Chalkie Gerzowski Posted January 13, 2005 Share Posted January 13, 2005 Where is this proposed? IIRC, there is lakefront subsidised housing filled with old hacks that got them as pay-offs through the years for supporting Sedita/Kowal/Makowski/Griffin/Masiello. They would be tough to chase out... 204492[/snapback] That is on the other side of the skyway. across from the Aud. This location......ok, you would be facing away from the back end of the HSBC Arena.....you would be looking past the Buffalo river and the grain elevators. I believe this area is next to.......the Pier restaurant/bar. If you were approaching downtown Buffalo from route 5, it would be the area on your left before you head up the skyway. If I am wrong, someone give out the location.....but I think that is the general area we are talking about here. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stuckincincy Posted January 13, 2005 Share Posted January 13, 2005 That is on the other side of the skyway. across from the Aud. This location......ok, you would be facing away from the back end of the HSBC Arena.....you would be looking past the Buffalo river and the grain elevators. I believe this area is next to.......the Pier restaurant/bar. If you were approaching downtown Buffalo from route 5, it would be the area on your left before you head up the skyway. If I am wrong, someone give out the location.....but I think that is the general area we are talking about here. 204500[/snapback] Thanks...I looked at the link, but it showed a drawing that offered no referencing landmarks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dan Gross Posted January 13, 2005 Share Posted January 13, 2005 last I checked, Canada's approval wasn't the problem with the Peace Bridge. 204438[/snapback] Oops, hadn't realized that the US and Canada resolved the Inspection Station issue late last year. Point is the issues with the Peace Bridge are not all localized to the City of Buffalo. Seems like the Waterfront development is already ahead of the Peace Bridge. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dave mcbride Posted January 13, 2005 Share Posted January 13, 2005 This looks like a pretty ambitious plan. There are some big dollar figures attached. It would be nice to see it succeed, but I'm not sure if it is viable financially. Where will the money come from? I'd be concerned about large scale residential high-rise development along the waterfront too. I'd like to see more of a park. http://www.buffalonews.com/editorial/20050113/1058425.asp 204169[/snapback] hate to say it, but this is ugly - many years behind the times in terms of urban design. also, for anyone who thinks buffalo will be a major convention center town, there's a bridge in brooklyn i'd be happy to sell. this is a typical big developer/big money flim-flam plan straight out of the early 1980s that'll probably never happen. the smaller, more human-scale option would be a lot easier to implement and probably more successful. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BuffaloRebound Posted January 13, 2005 Share Posted January 13, 2005 Agreed. A park along the water doesn't cost a lot to build, and surely doesn't cost anything to tear down. It also isn't a constant empty reminder of wasted tax dollars. There is always demand for a nice park. Is there any demand in Buffalo for more housing along the waterfront? Take the $300m and knock down all the old vacant factories along the water and throughout Western NY and build parks. This is just another in a long line of spending disasters in the Buffalo area. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stuckincincy Posted January 13, 2005 Share Posted January 13, 2005 hate to say it, but this is ugly - many years behind the times in terms of urban design. also, for anyone who thinks buffalo will be a major convention center town, there's a bridge in brooklyn i'd be happy to sell. this is a typical big developer/big money flim-flam plan straight out of the early 1980s that'll probably never happen. the smaller, more human-scale option would be a lot easier to implement and probably more successful. 204518[/snapback] Yep, something smaller is better, but that conflicts with the "visionary's" egos - which they generally get by stealing ideas from underlings in the first place. Buffalo and much of NYS is in a classic death spiral. Ohio is about 20 years behind, but they'll follow. Same old story...high taxes and regulations chase wage earners and business alike away, older folks have to stay - our parents need the assistance - but that costs; pols of any stripe claim to solve problems in almost all cases by raising taxation and increasing governmental regulations which make business overhead costs rise etc etc etc. round and round it goes, like a flushed toilet. Wish I had an answer... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pine Barrens Mafia Posted January 13, 2005 Share Posted January 13, 2005 Agreed. A park along the water doesn't cost a lot to build, and surely doesn't cost anything to tear down. It also isn't a constant empty reminder of wasted tax dollars. There is always demand for a nice park. Is there any demand in Buffalo for more housing along the waterfront? Take the $300m and knock down all the old vacant factories along the water and throughout Western NY and build parks. This is just another in a long line of spending disasters in the Buffalo area. 204542[/snapback] Parks cost money to be maintained, too. They should have built a new stadium along the waterfront. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chalkie Gerzowski Posted January 13, 2005 Share Posted January 13, 2005 What would really help and anchor a project like this would be a decent sized job creation plan. This could keep a community like this sustainable. The project has the right ideas, but perhaps they could revise it a bit. It seems to have a Baltimoresque flavor to it. Maybe Masiello should contact former MD gov. Schaefer.....pick his brain. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SF Bills Fan Posted January 13, 2005 Author Share Posted January 13, 2005 Here are some other concepts (for the same area) that I found as well. It will also give those who can't picture where this, a sense of perspective. As for waterfront housing, I think they can fill it, they filled all the condos in the inner harbor. But, I wouldn't go overboard if I were planning. They DO need a new convention center and to those that doubt the convention business in buffalo, they have been doing well the past few years. I'd like to see a plan in place more along the lines of what we see in this link (one includes a tunnel) rather than large scale high rise development. More of a blend of commercial/residential and public park that all people in Buffalo can use. The Buffalo News article notes an open air amphitheatre as part of the deal, that would be great, imagine concerts on the water in the summer? Great idea. http://www.buffalowaterfront.com/PlansProp...lopmentPICs.htm Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chalkie Gerzowski Posted January 13, 2005 Share Posted January 13, 2005 Those are the pictures I was referring to previously. This is / was part of Brian Higgins's plan when he was working in Albany. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stuckincincy Posted January 13, 2005 Share Posted January 13, 2005 I've witnessed waterfront developments in Cincinnati and in Pittsburgh. The rallying cries are well-known - "Revitalize the city! Get people to come here and shop here!" Build it and they will come!, and so forth. And I've seen plan after plan and money flushed down the toilet. These grandiose plans are loaded with visual attractions, so-called cultural centers, botique food shops, etc. They never include things that people want/need in a local community - the gas station, the medium-sized supermarket, the auto repair shop, the breakfast joint, the hole-in-the-wall saloon, adequate vehicle parking, and most importantly, the hard-nuts 24 hour police presence to keep the bums and criminals away and the guts to not back down Those things are inglorious; no politico can shine his star on such mundanities - they gotta have their "vision"... Unless you revitalize with an eye on safety and basic services assured, it's just a waste. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BuffaloBud Posted January 13, 2005 Share Posted January 13, 2005 Overall, the original posted design looks to "Donald". Where are the people to fill these buildings going to come from? The suburbs? Why would anyone want to move back into the city that just moved out? As previously posted there needs to be something else to draw and keep people there; schools, parks, shopping, supermarket, it's on the dang water - how about a marina?, gym / ice rink. Good thought, though I do not think this will ever fly. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ray Posted January 14, 2005 Share Posted January 14, 2005 I hope it works, but I really doubt there will be enough critical mass to support all of those plans. Maybe on a smaller scale and then build a beautiful park/beach down there that costs a lot less. Too bad they don't have JOBS there that will keep people there and downtown. Having a college/university downtown with a critical mass of students, employees etc would have helped. Too late now. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LabattBlue Posted January 14, 2005 Share Posted January 14, 2005 That is on the other side of the skyway. across from the Aud. This location......ok, you would be facing away from the back end of the HSBC Arena.....you would be looking past the Buffalo river and the grain elevators. I believe this area is next to.......the Pier restaurant/bar. If you were approaching downtown Buffalo from route 5, it would be the area on your left before you head up the skyway. If I am wrong, someone give out the location.....but I think that is the general area we are talking about here. 204500[/snapback] Chalkie, you're right. Take a look at the picture in this link. You can see shooters/the pier in the one corner of the land that is all vacant. This is the parcel(and I believe more to the south) that they are talking about. http://www.buffalowaterfront.com/PlansProp...lopmentPICs.htm Oops....didn't realize this link was posted. Note to self....RMPL! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gmac17 Posted January 14, 2005 Share Posted January 14, 2005 Is there any demand in Buffalo for more housing along the waterfront? If I lived in Buffalo I'd buy a nice waterfront place in a second. There is always demand on water, and if you can create a critical mass of people in the housing, some of the other stuff might actually work... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pm73 Posted January 14, 2005 Share Posted January 14, 2005 Yeah, when pigs fly. They can't even build a new peace bridge but somehow this thing is gonna get built? 204290[/snapback] sad....but i thought the EXACT same thing when i read the article. i really hope it does happen but livin in this area makes you pretty pessimistic about these types of plans. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
B-lo Snow Posted January 14, 2005 Share Posted January 14, 2005 sad....but i thought the EXACT same thing when i read the article. i really hope it does happen but livin in this area makes you pretty pessimistic about these types of plans. 205017[/snapback] jim mcnally is our o-line coach now, it will happen Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SF Bills Fan Posted January 14, 2005 Author Share Posted January 14, 2005 If I lived in Buffalo I'd buy a nice waterfront place in a second. There is always demand on water, and if you can create a critical mass of people in the housing, some of the other stuff might actually work... 205016[/snapback] If I moved back to Buffalo, I'd be very interested in a place there too. An amphitheatre down there would be really cool as well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Larry Playfair Posted January 14, 2005 Share Posted January 14, 2005 planned for completion around the time the sox win the series again. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pm73 Posted January 14, 2005 Share Posted January 14, 2005 jim mcnally is our o-line coach now, it will happen 205040[/snapback] i really hope your trying to be funny with this comparison. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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