Buffalorising has been redesigned.

Well, I love the hotel.

I hate the B-P building, but I love this hotel. Maybe one story taller though. I think it will make a great addition for Elmwood and it add such value to the community that it increases the likelihood of a full Richardson restauration along Forest.

They need something like this done around Bryant Street. In fact, we need more of this everywhere on Elmwood, on Grant, Niagara and Main. They dont have to be hotels. They could be townhomes with first floor garages, apartments with first floor retail, office buildings with a mix of apartments, etc.

If only there were some architectural keys for each of the neighborhoods in Buffalo that designers and builders could key in on so new development doesnt look the same throughout the city.

Just a thought....and keep floating that trolley idea for Elmwood and Niagara Street. If they can create a municipal services district for garbage or parking or some other such service.....the business and residential community could certainly do it for the westside.

Thanks, Queenseyes. Posting these additional images and plans is a great service-- it would have been great to have had them all earlier.

I wish to apolgize to Mr. Frizlen for my own initial, strong negative (over)reaction to the design. If the doors and windows and balcony railings are strongly articulated, and the facing materials are compatible with the surrounding neighborhood, this should be a good building. Still don't get the reason for the corner element, wish that there was less surface parking and that it were going up one of many vacant lots, but I won't be the one to start another argument.

Why have entrances on Elmwood?

According to Buffalo State College officials this is dangerous.

Put the entrances to the store and hotel only in the back!

hmmmm, who do we call about the storefronts?

This information makes the project much more legiable. The corner of the bulding is still very awkward....and a note to the architect..no EFIS of Concrete Block!

To Dan Sack - No store/hotel entrances on the back! NO RETAILER in their right mind would want customers to walk past their store with no entrance on the front of it. It would be the death of any business who moved in.

What other area (anywhere in the country) has retail (Legitimate) stores with the entrances only on the back?

Apparently whoever made up that information that it is dangerous to have a store or hotel entrance on the FRONT knows absolutely nothing about running a retail or hotel business. I would be happy to fill them in on a Retail 101 class - for FREE!

The designs are beautiful! I LOVE them! I can't wait to see this project completed and yes....how do we find out about the retail spaces?

This wil be an amazing addition to Elmwood Avenue! And Yes - I too would love to see more projects in the City everywhere like this one!

Kudos to everyone involved!

how 'bout bigger windows more glass and a re examination of that corner.

Dear Diggin' It! (Lacey?),

My remark was in jest! Buffalo State College and the Burchfield-Penney Art Center did actually state that for their new museum, because it is a museum and not a store (though they will have both a store and cafe which one would think should operate at a profit and attract passersby) should have the entrance in back where the parking is. And they stated that an entrance on Elmwood would be dangerous. Honest - I'm not making it up!

Likewise with this hotel/retail project the parking is in back.

I couldn't help myself but to suggest that the entrances be in back (anyone who knows me and has read my posts regarding the BPAC would know that).

But it is fine with me that my comment illicited your response which is absolutely correct.

Apparently it is fine to walk past a museum and not feel invited - I guess they don't need visitors.

If you don't mind I may copy your comment to a BPAC blog here - unless you feel strongly that a museum/store/cafe would not be well served with an entrance on Elmwood

Hi Dan - Sorry - I didn't read your past posts regarding the museum and what was said about the front entrance - WHEW! So glad you were kidding!

I cannot believe that a front entrance on anything could be construed as dangerous..isn't the whole point to get people to come IN whether retail/rest/museum/hotel?

Good luck with that issue!

Lacy

Thanks for grabbing this additional information!

All the hidden parking is like being in Heaven.... =)

There is parking in Heaven! For what?!

Again, that corner in the design is very awkward.

I think that new Boutique hotels are a wonderful Idea and unfortunately I hate the fact that Buffalo is yet again behind the trend.
Boutique hotels have made a tremendous impact not only on the neighborhoods, but also on the type of clientele that visit a city. The more upscale the accomodation, the more services offered the more viable you are to attract the money from NY, TO, PIT, to view Buffalo as a getaway spot. That spurs business, and business spurs tax revenue and jobs. It seems pretty simple, and guess what I didn't even use an ouija board.
The key will be this... How can we make each and every guest feel more special? What level of service will have them calling out for more? As someone who has worked in hotels for the past 14 or so years, the old adage rings true, " Whatever you are not willing to do for your customer... someone else is ready willing and indeed able to do". Your customers know this too. Again done right I think that this hotel will be an amazing addition...done right being the operative phrase here.

Very nice! Nice to see brick as the primary material used, as well as all the hidden (and underground!!) parking. The only thing I would change is I would move the hotel entrance on Elmwood (at the cafe part) to the corner of the building to get rid of the awkward corner and add to the streetscape.

Just got an email from HOD Tattoo concerning this project. I think thier points are invalid for the most part, although I cannot blame them for being against this, as I am sure they are paying low rent in those old houses, which seem to be in bad condition to start with.
===================================================

PUBLIC HEARING
to discuss
LUXURY HOTEL AT ELMWOOD AND FOREST

TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 21ST, 5PM

BIRCHFIELD PENNY ART CENTER
BUFFALO STATE COLLEGE

ROCKWELL HALL Plans provide for an 80 unit, 5 story national chain hotel with possible parking for 57 vehicles on the southeast corner of Forest and Elmwood Avenues. Is this the best possible use of this space?

--The proposed hotel is to be built at the sidewalk line, obscuring the sight line to the rest of the block, which is setback. The existing setback is a feature that invites entry into the Elmwood Village, a green open space that welcomes visitors much as an open gateway.
--Proposed 5 story building is out of scale with surroundings.
--Capacity of proposed hotel brings increased traffic to an already congested intersection, with increased pollution.
--The proposal destroys the natural elevation, a hill, unique to this corner, considered the gateway to the Elmwood Village.
--The property in question is not zoned for such a large parcel, and would need a variance from the Zoning Board. PUBLIC OPINION is the only way to influence the recommendation of the Board. Representatives of the City of Buffalo will be at the meeting to weigh public opinion.
--The buildings in question include 1121 Elmwood, Don Apparel, H.O.D. Tattoo, Skunk Tail Glass, and Mondo Video.

If you want the best possible design for your gateway, please come voice your opinion. The meeting is sponsored by the City and Forever Elmwood, but the plan is not, as yet, endorsed by Forever Elmwood. For more information, call Forever Elmwood at 881-0707.

Regarding storefronts on the Elmwood side of this hotel, as compared to storefronts on the new art gallery, I think this is like comparing apples and oranges. The goal of the new BPC is not to provide more shopping options for the Elmwood Village. It would be tacky for people to have a latte at the gallery and maybe buy a poster in a gallery they haven't even visited. That would be akin to buying a "sofa-sized painiting" out near the airport. The people who buy things at the gift store should be the people who just visited the gallery. On the other hand, storefronts in new hotel make sense--especially since they'll be displacing 5 shops on that corner.

I bet the people at Pano's are thrilled since this will likely clear the way for their demolition of the Attwater House. If the argument against the demo was that it would destroy the character of that block, that won't seem like a very valid point now that we'll have a giant building on the corner. Conratulations Pano's! Now I can stop boycotting!

I guess the BPAC people agree with you. Too bad for their bottom line. As a 20+ year member I want them to have income from art lovers and latte lovers. Like it or not art is business. Many artists who exhibit at the BPAC sell their art. I could be wrong but I think artists want as much exposure to their work as possible.

Where would you like to buy a "sofa-sized painting"? David Anderson used to sell them at his fine and successful gallery near Kenmore and Niagara Falls Boulevard.

I want everyone to find art. Even those who come across it while shopping. I always love overhearing young people at Rockin at the Knox exclaim how cool the museum is that they would come back to see the art. They came to hear music and found they liked art - how awful!

I hope you are not offended Mr. Leonard.

Pano? The proposed hotel is an apple to oranges comparison. If Savarino wanted to demolish the quite unique Atwater House Savarino would find itself the target of a petition.

I think the hotel will be great for that area. I just can't help but think how the same thing could have been done to the Railroad Terminal.
An Anchor on the Lower East Side, that could begin renewal of that blighted area. Elmwood is well anchored, and has been for 30 years. The area has only gone upward since the 70's in the same way that the East Side has gone downward.

If I would have hit the powerball last sat. night instead of that farmer from Nebraska, I'd have packed up my cash and come home to get started. If Only I could be rich just once.

In regards to Mr Sack's comments; if you want everyone to "find art" then the BP is a success as designed. The public will seek out the experience that an Albright or an Andersen offers. And both of those environs are difficult to enter as a pedestrian, and maybe that is the point! If we were to place a museum as a storefront it would lose its granduer as a container for art (which is essential to what the BP is supposed to be).
Furthermore the BP is placed to serve Buff state. BP's location on a site that is along Elmwood is the only reason why the "storefront gallery" issues are even relevant. Storefront galleries are better left to those who's primary function is to sell and show local artists.
But with all that said i do agree that the design is fairly pedestrian in an age were museum architecture is a draw unto itself. What we are going to end up with is a modest building by an architecture firm that has long outlived its reputation as one of the premintent design firms in the country.

The boutique hotel design is still very very bad.

The two things about the hotel Id like to see is:

1) if the corner is going to have a round turret, then I think the balconies below should be rounded as well.

2) Id like to see more ornate Iron work on the railings....just to dress up the exterior alittle.

What were those foolish storefront museum architects thinking when they placed the entrance to the New York Museum of Modern Art on W 53rd Street? And that idiot, Wright, with the entrance to the Guggenheim on 5th Avenue. Certainly they will place a wall in front of the NY Metropolitan Museum of Art so that it is more difficult to access on 5th Ave. I’ll bet those New York museums will seek better advice next time.

I was dumbfounded last summer while visiting the San Francisco MOMA, those fools have the entrance right on the sidewalk on Third Street in downtown SF! From the sidewalk to the lobby and a fabulous busy bookstore on the left and a terrific restaurant on the right. We spent money in both places after we “found” the art exhibits. We were so disappointed at how easy it was to find the art!

M@ completely missed my point. I do want everyone to find art. For some people, they know where it is and they go there. For others they are walking by and see a museum or gallery and go in. Yet others aren’t even interested until something grabs their attention, sometimes serendipitously. Those are the people whose attention we want to grab. Not simply for commercial reasons but to try to expand their imagination and appreciation. Anyone who has never found a photograph, a sculpture, a painting, or a song they were not looking for but simply came across it without looking and then appreciated that art - they just have their eyes closed.

M@ wrote, "Storefront galleries are better left to those who's primary function is to sell and show local artists."

I guess M@ doesn't often go to the BPAC or hasn't figured out that mission of the BPAC is to focus on the works of Burchfield and works of other local artists. You will NOT find art there UNLESS it has a connection to WNY!

bad fireplaces in lofts, office building on delaware is not tall enough, entrances wrong on boutique hotel, renovated building on main only one story [as it always was] art museum poorly designed, mansion on main street needs to be pulled down for new build, i guess what we need to do is tell all the private developers that believe in the city and finally investing in it to get to h*ll out. As we all can see Buffalo was just steaming ahead into becoming a hot urban area very well without them!...LOL

martin kemp scolded us who want a better museum and a better hotel; he wrote that we must want to "tell all the private developers that believe in the city and finally investing in it to get to h*ll out"

Well Mr. Kemp - I guess instead we should simply allow anyone to build anything they want.

Would that be better?

Mr. Sack, the examples you just gave reinforce the current BP design, because It does address its context, that in a large open expance, next to a learning institution. Last time i checked there are not too many 20 story high rises on the Elmwood strip. As for the mission of BP...who cares! It is a museum...not a gallery..big difference.
..and the Boutique hotel still looks bad.

Dear Mr. Sack, Would you really compare West 53rd Street in Manhattan to Elmwood Avenue in Buffalo? MOMA's location in NYC is appropriate for a cramped space. We're fortunate enough in this small city to be afforded the luxury of a set back. Do you think the architects could have set the Guggenheim further back off 5th Avenue? They may have considered doing something like that, setting it in beatiful Central Park, if they were allowed to do so. Don't assume that just because buildings are built up to the sidewalk, that it was the prefered location. Ever walked down Wall Street or Maiden Lane or any of the many streets in lower Manhattan that feel like tunnels? NYC learned early on that set backs from the street are important, and that's why there is a law in effect that requires them, and large plazas, and designs that get smaller towards the tops. Not everyone wants to live in a cave.

And, no, I am not offended by your assertion that buying a poster of a famous painting is the same thing as "finding art." I was simply saying that I would rather people actually look at the real works of art, instead of just buying posters of them.

when I heard it was five stories high I was thinking it would be too large for the neighborhood but the plans seem to show that isn't the case...it actually looks like a fairly nice fit, though I would miss the unique independent businesses the hotel would replace

what's this about front doors being dangerous? I'd love to hear the defense of that...is it in another post?

marks, HODs complaints are purely driven by selfish concerns. Those houses are so old and-ill maintained the owner has been charging the same low rent for years and years. These businesses pay around $400-500 a month renth, so I wouldn't blame them for being pissed. But the arguments in the email are not very valid.

The hotel is a great step in the right direction for maturation of Elmwood. Hopefully this will set a precedent for more 5 story buildings to eventually line the strip. Increased density will make Elmwood even more vibrant.

Mr. Leonard,

Yes I have walked on Wall Street and all over that area of lower Manahattan. Great place. I have stayed at a friend's apartment on Water Street - didn't bother me. But I choose not to live in Buffalo instead.

Set backs from the street and plazas are important and required in New York? Hardly. After that trend in the 60s and 70s they learned their lesson. Large plazas in front of buildings are a waste of space. Check out the beloved plaza at the base of Buffalo's HSBC bank tower. Or some of the never used plazas along Park Avenue. Never again!

Setbacks are often requred on a building's upper stories when the developer wants more stories than zoning allows. This is a good idea. But not a problem for a 2 story building on Elmwood, 90' back from the street.

gabe,
what's this about front doors being dangerous? I'd love to hear the defense of that...is it in another post?

Look near top of these comments. Of course they are not dangerous. But Buff State officials said they would be dangerous at the Burchfield. I have no idea what they are talking about - except that they will say anything to justify their back entrance design for their new museum.

Am I the only one not excited by this project? Destroying part of what makes the Elmwood Strip special and replacing it with an "Anytown, USA" building? I'm not against the hotel project; I just wish it was adding to the neighborhood rather than replacing.

this is a strange idea for that area of elmwood. as mentioned above, the grassy feel at the corner of elmwood/forest gives a welcoming atmosphere. with a large 5 story building obscuring the view of the other businesses on the east side of elmwood, it will seem out of place.

i'm torn as to whether it will actually be good for the area or not. thinking about the fact that elmwood is one of the busiest areas of buffalo already, do they really need a hotel to attract people? there are other areas of the city that could use something like this to bring people into the neighbourhood.

my main question is - what do the businesses currently in the buildings that this project will demolish think of it? do they want to relocate? are they content with their current locations? is this hotel going to offer the boutique spaces to these current business owners first or at all?

all very interesting and important questions.
open to your two cents...

In regards to hippiegirl's questions:

I do not believe that a hotel will attract anyone anywhere (excepting hotel/casino's, in which the casino creates the need for the hotel), instead I believe a hotel services a need already present in an existing location. Elmwood could use a hotel, thus the reason why someone wants to build one. Simply building this hotel across from Central Terminal will not bring more people there, it will service people that already wanted to stay in that area.

This hotel will service people that already want to go to that area (Elmwood) of Buffalo.

My opinion is that hotels do not create need for hotelrooms, they service an already created need.

I wasn't at all sure whether to welcome this hotel, until I attended this evening's meeting; now, I am in favor. I've looked at those 5 houses for the past 30 years, at least twice a day, and have always thought of them as a poor greeting to the Elmwood Strip.

The design of the hotel COULD be nicer, though, and it just occurred to me that a terrific model would be the old Fisherman's Wharf building, which was at Chippewa and Franklin ! A turret or tower right at the corner of Elmwood and Forest would really make it look like the entrance to a special area.

I was at the meeting. I am more disappojnted than I was when I went in. I hate the hotel. It is just ridiculous.

I have to say, I am in FULL support of Mr. Rocco Termini's proposal and plans. I personally go for him.

BTW there is an online petition to stop the hotel here: http://www.petitiononline.com/sr1024j/petition.html

Sign it if you agree to stop it. If you do not agree to stop it, sorry to pester you.

I was at the meeting tonight, I do like the idea of the hotel, I think it will be a great replacement to what is there now, it will provide a base for an influx of new shoppers to the area and hopefully provide some stability and lower the crime at that corner.

My main concern is the design. For those of you there tonight, I spoke out against parts of the current presentation. While I apologize to the architect as we didn't get discuss my statement face to face, I do believe it looks like a 'lego building'. The setions between the balconies, the brick facades, are too large for the size windows he is presenting. the windows have nothing to set them part from the bricks and look like vinyl replacements stuck in where at one point gorgeous double hungs once stood. or, as i stated, a lego building. if you've ever built with legos, you know, you have a flat surface with windows that just blend right in. there is nothing setting them apart. nothing that makes this a 'boutique' hotel.

one other concern brought up tonight. the hotel has 39 underground and 14 above ground parking spaces. this seems woefully inadequate for an 80 room hotel for guests and the required support staff. their spokesperson tried to deflect it onto it being a whole area issue, but i think they need to fix thier corner before deflecting it on the rest of the nieghborhood.

After attending tonight's meeting, I sympathize with the immediate neighbors' concerns. However, this project will only have a positive impact on the Elmwood Village as a whole. It will encourage further economic activity, increase property values, widen the tax base, and inspire more renovations/remodelings.

I also applaud how fervently the developer and architect have taken the local community into consideration from minimizing light and noise pollution to staffing the hotel with Buff St hospitality students.
While the design should be tweaked to better address surrounding buildings, the urban design is welcome.

Arguments made against changing the "gateway" to the Elmwood Village ring hollow. This block is an eyesore. And I've never heard of it referred to as the "gateway" to the Elmwood Village until arguments needed to be quickly found to oppose the project.

Tweak - yes, but build the hotel. The not-in-my-backyard mentality has hampered this community's growth too often. Let the Elmwood Village continue to grow and watch as the affluence spreads east and west our neighborhood.

Did anyone see Rocco's Proposal? Come on people...be realistic...Rocco's design is what Elmwood needs. We can do the same thing with these buildinds as they did on auburn ave. I love his proposal, and he even said that he would develop it himself. I have the quote. He also said that he would be more than happy to work with Sam Savarino. Wait til you see his plans. Amazing. We need revitalization, not demolition.

Rocco Termini is simply not a part of this subject; if he wanted to build at Elmwood & Forest, HE should have bought the property. His record on the West Side hardly recommends him, for that matter.

This project deserves Forever Elmwood's endorsement. I believe it meets nearly all their design guidelines: Mixed use, built to the sidewalk (entrance on the front of the building), and parking is hidden. Excellent urban design.

We need more good examples like this to show the Benderson's of the world that it can be done in Buffalo!

And for what its worth, I agree with Dan Sack: the BPAC should face Elmwood Avenue. Is the architect so ashamed of his work that he doesn't want his building to face a major thoroughfare?

does anyone have photos of Rocco's concept, for those of us who couldn't make it last night?? what is everyone referring to?

After having owned and lived at 605 Forest (directly abutting the new proposed hotel) for over 30 years and having sold my property and moved to get away from the constant inconsideration of Mr. Hans Mobius, I am torn over this hotel project. The meeting last evening was no help in my resolving my mixed reactions. On the surface, any change would help make those properties owned by Mr. Mobius better. However, if I still lived there I would be sick and outraged. The quality of life and property value issues of the surrounding neighbors have to be taken seriously.

It is basically like this… these neighbors have put up with the slum landlord conditions of Mr. Mobius’ property for a very long time, complaints to city officials regarding his neglect have gone unheard and nothing has gotten better over the years, it has only gotten worse. Now, for Mr. Mobius to be, as an attendee of last night’s meeting put it, “rewarded” for his neglect is sickening. He gets to unload his dumpy property that he made that way and will most likely profit greatly from it while the neighbors will have new worries about privacy, noise, parking etc. Although this is not the concern of the developers, it is a concern of those who have had to put up with these conditions for so long with no response from city officials. This whole project would be a lot easier to swallow if this piece was addressed, not by the developers but by our city officials. There was a lot of resentment around this voiced at the meeting and nobody was able to address it. I felt that these feelings somewhat clouded the proposed development project and will continue to hinder resistance for it.

Perhaps Mr. Mobius could pay a hefty fine for his numerous code violations which would go directly towards decreasing the negative impact on quality of life issues raised by neighbors. He owes this to the community.

One suggestion voiced at the end of the meeting seemed to make a lot of sense in terms of decreasing the worries of residential neighbors. A gentleman suggested a bed and breakfast style and scale development instead. Although this may not be doable in a cost /benefit analysis kind of way, it would serve all of the purposes stated as arguments for the project while decreasing the negatives: accommodations for visitors to area attractions, positive and good looking “entrance to the Elmwood Strip”, less impact on parking difficulties, less privacy and quality of life concerns etc.

Rocco's alternative can be seen here:

http://img122.imageshack.us/img122/8471/rocco38vc.jpg

Sorry for the poor quality, we're trying to obtain the real deal.

If Rocco can aquire all of the properties and redevelope them in the fasion intended, then it would be successful, just as succeful as say a hotel on that corner. Basically, and no offense to those who own and operate business' on that corner (i love them all) but it would be nice for a fresh face to the gateway to our neighborhood.

Also if anyone wrote down the savirino email for comments, it would be greatly appreciated if it were posted. I wrote down a litney of commments and tryed to send them, only to have it bounced back.

Thanks!

here are some of my comments to share with you all....

I do have a couple of comments that I was unable to express at the meeting, and given the tone that the meeting ultimately took might not have been rightly communicated, so please take them as constructive criticism. First let me say that I do support this development. The realities of the site though call for a more critical approach to the building aesthetics. When Mr Frizlen exclaimed that he would not get involved in aesthetic issues at the forum, it made me think that the only way that this development would be accepted and nurtured by the community is if this building embodied architectural characteristics that compliments the surrounding fabric while at the same time embody design elements which can move the neighborhood into the twenty first century. Basically the building design needs to be sharpened.

The most glaring short coming of the design has to be the corner. The images that Mr Frizlen showed during his presentation of existing Elmwood Ave fabric show buildings that are in harmony with the corner. They represent a Elmwood Ave vernacular of a by-gone era. Most are two stories and do not “try” to be something that they are not. The corner articulation of the proposed designed seems to be forced, as if one was trying too hard to address it. My criticism then is to simplify it. Get rid of the column and the protruding round cantilevered roof. Also wrap the corner with the set back. These subtle design moves will vastly improve the aesthetic that is trying to be achieved. Someone also suggested that the entrance to the hotel be moved to the corner. I think that would be a very wise move.

The main massing of the building, while broken up still appears too pedestrian. The punched window sizes and scale are ordinary at best and are frankly reminiscent of a senior citizens home. If the fenestration were to work with the facsade in some way, maybe even become a design feature, I think it would strengthen the overall aesthetic of the building.

Material selection then is probably the most important element in defining this structure as more than a “salute to the Vernacular”. As you all know there are as many ways to clad this building as there are voices that have an opinion. Well my voice tends to prefer something that reflects the time of its construction, giving the building a more contemporary feel (and no, not EFIS). Metal cladding could be interesting, but may not be acceptable to the preservationist crowds, so I would lean towards a patterned stone (could be a cultured product) at the street level, with maybe just a common red architectural brick with raked joints for the protrusions. The insets could be a paneled product like an integrally colored concrete or even metal could be used here as a contrast.

One item I would definitely remove are the horizontal bands. Contemporary architecture exudes simplicity, and these bands are just way too distracting. They really bring that “Cheektowaga” quality to the design in which some present tonight commented on.

I would also consider removing the peaks…they do not really add anything to the project other than an attempt at misplaced ornament.

"A public hearing will be held before the Buffalo Common Council at it's regularly scheduled meeting on Tuesday, March 7, 2006, at 2:00 P.M., in the Council Chambers, City Hall, Buffalo, at which time intersested parties will be heard on the following:
Eva Hassett, Rezone 1109-1121 Elmwood Ave. and 605-607 Forest Ave.

A copy of this item is available for inspection in the office of the City Clerk, Room 1308 City Hall, Buffalo
from: The City of Buffalo Clerk

Ms. Hassett, for Savarino Construction, is asking the Common Council to change the R-2 (residential) zoned properties on Forest and the Special Elmwood Zoning District properties on Elmwood to a zoning that would allow the construction of the Hotel project to be completed without any zoning variances ie: going before the Zoning Board of Appeals.

I highly recomennd all interested parties read the zoning laws of Buffalo, (http://gcp.esub.net/cgi-bin/om_isapi.dll?clientID=64014&advquery=hardship&infobase=buffalo.nfo&rank=&record={21A9AB57}&softpage=Browse_Frame_Pg42&zz=, particularly the opening paragraph and 511-54 about special zoning districts. Please tell me how this project would fit into the "legislative intent of these laws"

Is this how we want zoning to be done in our city? If a developer can get specific properties rezoned, on an ad-hoc basis, it bodes poorly for the future of our city. This type of developer driven development puts the work that countless citizens have done to help create zoning laws that protect neighborhoods, history and the like.

Please contact your council member, Joe Golombek and the Mayor to let them know what you feel.
In addition there is to be major work done on the streets of Elmwood Ave and Forest Aveune-how will this development work with the proposed hotel? What is the plan for our neighborhood? My understanding of good urban planning is first to have one.
The proposed change of zoning for the two properties on Forest give a strong hint that the developer has plans for those. If those properties end up as part of the project, it would put it up against a Granger property and directly across the street from Penhurst. I am certatain that this is not good urban planning.
This project needs to be slowed down and the community needs to come up with a plan to see if this hotel project ( at this location or another) would fit into it that plan.
In addition, a blog is cool, but it doesn't substitute getting people ttogether-especially the people who live, raise chidren and want to enjoy the rest of their life there. For all those who live further south in the Village please imagine this hotel going in your front, back, side yards or within a block.
If Mr. Frizlen is reading- where is the model showing the hotel and the neighborhood? That would help put this proposal into perspective.

Note: for the link posted in the last comment- got to Chapter 511

......another thought. The Wyndham study indicated a need for 100 rooms in the neighborhood. The current project includes
pre-determined layers of profit for banks, developer and hotel chain. I think this tells smaller property owners, potential entrepeneurs and smaller developers that there is a market for inns that are truly boutique and not chain hotels. Again, a plan for the neighhood might help us figure out if we should wait for the continued grassroots development that has made Elmwood what it is.

Great Architecture? Of course not. The design would have to be something deconstructive that would probably cause even a greater uproar in conservative Buffalo. (think Guggenheim Bilboa , Spain for example)
Boutique Hotel on Elmwood a good idea? Absolutely! It would only add to what is the Finest Avenue in Upstate New York. there certainly are aspects of Elmwood that you'd want to keep. 2 1/2 story a frame structures is not necessarily what I see making Elmwood Avenue successful.

i think , everyone, It is it's diversity!

I cant wait until they make online poker illegal. These people who own these businesses that prey on people and kids should be tied to bumpers and dragged until their fish food.

Very good site. Thanks:-)

Very good site. Thanks:-)

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