People United for Sustainable Housing (PUSH), a grassroots, non-profit community organization working to rebuild the West Side of Buffalo, is advancing plans to renovate three vacant buildings on a four-block stretch of Massachusetts Avenue. The group is working with residents to create and implement an action plan for improving the neighborhood. A prime focus is the redevelopment of empty houses for occupancy by low-income residents.
The City of Buffalo designated PUSH as the redeveloper for 397 and 398 Massachusetts Avenue (left and right in entry image), two vacant City-owned properties, in October 2008. 460 Massachusetts (below), at the corner of Chenango, was acquired in November 2009 from a private owner. Eleven apartments will be created in the three structures.
Funding consists of a $1.47 million grant from the state Department of Housing and Community Renewal and $400,000 from the City of Buffalo. The Buffalo News has details on the "green" rehab plans:
Architect Kevin V. Connors of eco_logic Studio said one important feature is that the rehabilitation projects will embrace green technology. They will have energy-efficient windows and water heaters, solar electric panels and recycled-content materials.
The housing complexes will be painted in "turn-of-the-century" Victorian colors, said [PUSH executive director Aaron] Bartley.
Rents for one-bedroom apartments will be $375 a month, while three-bedroom units will go for $525 a month. PUSH already manages six units of housing.
460 Massachusetts Avenue- from Google Street View
Work is expected to start in the spring and be completed later this year. PUSH has longer-term plans to clean up vacant lots and rehab approximately 200 housing units in a 25-block area south of West Ferry Street and west of Richmond Avenue.
The larger effort may receive funding through the New York State Sustainable Neighborhoods initiative announced by Governor Paterson in his 2010 State of the State address. The pilot program, if it proceeds, is expected to create new, affordable, high quality homeownership opportunities by rehabilitating vacant and abandoned buildings and making them available to first-time homebuyers.
This is great news!!! If only we could see this kind of progress on the East Side too. Instead we are stuck with new suburban plastic homes replacing all older homes on that side of town..yuk. Go WEST SIDE!!!!
maybe its best for all agencies/organizations to concentrate their efforts inside the borders mentioned, and build up the most attractive, livable neighborhood possible. the bones of good urbanism are still there (short blocks, corner stores, easy access to cultural centers), and there is a decent model for infill from Makeover.
the east side is a real mess overall.
maybe the 'east $ide' wouldn't be $uch a 'me$$ overall' a$ you $ay, if para$itic leader$ like Dariu$ Pridgeon reinvested thoughtfully and meaningfully in their own community ~ a community btw that net$ him enough tax free $acred offering$ to buy expen$ive car$, crazy expen$ive waterfront apartment, and outrageou$ly offen$ive bill board$ ~ all in the name of god of cour$e.
you get what you vote for, and that goe$ double for the re$t of u$, e$pecially we$t of the 'great divide'. deci$ions$ are made by tho$e who $how up.
$how up ~ or $hut up in other word$$$.
On point.
Well done
According to STEEL's latest post, the suburbanites are complaining about the suburban style housing in the city due to the loss of parking. I wonder if this was built just to spite those suburbanites who need something to complain about?
Maybe it is due to the subsidized nature of the East Side houses, they think that by building suburban that people who are living in the suburbs might not know the difference and move back by accident.
The fact is that these are the only houses being built on the East Side or West Side. There are very few home owner funded developments, unless they are a for-profit renovation.
the reason they are allowed is zoning laws. when you go to a city and see an attractive area that seems to have an overall 'feel' and aesthetic, the main reason is because of the zoning laws. also, for the past 40 years or so, the only areas that have seen major investment is the suburbs and many people unconsciously associate that with success and how neighborhoods are built. zoning laws need to break that habit.
Incorrect, I know of many owner funded rehabs going on in the West Side, Black Rock, and even parts of the East Side. These projects are under the radar, just good neighbors quietly doing their part to better our city.
I ought to relay Jimmys talk radio rant to the guy I saw fixing up his Fruit Belt cottage on his own today. He should halt his renovation immediately for the sake of high horse rants badmouthing his neighborhood.
The style of housing for some project is just one item.
Here is another...
$1,870,000 for 11 units or $170,000 per unit for an area we a home listed a block away at 471 W. Ferry St. is listed for $48,9000.
Ya. That is going to pay off and is a wise use of money.
One of the basic rules of real estate is you NEVER want to be the most expensive home on the street. The homes in this neighborhood are NEVER going to reach the value of these properties because the gap is too much.
Instead of raising up the value of surrounding properties, this project is going to get pushed down. This simply is a horrible use of government money.
If the COB was serious about fixing things, they could spread this $1,870,000 to work over 15 homes in the area and taken the remaining $370k for street and community improvements. That way you do not have such wide disparity in housing quality.
This is a silver bullet project on a small scale and another example of the lack of long term vision for the city.