Fillmore Avenue Streetscape Project Planned

Looks like they are being pretty cheap with the trees

So, after they demolish about a dozen buildings, are their any plans to build new structures? or are we left with a brand new street scape and vacant lots? Does'nt really make for a vibrant commercial district if you don't have any commercial space.

I like this use of $1.35M on publicly owned stuff much better than when the city spends a lot of public $ for a politician-selected few private businesses ($90K city funded grant to privately owned restaurant Gigi's, $500K city funded grant for new private apartments at Livery, etc.)
It's also smarter than building new city-owned streets like for the project near Colvin.

"The Fillmore Avenue infrastructure effort includes road repaving, new sidewalks, bike lanes, decorative lighting, new trees and benches. This project will also improve pedestrian and vehicular safety with the installation of a new street lighting system and enhanced cross walks."

To Lego's point, I'd say even if no new commercial space ends up happening any time soon in these blocks of Fillmore (hard to predict either way), the improvements can still be good for taxpayer residents and businesses who are still in that area around there now.

Mixed bag-I think a street scape project makes a lot of sense, but I really grasp that Byron and his crew don't seem to understand the nature of urban development. Leaving streets littered with empty lots does not an urban street scape make.

He just doesn't get that prevention of these demolitions will cost less, create a more dense and cohesive area and will be more enticing for regeneration than the alternative: tearing down and then rebuilding the suburban, vinyl sided crap they are building. Most people I know are more deterred by that new development than by anything else.

But, then again, this is why Byron et al are under investigation right now-isn't it.

Everyone is aware right that those are not really porta poties around town but really podium storage containers.

Who on earth did they hire to design the streetscape? Really bottom-of-the-barrel. Like someone at DPW learned how to use sketchup.

Lipstick on a pig. Let's demolish 9 buildings fronting the street so that there will be more overgrown, garbage laden empty lots. Again, a baseless "plan" by Brown et.al. They should consult with a planning professional before doing anymore "investments" here.

Tell me why the city keeps replacing old cobra high way lights with new better looking cobra highway lights? When they should be replacing these lights with shorter Avenue style lighting, which promotes a more soothing walk-able environment and gives the streetscape a village feel. Cobra lights shine light on the street, shorter Avenue style lights shine on the street and sidewalks.

A sighting of the Mayor-is it groundhog day?

"Fillmore Avenue has the potential to become one of the most important commercial corridors. If the corridor is attractive and vibrant, people will believe the neighborhood is attractive and vibrant as well."
That is a pretty funny statement, he is either really stupid or he thinks we are all stupid. $1.35 million is not nearly enough to make any real difference. Nothing will ever come of this project and Fillmore will continue to rot with the rest of the east side. As far as I can remember the only City of Buffalo steet scape project that ever had any real impact was Hertel ave. The money would be better spent on Allen Street improvements or you know, somewhere that actually has potential.
Why are we trying to invigorate new commercial corridors when the ones we have are only holding on by a thread? It is all musical chairs in this town, where are these new businesses going to come from?

What a waste of money. It is the ghetto for christ sake! There will be graffiti and trash all over within a month. Why bother?

Watch, they will start calling it the "Fillmore Village."

What direction along Fillmore from the Park is it going to go? north, south a half mile in each direction?

i love the part about the benches facing traffic rather than providing eyes on the sidewalk and sociability.

Interesting. Fillmore was intended to be a link in the Olmsted parkway system, and this project -- even if in a small way -- could help improve the street in the right direction.

As for lack of street trees, that situation could potentially be improved during project engineering and implementation. During my recent AmeriCorps service, I worked on putting together a grant application to the State that would have added street trees to the Seneca Street project (where they had been removed from the project plan due to budget cuts) as well as funded a partnership for a couple years to nurture the new trees. Although the application wasn't funded, it suggests that options exist.

Elderlywoman, your nasty comments should be impeached! Also, I bet the mayor’s spelling is much better than yours.

Koz, I suspect that you have no first-hand knowledge about the Fillmore area you have deemed a “ghetto.” For instance, the esteemed Museum of Science is in the Martin Luther King Park area where the efforts are concentrated.

The streetscape plans for Fillmore Ave look similar to the improvements done on South Park Avenue. Not bad but not mind blowing, exciting or original. But at least something is happening in the right direction. I think the choice of street lights could be better as mentioned by urbanbflo. I would like to see more renderings of what they are planning as the renderings provided look like anywhere/ boring USA.

Get rid of those idiotic acorn streetlights and keep the current high pressure sodium streetlights that work very well. Fillmore Avenue doesn't need to be quaint it needs to be cleaner, safer, and made more attractive for both business and new residents. Hopefully this new plan will include a full depth reconstruction of Fillmore Avenue since the street is a deteriorated, rutted mess. Milling and resurfacing isn't working anymore. Yes plant more trees along the street as well.

Interesting thought...you read about other districts here and in other cities as well, that had pioneers or trail blazers. In storied instances of revilitization and gentrification it always starts with one business or one person planting roots and fighting back. For the most part with a broom and a paint brush.

If theres one out there you'll have to excuse my igorance, but is there some sort of entrepenurial trail blazer thats out there fighting the blight of East Buffalo with private investment?

Potentially a new "highlight" collection of articles for BRO..small businesses not on Hertel and Elmwood but in the deep East and West Sides. I would have no trouble driving a little further to patronize a small business in an off the beaten path neighborhood. (As I'm sure many of you would as well) The free advertising would be greatly appreciated by those business owners too. Rant over. LOL

I have to say the only one I've come across is the "Lee's Lounge" conglomerate..and it fits in the neighborhood. (it looks abandoned)

Should I say a good intention (any infrastructure work is inherently good) but in a community and a street that lacks "economic" pioneers and people willing to put down roots and stand up for it?

Buffalo All Star I agree it would be great to see a few more articles that don't involve Hertel and Elmwood.

"Potentially a new "highlight" collection of articles for BRO..small businesses not on Hertel and Elmwood but in the deep East and West Sides."

Adding to what I typed in past BRising references to this fantastic ongoing plan:

In the time it will take to complete this fantastic plan Byron Brown will not be the mayor. He is simply setting the groundwork by introducing the plan at its inception.

That streetscape has a hazy reflection of buildings because its only the roadway that counts; the buildings will be gone.

The bench is facing the future!

The reference to new residents/businesses will be just that-- new people arriving throughout Buffalo proper and the inner- ring suburbs because this will not involve saving old areas!!!

Continually referring to any area as a neighborhood could be old-fashioned hindsight, not foresight except that neighborhood also means a district/in the vicinity of.

This project, meanwhile, requires a great deal of forebearance.

Another form of forebearance pertains to others unable to get into only this online site and either for only a few seconds or not at all!

Elderlywoman, thanks for asking. (re: How do you impeach a blog comment?)

Impeach (another definition)- to challenge the credibility or validity of