Saturday Preservation Forum- Making Neighborhoods Matter

It's great to see the Central Terminal being used for events like this. There were 75 folks out Saturday morning for the Central Terminal spring cleanup (including someone who came from the Albany area just to pitch in!) -- the Terminal and grounds have never looked better!

Historic Preservation and Buffalo’s Future

In business and in life I’ve always followed the logic that “playing to your strengths” as a means to success. The National Trust’s decision to select Buffalo as the host city for its 2011 national conference confirms Buffalo’s importance as in our nation’s history and recognizes the city’s architectural significance. Unfortunately, the City’s current administration doesn’t seem to recognize the importance of our past to the community’s quality of life or potential for cultural tourism as a key economic engine for attracting dollars and jobs to our region.

As a member of the City of Buffalo Preservation Board I’ve seen the City issue demolition permits, effectively ignoring the board’s decisions to save important buildings in our community. Two recent events illustrate the administration’s disregard for historic preservation. The Preservation Board denied the application to demolish portions of the GLF Grain Elevator. Despite the board’s decision, the City issued an emergence demolition permit and gone now is an important part of Buffalo’s history. As part of its national conference the National Trust has scheduled a tour of Buffalo’s grain elevators. The GLF Grain Elevator can now be used as a case study for “demolition through neglect.” The second case of City ordered demolition is the Riverside Men’s Shop. Again, the Preservation Board denied demolition of the iconic store (though permission was granted to demolish the neighboring warehouse). Several board members toured the building and concluded that it was structural sound and didn’t impose an immediate public safety risk. The building was demolished even without a clear development plan for the site. Add this site to the City’s growing list of “shovel ready” development sites.

The City of Buffalo must be more diligent in protecting its historical resources. Today, many property owners use neglect and Housing Court violations as a means to demolition. Rather than repair the building violations property owners are routinely allowed to demolish the structure, thus problem solved. A more effective policy must be put into place to assure that property owners maintain historically significant properties. Potential enforcement measures could include heavier fines for noncompliance, seizure of grossly noncompliant properties, potential jail time, the inability to transfer ownership of noncompliant properties, requiring that properties must be in compliance before ownership transfer is granted and the forced sale of noncompliant properties to buyers with a specific redevelopment/use plan. The City’s granting of a demolition permit shouldn’t dismiss the property owner’s responsibility from paying the pending fines associated with the recorded violations..

Buffalo’s history and architectural landscape can both play key roles in the renaissance of Buffalo and western New York. While great strides in historic preservation have been made in recent years, willful property neglect remains problematic. The current administration seems to lack the long-term vision of the importance of historic preservation can have on defining our city and improving the economy. Much of the City’s historic landscape has been lost, but fortunately much still remains that warrants saving for us and future generations.

In regard to the comments "...well connected" property owners, and "...many property owners use neglect and Housing Court violations as a means to demolition.", and
"...property owners are routinely allowed to demolish the structure":

This topic covers only the "property owners" of historic structures. Do any of those owners of historic properties, who are "allowed to demolish the structure", EVER actually pay privately for those demolitions? Or do those historic property owners appreciate that Buffalo's housing court is much too overrun with abandoned properties to go after them to pay up???

Buffalo, NY will continue to decline as long as unconcerned REIGs and REITTs continue to drain it.

About REIGs and REITTs: REIs, who pretty much do not live in Buffalo or even its immediate suburbs (except for the newest of the immediate suburbs, Amherst), are ONLY interested in collecting rents, not a thing more. Most of the REI's TTs have NOT the least interested in the responsibilities of home-ownership; TT's interests are in the direction of ALSO becoming landlords.

It should not be suprising that the blight new TTS-to-REIs cause is already moving fast past all invisible limits!

As traditional taxpayers leave Buffalo and NYS in huge numbers, or retire out of the mainstream of flexible taxpaying, who is (already) left to continue to pay the way???

Whom will pave the way, landlords and their transient tenants? No way! duh

The true and lasting future of Buffalo, NY and any of its suburbs, is too far in the future at this point. duh

How many hangers-on are awaiting the last housing-clearance sale???

Captions count: Where are those lovely old brick duplexes in the top pic located?

They are on York Street a couple of blocks from Richmond. Part of the West Side revitalization area. York is now considered part of the Cottage District.

The one on the right is owned by Catherine Schweitzer. She just bought it and is the process of rehab. She will be living there. Catherine is the Chair for the National Trust conference here in Buffalo this year so she's been preoccupied with that - but she's doing an amazing restoration job on it.

The one on the left is a rental property but if it ever goes up for sale everyone wants it.