Construction Watch: The Martin Group @ 477 Main Street

Great news, another empty storefront filled. I think it would fit in better if the height matched the building on either side. Does anyone have any news or updates on the two story Burger King building on the adjacent corner?

Dont get me wrong, I am thrilled to see progress. It is a very positive thing for downtown AND for Buffalo, but unless I'm window shopping for a person typing at a computer I'll never have a reason to walk down Main street. With all the new hotels (Lafayette, Statler, AM&A's?) what will people staying in them have to do? We have to think about downtown as a neighborhood not just a business center.

If anyone has been to NYC, go to Chelsea, Hells Kitchen, the Upper West or East Sides, all are vibrant places, each its own neighborhood, each with its own flavor. Something to do morning noon and night. Now go down to Wall Street after 6 pm. Its dead and desolate. Remind you of anything?

We have to make sure that along with these architecture firms, law firms, development firms that we leave room for restaurants, shops, grocery stores or else it will be a 9-5 M-F space that absolutely will not attract people (local or tourist) to downtown. Just sayin......

Hello Buffalo Place?

We need to come up with a plan/policy to promote retail/commercial at first floor spaces with nice, attractive transparent storefronts. That's what will enliven the street.

A lot of these comments make sense only in a 'common sense' sort of way, but they're not really based on reality. Nobody is "in control of the Theater District". It's a public street with individual property owners. And as far as I know, Buffalo Place cannot dictate what goes inside each building. That is up to the city govt zoning regulations which we all know are outdated and unenforced.

Just one more reason for people to make their voices heard on the new Green Code instead of sitting back and assuming it's going to be perfect.

Ground floor retail will come just as general investment returns to main st. Retail is generally the last thing to come in as a neighborhood develops, but once it does it stays. Just look at Elmwood, the names change, but the investment continues because the demos make sense to investors.

When I speak of the Hotels, You are correct, they are not there....yet The plans of these people who are making these gargantuan efforts downtown will include hotel rooms, apartments, condos etc. That all equals people. What we CAN'T have is these people walking down Main Street listening to the the sound of their feet and the tin can music coming from the trolley stops echoing in the dark.

I walked past LL Berger and peeked in through the vertical blinds at the cubicles, I get it it pays the rent but at some point its gonna have to be transitioned. I applaud the pioneers that are pushing the 500 block. That is what we need more of. And by the way, driving down Main street is not the panacea for its resurgence, it people parking their damn cars and walking!

Agreed 100%. People driving down Main Street will not save it. HOWEVER, adding cars to Main Street might help continue or even enhance the revival that's already happening. Note that the block between Goodell & Tupper is doing quite well right now. Cars add a certain vibrancy to a street. If you walk down Elmwood, notice how much more interesting the street seems with cars on it even if there are only a few people on the sidewalk. Plus, even after its renovation, Main Street will not become easy to drive down, which is a good thing. It will only be one lane in each direction and people will be trying to parallel park in front of trolleys. Add to that people jaywalking, street performers, perhaps the return of the #8 bus to Main Street, and people will have no choice but to drive slow and notice their surroundings. Right now, (many) suburbanites are scared of Main Street. When they have a chance to scout it out in their metal cocoons first, they might be more willing to come out and set foot on the sidewalk after they realize it is not, in fact, infested with muggers and rapists as they have long imagined.

Anyways, it's definitely a good thing that more investment is happening downtown. It sucks that offices will be facing the sidewalk, but that is more a function of the rents those spaces can (or, rather cannot) command for retail at the moment. As downtown's residential population grows, there will be more demand for retail, which the daytime population will help support as well, but can only help a few hours a day. When more retail is in demand, it has a tendency to develop organically. Look, for example, at the storefronts that have sprouted out of the fronts of old houses on Elmwood. Yes, you need a certain amount of retail to get the cycle going, but Main Street does have that even now. The trick is to continue to increase the number of people living downtown, which is slowly but surely happening...

Just wondering . . . is there anything in the the Green Code that would influence or mandate the owners of the Main Place Mall to address the pitiful outside and inside appearance of the mall?

Re: Hello Buffalo Place?

"We need to come up with a plan/policy to promote retail/commercial at first floor spaces with nice, attractive transparent storefronts. That's what will enliven the street."

I pose the same question as above . . . Is there anything in the Green Code . . .

Somewhat disappointing. I wish the roof line matched the adjacent buildings. Looked at it several times. It's great that it eliminates blight, but I still can't figure out why it was designed the way it was.

Why should rooflines match perfectly?
I doubt that's a requirement in any city.
Varying heights add interest, IMO.

The city/state should take Main Place by eminent domain and redevelop the entire block, including some demolition of the existing.

This design is unfortunate. I wish the height of the building was at the same height as the buildings on either side. Better than an empty store front, but not impressive or compatible.

Folks, it's an existing building. The height is already determined. They're just building it out on the northern single-story half to match the two-story side. It is what it is.

Would you stand your ground and vote 'no' because rules are rules?

Actually, yes, I hope I would. I do not believe that it is the responsibility of the ZBA or planning board to be vetting businesses, and granting broad variances to some businesses because of their perceived value (or more likely, their political clout) while insisting that "less important" businesses follow the law to the letter. The ZBA and planning board should restrict themselves to solely reviewing the building designs in order to enforce the zoning code equally on everyone, and adjudicating special cases as necessary.

Consider how absurd the argument sounds when applied to other laws:

"This project won't proceed unless we are granted a variance from the fire code."

"We will close the city location of our business and move to the suburbs unless we are granted a waiver from all property taxes."

"We will move our factory to Mississippi unless you allow us to discharge untreated toxic waste into the Niagara River."

We should never allow our city to be held to blackmail by individuals, businesses, or developers. If someone wants to build a single-story building in a zone that does not allow it, they should be courteously but firmly guided to an area of the city with a zoning type that does permit it. Buildings generally outlive their tenants, so it is important to consider the building form apart from any specific business use that will be going on within it.

Can we get a Four seasons with a roof top patio in Buffalo?

http://m.usatoday.com/article/travel/800942