big chunk of the Statler's cornice just collapsed...

http://www.buffalonews.com/437/story/843287.html

I hope the city doesn't go all brute force and take the entire cornice off, given that the ownership of the building is in such flux right now...
That has to be difficult to maintain even with a building with stable ownership and well-cared for maintenance. These things are going to weather and fall off. Obviously the cornice is one thing, but look at all the other pieces of detail work that have gone missing from that building (not to mention others) over the years.

Hey, just wait until it has stable ownership - they can take it off and replace it with a fake plastic one! :lol:

Does this make sense? I'm glad they're thoroughly testing everything, but glass curtain walls are hardly new. Is this a revolutionary new security design that has never been done before?? What's different about it? Is this glass totally bomb-proof or something?

"testing of one of the building's most striking features — the curved glass wall that will face Niagara Square — is proving to be a complicated job. The testing is being done in a laboratory in York, Pa., where the safety glass is being analyzed for its resistance to wind, water, heat, seismic movements and other factors."
I found it odd too. Granted it's not curved, but there wasn't the same "problem" with the Dulski/Avant and that glass work. Whatever, I suppose you can't expect something done by the Feds to be done on time.

As far as parking goes, what is termini planning/doing with the am&as,am&as wherehouse,and the lafayete hotel? I think theyre knocking a small building down next to the wherehouse. What does the hotel use now for parking?



I found it odd too. Granted it's not curved, but there wasn't the same "problem" with the Dulski/Avant and that glass work. Whatever, I suppose you can't expect something done by the Feds to be done on time.

The avant didn't need to be built to withstand an attack and or bombing on it. The blame doesn't lie with "the feds" but with lunatics like Timothy Mcveigh.

The avant didn't need to be built to withstand an attack and or bombing on it. The blame doesn't lie with "the feds" but with lunatics like Timothy Mcveigh.
This is probably the real reason. All that talk about weather and "seismic movements" (in Buffalo?) is probably just euphemistic for the underlying concern.

Avant has some curvy parts too on the hotel portico and the new "push-out" for the front balconies.

Apparently, yoga is in a growth cycle this month!

Yoga studio opening on Hertel & Parker:
http://www.buffalorising.com/2009/10/veda-yoga-space-on-hertel.html

This is actually a fairly significant turn of events for that corner. I believe that building was vacant for quite a while, and now there's this, plus an ice cream and sweets shop at the storefront up Parker (in the same building). There's a new hot dog and ice cream stand up the block (in a converted gas station building!) too. That stretch of Hertel needed a little love; glad to see things shaping up!

The avant didn't need to be built to withstand an attack and or bombing on it. The blame doesn't lie with "the feds" but with lunatics like Timothy Mcveigh.
True, but I don't know how much glass is going to do to withstand a bomb blast. I would hope the actual frame of the building has been designed to withstand something like that. Somebody tries to pull one of those here, and I'm sorry, that glass is a goner.

Do parking ramps count as development?

http://www.buffalonews.com/home/story/842327.html

Bleah. Downtown is over 50% parking; how could there possibly be a shortage of parking? And it really bothers me that we sunk half a billion dollars into the construction of the Metro Rail, and then we create disincentives to using it by encouraging the use of private cars downtown. :nuts:

The light rail was more like two-thirds of a billion. In todays dollars it would be a lot more than that!

For sure Buffalo seems to have a higher share of its downtown space devouted to parking than other of the other Northeastern or Midwestern cities.

As to why the need for so much parking, who knows?

Maybe the vested interests of those who'd be put out of business if there less buildings to demolish for more parking lots. Or maybe too many folks complain about having to walk more than a couple of blocks because having to walk past so many parking lots is so uninspiring.

Or maybe all the above?

It's really not that hard to comprehend. Too much of downtown has been reduced to surface parking. BUT much of that parking is off limits unless you are an employee or customer of the nearby business. You can't just park anywhere there's a spot. And the city seems to go out of its way to make street parking as complicated as possible. (i.e. You can park in this spot only between Tues 7pm through thursday 7pm. Another spot is only good for 2 hours at a time. This spot is handicap only. etc.) At least a public parking garage will allow anyone to park there at any time.

The light rail was more like two-thirds of a billion. In todays dollars it would be a lot more than that!

For sure Buffalo seems to have a higher share of its downtown space devouted to parking than other of the other Northeastern or Midwestern cities.

As to why the need for so much parking, who knows?

Maybe the vested interests of those who'd be put out of business if there less buildings to demolish for more parking lots. Or maybe too many folks complain about having to walk more than a couple of blocks because having to walk past so many parking lots is so uninspiring.

Or maybe all the above?

Yes Buffalo is just so horrible in every way.

Sounds like some very ambitious plans for AM&A... possibly a 117-room hotel...

http://www.buffalonews.com/home/story/844302.html?imw=Y

Yes Buffalo is just so horrible in every way.


Do you really think so?

Do you really think so?Why, YES. You have convinced me that it is just backward and terrible in every aspect.

Why, YES....it is just backward and terrible in every aspect.


Gee, that's too bad that you feel that way about Buffalo.

Gee, that's too bad that you feel that way about Buffalo.

:fiddle:

^ That has to be the funniest emoticon I have ever seen.

http://www.buffalonews.com/opinion/anothervoice/story/847463.html

An interesting opinion piece by the executive director of the Amherst IDA, claiming that new commercial and residential development generates more revenue than it costs the town in services.

This report makes a strong case for our region — a region that has suffered from economic decline for too long—to end irrational, no-growth actions and adopt an attitude and policies that encourage a dynamic and rejuvenated private sector.

I didn't read the actual report, but I don't know what kind of voodoo economics you need to use to show that spreading the same or decreasing number of people more thinly over an ever-larger area could possibly lead to net generation of wealth.

Oh, wait, I know... the county as a whole is shrinking, but Amherst itself is growing. So these numbers work out fine as long as Amherst can continue to steal from Peter next door.

Tim Tielman is not too happy with the Canal Side plans.

http://www.buffalonews.com/cityregion/buffaloerie/story/847510.html

"They’re throwing the 2004 plan in the garbage can so they can build what suburban developers know how to build," said Tielman, who is executive director of the Campaign for Greater Buffalo History, Architecture & Culture.

I can't bring myself to criticize Tielman too much, because he done has a LOT of positive things for the city, and indeed, he can be credited for much of what we can see now at the Erie Canal Harbor site. But I think he is missing the forest for the trees here. The new plan is, to be sure, more of a highly-planned outdoor mall / theme park than a vibrant city neighborhood, but the design guidelines (if enforced) show a solid understanding of urban, pedestrian-scaled principles. I don't think something like Canal Side would be built in the suburbs.

It's not perfect but as Voltaire said, "the perfect is the enemy of the good".

I think he is changing the argument each time they present. The plans shown with the highest amount of detail were all on the Aud site. Not part of the "historic consensus" lot surrounding the rewatered canal slip. He used to say that they could do anything they wanted on the Aud site now he is also worried about that and the asphalt parking lot next to Marine Drive.

From what I understand they have already started building the historic street grid next to the canal. This proposal does not change that except that it seems to show another historic canal put in place. You would think he would be for that.

I am a big supported of Tielman and what he has accomplished but quint little shoppes are not going to magically appear here just because you have a few new olde timey streets and a canal

http://www.buffalonews.com/opinion/anothervoice/story/847463.html

An interesting opinion piece by the executive director of the Amherst IDA, claiming that new commercial and residential development generates more revenue than it costs the town in services.



I didn't read the actual report, but I don't know what kind of voodoo economics you need to use to show that spreading the same or decreasing number of people more thinly over an ever-larger area could possibly lead to net generation of wealth.

Oh, wait, I know... the county as a whole is shrinking, but Amherst itself is growing. So these numbers work out fine as long as Amherst can continue to steal from Peter next door.


This is one of the stupidest things I have ever read. he contradicts his own assertions in his own writing when he just discounts older existing houses as having 1/2 the tax value. Stupid. By his measure every house in Erie County should be replaced with one that is double in value! What a great way to fix the local economy.

Tim Tielman is not too happy with the Canal Side plans.

http://www.buffalonews.com/cityregion/buffaloerie/story/847510.html



I can't bring myself to criticize Tielman too much, because he done has a LOT of positive things for the city, and indeed, he can be credited for much of what we can see now at the Erie Canal Harbor site. But I think he is missing the forest for the trees here. The new plan is, to be sure, more of a highly-planned outdoor mall / theme park than a vibrant city neighborhood, but the design guidelines (if enforced) show a solid understanding of urban, pedestrian-scaled principles. I don't think something like Canal Side would be built in the suburbs.

It's not perfect but as Voltaire said, "the perfect is the enemy of the good".

Yikes! :blahblah:

I think we've finally got the plan. GO WITH IT. The last thing we need is someone complaining like this. We will never be the same again. We can't just bring back a bunch of fakey historic waterfront neighborhoods that once stood, you need real attractions, real modernistic urbanism with a realistic portrayal of the past. It's time to move on. We have enough historic elments, now go with it!

Great quote BTW.

Well, without Tielman there would be no rewatered Commercial Slip, and Bass Pro might have ended up right on the water's edge, blocking all public access to the water in the Inner Harbor, and certainly precluding the uncovering of the historic cobblestone streets there.

As I said, I think the current plan is not too bad. But I also think that what Tielman is doing is a good and essential part of the public hearing process. It pushes the ECHDC to make a better plan for the city. Just like zoning codes push developers to do more than the bare minimum.

Steel is absolutely right, though, that Tielman used to say that his only concern was the historic harbor site, not the Aud site. His focus has drifted. But Tielman is a dedicated advocate for pedestrian-oriented urbanism, and I can understand why he wants to put his two cents in regarding the rest of the plan, too.

I don't really understand what Tielmann is asking for this time around. I thought that most of his complaints were addressed in the new design

:?

Tim Tielman was complaining in 2005.

It's almost 2010 and nothing has changed, I see.

The Buffalo News has a bit of a puff piece on Rocco Termini, covering his development background and more about his plans for the Lafayette Hotel and the AM&A's store:

http://www.buffalonews.com/home/story/848292.html

When will one of you fine Buffalo forumers provide us with some construction updates of the projects around your area?

When will one of you fine Buffalo forumers provide us with some construction updates of the projects around your area?

See:

http://www.buffalorising.com/real-estate/

Well, without Tielman there would be no rewatered Commercial Slip, and Bass Pro might have ended up right on the water's edge, blocking all public access to the water in the Inner Harbor, and certainly precluding the uncovering of the historic cobblestone streets there.

As I said, I think the current plan is not too bad. But I also think that what Tielman is doing is a good and essential part of the public hearing process. It pushes the ECHDC to make a better plan for the city. Just like zoning codes push developers to do more than the bare minimum.



Tielman's input has improved this plan & there's plenty of room for further improvement. Some elements may fall out & who knows, others might be added. Much better to have more fine-tunning than to rush ahead with yet another half-baked boondoogle.

See:

http://www.buffalorising.com/real-estate/


Actually, I'm a member of the site and I visit it almost each day. The site doesn't cover construction progress the way that a few forumers with cameras could. Don't make me come down there......

Actually, I was thinking of coming down and exploring Buffalo one weekend soon and this time I want to try and check it out Buffalo style. Not shopping weekend trip Toronto style.

Actually, I was thinking of coming down and exploring Buffalo one weekend soon and this time I want to try and check it out Buffalo style. Not shopping weekend trip Toronto style.

:):)

Tim Tielman was complaining in 2005.

It's almost 2010 and nothing has changed, I see.

http://www.cyburbia.org/gallery/data/6160/waterfront_heritage_2007_04_15.jpg

Actually, I'm a member of the site and I visit it almost each day. The site doesn't cover construction progress the way that a few forumers with cameras could. Don't make me come down there......

Actually, I was thinking of coming down and exploring Buffalo one weekend soon and this time I want to try and check it out Buffalo style. Not shopping weekend trip Toronto style.

You need to take my new book with you

www.buffbuildings.com

You need to take my new book with you

www.buffbuildings.com

shameless.

:)

I vote for the drunken and brawling Canalside.

The site doesn't cover construction progress the way that a few forumers with cameras could. Don't make me come down there......
Some projects like the Federal Courthouse don't look much different externally than they did 4 months ago... Most of the work has been on the inside.

Which projects are you looking for construction pics of?

I vote for the drunken and brawling Canalside.
Yes. We definitely should have $5 tricks down there. :lol:

Can we not have wholesome, family fun AND $5 tricks?

In all seriousness, I hope they do include some good bars in the plan. I would forsee pubs along the lines of Fado etc.

Steel, I'll take a look at your book.

Homestar, any and all projects.

ExWNY'er, I agree, and not to keep harping about the Distillery District in Toronto, but a micro brewery would be a great tenant to have with a brew/pub and restaurant @ Canal Side.

Homestar, any and all projects.

Most projects are either complete (like waterfront condo tower), or not started (Court Tower), or mostly internal work (the summer is over)

The ones that might have some updates are

project on Main/Ferry (not yet started)
Croce Hotel (?)
Courthouse (all internal lately)

Since 40 nights a year (at least), you will have a hockey crowd in the area, it really is a no brainer to put a good brewpub as close to the arena as possible in one of those new Canalside buildings. It is the one can't miss business for that area.

Somebody should approach these guys. http://bisonbrew.com/bison-history.asp

Most projects are either complete (like waterfront condo tower), or not started (Court Tower), or mostly internal work (the summer is over)

The ones that might have some updates are

project on Main/Ferry (not yet started)
Croce Hotel (?)
Courthouse (all internal lately)


The projects underway downtown include:

136 Lofts
AM&As Warehouse Lofts
Allentown Lofts
Federal Courthouse
Croce Hotel
Auto Museum Expansion
Genny Block
Kaleida/UB medical campus project

I should contact them since I live in San Francisco.

The projects underway downtown include:

136 Lofts
AM&As Warehouse Lofts
Allentown Lofts
Federal Courthouse
Croce Hotel
Auto Museum Expansion
Genny Block
Kaleida/UB medical campus project

Thanks ECT.

Also I just noticed they put up chain link fencing around the KFC on Elmwood. Maybe they will be starting demolition soon?

Thanks ECT.

Also I just noticed they put up chain link fencing around the KFC on Elmwood. Maybe they will be starting demolition soon?

Yes- they've been doing asbestos abatement for a few weeks. :cheers:

Interesting item on the Zoning Board agenda- Ellicott Development is planning apartments at 960 Busti Avenue, north of the Peace Bridge.

Is there any indication as to what national chain (if any) Croce will use for his hotel.

Given all the plans for hotels these days, it seems like the city will be flooded with new rooms withing 2-3 yeas.

Is there any indication as to what national chain (if any) Croce will use for his hotel.

Given all the plans for hotels these days, it seems like the city will be flooded with new rooms withing 2-3 yeas.

every time i've seen him quoted, he keeps saying "boutique" hotel, which to me may mean there is no chain affiliated with it. i don't really know though.

Thanks ECT.

Also I just noticed they put up chain link fencing around the KFC on Elmwood. Maybe they will be starting demolition soon?


See, starting posting pictures and create a buzz. You never know, your local media chains may start making your posts news. It happens every so often up here media outlets quoting SSP and urbantoronto.

Also a photo tour of the Canal side property would be nice.

every time i've seen him quoted, he keeps saying "boutique" hotel, which to me may mean there is no chain affiliated with it. i don't really know though.

It won't be chain. He's in the works of creating some of the best hotel rooms from here to New York City. Maybe not with Avant views, but he is certainly surpassing expectations and will create a competitive market along Avant and Hampton, a block away.

See, starting posting pictures and create a buzz. You never know, your local media chains may start making your posts news. It happens every so often up here media outlets quoting SSP and urbantoronto.

Also a photo tour of the Canal side property would be nice.
Possibly, but ECT usually has the entire project rendering long before we see anything happening on the ground ;) I'm pretty sure there's already been pictures posted of the canalside area in this thread.... and not sure how exciting a picture of a chain link fence around a KFC is really going to be. When something interesting starts, I try to post some pics.

Possibly, but ECT usually has the entire project rendering long before we see anything happening on the ground ;) I'm pretty sure there's already been pictures posted of the canalside area in this thread.... and not sure how exciting a picture of a chain link fence around a KFC is really going to be. When something interesting starts, I try to post some pics.

We need more renderings turned into reality. I'll have an update on Allentown Lofts and the Lake Hotel conversion soon.

Kudos Buffalo, there is more happening in the city than in Sacramento or in many other cities. Slow and steady wins the race sometimes. Now only if there was some population growth- imagine the possibilities.

Kudos Buffalo, there is more happening in the city than in Sacramento or in many other cities. Slow and steady wins the race sometimes. Now only if there was some population growth- imagine the possibilities.

:cheers:

Anyone know what's up with the Glenny Drive senior apartments project? I thought they were supposed to be demolished months ago. I was driving up Fillmore today and saw that there is construction equipment and a sign showing the rendering of the apartments that will replace them, but the buildings don't look any different from the last 5 years. Maybe they are doing asbestos abatement now?

I'm working on a model of how I think Canal Side could be developed, not only will it still include BP, but more residential. The main difference will be BP won't be the centre of attention.

I'm just winging it from an image over on Buffalo Rising, it would help if I had a map of the property, and which buildings are historic in nature, and what plots of land sit empty or will be tear down and rebuilds. I can only assume that BP is all new.

The only existing building that may (or may not) be reused for the Canal Side project is the Donovan State office building (1950s vintage). I'm not sure whether they've decided to reuse it or demolish it. Other than that there are no existing buildings.

All the info you could want about Canal Side, including maps, is here:
http://www.eriecanalharbor.com/canal_side.asp

Ok, I'd gotten much further with it when my comp crashed on me. So far this is the view facing Bass Pro, I'v taken out the pho historic building Bass Pro wants to build and replaced it with a point condo tower that can house Bass Pro in a modern space that will complement the old, not try to fake being old. I'm kind of bummed out after the crash so I'll start back on this tomorrow. When I'm done this idea will respect the heritage of the area and infuse some much needed modernism that will complement the historic buildings. I also plan on taking out a few of the crosswalks, I think the architects and planers went way to far and made the proposal way too busy. The emphasis will be on the connection to the lake and the history of the structures, not a Disneyfied area that will become known as the Bass Pro District. Also a small amphitheater for small outdoor concerts and better organized pedestrian traffic flow.

As I progress any ideas or recommendations will be greatly appreciated, this is your city after all and not mine.

http://i72.photobucket.com/albums/i165/whistlerinToronto/CanalSide_01.jpg?t=1257652755http://i72.photobucket.com/albums/i165/whistlerinToronto/CSmain-thumb-505xauto-6360.png?t=1257653272

What is the home makeover house address?

The only existing building that may (or may not) be reused for the Canal Side project is the Donovan State office building (1950s vintage). I'm not sure whether they've decided to reuse it or demolish it. Other than that there are no existing buildings.

All the info you could want about Canal Side, including maps, is here:
http://www.eriecanalharbor.com/canal_side.asp


Thanks man.

What is the home makeover house address?
228 Massachusetts.

http://www.buffalorising.com/2009/11/extremely-happy-buffalo-family-gets-a-home-makeover.html

I'm really glad to hear they're building an urban-appropriate infill house rather than a giant McMansion that the owners won't be able to maintain or resell given their neighborhood, as has happened to several other "winners" of this show. And I like that Buffalo ReUse is deconstructing the house - in the one episode I watched they exploded a perfectly good house with dynamite. Must have been sweeps week or something.

228 Massachusetts.

http://www.buffalorising.com/2009/11/extremely-happy-buffalo-family-gets-a-home-makeover.html

I'm really glad to hear they're building an urban-appropriate infill house rather than a giant McMansion that the owners won't be able to maintain or resell given their neighborhood, as has happened to several other "winners" of this show. And I like that Buffalo ReUse is deconstructing the house - in the one episode I watched they exploded a perfectly good house with dynamite. Must have been sweeps week or something.

I agree completely.Slowly but surely parts of the west side have been getting nicer the last few years, and done right this project will help the trend.

Drove by the AM&A's warehouses today - the demolition of the newer building on East Eagle is well underway. Cafe Lococo is gone, and the building facades are starting to look nicer already.

The FTA releases its Finding of No Significant Impact for the Cars Sharing Main Street project.

http://www.nfta.com/MainStreet/COB_FONSI.pdf

Personally, I am still concerned that double-parked idiots or broken down cars (or even just congestion at left turns) could seriously impact the downstream reliability of Metro Rail. The reason the train is so much better than buses is because you can pretty much be totally confident it will be at the station when the schedule says so. I'm not sure this will still be the case once traffic is thrown in its way, like buses.

The other thing that really bugs me is that Main Street will still be closed to bicycles except for the 600 (Theatre) block. I guess this is "for safety reasons" because there's no room to put a bike lane when you have the Metro Rail stations abutting the vehicle lane. And I guess they don't want bikes riding in the same lane as the Metro Rail (and true, getting sideswiped by a 100 ton train would absolutely suck), so the vehicle lanes will be off-limits to bikes. But where does that leave us cyclists? Either ride illegally in the vehicle lane, or ride illegally on the sidewalk? Or just not use Main Street at all (which is technically the current law)?

All that said, I am generally in favor of this project. It may add some vitality to Main (on-street parking near destinations is nice, rather having to find a lot or ramp), and if nothing else, the streetscape improvements should be significant.

Anyone know what's up with the Glenny Drive senior apartments project? I thought they were supposed to be demolished months ago.

There’s no harm if old, vacant, rotting wooden houses with no historical significance are torn down.

However, demolishing solidly built apartment complexes before they’re clearly obsolete makes no sense. Particularly if the tenants have to be rehoused in yet more suburban-style houses ringed by parking lots.

Keep in mind, most of Toronto’s residents live in over a thousand high-rises built in the same era (1950s-60s) without much in the way of negative impacts to that city.

So whats the rush?

However, demolishing solidly built apartment complexes before they’re clearly obsolete makes no sense. Particularly if the tenants have to be rehoused in yet more suburban-style houses ringed by parking lots.
Well, whether obsolete or not, the apartment complex has been abandoned for almost 30 years now, and the tenants are long gone. In their present state, the buildings are an incredible eyesore, looming over the elementary school next door (with no fence separating them from the school, according to an old Artvoice article, though maybe that has since changed).

I'm not a great fan of the design of the senior housing that is planned for the site, but it's not like the existing buildings are gems of urbanism either. They're just classic urban renewal "poverty warehouses".

I was curious, is anything going to happen the Buffalo Creek Casino? I hadn't heard anything, and was really curious as to what ever came about with all that.

I was curious, is anything going to happen the Buffalo Creek Casino? I hadn't heard anything, and was really curious as to what ever came about with all that.

The giant Buffalo Creek Casino/Hotel is still halted. No word on whether the giant rotting steel mass they have today will resume construction or not...Still waiting.

Still halted. No word on whether the giant rotting steel mass they have today will resume construction or not...Still waiting.
They're building an addition to the "temporary" casino that will double the number of slot machines.

They're building an addition to the "temporary" casino that will double the number of slot machines.

Yep- I thought blangjr21 knew about that. Figured I'd bring this up too. What does everyone think about this!?

Bittersweet.

The casino is/was to be nothing more than a thinly veiled revenue grab by Albany. At the same time it still exists and exists as a dual eyesore.

Guess we won't see all that "spin-off" development, because there have yet to even be rumblings, and add to that the Buffalo Tool Shed Casino apparently was never intended to cause any.

Bittersweet.

The casino is/was to be nothing more than a thinly veiled revenue grab by Albany. At the same time it still exists and exists as a dual eyesore.

Guess we won't see all that "spin-off" development, because there have yet to even be rumblings, and add to that the Buffalo Tool Shed Casino apparently was never intended to cause any.

Very true...I still question the Seneca authorites on why they stopped the construction of the casino hotel. Was it really because of the recession???

Very true...I still question the Seneca authorites on why they stopped the construction of the casino hotel. Was it really because of the recession???

The banks pulled their financing due to the financial collapse. Simple as that from what I understand. They won't get any until the banks are comfortable with the viability of the project

The banks pulled their financing due to the financial collapse. Simple as that from what I understand. They won't get any until the banks are comfortable with the viability of the project

Interesting. Do you think it will resume within the near future?

Interesting. Do you think it will resume within the near future?

Hard to say but I think the local leadership should tell them to Sh*t or get off the pot. It is a disgrace made only worse by the presence of the gambling shack.

They certainly should not have been allowed to expand the gambling shack.
There is no incentive for them to ever build the real building when they can get a huge profit from a tin shack... On the other hand, what was the final resolution on the legality issues?

I'm not sure how much water the recession argument holds. Keep in mind they've put quite a bit into the Salamanca operation during the recession. Maybe the only part of the argument I can understand is that Salamanca was pre-existing, so the market has already been tested so-to-speak.

As for the city telling them to...well. They were beginning to grow a pair late in Masiello's last term (albeit only slightly), but they really seem to have reascended in maybe the last 2 years. If someone comes forward and offers Byron some money or a few patronage jobs, I'm sure it'll get done yesterday. And don't look for any leadership from his lackey-in-chief Higgins (someone I've really soured on). Maybe that's it, maybe the Senecas aren't paying to play.

Speaking of the Senecas' basharissaisms, whatever happened to that huge likely eyesore they were planning in NFNY? Same thing?

Still not in favour of a casino in Buffalo... but it is a mystery as to why they stopped building... but in a similar story, the Greektown Casino in Detroit(owned by the Keewatin tribe) was delayed and built last of the three casinos...

Kudos Buffalo, there is more happening in the city than in Sacramento or in many other cities.


What happened to that bass pro that was supposed to be going up in the Sacramento railyards?

Hard to say but I think the local leadership should tell them to Sh*t or get off the pot. It is a disgrace made only worse by the presence of the gambling shack.

Well said. I absolutely agree.

Senecas.......:wallbash:

The land is sovereign territory, what exactly do any of you guys think Buffalo's leaders can do? Unless the treaty with the state specified x amount of buildings in y amount of time, I think they're free to build(or not build) what they want and how they want to.

The land is sovereign territory, what exactly do any of you guys think Buffalo's leaders can do? Unless the treaty with the state specified x amount of buildings in y amount of time, I think they're free to build(or not build) what they want and how they want to.

They may not have legal authority but they do have the bully pulpit. Set up a press meeting with the rusting hulk in the background and ask the Senecas what their plan is. Ask them how they can take money from the poorest people in the city without delivering the jobs they promised.

:)

They may not have legal authority but they do have the bully pulpit. Set up a press meeting with the rusting hulk in the background and ask the Senecas what their plan is. Ask them how they can take money from the poorest people in the city without delivering the jobs they promised.

i thought i read recently that the longest that type of structure can remain exposed is 4 years. after that it would HAVE to get torn down (it would no longer be structurally sound). with the investment they are making in the 'shed', it looks like they're willing to let that happen.

personally, i'm against a casino in that area, but if they were willing to take on a project like converting a grain elevator or another unused structure (i'd even go as far to say the Central Terminal) i'd be cheerleading them all the way. i actually think the Adam's Mark would be a great structure to convert into a casino. its already a nightmare.

How are Buffalo leaders supposed to "set up a press meeting" with the Senecas? Why would the Senecas agree to be a part of such a meeting? And if the Senecas are not a part of it, then how effective would a press meeting be with just the Mayor and a few of the other usual suspects (i.e. Brian Higgins maybe) asking questions with no one there to give the answers? All they'd be doing is complaining to the press that the Senecas won't move forward with plans to spend a third of a billion dollars in the worst economy since the 1930s to build a resort in an already poor area. Considering there is a big part of the population in Western New York opposed to the casino in the first place, that kind of strategy seems misguided. There's simply no bargaining chip, no leverage for local leaders to use to get the Senecas to do what they want. So much for the bully pulpit.

They don't need the Senecas there. It would be more effective without them there.

Kissling's Lake Hotel renovation, 201 W. Huron: 8 units, $1.1 million, work starts in about six weeks
http://www.buffalorising.com/2009/11/lake-hotel-renovation-proceeding.html

http://img404.imageshack.us/img404/825/jpegcolorelevation.jpg

http://img137.imageshack.us/img137/8134/dsc0192b.jpg

looks like they are removing some nice detail above the arched windows. How did they resolve the parking problem?

How are Buffalo leaders supposed to "set up a press meeting" with the Senecas? ...

If and when the Senecas want to talk, all they have to do is set up a ribbon to be cut. Byron will be attracted to it like a shark to blood.

LU Modern Classics clothing store moving to Ellicott Square Building. I think they are replacing The Jenny Shop (women's clothing store) which went bust a while ago. Hope this one lasts longer. They are moving from Elmwood (near Utica) and I haven't heard if anything is taking their place there, so this is sort of musical chairs.

http://buffalo.bizjournals.com/buffalo/stories/2009/11/09/daily30.html

Not very significant "development", but I think downtown retail is always noteworthy.

Sorry to hear about the Jenny shop. I was hoping that made it.

LU Modern Classics clothing store moving to Ellicott Square Building. I think they are replacing The Jenny Shop (women's clothing store) which went bust a while ago. Hope this one lasts longer. They are moving from Elmwood (near Utica) and I haven't heard if anything is taking their place there, so this is sort of musical chairs.

http://buffalo.bizjournals.com/buffalo/stories/2009/11/09/daily30.html

Not very significant "development", but I think downtown retail is always noteworthy.

Might do even better in a location where you're not competing with over 200 other stores. So, downtown might be a good trial for them... Fingers crossed!

LU Modern Classics clothing store moving to Ellicott Square Building. I think they are replacing The Jenny Shop (women's clothing store) which went bust a while ago. Hope this one lasts longer. They are moving from Elmwood (near Utica) and I haven't heard if anything is taking their place there, so this is sort of musical chairs.

http://buffalo.bizjournals.com/buffalo/stories/2009/11/09/daily30.html

Not very significant "development", but I think downtown retail is always noteworthy.

RealtyUSA has already moved into the LU Modern storefront on Elmwood. Kinda similar to Hunt Real Estate taking over a retail storefront a few blocks away.

http://media.buffalonews.com/smedia/2009/11/12/07/bn-20091112-B003-600beddormplann-89812-MI0001.standalone.prod_affiliate.50.jpg


600-bed dorm planned at UB North Campus

Work has begun on a 600-bed residence hall on the University at Buffalo North Campus in Amherst.

The $57 million project is being built on land between John James Audubon Parkway and the residence halls at the Ellicott Complex. It will feature a more “living learning” design intended to mesh campus residential and academic space.

... Opening is scheduled for August 2011.

... Lee Road will be extended to the Ellicott Complex across Audubon Parkway, where a traffic circle will be installed to slow the vehicles. “It starts the evolution of Lee Road as UB’s new Main Street,”

... The project will be built without state money



FULL - http://www.buffalonews.com/cityregion/story/858654.html

RealtyUSA has already moved into the LU Modern storefront on Elmwood. Kinda similar to Hunt Real Estate taking over a retail storefront a few blocks away.Oh, right, I do remember reading that now.

http://media.buffalonews.com/smedia/2009/11/12/07/bn-20091112-B003-600beddormplann-89812-MI0001.standalone.prod_affiliate.50.jpg


600-bed dorm planned at UB North Campus

Work has begun on a 600-bed residence hall on the University at Buffalo North Campus in Amherst.

The $57 million project is being built on land between John James Audubon Parkway and the residence halls at the Ellicott Complex. It will feature a more “living learning” design intended to mesh campus residential and academic space.

... Opening is scheduled for August 2011.

... Lee Road will be extended to the Ellicott Complex across Audubon Parkway, where a traffic circle will be installed to slow the vehicles. “It starts the evolution of Lee Road as UB’s new Main Street,”

... The project will be built without state money



FULL - http://www.buffalonews.com/cityregion/story/858654.html


I see they are still following the tried and true north campus look.

I see they are still following the tried and true north campus look.

Looks very similar to a dorm here in Cambridge at Harvard University.
http://www.hres.harvard.edu/RRE/NewWeb/Brochure/Affiliated/Complexes/onewesternave.htm

Needless to say - its design didn't go over very well:
http://www.thecrimson.com/article/2003/10/9/snap-yo-mommas-uglier-than-one/

http://www.architecture-page.com/assets/images/content/prj_masi_harv/4.jpg

http://www.thecrimson.com/article/20...lier-than-one/
Residents tended to outdo the critics in their creative assessments of the building, some commenting that it resembles “a hospital,” “a prison,” “a psychiatric ward” and “something from Atlanta.” Others noted that it was “out-of-place,” but also very “clean-looking” and “nice.”
Ouch.

NEW RESIDENCE HALL TO EMBODY 'LEARNING LANDSCAPES' CONCEPT CENTRAL TO UB'S MASTER PHYSICAL PLAN

http://img130.imageshack.us/img130/3337/southellicottsuites.jpg


The 600-unit South Ellicott Suites for sophomores will feature a "learning landscapes" concept, designed to enhance student learning by blending residential, academic and recreational areas. The new facility is part of the plan to make the North Campus more dynamic, lively and attractive. It will become the model for future campus housing at UB, according to Joseph J. Krakowiak, director of University Residence Halls and Apartments.

Construction of the 198,500-square-foot residence is underway and is expected to be ready for occupancy for the fall 2011 semester. The $57 million project is being funded by a partnership between the UB Foundation and the UB Alumni Association, and will utilize fees from residents of the building for construction and operation costs.

Projects aim to transform empty buildings
By Brian Meyer
NEWS STAFF REPORTER

Projects that would create new housing in the downtown business district, the Peace Bridge neighborhood and South Buffalo were presented to Buffalo's Planning Board today.

Meanwhile, officials from Ellicott Development presented plans to convert two vacant buildings into residential and commercial space. One project involves the former Baker's Shoes building in the 400 block of Main Street, not far from Lafayette Square. The $3.2 million project would create 16 market-rate apartments with indoor parking. Project manager Tom Fox said there would also be first-floor commercial or retail space.

Developer Carl Paladino was asked about the ongoing conversion of old downtown structures into loft apartments and other housing. He said he's not worried that the continuing development might cause a glut of downtown housing.

"The market is as deep as we want it to be," Paladino told a reporter following today's meeting. "The more we build, the more people will come."

Ellicott Development is also planning a $4 million project in a vacant warehouse at 960 Busti Ave., one block from the Peace Bridge. Once home to Multiform Technologies, officials said the structure will include 23 apartments and first-floor space for commercial or retail establishments.

Planning Board members praised all three projects, but they noted that developers must still obtain various approvals from governmental entities.

http://www.buffalonews.com/home/story/864604.html

http://img682.imageshack.us/img682/8625/dsc0697.jpg

Back of Baker Shoe Bldg. along Pearl Street

I thought Paladino was going to do the Baker Shoes building back when he redid the Courtyard Mall (does that still have the Parole Office in it?). I wonder how the Busti project ties in with the Peace Bridge plaza expansion plans. I wouldn't want to live right in the thick of that. Seems like it would make that location very undesirable for high-end rentals. I wonder if this will actually happen, or if there's some speculating going on here.

"Developers in a snit over AM&A's plan"
http://www.buffalonews.com/145/story/865328.html

Sounds like sour grapes to me! How can Paladino seriously complain about subsidies and unlevel playing fields? He is famous for $1 deals and no-bid contracts! To say nothing of his property-tax-free Waterfront Place condos.

Buffalo & Erie County Botanical Gardens break ground on new office building and greenhouses.

http://www.buffalonews.com/cityregion/buffaloerie/story/866834.html

The Botanical Gardens have been spruced up quite a bit in the past few years. I have been very impressed on my recent visits (and with winter coming it is a great place to go on a cold snowy day!).

Buffalo & Erie County Botanical Gardens break ground on new office building and greenhouses.

http://www.buffalonews.com/cityregion/buffaloerie/story/866834.html

The Botanical Gardens have been spruced up quite a bit in the past few years. I have been very impressed on my recent visits (and with winter coming it is a great place to go on a cold snowy day!).


I will have to refrain from comment on that thing. I do like the parking lot mentioned in the story. Before that parking was put in people actually had to walk through the park to get to the Garden building.

I will have to refrain from comment on that thing. I do like the parking lot mentioned in the story. Before that parking was put in people actually had to walk through the park to get to the Garden building.It isn't a very clear rendering, is it?

I have mixed feelings about the parking lot, too, but I have to say that it is more convenient when I'm visiting the gardens with my 2-year-old in the middle of a cold windy day in February.

At least they didn't put a door straight from the parking lot into the building. You still have to walk back to the ring road and then up the main approach to the front entrance of the building.

I'm surprised they didn't tear down the gardens for the parking lot. :nuts:

It isn't a very clear rendering, is it?

I have mixed feelings about the parking lot, too, but I have to say that it is more convenient when I'm visiting the gardens with my 2-year-old in the middle of a cold windy day in February.

At least they didn't put a door straight from the parking lot into the building. You still have to walk back to the ring road and then up the main approach to the front entrance of the building.

Believe me, my feelings are not mixed on the parking lot.

Believe me, my feelings are not mixed on the parking lot.I'm sure! :lol:

But I think there is a case to be made that structured parking does have advantages over having everyone driving around looking for a parking space on the ring road, causing traffic congestion and dangers to pedestrians and bicyclists within the park. This is a very different situation than parking lots vs. on-street parking in a commercial district.

Likewise, in Delaware Park, having cars driving and parking on the ring road makes it less comfortable for joggers, bicyclists, and skaters. I would prefer people just ditch their cars in one or two structured parking lots at the edge of the park, and then walk to their specific destination within the park.

I'm surprised they didn't tear down the gardens for the parking lot. :nuts:

:lol:

Amherst development slows to crawl
http://buffalo.bizjournals.com/buffalo/stories/2009/11/16/daily49.html

"UB 2020 is the linchpin to our economy going forward," [James Allen, Amherst Industrial Development Agency executive director] said. "If it occurs, then this region can compete. If not, I don’t know what the answer is. There is no 'Plan B.'"
Well, no kidding, considering that UB has been the entire reason for Amherst's existence over the last 30 years!

Like it wasn't going to happen anyways. Let's not forget that Amherst is approaching build-out as it is, and I don't think we're going to see it begin to densify anytime soon. If they're so hurt, maybe they should look into annexing Clarence.

"Developers in a snit over AM&A's plan"
http://www.buffalonews.com/145/story/865328.html

Sounds like sour grapes to me! How can Paladino seriously complain about subsidies and unlevel playing fields? He is famous for $1 deals and no-bid contracts! To say nothing of his property-tax-free Waterfront Place condos.

Just another sign that its twilight for one of the biggest players among the Old-line Buffalo Pals. Paladino had a lock on "development" & demolition for decades, now those days are numbered.

Amherst development slows to crawl
http://buffalo.bizjournals.com/buffalo/stories/2009/11/16/daily49.html


Well, no kidding, considering that UB has been the entire reason for Amherst's existence over the last 30 years!


I can't think of anything dumber than a town based industrial development agency. The myopic WNY tendency for mini kingdoms is infuriating.

Just another sign that its twilight for one of the biggest players among the Old-line Buffalo Pals. Paladino had a lock on "development" & demolition for decades, now those days are numbered.

Biz Journal yesterday reports that Mark Hamister is joining Rocco on the department store plan. He brings hotel expertise and money to the table.

With all the tax abatement Paladino receives on his waterfront property, it's amazingly dumb for him to criticize similar incentives for the AMnA's building.

He's sounding even more immature than usual.

Does anyone know why the city doesn't allow street parking in front of the Avant building on Delaware? It's no longer a federal building. We should be able to park there now.

What are they doing with the Buffalo Train Terminal , are they gonna build a regional Rail network through there? And HSR ? It has Great potential to become a major Jct , i'm sure the Neighbors wouldn't mind a new look on sumthing thats been rotting away for decades. :ohno:

The bigger question is when the Obama administration is going to select the projects to be funded, and start releasing the money.

The Restoration Corp is doing all it can. Feel free to donate or volunteer to help them in their goal:
http://buffalocentralterminal.org/you-can-help/

What are they doing with the Buffalo Train Terminal , are they gonna build a regional Rail network through there? And HSR ? It has Great potential to become a major Jct , i'm sure the Neighbors wouldn't mind a new look on sumthing thats been rotting away for decades. :ohno:

I’m not really sure there’s much reuse potential for the Central Terminal. If there’s high-speed rail & that would a long time coming, if ever, its makes more sense to run that into downtown.

Some older train terminals (Washington DC, Cleveland, etc,) with surplus space have reinvigorated themselves as marketplaces.

However, trying that at CT would just take away from what’s left at the struggling Broadway Market.

Maybe it has some potential for housing a railroad musem or senior citizens housing.

Even if it stays vacant though it would be foolish to tear the it down. The Central Terminal's one of Buffalo's finest historical landmarks.

:)

Even Lancaster is feeling the negative effects of sprawl without growth:

New Lancaster Walmart approved:
http://www.buffalonews.com/145/story/870634.html

Some who lived in the Northwood Village townhouses moved away. Some made peace with the retail giant. Others are resigned to, and saddened by, the prospect of a 30-foot-tall building with 796 parking spaces in their back yard while many big box stores stand empty, for rent and for sale.

There was also this letter to the editor about a new Walmart in Orchard Park planned to replace the existing Walmart on McKinley Parkway, which Walmart is apparently abandoning now that their 10-year tax abatement has run its course:

http://www.buffalonews.com/opinion/everybodyscolumn/story/870839.html

I think it's a bit rich for residents of Lancaster to protest sprawl, but it certainly illustrates that the problem is endless as long as WNY doesn't have the population influx to support all this new development on the fringes.

"Lafayette Presbyterian envisioning underused space as apartments"
http://www.buffalonews.com/cityregion/buffaloerie/story/870694.html

Plans call for 21 apartments, average square footage 1000 each. I think this would be a pretty cool building to live in! The pastor of this church seems like a very creative and innovative person; I believe he is originally from Pittsburgh.

I do fully expect an onslaught of small-minded comments on the Buffalo News website about how no one will want to live in the same building as a soup kitchen.

This might be blasphemy, but maybe they should move the Broadway Market to the Central Terminal. The actual building on Broadway is nothing to look at, though I am guessing it's the original, historic site of the Market. Since both Central Terminal and the Broadway Market are facing the possibility of being lost forever, maybe it would make sense to combine the two.

how about making it into the casino (instead of in the cobblestone district- which is better suited for new residential projects)?

It is pretty funny reading the comments from people who live in the suburbs complaining about traffic in the suburbs when they themselves help cause the traffic. It is as if they think they should be the only people allowed to drive to the Walmart or better yet put all the traffic generators next to another person's subdivision.

Its not my 1 acre lot causing sprawl! Its everyone else that is causeing sprawl.




Even Lancaster is feeling the negative effects of sprawl without growth:

New Lancaster Walmart approved:
http://www.buffalonews.com/145/story/870634.html



There was also this letter to the editor about a new Walmart in Orchard Park planned to replace the existing Walmart on McKinley Parkway, which Walmart is apparently abandoning now that their 10-year tax abatement has run its course:

http://www.buffalonews.com/opinion/everybodyscolumn/story/870839.html

I think it's a bit rich for residents of Lancaster to protest sprawl, but it certainly illustrates that the problem is endless as long as WNY doesn't have the population influx to support all this new development on the fringes.

It is pretty funny reading the comments from people who live in the suburbs complaining about traffic in the suburbs when they themselves help cause the traffic. It is as if they think they should be the only people allowed to drive to the Walmart or better yet put all the traffic generators next to another person's subdivision.Well, steel, I was listening to the Andres Duany lecture you posted on BR and he had a good quote (paraphrased): "People who live in the suburbs like what they have, but they don't want any more of it around them." Thought that summed up the mentality pretty well.

Actually, that whole lecture is full of succinct bits of deep wisdom.

Well, steel, I was listening to the Andres Duany lecture you posted on BR and he had a good quote (paraphrased): "People who live in the suburbs like what they have, but they don't want any more of it around them." Thought that summed up the mentality pretty well.

Actually, that whole lecture is full of succinct bits of deep wisdom.

i don't think anyone's minds will be changed until they see some concrete numbers, such as, we are approaching the situation where we are going to be spending more on highways than we are on education. some of the comments on the BRO post reminded me of hearing spoiled children whining to their parents when they're told they can't have something. the real problem comes from the fact that something like 51% of the voters are living in sprawl. no politician is going to level with the populace and be the 'parent' telling voters they can't have what they want. very depressing.

I think it's a bit rich for residents of Lancaster to protest sprawl, but it certainly illustrates that the problem is endless as long as WNY doesn't have the population influx to support all this new development on the fringes.


Buffalo has much less sprawl than most other metros.

On the other hand, Buffalo's topped the list of metros which have "declined outward.".

It is pretty funny reading the comments from people who live in the suburbs complaining about traffic in the suburbs when they themselves help cause the traffic.
How about the tool that said he'd be first in line when they open? He thinks it's just fine and dandy! Not to mention in need of serious psychological help. I'm not even sure Freud himself would be much of a help.

i don't think anyone's minds will be changed until they see some concrete numbers, such as, we are approaching the situation where we are going to be spending more on highways than we are on education. some of the comments on the BRO post reminded me of hearing spoiled children whining to their parents when they're told they can't have something. the real problem comes from the fact that something like 51% of the voters are living in sprawl. no politician is going to level with the populace and be the 'parent' telling voters they can't have what they want. very depressing.
If people saw the real numbers with respect to alot of things, this country wouldn't be in the shape it's in now. Wait until the dollar collapses; it's already beginning (and has been if you consider a 90% loss in value since the '50s as any indication). Wait for the taxation and hyperinflation and see all the people come out of the woodwork. And then elect the same idiots to office (same philsophy as "it's not my 1 acre lot": "it's not my guy who is the problem").

When you finally have to be told by a politician that you can't have something, it's already too late.

This might be blasphemy, but maybe they should move the Broadway Market to the Central Terminal. The actual building on Broadway is nothing to look at, though I am guessing it's the original, historic site of the Market. Since both Central Terminal and the Broadway Market are facing the possibility of being lost forever, maybe it would make sense to combine the two.


Perhaps. But the Broadway Market would probably have a better future if it were relocated to downtown, where it could serve a broader market.

Perhaps. But the Broadway Market would probably have a better future if it were relocated to downtown, where it could serve a broader market.

I agree. I think ultimately, the market would be a great centerpiece at Canalside. Kind of like a Haneuil Hall type market down there.

http://img524.imageshack.us/img524/1483/amain.jpg

Details emerge on plan for former AM&A's

http://www.buffalonews.com/home/story/873411.html

Rocco R. Termini's vision for the long-vacant Main Street complex includes 28 market-rate senior independent living apartments, a health club and office space for an Amherst company that would move its offices to the downtown business district.

Termini also disclosed that he has lined up a nationally-known hotel entity to operate a proposed 117-room hotel.

"We will make an announcement Tuesday on who the hotel is going to be," Termini told The Buffalo News. "We're very far ahead on this project."

The project will include complete restoration of the building's exterior, said Carmina Wood Morris, a Buffalo architectural firm that is working with Termini. Masonry will be cleaned and repointed, and historic windows will be restored. Some windows that are missing or not deemed to be historic will be replaced.

"The original storefronts along Washington Street will be recreated based on photographic evidence," architects wrote.

The 350,000-square-foot complex will include a hotel at its south end. Termini is working on the hotel venture with the Hamister Group, a health care and hotel management company based in Amherst. Termini said the goal is to land a nationally-known hotel. Termini said the Hamister Group also plans to occupy commercial space in the building as it locates its headquarters downtown.

Five upper floors will be transformed into 52 apartments that will range in size from 900 square feet to about 1,575 square feet.

http://img204.imageshack.us/img204/2496/awashington.jpg

^^ Any word on how many will be employed under the Hamister Group at their new downtown headquarters?

Best kind of shovel ready site is a Building waiting for restoration

Best kind of shovel ready site is a Building waiting for restoration

The number of new builds downtown from parking lots in recent years is tiny compared to renovations:

285 Delaware
Waterfront Place
Niagara Center
Fed'l Courthouse (bldgs. demo'd to build)
City Centre II
Public Safety Building (bldg. demo'd to build)
655 Main Street (bldg. demo'd to build)
A few buildings on the medical campus

The number of new builds downtown from parking lots in recent years is tiny compared to renovations:

285 Delaware
Waterfront Place
Niagara Center
Fed'l Courthouse (bldgs. demo'd to build)
City Centre II
Public Safety Building (bldg. demo'd to build)
655 Main Street (bldg. demo'd to build)
A few buildings on the medical campus

Buffalo is running out of renovation ready sites in the good neighborhoods. Quite amazing actually.

Great news on AM&A's; that'll be a huge help for Main Street. Any word on the subsidies Termini is asking for? I've always likened AM&A's to Rochester's near-empty Sibley Center (former Sibley's flagship store). Anonymous developers have said they cannot make renovation viable without roughly $10,000,000 in public funds. Though roughly twice the size of AM&A's, I would think Termini would be asking for a proportionately sizeable chunk of assistance. Still, it's money well spent if you ask me... Congrats!

Another missed deadline for the Statler... :ohno:

http://buffalo.bizjournals.com/buffalo/stories/2009/11/30/daily11.html

The article implies that the lawyer was just sort of confused as to where the closing was supposed to take place, but I wonder if there's more to it than that. This is really becoming quite the development soap opera for this building... maybe it really is cursed!

Now this is the kind of news I love to hear:

"Maker of 'green' products to set up on East Side"
http://www.buffalonews.com/home/story/879144.html

It sounds quite entrepreneurial and risky, but this is the kind of investment Buffalo needs - another busy occupied building and a good number of decent paying jobs in an inner-city neighborhood that is badly in need of both.

But of course the anonymous comments at the Buffalo News website have to crap over anything good that might happen in the city!

Now this is the kind of news I love to hear:

"Maker of 'green' products to set up on East Side"
http://www.buffalonews.com/home/story/879144.html

It sounds quite entrepreneurial and risky, but this is the kind of investment Buffalo needs - another busy occupied building and a good number of decent paying jobs in an inner-city neighborhood that is badly in need of both.

But of course the anonymous comments at the Buffalo News website have to crap over anything good that might happen in the city!

i like it too :cheers:

Nice detailed article about Termini's AM&A's plans:
http://buffalo.bizjournals.com/buffalo/stories/2009/11/30/daily14.html

I think the senior apartments are an inspired touch. I'm sure there are a lot of nostalgic retirees that would jump at a chance to live in the old AM&A's store! :D

Best kind of shovel ready site is a Building waiting for restoration

Speaking of shovel ready, the former kfc on elmwood and bryant is no more. I was walking by earlier today and all that was left was rubel.

Nice detailed article about Termini's AM&A's plans:
http://buffalo.bizjournals.com/buffalo/stories/2009/11/30/daily14.html

I think the senior apartments are an inspired touch. I'm sure there are a lot of nostalgic retirees that would jump at a chance to live in the old AM&A's store! :D

This is huge if this actually happens. I'm not sure how i feel about senior apartments though. That area needs life and seniors won't bring that. They should also open up the first floor for a cafe/ restaurant or store front. Still, it's news and progress I guess.

Speaking of shovel ready, the former kfc on elmwood and bryant is no more. I was walking by earlier today and all that was left was rubel.

Any plans for that lot?

I think it is perfect. They can help spot crime, yell at pigeons and call the cops on suspicious teens.

Any plans for that lot?

this:
http://www.buffalorising.com/2009/02/elmwoodbryant-kfc-site-purchased.html

kinda' boring, but looks nice and tidy, and good retail space with hidden parking. huge improvement.

this:
http://www.buffalorising.com/2009/02/elmwoodbryant-kfc-site-purchased.html

kinda' boring, but looks nice and tidy, and good retail space with hidden parking. huge improvement.

Glad that it's residential

I agree. I think ultimately, the market would be a great centerpiece at Canalside. Kind of like a Haneuil Hall type market down there.

Exactly, Boston’s Faneuil Hall, Baltimore’s Lexington Market, & San Francisco’s Ferry Building, those are all excellent examples of successful, centrally-located urban marketplaces.

No doubt about it, a smaller but similar market offering some of those traditional foods from the Broadway alongside some new flavors would make a fine centerpiece for Buffalo’s canalside project.

No doubt about it, a smaller but similar market offering some of those traditional foods from the Broadway alongside some new flavors would make a fine centerpiece for Buffalo’s canalside project.

anyone ever go to the Borough Market in London? local food stuffs, but also a lot of small stalls that have lunch/dinner items for the 9 to 5 crowd in the area (and places to get a quick pint). and its right under an overpass!


http://api.ning.com/files/nUpiMeqGoht13QaV2cjDxj*6*LBjEajIIypoBLOOvKfuPN0MhTlwXoFwmunHqDKuq6Dhe3qTvZqf92j77OmTQAyyO6zUaDuq/BoroughMarket10.jpg

anyone ever go to the Borough Market in London? local food stuffs, but also a lot of small stalls that have lunch/dinner items for the 9 to 5 crowd in the area (and places to get a quick pint). and its right under an overpass!


No, didn't know about about this London market. But we'll certainly add it to the list of interesting models for a successful Buffalo marketplace.

An article about UB's plans to purchase the McCarley Gardens housing project site for development as the med school:
http://www.buffalonews.com/cityregion/buffaloerie/story/882642.html

I think this apartment complex is badly and increasingly out-of-context in this area of the city, and I think it would be good for the Fruit Belt to increase residential density on the actual neighborhood streets themselves. But they are citing $110 million for 150 residents?? That's over $730,000 per resident! How much could it possibly cost to build new townhouses, considering the vast number of "shovel-ready" sites in the neighborhood? Maybe it's a typo?

I think this apartment complex is badly and increasingly out-of-context in this area of the city, and I think it would be good for the Fruit Belt to increase residential density on the actual neighborhood streets themselves. But they are citing $110 million for 150 residents?? That's over $730,000 per resident! How much could it possibly cost to build new townhouses, considering the vast number of "shovel-ready" sites in the neighborhood? Maybe it's a typo?

is it for completely new infrastructure- like getting the power lines off the fronts of all of the streets, and sewers? you are correct, density is important, but so is mixed income. i hope they try to encourage this too.

I can't beleive that an apartment complex for just 150 residents could possible cost $110million, $11 million sounds more plausible. Without knowing all the details, I'm not a fan a trying to create a make beleive in town suburbia by building more low-density housing in the city, especially anywhere near Main St.

Keep in mind that the misguided policies of building low-density housing for mostly poor African Americans & Latinos goes back many decades & has played a major role in Buffalo's depopulation. Its mostly a legacy of the reality that at least until quite recently most of the suburbs weren't really open to minorities. So the alternative was to create a low-density black & brown "suburbia" in the city.

Its best for those of any color or income who want to live in suburbia to move to suburbia, while promoting higher-density housing in the city which might help to repopulate the city.

I don't know that they intend to build a new apartment complex for the relocated tenants. I was assuming that by townhouses they meant regular infill houses on the existing Fruit Belt streets. Hope so, anyway. There have been quite a few recent new builds in that area. They seem quite odd standing by themselves with just one or two other ramshackle houses on an otherwise vacant block.

New regional development and attraction 5 minutes from the Peace Bridge

"Showdown looms for Fort Erie auto track"

"The long awaited vote by the council on a proposal by Canadian and Kuwaiti interests to build a $400 million complex along Bowen Road that will house, among other things, a 100,000-person capacity auto racing track. The track, which is being proposed with the support of top NASCAR racer Jeff Gordon, is planned for a massive 823-acre parcel between Bowen and Gilmore Roads, just off of the Queen Elizabeth Way."

"If approved, construction is expected to start within the next few months, with a proposed 2011 opening of the track."

http://buffalo.bizjournals.com/buffalo/stories/2009/12/07/daily4.html

I am not picturing a lot of Canadian Nascar fans but this would be a great project!

^^ That would bring a freakin lot of traffic through Buff...for one day of the year...

That would make a great day to split town. Ugh.

The Canadian Motor Speedway project is picking up its pace considerably.

At Monday's council-in-committee meeting, after about 60 people addressed town council and staff about their opposition or support for the proposal to build a state-of-the-art auto-racing facility on 823 acres of land adjacent to the QEW between Bowen and Gilmore Roads, the local government approved a report that essentially endorses the project at the municipal level. Members of council unanimously approved the report...

http://www.forterietimes.ca/ArticleDisplay.aspx?e=2211903

NASCAR track in Fort Erie, eh? Must be a slow (development) news week.

Seriously. Maybe the Emporium of Redneckdom, JR Cigar from Statesville, NC, will expand here too.

Larkin Streetscape and First Residential Project

http://img341.imageshack.us/img341/4835/finalboards4b.jpg

First Niagara Financial Group, Inc. is kicking off a comprehensive plan to dramatically and visibly enhance homes, public spaces and business properties in the Larkin District and surrounding neighborhoods in 2010, as part of the bank's long-term commitment to partner with the Larkin Development Group and the public sector to revitalize the resurgent urban community.

http://img171.imageshack.us/img171/6682/finalboards5b.jpg

During 2010 alone, over $2 million will be invested in spectacular streetscape improvements, redevelopment of a long vacant building into commercial space and rental apartments, and a financial assistance program that will underwrite residents' and small-business owners' remodeling and renovation projects in the neighborhood.

http://img339.imageshack.us/img339/4783/finalboards2b.jpg

Complementing the streetscape project will be renovation of a long vacant commercial building at 740 Seneca Street at the corner of Emslie Street. Larkin Development Group will invest over a quarter of a million dollars in the renovation of the 8,000 square-foot property to create at least four units of stylish rental apartments that will be designed to appeal to artists and/or young professionals. The first floor will initially be commercial space for a Larkin District Information Center serving as a clearinghouse of resources for established and new residents, visitors, area businesses and their employees. Future use of the first floor is planned for studio space for the residents living above. The project will begin in early 2010 and will be completed during the same year. The project is being designed by Young + Wright Architectural.

http://www.buffalorising.com/2009/12/first-niagara-to-pump-2-million-into-larkin-district.html

Larkin Streetscape and First Residential Project

First Niagara Financial Group, Inc. is kicking off a comprehensive plan to dramatically and visibly enhance homes, public spaces and business properties in the Larkin District and surrounding neighborhoods in 2010, as part of the bank's long-term commitment to partner with the Larkin Development Group and the public sector to revitalize the resurgent urban community.

http://www.buffalorising.com/2009/12/first-niagara-to-pump-2-million-into-larkin-district.html

has anyone seen larger renderings of those row houses in the top picture?

has anyone seen larger renderings of those row houses in the top picture?

Look here:

http://www.larkindg.com/larkinPlan.html

http://www.larkindg.com/larkinFuture.html

Larkin Streetscape and First Residential Project
I love how this project focuses on both renovation and infill.

NASCAR track in Fort Erie, eh? Must be a slow (development) news week.
well... anything that seats 100,000 people would be newsworthy. ;)

Site choices for outer harbor bridge down to two

The choices for locating a bridge that would cross the Buffalo River and connect downtown with the outer harbor have been narrowed to Erie Street in the Erie Basin Marina or at the foot of Main Street behind HSBC Arena.

... A 385-foot bridge from Erie Street is projected to cost about $63 million. That option, Ranalli said, could include straightening Erie Street to its former alignment, which the city has said it wants to see happen.

... The Main Street proposal, estimated at $87 million, would require two bridges, with a 275- foot bridge touching down and crossing Kelly Island, and a 250-foot bridge going over the City Ship Canal.

One possibility, Ranalli said, could have the bridge going through the Connecting Terminal grain elevator.

“We have a whole year to study this and narrow this down to the preferred location, to study this and go to the public and work out all the issues,” he said.


full: http://www.buffalonews.com/cityregion/story/890696.html

Biz First this week says Benderson is talking to Marriott about putting two hotels in the Canalside Development- one 160-room hotel across from HSBC Arena and the other 100 room hotel near Bass Pro.

Biz First this week says Benderson is talking to Marriott about putting two hotels in the Canalside Development- one 160-room hotel across from HSBC Arena and the other 100 room hotel near Bass Pro.

is there another Marriott in downtown?

I think the Donovan is slated to become a hotel, correct?

sin l ill I think the only Marriott is out in Amherst by UB. There might be one by the airport. Nothing in the downtown.

I think the Donovan is slated to become a hotel, correct?

sin l ill I think the only Marriott is out in Amherst by UB. There might be one by the airport. Nothing in the downtown.

i believe the plan is to fill in the empty 'webster' block across the street from the arena with the hotel.

They are making some kind of BIG announcement tomorrow down at Canal Side.

^^

I hope it is more than just another "Bass Pro is VERY committed to this project (even though they haven't signed anything yet)" type of announcement.

Target is moving into downtown San Francisco into the Metreon and everyone seems pretty happy to have a big box retailer downtown. Would people be oppossed to a Target in Canalside?

Target is moving into downtown San Francisco into the Metreon and everyone seems pretty happy to have a big box retailer downtown. Would people be oppossed to a Target in Canalside?

seems more suited to the main place mall. other that the BP, most of the renderings i've seen have buildings with smaller footprints.

Truth be told, a well-designed Target would make a better anchor for the canalside project in place of that Bass Pro.

Target would surely come thru faster than Bass Pro, which has kept many cities, Buffalo included, on hold for many years.

One big advantage of Target over Bass Pro is that it provides more in the way of a range of the retail items that both local residents & visitors are seeking.

How many bear hunters live in Buffalo???!!!!

Truth be told, a well-designed Target would make a better anchor for the canalside project in place of that Bass Pro.
Disagree. Canalside is meant to be a local destination. There is no possible way to make a Target a destination store. Every town already has one. Besides, Target would probably not even want to be down there since it could cannibalize their north buffalo store (or just bomb if everyone just sticks with the N.Buffalo one.)

How many bear hunters live in Buffalo???!!!!

funny you should say that. i spent thanksgiving in new england with people who were asking me all about the BP coming to buffalo. then upon a recent visit with my mother in the ken-ton area, i noticed a number of people in supermarkets wearing camo gear with sabres logos on them (quinn might just have the right idea). i'm not that excited about a BP being the anchor, but if fishing is the draw to the area, i think it has a chance. hopefully the building will be built with reuse in mind in case it doesn't stick.

In an article about the city's capital budget (http://www.buffalonews.com/cityregion/buffaloerie/story/891822.html):

The budget revisions proposed by the Council include $642,000 for road work that would accommodate Colvin Estates, a proposed new residential subdivision planned along an old railroad corridor between Colvin and Starin avenues.

Anyone know anything about this plan? I suppose it's one of those lame "suburbs in the city" developments like the one off of Lasalle across Main Street from the subway station. :nuts: If they really need to build new houses on that land, I think they should reconnect the north/south streets across the former rail ROW.

I would prefer they maintain the ROW for future use as light rail, or that they implement the long-standing bike path proposal. I don't see a need to build new market-rate housing on the fringes of the city on land that never had housing, in a neighborhood that has a wealth of perfectly good homes available for rent or purchase.

In an article about the city's capital budget (http://www.buffalonews.com/cityregion/buffaloerie/story/891822.html):



Anyone know anything about this plan? I suppose it's one of those lame "suburbs in the city" developments like the one off of Lasalle across Main Street from the subway station. :nuts: If they really need to build new houses on that land, I think they should reconnect the north/south streets across the former rail ROW.

I would prefer they maintain the ROW for future use as light rail, or that they implement the long-standing bike path proposal. I don't see a need to build new market-rate housing on the fringes of the city on land that never had housing, in a neighborhood that has a wealth of perfectly good homes available for rent or purchase.

This is a project from 2007. The owner had approvals to build it and then was trying to unload it. MJPeterson was rumored to be interested at one point. I'm surprised the city would install the infrastructure on a private parcel. From a BR post I did:


Plans for a north Buffalo subdivision received final City approval last week. David Gordon is proposing up to 134 single-family lots on 23.35-acres of former rail land connecting Starin and Colvin avenues between Taunton Place and St. Lawrence Avenue. The developer is considering constructing "Colvin Estates" as a patio home community. Patio homes are detached and typically single-level with exterior maintenance performed by a homeowners association. Recently popular in area suburbs, the patio home development would be the first in the city.

Most lots will be 55 feet wide and vary between 79 to 89 feet deep. Lots at the Starin and Colvin entrances will be 70 feet wide with brick entry features planned. The NFTA required that there be a 30' right-of-way preserved on the north side of the property for a bikeway and potentially a future light rail extension.

This is a project from 2007.They must be trying to get it rolling again. There's a recent blog started up at http://colvinestates.wordpress.com/ and they have a Facebook page too. They have a few images of their prototype house designs (one of them is not too bad IMO, but the others are "snout-houses"), but no diagrams of the overall site plan.

In an article about the city's capital budget (http://www.buffalonews.com/cityregion/buffaloerie/story/891822.html):

If they really need to build new houses on that land, I think they should reconnect the north/south streets across the former rail ROW.

agreed.

I would prefer they maintain the ROW for future use as light rail, or that they implement the long-standing bike path proposal. I don't see a need to build new market-rate housing on the fringes of the city on land that never had housing, in a neighborhood that has a wealth of perfectly good homes available for rent or purchase.

while you and i might feel this way, i have to think there are people who would consider living in the city if this type of neighborhood existed.
some people want low maintenance living but still want the amenities that condos can't provide(ie. a backyard, a driveway, a garage, a basement etc).

these patio home communities offer that.


that said, they should take this opportunity to reconnect cross streets and create a semi-urban street grid.

They must be trying to get it rolling again. There's a recent blog started up at http://colvinestates.wordpress.com/ and they have a Facebook page too. They have a few images of their prototype house designs (one of them is not too bad IMO, but the others are "snout-houses"), but no diagrams of the overall site plan.

hideous. who lives there, people or cars? B'lo deserves better.