Following is a plan, designed by four SUNY Buffalo students, whose project was to analyze the current conditions of a Niagara Street neighborhood, and then come up with a number of solutions to revitalize the corridor stretch. The students who participated in this undertaking are Conor Flynn, Anastasia Stumpf, Elahe Hosseini and Kristen Flick. The report will be broken down into a series of informational articles, starting with an introduction to the concept behind the initiative. Before we get started, I asked the four students as series of questions, and I will post one before each part of the series… also see Part 1.
Why was Niagara Street chosen?
“True answer: While at Resurgence Brewing Company, we thought it was a pretty cool “third space,” we liked the buildings in the area, and we liked the undercurrent of an artsy vibe that the area was giving off. There was really no rhyme nor reason. I, personally, like Santasiero’s sauce. This played some role in the decision.
“Other students in the class picked different neighborhoods (First Ward, downtown, and a section of Elmwood immediately come to mind).” – Conor Flynn
Who is here already? Demographics & Statistics
Today, Upper-Niagara and Buffalo’s West Side neighborhoods continue to shift and grow. While Upper-Niagara itself seems incredibly under-utilized, the West Side of Buffalo is considered by many to be an “up-and-coming” area characterized by extreme socio-economic and cultural diversity. Many of the local business owners and stakeholders who answered our survey indicated the West Side’s legacy as a “melting pot” was one of the area’s defining, and most positive, characteristics.*30 Plagued by poverty for many years, the area is now seeing the arrival of many young professionals and their families, who are drawn to the area by the incredibly affordable property prices.*31 We examine statistics for the West Side, as opposed to just Upper-Niagara, to explore the overall current demographic of the area.
While much of Upper-Niagara remains unused, the entirety of the West Side is densely populated. It is estimated that more than 25,000 people currently call the West Side home.*32 The neighborhood population is thought to be very culturally and racially diverse. Not only has it been a settling place for African Americans, Puerto Ricans, and immigrants from the Caribbean, but in recent years it has attracted many new immigrants to the United States from Northern Africa and Asia.*33 In fact, the students at Lafayette High School speak more than 40 different languages.*34
This graphic from City-Data.com illustrates an estimated racial breakdown for the West Side. Available here.
Average and median incomes in the area remain relatively low, despite the recent arrival of new young professionals. In 2014, the annual average household income was $43,096, and the annual median household income was a mere $23,631.*35 Educational background statistics also are on the low end. ff the 25,059 people living on the West Side, only 2,791 have achieved a high school diploma, and only 1,644 people have a bachelors degree.*36 Given the lack of disposable income and the low level of earning power, West Side residents, as consumers, spend far less than the national average.*37
Education attainment of West Side residents by percentage. See here.
Household income by age of West Side resident. See here.
The above graphic depicts West Side spending in various consumer areas, relative to the national average. Graphic from www.point2homes.com.
Although the neighborhood has been plagued by high unemployment rates, *38 the majority of employed people tend to work in the health and human services industry.*39 Such positions include community and social services, legal, education, health care, services generally, and sales and office positions. The construction and manufacturing industries follow behind.*40
Looking at the composition of individual households, it appears the median age of a resident living the neighborhood is around 30 years old, *41 and that in many families with children, there is a high number of single parents.*42
Given the economic status of the neighborhood, it is unsurprising that the majority of residential properties in the area are tenant occupied homes. What’s more, rental and sale prices in the area have remained low over the last few years, further indicating that the economy of the area is low-income. In 2011, the median rental price for a West Side home was $519 per month.*43 As of 2014, it appears that the median home sale price for a home in a West Side neighborhood is approximately $55,500.*44
The conclusion, based upon this data, is that current residents have very little disposable income. While the demographics of the neighborhood are constantly shifting, and are expected to change with many of our proposed additions to Upper-Niagara, we must provide amenities and services that are accessible at high and low price points. This includes high and low priced housing, as well as other conveniences we bring to the neighborhood.
Crime
Many of the current community members surveyed felt that Upper-Niagara is generally safe, however, whether that perception is accurate remains an open question since the portion of the street in question is sparsely populated compared to the rest of the West Side.
Graphic from trulia.com. This image depicts the the relative safety and low crime in Upper- Niagara, as represented by green on the map.
According to the above-graphic, a pocket of higher crime exists further east, in the direction of Grant-Ferry. It is highly likely that the reduced crime rate for Upper-Niagara is directly related to the area’s underuse. However, the perceptions of those people currently working in the area offers a more favorable perspective.
Perceptions of Stakeholders Surveyed
“I do feel that this area is safe. If I was walking this area it would be because I am on campus at Rich Products or going out for a beer after work with friends. I have no reservations walking in it during the day or evening. Has this always been the case? I don’t believe so. I would say that the revitalization of the Niagara Street Corridor is making for a much safer area than before as business is moving to the area which is creating a positive energy and putting a focus on safety for both the business owners and customers.” – Robert E. Rich, III, President of ROAR Logistics, a Rich Product’s subsidiary
“I think those blocks are safe to walk during the day and night. . . . Whenever I am driving those blocks I rarely see walkers.” – Patti Jablonksi-Dopkin, General Manager, Urban Roots
“I would feel comfortable walking around during the daytime when traffic levels are higher and there are more ‘eyes on the street.’ The area seems less safe during the evening, as larger land uses and under-utilization of many of the properties result in larger sketches of inactivity and desolation. I’m also not sure how lighting is in that particular part of the corridor.” – Matt Hartrich, Vice President, Schneider Development
Existing Positive Features & Area Inventory
Santasiero’s Restaurant- 1329 Niagara Street
Santasiero’s Restaurant is an institution of casual Italian dining in Western New York. The restaurant operates out of a three-story building built in 1867. The upper two floors originally served as rooms for the family, while the first-level floor consisted of two dining rooms for the restaurant. Santasiero’s proudly built up a clientele during the Great Depression by giving every customer that bought a nickel beer a generous plate of spaghetti.
Northwest Community Mental Health Center- 1300 Niagara Street
Northwest Community Mental Health Center is a mental health counseling center that has provided services to Erie County since 1974. This particular business may pose some challenges to neighborhood development because many of its clients smoke cigarettes outside the building. Visitors from outside the neighborhood may perceive this to impact the safety of the area.
Smith McDonald Corporation- 1255 Niagara Street
These companies both work in metal arts. Formed in 1899 by Otto Heintz, they first worked with copper and later switched to bronze and sterling silver.
Resurgence Brewing Company-1250 Niagara Street
Resurgence Brewing Company is a brewery & beer garden whose goal is to bring a memorable “beer experience” to Buffalo. The business has been an incredibly successful Upper- Niagara venture and has brought many visitors from other Buffalo neighborhoods.
This particular business is a great example of what can be done with the old, empty industrial spaces on Upper-Niagara Street.
According to the Buffalo News: “[w]ith such a vibrant mix of young and old drinkers, a visit almost felt like a glimpse into Buffalo’s beer-y future . . . A beer garden, on Niagara Street, filled on a Wednesday night . . . sounds like a game-changer.”*45
Community Beer Works- 15 Lafayette Avenue
Community Beer Works (CBW) is Buffalo, New York’s first nanobrewery. The company began brewing in April 2012, and distributes its products to many local Buffalo bars. The owners are all Buffalo natives and see their business as an integral part of their West Side neighborhood and the city at-large.
Sugar City- 1239 Niagara Street
Sugar City is an arts collective that operates as a community center, concert venue, and art gallery. Events and initiatives include music shows, films, poetry readings, a magazine library, meeting space, local craft corner, art gallery, workshops, and workspaces.
Rich Products- 1150 Niagara Street
Opened in 1945, Rich Products is one of Buffalo’s most well-known companies. The company makes various food products, including toppings and icings, sweet goods, finished desserts, appetizers, bread, rolls, pizza products, barbecue, shrimp & seafood. In the last several years, Rich Products has made many acquisitions of other food product companies and is a major stakeholder in Upper-Niagara.
Brownfield Site No. E915213 -1318 Niagara Street
This site was home to a brewery for 80 years. More recently, the City of Buffalo acquired the parcel through foreclosure and the structures were demolished in 2006. Underground storage tanks were found during that demolition and after testing the soil, PCBs and volatile organic compounds were detected. Although the site is zoned commercial, and various programs exist throughout Buffalo to help develop sites like this one, development will be on hold until the DEC finishes its investigation and remediation of the site.
Other businesses in the neighborhood include:
BT&C Gallery
Buffalo Alternative Therapies, 1315 Niagara Street (acupuncture and massage therapy)
Better Wire and Press, 1255 Niagara Street (wire products and metal stampings, opened 1900s)
Jae’s Collision, 1303 Niagara Street
West Side Pet Clinic, 1245 Niagara Street
Walkability, Traffic & Parking
Traffic
According to the New York State GIS program office, the Annual Average Daily Volume (AADV) of vehicles traveling this stretch of Niagara Street is between 10,000 and 25,000 vehicles.*46 This figure represents a high volume of traffic. Moreover, traffic tends to move at high rates of speed, across the four-lane roadway, usually well beyond the 30 mph speed limit. This stretch of Niagara Street also suffers from a dearth of crosswalks. Each of these factors impedes pedestrian traffic along Niagara Street. (The infrastructure of Niagara Street is on the table for pending change – see here)
Walkability
The graph above, obtained from www.walkscore.com, shows the distance that can be traveled, on foot, in a twenty-minute period. Theoretically, residents of Upper-Niagara could easily visit the Elmwood Village on foot. Overall, the neighborhood received a walk score of 77, which implies the area is “very walkable,” and that “[m]ost errands can be accomplished on foot.”*47
Additionally, according to www.walkscore.com, Upper-Niagara has “Good Transit,” with “[m]any nearby public transportation options.”*48 Moreover, Upper-Niagara is in close proximity to the Grant-Ferry neighborhood, which has one of the highest walk scores in Buffalo.*49 Despite these favorable walk scores, Upper-Niagara does not currently see a lot of pedestrian traffic, both because of the traffic concerns addressed above and the perception the area is unsafe.
31 See Survey Response of Patti Jablonksi-Dopkin, Appendix A: Survey Responses, infra. Given the changing nature of the neighborhood, it is likely that no single statistic is entirely accurate, although they are useful for an understanding of general neighborhood composition.
32 See http://www.point2homes.com/US/Neighborhood/NY/Buffalo/West-Side-Buffao- Demographics.html#Population.
33 See http://greendevelopmentzone.org/introduction/the-neighborhood/
34 Id.
35 See http://www.point2homes.com/US/Neighborhood/NY/Buffalo/West-Side-Buffao- Demographics.html#Population
36 See id. 37 See id.
38 See http://greendevelopmentzone.org/introduction/the-neighborhood/
39 See http://www.point2homes.com/US/Neighborhood/NY/Buffalo/West-Side-Buffao- Demographics.html#IncomeFinancial.
40 See id.
41 See http://www.realtor.com/local/West-Side_Buffalo_NY/lifestyle
42 See id.
43 See http://www.city-data.com/neighborhood/West-Side-Buffalo-NY.html#ixzz3Nh9I21MJ 44 See http://www.point2homes.com/US/Neighborhood/NY/Buffalo/West-Side-Buffao- Demographics.html#IncomeFinancial
45 See http://buffalo.com/2014/08/20/featured/resurgence-brewery-is-a-game-changer/.
46 See https://www.dot.ny.gov/divisions/engineering/applications/traffic-data-viewer
47 See https://www.walkscore.com/score/1200-niagara-st-buffalo-ny-14213. 48 Id.
49 See https://www.walkscore.com/NY/Buffalo/Grant_Ferry.