SHOVEL READY SITE DEVELOPMENT
After reading an article recently in Business First, I was intrigued by the possibility of site remediation for land that has been off the city’s radar for years. The term ‘shovel ready’ makes a lot of Buffalo Rising readers shudder. In a city like Buffalo it is understandable since we have so many beautiful vacant buildings. The good news is that nine properties have recently been identified by the City of Buffalo and Buffalo Urban Development Corporation (BUDC) as potential candidates for future re-use. The City and BUDC have submitted applications to the Niagara Region Brownfields Coalition (NRBC) for funding to assist with environmental investigations of these sites. The NRBC is a coalition made up of the City of Buffalo, City of Niagara Falls, Erie County and Niagara County, and the funding would come from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
I spoke with Dave Stebbins (BUDC/ECIDA) earlier today who sounded excited about the prospects of these developments. “Each property is different in many ways," Stebbins told me. "Some sites are owned by The City, some by the BERC, and others are in private hands. We have identified some high-profile parcels of land that we would like to see shovel ready in the near future. Many prospective businesses and property owners won’t look at a property if there are built-in demo costs or unknown environmental impact costs. This is a unique opportunity to obtain funding to investigate multiple sites in order to get these properties ready for future re-use.”
The below-noted properties are some of the areas most notorious parcels of land when it comes to problem properties. They are either highly visible, or located near other successful developments, etc. For example, the problem properties on Porter Avenue – the former Peace Bridge Exhibition Center - have been languishing for years in full view of world travelers visiting the region. Even though the land is not designated as ‘brownfield’, the NRBC is not being particular when it comes to the label. Many of the problems found on plots of land like the ones on Porter Avenue require the same sort of attention that an actual brownfield would demand.
We will know soon enough whether The City will be successful in its efforts. There are high hopes that the joint effort will make a powerful push in the right direction. “This is also the first time that we have seen different factions come together with a common goal. Mayor Brown has made the re-use of these properties a high priority,” said Stebbins. “Most of the sites are publicly owned, and we are concerned about them… we must move forward and conduct due diligence now, so when the time is right the sites are ready to move.”
SHOVEL READY SITE DEVELOPMENT Niagara Region Brownfield Coalition Environmental Site Assessment CandidatesHydroponics site (1176 South Park Ave., etc.) – Phase 2
170-172 Germania Street – Phase 1
Shenango; 1750 Fuhrmann Blvd. (BLCP) – Phase 2
Black Rock Yard (CSX) – Phase 1
59 Memorial Drive – Phase 2
Porter Avenue 1 (602 Fourth Street) – Phase 2
Porter Avenue 2 (640 Fourth Street) – Phase 1
260 Chandler Street – Phase 2
Jefferson-Genesee block (northeast corner to Carlton) – Phase 1
I was pretty excited to see that a Porter Ave property was on the list – thinking… hoping… that it would be the long-vacant, former, duty-free shop opposite the the Peace Bridge access roads. Alas, the 2 addresses were really on Fourth St, which I had to MapQuest to locate as the street where the Ted's Hot Dogs used to be.
I'll give the benefit of doubt that brownfield designation on this little-used road will, somehow, be useful for the waterfront / parks restoration plan but, could some attention please be directed at the VERY high profile 159 Porter which is a horrid first-sight to "welcome" (ha!) hundreds of thousands of people who enter the USA by way of of the Peace Bridge and Buffalo by way of the 190, let alone people who may want to visit LaSalle Park, Front Park, the Yacht or CPO clubs (as per BZ'z post about connecting the dots along the waterfront we already have!)
Mayor Brown and Councilman Bonifacio need to apply some pressure to the out of state owner who pays very low taxes on this highly visible, blight-fostering parcel. The only apparent use it seems to have (for decades) is for 18-wheel truck trailers to park. The sidewalks there, are in horrible shape, the parking area just as bad. It's a real shame because it would be a GREAT location for a distinctive outdoors-related business — such as bike and skate rentals/sales or pet-supply/dog day care place. Something (hopefully, stylin' and locally-owned) that would be good for the community and say "Buffalo is cool" to a vast audience, as they enter our city.
Ya know, there used to be a stunning hotel on the corner of Porter at Niagara, where School 3 now stands. Wow, could you just imagine what a small 4-star B&B would do at and for the "Duty-Free block"?! …steps from 2 parks… on a Nat'l Register of Historic Places Avenue… just a short distance to downtown… fostering retail along Niagara Street! Yikes, I have goosebumps, just thinking about the potential!
The Porter stretch from Peace Bridge entrance to LaSalle Park is one of those ready frontiers for development.
The old Amex frontage parking area and seemingly closed up building is actually a very busy warehousing facility of Amex, but also acts as a nasty eyesore to those coming into the States.
The Peace Bridge Apartments on the next block south are owned by developer Ken Pieri, whose amiable Man of LaMancha efforts to turn the entire three block section into a Seneca Casino are starting to take up ears.
I asked him about the ground breaking at Fulton,and he insisted "Don't you believe for a minute that the Fat Lady has sung yet." Pieri continues to pour monies into drawing boards and market studies, architectural renditions and PR efforts to get his dream underway.
If there would be a City Casino, (forgetting personal opinions about casinos) this would be a wise marking ground, with 80,000 cars passing by daily, and a counter lure position for Canadians to come here.
Moving along to the next corner-- where Ted's used to be, there is nothing but fences surounding a facility that was a Buffalo spring and summertime legend.
All these little blocks are ripe and ready-- for SOMTHING better than their eyesore wasteland of current status.
No one wants to see the Porter Peace Bridge entrance area developed more than Ken Pieri-- if interested, stop in and see him at Peace Bridge Apartments-- both he and you'll be glad you did.
WHAT!!!!!!!!!??????????? there is an effort to turn that block of Porter into a casino!? that is freeking insane. Thanks for the heads-up on that bz. I am shocked to hear that you would be in favor of such development at that location! I cannot imagine that D'Youville College or any of the HOME-owning, TAX-paying neighbors would be in favor, either. I'll check with both block clubs to see what they know about this.
Sandy,
I'm against casinos period!
But I did give you a heads up.
Go gal.