Mayor Brown went to Washington seeking $7 million from the federal government to help construct a mixed-use commercial building on a vacant parcel behind the new Federal Courthouse, steps from the boarded-up Statler building. The 15-story structure would contain 900 parking spaces on eleven floors topped by four floors of office space. It is expected to support current and future nearby development, including a repurposed Statler building and the new Federal Courthouse. Besides the absence of a capable developer, the lack of nearby parking has been called an impediment in redeveloping the Statler.
The $35 million "Statler Intermodal Transportation Facility" is designed to enhance the redevelopment of the Statler. It would be built by businessman Mark Croce on a surface parking lot he owns at the corner of S. Elmwood Avenue and Mohawk Street. The parcel is where Bashar Issa had proposed what would have been the city's tallest building, City Tower.
The ramp and office building leads the City of Buffalo's 2010-11 Federal Agenda. The Mayor presented the city's funding wish list in a series of meetings with White House Deputy Director of Policy and Intergovernmental Affairs David Agnew in the West Wing of the White House and Senator Charles Schumer, Senator Kirsten Gillibrand, Congresswoman Louise Slaughter, Congressman Brian Higgins and Congressman Chris Lee.
The City's federal agenda includes funding requests for expansion of the Mayor's Youth Employment & Training program; improvements in the African American Cultural Corridor; installation of GPS tracking system in all city-owned vehicles (current pilot project has GPS tracking devices in the city's snow fleet vehicles); installation of eight more surveillance cameras (109 of planned 125 cameras are currently operational throughout the city); and the proposed Fillmore Avenue Streetscape Improvement Phase 2 project, which would complement the Mayor's Better Schools/Better Neighborhoods Collaborative.
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Mayor Byron W. Brown is greeted at the White House on Tuesday by David Agnew, White House Deputy Director of Policy and Intergovernmental Affairs.
what about bike racks?
Good idea! Bike racks could make the parking ramp eligible for federal "green jobs" pork money. They could be put on the roof next to some sloar panels. Also the ramp should have murals to try for some NEA funding.
Feelgood murals, too. We're talking about childrens' handprints, memorials to murder victims, portraits of those prominent in local history, downtown nostalgia, and piano keys. The more amateurish, the better.
The smug brigade right on cue.
Maybe kids could paints pics of all the buildings we think should be kept standing forever.
Justified smugness aside, this would be a very dumb use of federal money. Why should working families across all 50 states have to help fund corporate welfare for Mark Croce?
If Buffalo wants to give Croce money, it should come from our local $, or the state should pay for it like they're paying for the Bass Pro millionaire's corporate welfare for his store and parking garage. Even if funded that way, it would be bad prioritizing considering across the whole city there's so much needed public infrastucture work. If Croce thinks this parking ramp and office space is a good idea, he should take the risks of investing in building it and then charge rents and parking fees to fund it all.
Smugness is justified as long as your opinion makes u better than everybody else.
I wouldn't say smuggness affects the merit of anyone's opinion either way. It's like a bonus.
In this case, I think the prediction from Mr. Greenjeans in the other thread will be correct in a few years when this isn't built - or at least doesn't get $7M of federal funding. A parking ramp in Buffalo sounds like one of those things that would get a lot of ridicule if it shows up on the Obama administration's pork list in Stimulus-II or if Higgy tries to make it an earmark. We'll see.
Poodle. I love your approach. You love to lecture about your fringe-based viewpoints, even though you are out of touch with the majority of Americans, although not NY, yet vehement that you are right and lash out at others who disagree with you and then disguise intent by mounting your high horse. Are you Michael Moore for real?
We could connect it directly with the 190 to justify using gas tax funding. Gas tax money of course grows on trees.
POddle: We would also include a giant mural of your hero Michael Moore, now you are on-board.
Yes as long as we use gas tax money. Gas taxes are free to the public! Lets use them! Gather round o freemarketologests we will save the city yet!