Are you saying it is good that they are “contained” at this point? 
Not as much as I would like… lol
That’s what Cheektowaga is for.
They’re already there!
I only read about 80 posts lol, but i would like to point out that being a builder, it is SO MUCH of a f*cking hassle to get a permit for the city that we do not even go near there at all. We were going to be remodeling a bunch of homes on the waterfront but decided against it just because of the location. Not to mention the possibility of break-ins into tool trailers it is really not worth it.
Also try working with the small business owners in the city, everyone wants things built and done on a paylater basis.
There are so many side factors that go into this that are not being considered here
The city has already knocked down entire blocks and subsidized the development of suburban style brand new houses. This has happened in a number of places in the city, and guess what - it doesn’t work. Suburban style houses will never work in the city. I am all for building new houses, but they need to have good urban design, and cannot be subsidized to the point where they are spending 250k to build a house and then selling it for 150k. The stats on 5-year foreclosures on these houses are sky-high.
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I can point out one area of the city that is coming up, and coming up fast - which is the Larkin/Seneca area. Howard Zemsky along with First Niagara are investing like crazy here, and doing it in all of the right ways. Restoring old buildings when possible, building good new buildings when necessary, providing grants to many of the homeowners in the neighborhood to help improve the housing stock, etc. The LCo building is filled to capacity, the U-Building restoration is just being completed and is already leased, and they are in the process of building another large facility to handle on of the companies that has outgrown it’s space in the LCo building.
Within the last year, the city completely redid the streetscape on seneca, and they are in the process of installing some new parks, and fixing up some existing parks, like the one near the smith street exit.
Another set of investors has just bought the huge building (actually set of buildings) next to the LCo building and expect to have 1500 workers in there after they complete renovation.
And one more sign of progress that cannot be ignored - Genessee Gateway. Finally we don’t have to watch that set of buildings crumble! It’s gorgeous, and they kept all of the historic charm.
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Just one more thought on a huge problem WNY has…
It’s one big ponzi scheme.
Think about it - we keep building further and further out - new homes, new streets, new sewer lines, new water lines, new electric services, etc. All of these things need maintenance over time, and increase the load on the already overburdened drainage and wastewater treatment facilities in the area. The towns love this development because it’s new immediate tax income for them, but they don’t consider the additional funds required to maintain all of this stuff 10-20-30+ years down the road.
The population of the WNY area is not growing, but we keep building. This means we keep adding infrastructure, but as a whole aren’t adding tax base to pay for the long term maintenance. I think you can see what I am getting at here.
Here is an article for more reading: How Suburban Sprawl Is A Ponzi Scheme | Smart Cities Dive
Reverse perceptions of city crime, violence, thugs (political et al), etc. and you’ll reverse sprawl. Reverse the trend of businesses being pushed away from the city due to any number of reasons listed in this thread and you’ll start bringing people back.
Or do what Atlanta is doing; knocking down all the projects and shitty homes / buildings and moving the occupants out of those areas that would be desirable to people who otherwise would add to the sprawl. Last time I was there, gated communities like we have in Amherst & Clarence were being build NEXT DOOR to where the rapper T.I. grew up in a former project that’s now a pile of rubble.
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I always here statements like this, but no one can define it…?
lol “jobs”. The urban fabric that makes communities thrive is jobs.
ding!
I’ve been saying the same thing when people complain about the lack of downtown here in Raleigh. There are no jobs downtown. They are all in the RTP area. Move the businesses into the downtown and it will thrive. Spread them out into the vast area known as “RTP” and the sprawl will continue.
Downtown Charlotte does VERY well for this reason.
from a business standpoint I can’t imagine wanting to open a place in the city. parking is always more of a hastle and then you have to worry about whatever shitty building you are moving into suiting your needs.
I don’t think anyone is arguing that this metro area collectively needs more jobs… but in terms of what makes a vibrant and thriving urban community, I’d have to say it’s about the infrastructure. I highly doubt that the majority of people living in the elmwood village actually work in the elmwood village. The reason the area thrives is because of the quality of life, the beautiful old houses, the parks, the cultural elements, and small businesses that mostly cater to the neighborhood. If you look carefully, the areas of elmwood that are most successful are those segments that do not have giant gaps in the streetscape. The areas that are most walkable are the most successful. Nobody likes walking through (or by) big dirty parking lots, or suburban style stores.
In terms of defining urban design:
“Urban design makes places more walkable, sustainable and livable. Urban design is the key to making places that are successful socially, economically and environmentally… good to live in and attractive to visit. Urban design is the life between buildings. The art of creating places for people to live, work and play.”
http://www.metrojacksonville.com/article/2009-aug-urban-design-101-walkability
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Businesses and HR don’t give a shit about your parking costs. I pay $60/month to park at work. I know people in Charlotte paying almost $150. Commuting costs are up to the employee to pay, and nobody is going to turn down a job offer based on parking costs.
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Tax breaks should ease the burden on making renovations in the buildings. Make it cheaper, and they will come. Raleigh did this to entice Red Hat to take a vacant building in downtown Raleigh, and it worked. Red Hat had a lot of choices on where to move.
dozr is right about the cityscape, but in terms of comparing the Elmwood district to other cities, it’s still in sort-of rough shape. You’re right in that it is a popular area, but it could be “nicer”. What I mean by that is, the houses could stand to be renovated, nicer yards, a little cleaner streets, etc… If there were higher paying jobs in the area, it would attract more people that are able to invest more money in the neighborhood. Otherwise it will always just be that in-between, college student, lower 20’s living with roommates, neighborhood.
This isn’t so easy to nail. Certainly people left cities before they were ridden with crime. The prevalence, and then reliance, on the automobile seems to correlate with sprawl, unsurprisingly.
Driving on The Kensington at 60mph sure is romantic…
You are aware that East from Elmwood as far South as Bidwell is one of the most expensive neighborhoods in Buffalo right? Most of the houses over there are single family and 300k+. I went on a walk through of a house the other day that was advertised as a fixer upper for 499k. West and further South is a lot of college and younger people in general and I am fine with that especially since I am a mid 20s person myself. Younger people are a huge part of cities and driving the culture and nightlife that goes along with enjoying urban life.
Although I agree many areas of Buffalo are in need of help I would not look at this one at all.
I was gonna say the same thing cougarspeed :tup:
I have to admit though, I stopped reading this thread 20 or so posts ago, it’s became exhausting. lol
I didn’t know that…I’m really only familiar with the areas near the bar scene immediately off of elmwood near Panos/Bullfeathers/etc… I’ve been to some really “in-between” places down there. I didn’t mean to make it sound like a shithole, seriously. I’m just saying that it seems that parts of the area could stand to be cleaned up a bit.
I think it’s awesome that 20-something year olds live there. What I really meant though, was that if there were more high-paying jobs in the area (at least within mass-transit distance), the area could command higher rents. That would in-turn allow landlords to fix up the rentals a bit more, and really push that neighborhood into something REALLY awesome.
There is another concept about the poorest people will live in west of the city center as it causes people to drive into the sun on the way to work in the morning and on the way home. The wealthiest people back in the day wanted the most comfortable route they could take, aka driving away from the sun in the morning and on the way home.
:tup: more jobs and more money is never a bad thing thats for sure.
I say we dynamite the Welland ship canal to get our grain elevators back in business. That’s kinda what killed Buffalo afterall anyway…
I was thinking a retail setting. Customers would have to pay for parking.