Buffalo Rising: October 2011 Archives

City October 31, 2011 4:11 PM

Buffalo's West Side: Beyond Just Believing

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If you stop to think about all of the inspirational developments that have taken place on the West Side in recent years, it's only natural that the West Side Community Collaborative and the Buffalo Niagara Association of Realtors (BNAR) held a press conference and tour this morning to tout the upswing.
When I think about developments that have helped to spur on the West Side, I think of the restored Richmond roundabouts (please replace the cobra street lighting on Richmond), refugee markets, Morning Glory, Urban Roots and Five Points, Sweet_ness 7, Karpeles Manuscript Museum, D'Youville advancements, 257 Lafayette (lofts), Grassroots Gardens, the Extreme Makeover House, 18th Street Community Park, MAP Growing Green Garden, Shakti Yoga, 334 Connecticut (lofts), PUSH rehabs, Kleinhans Circle House and Mirror Pool, and of course the private residential investment that has been partially brought about by realtors

City October 31, 2011 3:09 PM

Business Hours: What's the formula?

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WNYSEA's Bernice Radle emailed me a few minutes ago with a bothersome query that might not have an cut and dry answer. She wanted to know why so many local restaurants and cafes stop selling food so early in the evening. "It's kinda annoying and really upsetting to me," Bernice wrote. "Because so many places have TONS of people there drinking beer, with no food service. I really wish more establishments were open for longer hours... the same with retail. If everyone stayed open on Friday and Saturday nights until 10pm, Elmwood would be hopping with people buying things. People would come

City October 31, 2011 9:50 AM

Kunstler on Beef-on-Weck, City Court Building, and Preservation

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James Howard Kunstler, author of several books (both fiction and nonfiction) on the the folly of our system of sprawl development and the coming danger of peak oil, gave the key note address to the National Trust for Historic Preservation conference at Sheas Theater a little over a week ago.
Kunstler also has a weekly internet podcast (posted each Thursday at kunstlercast.com) hosted by Duncan Crary. Last Thursday's program was recorded on the thruway, the day after the key note as Duncan and James headed back

City October 31, 2011 9:26 AM

"Urbanism is Sustainable"

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By Max Crinnin:
As a resident or visitor of Elmwood, one appreciates the walkability of the area. Friends, families, and even strangers occupy the sidewalks together and enjoy the beauty of a village atmosphere in the big city. This beauty exists in the best cities of the world and should exist in a greater part of Buffalo. Luckily, plans are being made.
On November 1st the "Urbanism is Sustainable" forum will be held at Hallwalls starting at 7pm. Hosted by WNYSEA, the forum is free to the public (donations

Regional October 31, 2011 12:20 AM

Construction Watch: Steel Winds

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Six additional windmills are sprouting along the Lake Erie shoreline. A member of Buffalo Iron Workers Local 6 sent along these photos today of the work underway. Four of the new windmills are to be located in Hamburg while the other two will join the eight existing windmills in Lackawanna that were built on the former Bethlehem Steel property in 2007.

Continue reading Construction Watch: Steel Winds.

City October 30, 2011 4:36 PM

5th Annual Harvest Celebration

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We in Buffalo love to celebrate. Whether it's our sports teams or our food, there's always time to party when it comes to the things that we love. For five years now, Grassroots Gardens has been giving to Buffalo in ways that are unmeasurable. Once a year the organization lets loose and invites supporters to come together to rally around the worthy cause. The better the event does, the more community gardens we see sprout up around us... many times the gardens are planted in abandoned lots, which tend to transform a neighborhood for the better. This is a worthy cause, and one that helps our city

lifestyle October 30, 2011 10:12 AM

Trust Me, I'm Dr. Ozzy: Advice from Rock's Ultimate Survivor by Ozzy Osbourne

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Buffalo & Erie County Public Library Staff Review by Patricia Covley:
Back when I was watching "The Osbournes" on television, I never thought - Hey, that Ozzy is so smart, they should give him a weekly column to dispense advice about life! This book is based upon Ozzie's advice columns in the Sunday Times and Rolling Stone. The book begins with a warning that Ozzy is not a qualified health professional. He should, by most accounts, be dead because of his years of abusing drugs and alcohol. Now that he is clean

lifestyle October 30, 2011 8:59 AM

Second Chance: Marcey and Milton

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Second Chance Sheltering Network, Inc. is an all-volunteer, not-for-profit animal rescue group serving the Western New York area. Their goal is to help place homeless animals while simultaneously helping interested individuals find a new furry companion. Every Sunday, we run a homeless pet spotlight to help these animals find a good home with a loving family. Please consider adopting an animal...
Marcey and Milton are very sweet and loving siblings who started their life journey as unwanted kittens from a stray mother. Their mother had the litter

City October 29, 2011 8:12 PM

Gingerbread... gifts... glitz... at Gilda's Club... again!

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Who doesn't like a ginger bread house during the holidays? I'm sure there are a few people out there who are thinking about the cute little cookie-cutter ginger bread houses, but that's not what I'm talking about. I'm talking about the ones that are totally unique - the ones that are over the top. I'm talking about the ones that are featured at the Gingerbread...Gifts...Glitz...at Gilda's Club event that comes around this time each year. Actually, there are two events. "The first one is the cocktail party on Thursday, December 1," Nancy Cardillo emailed me. "And the other is an open house

City October 29, 2011 10:03 AM

Saturday Stumper #7

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(Almost) every Saturday I will be featuring an obscure architectural element found in the city, to see if someone can figure out where it is. Buffalo is filled will all sorts of obscure architectural details and hidden items if interest.
There are no clues - just a photo depicting

City October 29, 2011 1:01 AM

Why Buffalo is jumping to the forefront of urban planning.

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By Nate Neuman:
Buffalo has been criticized countless times for being a City with a confusing and antagonistic development process, a process that punishes those who desire to invest in Buffalo and further its post-industrial transition into a vibrant, knowledge-intensive city. The legal mechanisms of City Hall have convoluted this process chiefly through having a zoning code that is not only obsolete by today's values of urbanism - it was written in 1951 - but, as one architect said: "takes a team of lawyers to sift through to fully understand what

Real Estate October 29, 2011 12:00 AM

On the Market: 5 Days Park

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One of Allentown's most unique properties is on for sale. 5 Days Park at the corner of College Cottage Street is listed by BCG Real Estate and Property Management's Chris Ring with a $189,000 asking price. Commonly known as the 'Allentown Boat House,' the contemporary structure has 1,242 sq.ft. of living space with two bedrooms, two full baths, an updated kitchen, and coveted off-street parking.

Continue reading On the Market: 5 Days Park.

City October 28, 2011 2:57 PM

Get First Peek at the New Buffalo Green Code

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You can get your first look at the draft version of Buffalo's first major zoning overhaul since the 1950s. It has been dubbed the Buffalo Green Code. The initial phase of design for the new zoning code, the land use plan, will be unveiled Saturday October 29th at the Erie Community College City Campus, 121 Ellicott Street in an all day planning event. This is much more than an unveiling. Planning officials have labeled the presentation and open house "Planning Day in Buffalo" and will be asking for input from the public.

lifestyle October 28, 2011 12:00 PM

Bob Rich Jr. part of "A Night of Baseball" at George H.W. Bush Presidential Library

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Buffalo Bisons' owner, businessman and sports author Bob Rich Jr., will be part of a lively evening with three other esteemed baseball storytellers discussing "America's Pastime and the Fall Classic" presented by the George Bush Presidential Library, Friday, Oct. 28TH.

The evening begins at 6 p.m. and lasts until 8 p.m. in the Annenberg Presidential Conference Center located in the library at 1000 George Bush Drive West, in College Station.

Rich, who is known for his humor and wit, joins Leland "Milo" Hamilton the voice of the Houston Astros; Baseball Hall of Fame recipient Curt

City October 28, 2011 11:26 AM

School Board Report Card - October 26, 2011

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Buffalo ReformED's Board of Education report card is aimed at monitoring school board meetings, and increasing transparency and accountability within the district. The report card is graded on 6 categories: attendance/ preparation, meeting etiquette, participation/ staying on task, community/parental engagement, committee reports, accountability. In attending every school board meeting, we will observe these categories in action and measure whether or not the school board has effectively met them, indicating reasoning as to why or why

City October 28, 2011 10:58 AM

Recovery Rehab: Your Past Due Party

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Did you ever think that you would hear of a party that would celebrate the debt collecting business? I certainly didn't. Even the mention of debt collectors can send a chill up the spine of the most 'up and up' people. At a time when the economy is down, the debt collections business is on the rise, and there are some in the industry that are ready to party. "You recently highlighted our acquisition of 67 W Chippewa in the entertainment district," Adam March of Debt Management Partners emailed me. "We

City October 28, 2011 12:00 AM

Mayor Brown Releases Recommended Capital Budget

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Mayor Byron Brown unveiled his 2012 Capital Budget. The $22 million recommended spending plan includes city-wide parks improvements, neighborhood infrastructure repairs, funding for Coca-Cola Field, the Buffalo Zoo's new Polar Bear exhibit, demolitions, and returning cars to Main Street. Downtown, funding would be allocated to converting Pearl Street to two-way traffic and streetscape improvements along Chippewa Street.

"My recommended Capital Budget contains a wide variety of capital improvement projects, including $1.3 million for City-wide parks improvements which contain funding

City October 27, 2011 4:26 PM

It can be good (for Buffalo) to get 'Gazumped'!

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Every once in a while a business development story comes along that is truly amazing and inspiring. Economic tragedy has been averted for Buffalo... not in a way that would have brought the city crumbling to its knees or anything, but in a way that is an mid-sized economic victory - one that we can raise high above our heads. Remember when Mike Canfield wrote about The English Pork Pie Company? What a great example of young Buffalonians making a go of it by leaving an industrious mark on the local food production

City October 27, 2011 12:07 PM

Cocktails in Character

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By Jennifer Westerholt:
Literacy Volunteers of Buffalo & Erie County is in the Halloween spirit and is looking forward to its second annual Cocktails in Character fundraiser, which will be held on Tuesday, November 1 from 5:30-8:30 p.m. in the grand lobby of Shea's Performing Arts Center.
Guests are encouraged to dress as their favorite book character, but are welcome to come as they are, or in cocktail attire. Costumed actors portraying literary characters from J.M. Barrie's Peter Pan and other classic books will mingle

City October 27, 2011 8:34 AM

Follow Occupy Buffalo

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By Patrick Miller:
Although it went largely unnoticed by the population for sometime, the Occupy Wall Street movement has gained incredible amounts of momentum, captivating people of all backgrounds, educations, ages, races, genders, religions, and political standpoints. The likes of Michael Moore and Kanye West are now literally voicing the same opinions as homeless people, unemployed middle class folks, and members of various unions for public service workers. The city of Buffalo has been no exception.
OccupyBuffalo.org