Buffalorising has been redesigned.

After a few years of hearing about the "Bass Pro", "Peace Bridge" and "The Waterfront", it is really refreshing to read daily about something that more likely than not will truly happen.

Buffalo's "Old Guard" who have controlled much of the city for decades, helping with the decline, must truly be quivering in their boots. Knowing now, full well, that their office buildings and hotels that they have neglected will be, well...empty

It is a pure stroke of luck that the Statler came with this adjoining property. I can just imagine the Cannon group and Bashar sitting around a table saying, "Now, what are we going to do with that parking lot across the way?"

Back of his buisness card:

"Cherish the past, adorn the present and construct for the future."

Priceless........

This project sounds even more exciting. Bravo to the planners, architects and Mr. Issa.

slide presentation does not seem to work

Jonny. After you see the black screen with Cannon's info at the bottom, click on the screen and it 'should' flip to the next panel.

Fingers crossed.

Nice job and we thank the developer for holding a neighborhood presentation this evening. The more developers perform due diligence with the surrounding community, the better for building partnerships that caqn go in many directions for the positive.

i'm listening to his press conference and am hearing alot of nothing. not to sound negative... i just can't take another Adelphia.

Issa has money and a vision. This is not the usual Buffalo process. Rigas had his hand out and pretty much nothing else.

Almost in tears just watching the slideshow - what a masterpiece.

Unlike the Peace Bridge, the Waterfront, Bass Pro, and all the other wish list items (which I certainly don't consider Bass Pro a "catch") - what we have here is a proposal by a private developer who is sincerely committed to the resurgence of Buffalo Niagara. He has already started the Statler and now we have this.

Unbelievable.

I don't believe the Public Bridge Authority or the NFTA have ever put the interest of the people of Western New York FIRST - hence, why their projects always fail or never take off as planned.

The old guard here in Buffalo need to drop ego's and welcome Bashar with open arms.

Welcome aboard, Bashar Issa. You have made quite a statement. I look forward to your signature.

I am very impressed with what Mr. Issa had to say about this project, about Buffalo about his beliefs and rationale for development. This is a very intelligent chap and we are very lucky he selected Buffalo for his entry into the American development market. The community needs to support him anyway we can because in turn we are actually supporting ourselves for the effort.

Does anyone know if Mr. Bashar is single?

Marital status unknown, but I will have my mom call his mom. Stay tuned.

He named a new condo tower in Manchester after his wife. -Sarah

Bashar is sexy Stella. We may have to fight for him..lol.

Building awful! Project good! We will see. what a heavy lift. Buffalo teaches you nothing else if not a healthy skepticism.

I don't see any connection to Niagara falls in that design, but whatever...and J02138, the reason this will succeed or fail has nothign to do with people putting "the public interest" first, but everything to do with the profitability of the project.

It's nice to think Mr. Issa is doing this to help the city, he's in it for money, and that's everything.

I'm looking forward to it. With so much high profile development announced, you've got to think that even if some fall apart in the planning stages at the end of the day Buffalo's going to have something to show for it.

^ Ike, why does any private developer build a building? for the money...duh! Its like he said in his interview on the news...he'll make money and the city/region will benefit...its a win-win for everyone. We want companies/developers building here and hoping to make money here...that will cause more people to want to develop.

I hope this building is very succesful and fills quick. If this does well, the demand will be in place for MORE skyscrapers....Imangine that...We will actually start looking like a real city, with a mix of new and old, modern spaces to live, work and play. Wow, I can picture it now. Hope all the best..

Is that what makes a real city, Kitty? The magical Land of Oz? I like this design, with some reservations. But does everyone have to bow and scrape before this guy and mindlessly react to him like the Piped Piper? He's a businessman. And that's not at all bad.

Welcome to Buffalo! It's great to have some fresh blood in the city's redevelopment scene.

Pinch me - I must be dreaming again.

This will be truly amazing WHEN it comes to pass.

Nobody - NOBODY - better try to derail this project.

This is great news for my favorite city.

Congratulations, Buffalo!

2008 can't come soon enough...

Perry Fisher, according to Jane Jacob a mix of young and old buildings is precisely what makes a successful city function, amongst other things. It's not the only thing, obviously. It is "necessary" but not "sufficient" for a great city. If you don't know her, the book "the death and life of great american cities" is widely regarded as one of the great works of land use and development.

Memo to BRO readers: Bashar is a businessman, hopefully an honest and trustworthy one. He is not a god, savior, or miracle worker. Please save your worship for more religiously appropriate subjects.

What I really was really struck by is the model of downtown Buffalo with the little white buildings on a green ground. It's stunning how much connective tissue we have lost downtown. Every building in this view is surrounded by its own dead zone of parking, just like in the suburbs.

If convenient, adjacent parking were the key to downtown vitality, Chippewa Street, with its lack of the same, would be the most empty, disused part of downtown and the blocks shown above would be the most happening and vibrant. Likewise, Elmwood Avenue, with its wealth of buildings that actually touch each other without the interruption of parking lots, would be a dead zone.

When will we ever learn?

1) I think we all understand how surface parking kills an urban fabric. Unfortunately in the 50s->80s we didn't. You can see nowadays how anyone trying to knock something down for more surface parking are fought tooth and nail. That model was a scary sight. Nice to see this planned for an existing surface lot.

2)We should be "worshiping" him. Meaning laying out the red carpet, making him feel welcome and appreciated. Of coarse he is here to make money. I want him to make lots of it to keep reinvesting. Its how the economy works. After watching all of our local buisnessmen cry and whine, beg for incentives to do anything, and then stick us with crap buidlings surounded by surface parking, Mr. Issa is a a reason to get excited again.

It takes monet to make money, you have to spend it to make it...etc

I hope he makes buckets of money here in Buffalo, considering he is investing about a 1/2 a BILLION dollars here and not asking the city/county/state for a dime, nor did he purchase to sit on the buildings like many others have in order to flip em...or making false promises.

With this type of development going on it is time for the city to take the offer off the table with "Bass Pro" and invest the 60 mil elsewhere, like the waterfront or Main street development.

I'll believe it when I see it.

For all of you commenting that he's a business man and isn't doing this out of goodwill, please take into consideration the amount of effort that they are putting into the project to really make it special. Additionally, there are other locations where he could build this building and not have nearly as hard of a time finding tenants, but instead he is looking for out-of-town businesses to occupy the building. Could he make a lot of money off of this? Sure. Could he make a lot more off of this if it were somewhere else, or if he wasn't as detail-oriented? Yes. So please, give the man the proper respect for taking a risk in our city and being a good neighbor.

Is anyone else wondering how the federal government is going to feel about a private (and partly residential) building towering over two Federal facilities? The Department of Homeland Security is housed in that short building on Delaware, adjacent to the proposed tower. And the new US Courthouse, to be built in the lot next to Issa's tower, will be less than half the height. Are there any potential security risks that might put these plans in jeopardy?

Almost too good to be true. It was so incredibly refreshing to listen to this podcast--and hear what appears to be a dynamic, successful businessman who's done his homework, has a creative edge, and a vision for success investing in Buffalo--and he wants to share it with the people and the community he's investing in.

Clearly an 'outsider'--he appears to be leagues ahead of the majority of the local developers in this area in vision and a quest for architectural integrity--with the exeption being the likes of Rocco Termini and very few others. This has the potential to 'raise the bar' for future development projects. I'd love to meet this guy.

I'd buy him a drink.

You missed out on buying him drinks. He was at Roxy's last evening for a taste of the Stripteasers.

The cliche about cities needing old and new buildings needs some refinement--old cities need to have careful integration of new buildings into their fabric, not just any new buildings for the sake of new buildings. So, this tower seems a very wise addition to the downtown district, which has a tradition of elegant towers. A tall tower at Gates Circle, in contrast, seems unwise, a loud intrusion on a very defined, mostly residential and park area. It's good to see Buffalo become more discriminating about what it puts up so that we don't look like Generic City, USA, which most cities in the country are becoming, or like the everything-but-the-kitchen-sink that is Toronto.

Has the design for the Gates Circle project been made available to the public? I can't call this project a "loud intrusion" without seeing the design first. Tall buildings are not necessarily loud.

I see a rare uncommon man in a world of the common.

Welcome to Buffalo Niagara Bashar Issa.

There is much here to be seen by those who have eyes to see.

You seem to have such eyes.

What you are about to undertake will surely be rewarding in ways that mean as much or more than mere dollars and cents.

I look forward to meeting you. Soon.

I am your neighbor on the northwest corner of South Elmwood and West Mohawk.

Judge me for yourself.

I come out much better that way.

David R. Knoll

Ike, I had the pleasure of working with Jane Jacobs and Margot Gayle in the assessment of buildings that lead to the creation of the cast-iron historic district of Manhattan.

I treasureThe Death and Life of Great American Cities

Pulll-eaze with the poetry there, Knoll - laid it on a little thick, don't cha think? Boy, talk about a wolf in sheep's clothing....

Welcome, Issa! We are all neighbors here in Buffalo - none any better than the other, unless proven so.

You seem to be a man of your word judging from your past accomplishments. That's what we need - action - not just words.

Thanks! Looking forward to the new project.

Ike,
The connection between the Buffalo City Tower design and Niagara Falls in the winter will become obvious when you view the slideshow. The frosted, lighted, vertifical slabs mimic sheets of ice. Truly awesome and inspired. Cannon and Mr. Issa deserve praise for bringing this bldg to our city. I hope, I hope, I really really hope it comes true.

Zippy chance this get built. Sorry: huge taxes, rising cost of construction (will union work be required?), rising interest rates, HUGE lack of institutional interest in owning building in Buffalo (ie - the developer never gets out), ummm oh yeah - no tenants - that's generally a killer for development. Best of luck anyway.

Gone from Buffalo for good,
Did you listen to the press conference? Did you hear what Bashar said about attracting tenants from Toronto and NY city?

We don't need doom and gloomers around here. It's a good thing that you're gone for good.

Buffalo is turning the corner. Great things are happening in Buffalo and as a life long Buffalonian I'll be here to see it and experience it. I'm excited about Buffalo's future!

as much as I love the potential for this building, it doesn't solve the problems that buffalo has. Unless it attracts a new industry or large firm, it doesn't attract the much needed high paying jobs that recent college grads here would need to stay. That said, I'm more excited for the city than ever even though I'll be leaving for either a job or school in a matter of months. Hopefully when I come back to visit this building will be underway

I think that Bashar Issa's proposed 48 story multi use skyscraper is an excellent idea. It is also the best thing to happen to downtown Buffalo's cityscape in several decades. We desparately need a new skyscraper addition to our stagnant downtown skyline. This tower project if built will help stimulate additional major investment in the downtown core. It will also be along with the proposed federal courthouse, a major aesthetic and architectural improvement over the current rundown, drab, nondescript old buildings that deface the site.

This guy is amazing! Best thing to ever happen to buffalo within 50 years atleast

Is this project still ago, does anyone know the current status? Just looking for an update...