I wish that all of the current owners of the old run down buildings downtown were owned by Issa. Just think about how the city would be if it were true, every building developed and full of life. We should be thankful for this guy. Hopefully others will see his insight.
Don't get me wrong but you have to wonder. The Statler and the Central Terminal have been ready and waiting for YEARS. There are plenty of lots ready for building like "City Tower" in downtown. Am I the only one who is curious as to why it takes a guy from outside of the US to see the potential. Am I the only one who is curious to know if Issa may not "see" everything in developing in WNY? It is not like this guy is the richest man in the world and losing money is not an issue. It is not like there is a shortage of developers in the US with deep pockets looking to make more money. Why does out city make sense to this guy and not others? Is he seeing something that others do not? Or is not aware of circumstances that other are?
There are plenty of local developers that are redeveloping old buildings in Buffalo: Termini, Palladino etc., but the terminal and the Statler are very large capital investments and maybe a bit out of range for most of these local developers.
There is always a first guy in line with others to follow. The guys that renovated the Larkin Warehouse were thought to be crazy and what do you know, they filled up a giant old building with high paying tenants.
The thing is, with minimal money and a lot of personal effort the Central Terminal restoration group has made that old building into a popular meeting place by turning it into a sort of underground convention hall. Who is to say a company with money and vision can't make something big work here.
Still reserving judgement until I see some actual completion of his plans. I applaud his vision and ambition, but I won't get excited until something is DONE.
RonR,
My opinion on the matter;
Bashar Issa is smart. He IS seeing something others are not.
I am not speaking of local developers. I am speaking of National Developers. The type of developers that can redefine a neighborhood or build a neighborhood in a couple of years. Why is Buffalo only being actively redeveloped by smaller local efforts and considered by an international businessman.
I am a fan of Issa, Termini and Palladino. I am a bigger fan of Termini and Palladino because they have done and a fan of Issa because of what he could do.
My question/concern is why is Issa the only "outside" interest that has given Buffalo a hard look. I have two possibilities.
1- The most likely IMO is that he is unaware of all of the BS involved in developing in Buffalo. Termini mentioned some of the BS in his interview last week. Issa has yet to run the race. Only IF and AFTER the Statler is done will I really get excited about his comments on City Tower or the Central Terminal. A side note to this is part of me thinks he is "talking" about these other two projects as a way to have an easier time with the Statler. Personally I think it should be easier with or without the other potential projects.
2- National developers buy into the bad PR of Buffalo and simply think that there is no money to be made here and do not bother to do the research.
I am not trying to be a downer. I hope/dream that Issa is successful. He has my full support. I just want to point out that there is a lot of unneeded BS in Buffalo that should not be there. I hope that he is the first of many Steel. I hope that he is a visionary needles. But I am from Buffalo and know that Buffalo is a place where leadership and vision are gobbled up by the machine like chicken wings.
"I wish that all of the current owners of the old run down buildings downtown were owned by Issa."
In the words of the great Winston Wolf, "Well, let's not start sucking each other's d*cks quite yet".
I think we should all be glad Issa is in town and has demonstrated an interest in developing property. However, let's stay away from the hero worship until he finishes something or even demonstrates some progress. He's not a one man silver bullet solution...
Wish Issa the best... but I just wish we could just leave him alone to finish the Statler; complete the Tower, and THEN talk about the Central Terminal.
This city has had too many proposal's never make it off the paper. I hope Issa knows that and is not playing us...
Good Luck Issa.
Issa has stated that he doesn't require tax incentives or outside help to make the Statler work. I'm not sure he understands that when you put tens of millions of dollars in a building that property taxes go up exponentially, but I wish him well in any event. The Statler has a good location and has never been vacant.
When you look at any development numbers for the Central Terminal you need some other push to make it work. Buffalo simply does not have the population to support projects like this. The Central Terminal is a beautiful building but beautiful doesn't pay the bills. Let's take Bill Gates' idea of allowing educated immigrants into the US and create a new live/work community at the Central Terminal.
Well it takes a perspective from outside the US to see potential in urban areas. look at cities all across the US we have for the most part walked away from them and only look back to mock those that stayed behind. The rest of the world doesn't abandon cities and many would LOVE to have the bones and richness of Buffalo.
A little late to the game - I tried to post his yesterday, but when I went to add it to the commentary my server went on the blink. So, here are my thoughts from yesterday after reading the article and the first two comments . . .
I think part of Mr. Issa’s enthusiasm for our city is based on the fact that he is a foreigner. I have been many places in the States and most people; although (by and large) respectful of the people of Buffalo, inevitably have a whole host of preconceptions and a large backlog of jokes about the city and its image. The nation in general views Buffalo as the ass end of New York State and a curious footnote in the overall makeup of the country. It has taken a real outsider, untainted by the misconceptions, to come in and see Buffalo for what its worth and its untapped potential.
We have for too long allowed ourselves to be caught up in the quagmire of measuring ourselves against the yardstick of other former industrial meccas that have successfully shed their skin and become something new. All of this “looking over the fence” business has helped us to truly ignore the issues in our own backyard and the methods by which we can mitigate the damage of so many years of neglect and calculated sabotage.
Buffalo is unique in some of the birthrights it has been forced to unwillingly sign away due to its cohabitation with one of the world’s largest cities – New York. We will never be able to sponsor the types of subsidies other cities in the US have been able to secure on a State level since that would lead to the slippery slope of subsidizing projects in areas of the State where real estate is some of the most expensive on Earth. This unfortunate situation has lead to many developers looking past Buffalo and its industrial siblings in the State of New York and focusing on places where development and dollars are achieved with greater ease.
Back on topic – Mr. Issa has the unique perspective of not being bogged down by the years of baggage we have accumulated through tragic circumstance, political machinations, short cited selfishness, and a fair serving of self indulgent pity. This man, if he makes good on his promises, will be the prime mover in awakening us from our long slumber and finally allowing us to recognize the strength, resilience, and resolve in ourselves and our beloved city that we have for so long elected, or been taught, to forget.
Buffalo politicians have really sold their soul to a political machine....mostly out of Albany to which they accept Albany's plans for Buffalo instead of presenting our own!
Its because of this that local developers do not risk large capital projects that could suffer from apathy, lack of leadeship of various authorities or political football.
Basshar Issa...while polite...isnt asking anything from local elected leaders (city, county or state or even federal) so while people think his risk is very high....in reality his risk is much lower....because he doesnt have to factor in those asswipes.
As far as the Statler...it was a world class building...so its potential restoration is perfect for a new 10 story court building, another court street tower and then his city tower.
As far as the Central Terminal....its the pre-eminent world class building representing trade and transportation and its the only such building between downtown and the airport. Its perfect for our growing transportation, logistics, international trade and suppy chain managment businesses. If they were to colocate in a single location then they would have the complementary mass (synergy) to expand more rapidly just as colocating has complemented businesses in the Fruit Belt for the COE in Life Sciences. To put a name on it we can use UB's own Center for Global Enterprise Resource Management.
Lots of potential and it would change the face of Fillmore Ave which connects both the Central Terminal and the Larkin District.
good luck to all those involved. I would love to see this building get renovated as it is a true gem.
Gosh the mail and baggage building has a huge potential...if only we had more such buildings scattered around Buffalo Niagara!
But here is a short list of potential tenants for the Central Terminal. 1) GBNRTC 2) NFTA, especially with a light rail extension to the airport...the Central Terminal could act as an alternative rail maintenance facility to the DL&W location. 3) UB's Center for Global Enteprise Management 4) The Atlantic Corridor 5) Speed Transportation 6) Roar Transportation and other local transportation companies 7) World Trade Center Buffalo Niagara 8) NYSDOT 9) CRTC and CTRC 10) Empire State Passenger Rail Association 11) NYS High Speed Rail Task Force (bring a Buffalo Office) 12) Rail Road Offices for CSX, Canada Rail, etc.
Lets not forget companies involved in International Trade, Import Export & Customs, Supply Chain Management, Logistics, Distribution, Warehousing, Transportation....etc.
The Central Terminal has a world class..internationally recognizable name ..... that would make a great marketing logo to complement any company....and so would locating in an internationally recognizable building.
Infact....if you look at the Mail and Baggage Building....one could see so much success that the equivalent of additional large square footage buildings get added surrounding the Central Terminal.
Of course.....if Basshar Issa found a way to not just bring rail back to the Central Terminal but interconnect it with the Airport....making the Central Terminal a lower cost location for companies....then this area around the Central Terminal could really take off much like the Larkin District a few blocks away.
NOW IF I WERE A DEVELOPER....AND I HEARD ISSA BASSHAR WAS INTERESTED IN THE STATLER AND THE CENTRAL TERMINAL...THEN A FEW THINGS WOULD IMMEDIATELY COME TO MIND: 1) Hotel Lafayette 2) Hotel Greystone 3) Liberty Tower 4) The empty Buffalo Forge site which would make a great high density urban office park. 5) Niagara Street....ripe for more HealthNow type office buildings with Lake and River views.
Report this