You know those genie stories where you get three wishes?  No matter how carefully you plan out and make your wishes and no matter how well intentioned the 3 wishes are, they always have some unexpected negative consequences. Writing zoning code is something like that.  Zoning is basically a method of managing the complexities and unpredictability of human society in its most intense form - CITIES. Basically an impossible task.  There

Governor Cuomo's has included an extension of the historic preservation tax credit in his 2013-2014 Executive Budget Proposal. The credit will remain capped at $5 million however.  Developers and others have been lobbying to have the cap raised to $12 million without success. 

The historic preservation tax credit has been used successfully by developers in Western New York and throughout the state to renovate and restore buildings that have suffered from years of neglect and are in need of serious repair. The Governor's 2013-2014 budget proposal calls for extending the tax

The future of Trico Plant #1 will be discussed over some great drinks next Wednesday, January 30th from 6pm to 9pm at the Pan Am Brewery in the Hotel Lafayette. An event called, "Cheers for Trico", is a community meeting and fundraiser discussing the possible future of the Trico Plant at Goodell and Washington Streets. The event is being co-hosted by Buffalo's Young Preservationists, the Preservation Roundtable, and Preservation Buffalo Niagara.

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If you are of the belief that key issues such as "improving mobility, promoting more efficient land use patterns, strengthening our basic infrastructure, growing a 21st century economy, assuring broad access to healthy food, protecting housing and neighborhoods, and mounting our region's response to the challenge of global climate change" should be addressed now, then it's time to join public and private sector organizations as they attempt to draw a roadmap outlining Buffalo's Regional Plan for Sustainable Development.
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Neighbors of the church at 224 Hudson Street on the city's lower west side received some disturbing news.  Upon calling the church to ask to use the space for a meeting they learned that the Pentacostal Buffalo Missionary had closed its doors.  The future of the church was not revealed. But recent history in Buffalo has not been kind to closed churches.  Will this one go the same way as so many other magnificent churches that have been demolished or left to rot?  Just a few years of vacancy and neglect can drain substantial value from a building like this.  This building

For anyone who might not be familiar with Arts Services Initiative of Western New York, there's a lot of catching up to do. To start, the initiative was forged in 2011 in order to fill the need for a non-profit organization that could be instrumental in a range of services for artists and art organizations. After the Buffalo Arts Council fizzled out, and a host of other groups and organizations formed to help take over the reigns, it was determined that no one existing organization would be able to come forward and take the lead. That meant that a new service and planning

SET PUBLIC HEARING FOR DISPOSITION OF REAL PROPERTY
• The Council adopted a resolution, sponsored by Ellicott District Council Member Darius G. Pridgen, setting a public hearing for the sale of 602 Fourth Street (lead image) to D'Youville College for the development of athletic fields and related improvements. The public hearing will be on February 5, 2013 at 2:00 p.m. in the Council Chamber. 
*BRO side note: This would be a huge win for Porter Avenue and would extend

Artist Christopher Galley has a show coming up at Gallery 464 that portrays the deadly sacrifices made by some of the most iconic figures in modern day history. The artist's work pays tribute to those who literally put their lives on the line in order to fuel their adrenaline, so that they could achieve near-death experiences that would rocket them to fame, and ultimately cost them their lives. 
Actors, musicians and daredevils who lived lives on the edge included Steve McQueen, Elvis Presley and Evel Knievel. All of these men led adrenaline-fueled lives, even

Guercio & Sons, the little Italian market on Grant near Lafayette in Buffalo is one of the city's greatest architectural treasures.  The market which is actually a cobbled together collection of 100 or so year old commercial structures is one of my favorite buildings, not because it is the high art of a great master architect, but rather because it is exactly the kind of indigenous urban place that makes cities great places to be. The store's web site explains how the parents of the current owners opened it in 1961 after immigrating a few years

The Black Rock Historical Society has just released a new calendar for 2013, and it's available at select businesses in the neighborhood. I picked up one of the calendars at Joe's Service Station at the corner of Elmwood and Amherst Street. The calendars run $10 and proceeds benefit the Black Rock Historical Society. 
Inside the calendar there is plenty of information regarding the history of Black Rock, with beautiful illustrations from artist J. Tim Raymond. Tim's task was to create pen and pencil drawings

This is a repost of a story I published on BRO last June. I am posting it again because I think it is important to remind people what is at stake in the parking war that has been ravaging Buffalo for 60 years.  It is important because the Elmwood Village Association is sponsoring a public preview of the City of Buffalo's Green Code this Saturday at the Lafayette Presbyterian Church, corner of Lafayette and Elmwood and the parking everywhere

When Michael Merisola, owner of CooCooU mid-century modern furniture, decided that it was time to make a bold move from his longstanding retail store on Hertel Avenue to a warehouse and showroom on Chandler Street (see here), fans of the store wondered what would happen to the soon-to-be empty iconic shop that he was leaving behind. After Michael hosted a "moving sale" at the Hertel location, I learned that the empty storefront had indeed found a new owner/operator, and one that would fill the shoes of CooCooU

This is the first year that the recreational sport of broomball has been introduced to Olmsted Park's Flurrious! winter festival. The festival is set to take place on Saturday January 26, 2013, with a ton of fanfare due to a stepped up set of outdoor activities, some of which are predetermined tournaments and others that are meant for pick-up. Broomball will be a combination of both - a number of the teams have signed up, but organizers are also expecting to accommodate anyone who wants to play, but can't field an entire team. We have a bunch of players who are looking for others to play with. 
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If you haven't had a chance to brush up on the Buffalo Green Code, here is a link to a PDF, which will hopefully catch you up with some of the issues that are scheduled to be discussed at the next public meeting regarding Buffalo's New Zoning Ordinance. The meeting, to be held on January 26 from 10am to 11:30am at the Lafayette Avenue Presbyterian Church, is sponsored by the Elmwood Village Association, and should help to make clear the City of Buffalo's new zoning ordinance, while addressing

After first opening on Elmwood two years ago, and then seconding that motion by opening a second location in Downtown Buffalo this past December, Vasilis Express is moving forward with a third location. This time it's the former Grumpy's location on Hertel Avenue. Let's hope that the recipe for success continues, as the newest location could be a smashing success if all goes according to plan. After all, this location exudes so much potential

This Saturday, January 26, 2013, runners will be gathering at the Flurrious! winter festival to partake in the Ice Man 2-Miler. This year the festival will be taking on a bunch of fun-filled twists and turns, with the introduction of a number of new events and activities. The popularity of the festival's running race has also grown, and this year brandishes the name Ice Man. How appropriate that Buffalo's only winter festival this year will feature a bigger and better, fresh, snow-covered run around Delaware Park's Ring Road. 
From race organizer Mark

While on a recent trip to Rochester for some work projects, I had some time to kill between meetings and took a stroll down a few blocks of Monroe Avenue. The street reminded me of a mash up between Hertel Avenue and the possible future of Grant Street. There's a nice array of different architectural styles, it's relatively walkable, and a lot of the newer infill is urban-friendly. That means it's "built to the curb", has parking to the side or the rear, and prioritizes the pedestrian over the automobile.

If you've been looking at the Central Terminal, hoping that one day the building will once again be fully operational, then there are other cities to look to for guidance. Cities such as St. Paul where work was recently completed on a $243 million project that has brought a building complex similar to the Central Terminal back to life. Saint Paul's Union Hub is open once again and will soon be functioning as a multi-purpose transit hub, after being neglected and downtrodden for two generations. Once more, the Union Hub is gearing up to service taxis, light rail, buses, bicycles and passenger trains. 
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The National Garden Festival might be a long way off, but in the meantime there's an important event coming up that festival supporters should consider attending. In order to make the festival as strong as possible, operational money needs to be raised, which means that fundraising initiatives are imperative. 
On Thursday, February 14 from 6pm-9pm, at Delaware Park's Marcy Casino, supporters of the National Garden Festival will come together at an event called Hearts in the Gardens. Not only is the effort a great one for the city, guests will also have a chance to mingle

Deep Thinka Records is keeping the positive momentum rolling with its BEING charity fundraiser series, with a third event lined up for February 8 at Duke's Bohemian Grove Bar. After raising a mic to the legacies of the Notorious B.I.G. and the Beastie Boys' Adam "MCA" Yauch, the local producers have decided to pay homage to the late J Dilla in the next installation.
The Being Beastie event held in early September pulled in close to $4,500 in donations to benefit the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society of America. The cause was one