p_cif - I spend my Saturdays at the Central Terminal. I would work at Buffalo ReUSE on Saturday's but I only have so much time. I'm happy to see new usernames on here, but if you really want to ask me questions, please please just send me a private message. I really hate repeating myself.
Marketing 101: "You can't polish a turd..." (But, in Buffalo you can spray it with city-issued Febreeze!)
It is a waste of time and money. Instead…why not use the effort and money to fix the facades where feasible? Teach the students how to repair houses, a viable trade sorely needed. Instead of using paint to paint murals paint the houses. I for one would not want a “painted mural boarded” up house near me any more than a plain boarded up house. Just my two!
I would rather see my tax dollars going towards redevelopment than warehousing the poor in the Projects. This is by no means a dig on Buffalo ReUSE, I really like the service that they are doing to the community. I am just suggesting that this may be a more productive use of time and resources and maybe a good way to use the material that they salvage from deconstructed houses.
reflip - very well said.
bhorvath - a few thoughts: 1) "ever" is a long time, esp. if you have something positive to contribute; 2) environmental analysis and remediation (if appropriate) occurs with every new project on land that was previously used for almost any purpose, including farming. Artspace incurred an extra million dollar (unbudgeted)expense to excavate/remove a petroleum-based product in the ground behind the main building. The remediation cost at HealthNow was over $10 million, although they were able to use the new state brownfield tax credits. The Bethlehem Steel site is and will continue to be remediated so it can be productively re-used; 3) many of Buffalo's vacant houses are so well built that they are still salvageable even after years of abandonment. If they are not torn down, they will become (relatively inexpensive) homes for young visionaries - first in the more solid neighborhoods, then in more marginal neighborhoods, and finally in neighborhoods where few dare to tread right now; 4) who better than Buffalo Re-Use to help lead this charge?
p.s. on a personal note, I have found that the more I travel, and the more cities I walk, the more I love Buffalo - for many reasons, including this irony - it wouldn't be Buffalo if it didn't sometimes break your heart.
any house that is vacant and in violation needs to be taken from the owner by the city (a form of eminent domain) due to slum in blight. These houses need to be demolished. Donate the land to private developers to construct new modern housing to bring people back into the city. The housing stock in Buffalo is poor. Any good housing sells quickly. Buffalo is full of old no longer wanted housing. Thus vacant homes. Just like outdated vacant industrial land that is no longer used for industry the city needs to modernize its real estate to attract people who live and work in this century. If I could get a modern home with a dry poured basement in the city with modern sized rooms I would consider living in the city limits. Buffalo has old outdated housing. Historic housing should be saved not cheaply built wood frame houses with dark damp basements.
Dick - I do not believe that anyone is attacking Buffalo ReUSE, instead they are challenging the validity of the joint proposal with Sam Hoyt. There are quite a few phenomenal volunteer organizations and an army of volunteers who are looking to make a difference for Buffalo, I agree that they are part of the solution. The BHMA and other government entities have failed at their attempts in the past and have little hope of improving the condition in the future. There is no doubt that the system is broken, but I am in the same camp as many of the respondents to this thread, this is not doing much to address the root causes or to repair the fractured neighborhoods, especially around our schools. I have a lot of faith in Michael Gainer and the other community leaders who are stepping up in Buffalo. Best of luck to all of them!
If I lived next to a boarded home...I might think about buying it and fixing it up. Boards on a home is just, "LIPSTICK ON A PIG." (I can't remember who coined that first on BRO.)
Joshua: more "LIPSTICK ON A PIG can be found here:
http://movetheplaza.blogspot.com/2007/12/lipstick-on-pig.html
There's a reason why mom and dad keep the kiddie's paintings hanging on the refrigerator door. It's because little Billy's scribbly 'works of art' are actually very poorly done. . . in the grand scheme. If you don't let your children draw on the walls inside your house, what makes you think your neighbors will appreciate them slapping up some tempura paint clouds and stick figures on the outside of your house?
Living next to a boarded-up house, I can tell you that even if the city offered to sell me this property for $1.00, I would decline it. Speaking ONLY about the house next door, it need a new roof, gutters, windows, and there is no plumbing in the basement. It would cost me $40,000 to get the house livable. Those are only the issues of which I am aware. The house previously belonged to a widow without close family, save her 15 or 17 cats. She went into a nursing home, the next of kin let the city take the house, and it didn't sell at auction. So, here sits a vacant house, slated for demolition, not a candidate for rehab (that's according to the city), right next door. I wish I had a spare $10,000, I'd knock it down myself. Painting a mural on it, in my humble opinion, would only serve as a beacon that says, "I'm abandoned!". Maybe painting murals in business districts would look a lot better than on a residential street.
I would rather see the boards painted a neutral color, overall, than any type of art project. It may promote grafitti in the long run and may also create a schism with the properties in the area that are well maintained. Buffalo ReUse is a tremendous organization. However, art projects such as these should also be presented, including true sketches, to the surrounding neighborhood to get their input and support.
PS..don't think this is a dig on buffaloresue. I think it is a great outfit and great idea.
I have to agree that this is a waste of money. Why not actually fix up the homes - paint, fix the interior and exterior, etc... and make the home livable. Why waste time painting murals.
It seems like Buffalo REUse has the talent to actually fix up the home. Buffalo REUse should work on grants to purchase the homes from the City, fix up the homes, and sell them to those who would be good stewards of the property. Selling the property to make a little profit but turn over the profit into other useable projects.
Think about it....
I have to agree with LeadBuffalo. This is like putting lipstick on a pig. I think it will look silly. Ever seen an empty lot that a neighborhood has taken over and planted flowers in old tires turned inside out? Yep....still looks like a tire with a flower growing out of it. Ends up looking worse than just clearing the lot and having a nice lawn. I think this summer someone was planting flowers in old shoes in one of these gardens. Same thing. Their hearts our in the right place...but it just doesn't really help anything.
This project is a waste of time and energy, and it does nothing to improve the neighborhoods. I would much rather see the aforementioned community and government interests use their influence to put these houses in the hands of owners. Why not produce a list of pre-approved and pre-qualified homeowners and investors? Why doesn't Buffalo Reuse set up a partnership with these homeowners to provide essential materials and appliances for free or at a very significant discount? The City could offer incentives or tax breaks for people who take over these properties, similar to the incentives offered to businesses. Maybe a one-year amnesty from code violations and an express line to inspectors. The houses would become owner-occupied dwellings or investment properties for prospective section 8 landlords, this could be a stipulation for this program. Any other ideas on how we could bring people to these houses instead of making pretty boards a la Genessee and Oak?
- bhorvath makes a lot of sense on the way out the door.
- Joshua and others should never feel they have to present volunteerism credentials in order to justify a right to freely comment about anything. He's perfectly entitled to express any criticism he wants. For one thing, tax money is involved in this so it's everybody's business including his. For another thing, the article about this was posted on a public web site that seeks public comment. If they ever want to restrict comments about any article, there'd be very easy ways for them to apply comment moderation. But they don't, so that clearly shows they want all viewpoints expressed here.
- Beyond having the right to do so, his criticism was valid. Comparison of putting murals on these vacant houses to lipstick on a pig is perfectly apt. If anything, it's insulting to pigs.
- It should be obvious that criticizing the particular idea discussed in the article is not necessarily criticizing the ReUse organization or its core mission. In fact, this idea seems very little to do with its mission of deconstructing houses and reusing their materials.
- Suggestions from him and others of alternative things for the ReUse organization to do instead of this are just informal suggestions, and are of course open to being critiqued themselves. In that vein, Mr. Kern makes very good points about Buffalo’s housing surplus and the lack of demand for rehabbed houses here relative to their potential supply.
Please do not consider this a bash against these students or Buffalo ReUse, but I think this project is a case of feel good masturbation. We, the wee people of Buffalo, have become so beaten by the hollow promises and failed attempts at revitalization that we are willing to grasp at anything that has the faintest stirrings of forward motion. This may appear in some ways like forward motion, but it is not.
The real, ground level formula to getting folks into these homes is to bring a “scorched earth” campaign to 901 City Hall, the Division of real Estate, and begin again with a more transparent organization. As I mentioned in a post a while ago, deep in the bowels of that office the Urban Homestead Program is chugging away – in circles. It’s high time that the City cleaned out the Real Estate Division, revamped the Urban Homestead Program, and put all of these homes on the City roster, which more than likely will soon have a date with the landfill, back in the tax base. “How?” you ask? You sell them for one dollar.
In the early seventies the Otterbein neighborhood of Baltimore was an absolute hole that could make most of the East side look like a heavenly, gated community. The city, in order to avoid the cost of demolition and the destruction of its urban fabric, put the homes on the market for one dollar with the caveat that the owners had to start stabilization and renovation of the property within six months of acquiring the property (this required verification of the buyer’s financial viability), the building had to, at a minimum, be brought up to code, and that the home would serve as their primary residence for three years after completion of the project. The turn out for the tour of homes the city was selling was so overwhelming they had to sell the houses by lottery. This is now one of the most desirable and expensive neighborhoods in the city.
Now, Buffalo had (as many cities both large and small did after the success of Baltimore) a similar program to this starting in the mid seventies; however, because of the manner in which the program was executed it was bogged down in cross agency and board administration and coordination (also known as territorial pissing contests and in-house bickering), in addition to the associated politics (also known as whose got the deeper pockets to fleece), and proved a dismal failure (as it did in many other cities – most going belly up by the mid-80s). Unlike many cities that just gave up on the idea, Buffalo’s program continued on morphing numerous times before become the vestigial organ of the division of Real Estate that it is now.
It’s time to reinvent the division of Real Estate and the Urban Homesteading Program instead of putting hope into soulful, but misguided, attempts at mitigating the downward spiral of dereliction by neglect in this City. It’s time to be bold enough to give up the old guard and bring people back into the city, reverse sprawl, and put these homes back in the City’s tax base.
Utica NY had a similar problem with vacant houses, dwindling population and a lot of arson...sound familiar. Their response was and still is pretty simple - if it's vacant & derelict it gets torn down quickly. And you know what popped up in place of the vacant houses? Miniparks, nice grassy lots, giving more green space and removing some of the blight. Utica is of course a LOT smaller than Buffalo, and we have 10,000 vacant houses in the city with a value of $1 each - translation - no tax income. But Utica also ahs a growing immigrant population. Many of them are Bosnian or Eastern European and they are buying some of the worn and vacant homes and making them look fantastic, nearly new. They’re opening new stores, restaurants and bars that serve the foods of their culture. We’ve got a huge untapped resource in our immigrant and international community that I don’t think we embrace or support enough. I’m sure many would love to be able to buy ahome and restore it if they had the right incentives to help them. We're not going to fix this overnight, especially if there's no fire lit under our government "leaders" to fix it. So let's give a hand to the organizations that are trying to do something with limited resources to make our neighborhoods more livable. Sure not every house is worth saving, especially if no one has taken care of it. But, there are a lot of homes that are worth saving, with great woodwork, and excellent old craftsmanship. If we chip away at a few of the unattractive things in our neighborhoods, eventually property owners will fix the houses worth fixing and renting or selling, because they’re driven by profit. Just painting derelict houses is indeed putting a band-aid on a bullet-hole - but if no one is going to fix the bullet holes now, let's at least make them look brighter, and give the people still living in our neighborhoods something less depressing to look at. And there’s nothing wrong with teaching school aged kids about taking ownership of their neighborhood and community. Maybe property owners / "investors" would tear down old derelict homes if they were given a break on housing fines in lieu of agreeing to pay to tear-down the homes at their cost, within 30 days. Another option, is to look to local developers (Paladino, Ciminelli, construction trade unions, etc) to volunteer some resources to take down some of the homes for the city and accelerate the process. I'm not saying developers are all altruistic people, but they're not the devil, they want the community to thrive because that means more development opportunities for them, and well these folks live and work here and their employees live and work here, so they must not hate the community right? Let's keep the creative ideas flowing, and not get down on others that are trying to help. Nothing will be perfect, but has anyone been to a community where things are done perfectly? I didn't think so. I'll still take B-lo over most other places in the U.S. though.
Yeah and why are all you negative pessimistic haters so against Sam Hoyt's plan to promote peace? What do you want instead? Violence? War? Or if you want peace then what's your plan to promote it if not something as effective as murals on vacant houses? Lawn signs? Bumper stickers? Yeah right - as if those would accomplish anything!
To bring more peace to Buffalo the murals must be painted. Maybe it shouldn't be just for vacant houses. Buffalo Rising's landlord can cover their buildings with these peace murals too. The Cobblestone Peace District! Yeah! Hey has anybody called the Toronto media about this yet?
The effort is being called the Neighborhood Peace Mural Project... Buffalo ReUse will help to provide the boards that will eventually end up covering the facades of vacant houses. Then the students will get the go-ahead to paint peace-related murals on the boards.
I've talked about this idea privately for years, but, regrettably, I NEVER did anything to make it happen. It's not "lipstick on a pig." It's a serious attempt to help people re-imagine what is possible. Not many people believed that gardening could bring about positive neighborhood change until the Garden Walk showed everyone the true power of flowers. A few years ago, many people "herd of buffalo" thanks to the power of art. When arborgeddon hit on October 13, 2006, it was artists through "Carvings for a Cause" who turned broken trees into daily reminders that we always retain the power to choose our response when bad things happen.
I love this idea and think it has a very good chance of making a small, but positive contribution to many neighborhoods, I would suggest that students develop designs in school and then work with immediate neighbors (or a block club if one exists) to choose a final design. Involving the neighbors has the potential of triggering lots of positive spin-off effects. I would also consider whether there is a place in the program for graffiti artists who have been given community service sentences in court.
I would humbly suggest that a name change be considered for the program - one that helps people re-imagine these vacant homes. Perhaps consider a naming contest to build initial interest - I offer a first (probably lame) suggestion - "Buffalo Homes - Where Art Reigns." It could be a declaration of WAR on vacant homes.
p.s. we're hoping to take on rehabilitation in the future as well...there's lots to do for sure, but only so many hours in the day...
Why would you complain about volunteers doing a little something to hide the blight in their neighborhood? Sure this is only covering up a major issue, but at least tax money isn't going to it. Its free. Volunteers by definition don't get paid. Not only that but you overlook the fact this program helps kids do something productive with their time instead of getting into trouble. I'll agree we need to get responsible homeowners or investors into these homes, but I won't discourage volunteers from doing what they can to improve their neighborhoods or give their children something constructive to do.
This is hokey! (2. obviously contrived, esp. to win popular appeal or support; phony.) Slapping old paint on plywood isn't going to build civic pride. This won't make teenagers feel like they have ownership of the city. I can't imagine a college student saying, hmmm I'm going to turn down that $50,000 a year offer in Raleigh for $12.20 an hour in Buffalo because I painted the boards on a vacant house.
IMHO, I think that this is a ploy to market Buffalo Reuse more than it is a genuine effort to fix a problem in Buffalo. I am not convinced that pink paint on plywood will promote peace in the streets. It reminds me of my niece who thinks that the Dora band aide is more effective than the regular band aides, as adults we know that there isn't any difference between the two.
It seems to me that there is a core group on Buffalo Rising who respond to darn near every post with cynicism and derision. There seems to be an attitude that if an idea doesn't fix everything, it is worth nothing. This is so small-minded and wrong. Is this project going to single-handedly revitalize the neighborhoods around some of the schools? Of course not. No one is claiming it will. But it may make neighborhoods a little brighter or get the kids who participate to think a little bit more about their role in the community and ways that they can help improve where we all live. I don't see how that can be anything but positive. Typical of the naysayers to trash something before it has even had a chance to happen, before you even see the end result. 200 years ago you would have been the same people decrying Clinton's decision to dig a ditch from Albany to Buffalo. At least Buffalo ReUse and Assemblymember Hoyt are TRYING to do something good, not just throwing up their hands and saying it will never work so let's not bother.
I can see it now...
"Hey man, the cops knocked down our crack house, where we gonna make our crack?" "Well a bunch of school kids just finished painting murals on this dump round the corner, how about there?" "Yous a genius man, genius! Nobody'll expect us to make crack in there!"
The City should just take some of that surplus money, buy a Caterpillar bulldozer, hire two competent and certified drivers, work them in two shifts, and drive around the City bulldozing lot after lot after lot. They could start on the East Side and move West eventually dumping all the remains into Lake Erie. Hopefully they get some of the residents as well. This might take a couple years but it will magically transform the City, especially if they include Allentown.
Use the money (any money we can scrape up) to clean the Bethlehem Steel brownfields and court real, modern, manufacturing companies to come back to the area and hire people.
Alot of us "naysayers" are just fed up with the rah rah, touchy feely, unbridled optimism on this site, have lived in cities where the economy is strong, have seen the reasons why...and get annoyed that too many "happy to be here" people don't get that we need Corporate America in a city of this size to pull us out of the shithole were in.
my last post...ever
wow! I have to say, overall I'm surprised by the general tone of the responses. first i'll say, if you don't live on a street with a large number of vacant houses, you may not understand the emotional and moral drag that boarded up and blighted houses can create. personally, i drive past them every day en route to our warehouse, not to mention vacant lots littered with trash and debris. the emotional impact of vacancy in our neighborhoods should not be underestimated.
i often ponder how do we address this situation in an effective way that makes a tangible difference, while also juggling all the other needs in our communities. part of the solution is blight reduction, beautification, and clean-ups. i can assure you that over the next year buffalo reuse will be actively involved in cleaning lots, creating new productive green spaces, and beautifying east side neighborhoods. my hope is that the impact will be more livable communities.
the project was initiated in response to the concerns of school administrators and folks from the surrounding community that vacant houses are dangerous and unsightly. the peace mural project addresses both of these concerns by mobilizing students and community members to not only beautify, but also effectively secure, using more effective means developed by the U.S. Fire Protection Agency to prevent unauthorized entry.
furthermore, I feel strongly that there is a disconnect between problems that exist in our communities and people taking action to improve the situation. it would be my goal that this project bring together students, folks from the community, and volunteers from local universities to create positive changes in our neighborhoods.
in the Spring, we'll be launching an effort to improve vacant lots...gardens, orchards, pocket parks, etc. part of the process is to increase the "look" of the neighborhood, the more significant impact is that we create a sense of community through our efforts and get more people involved in making a difference... come on out and join us...i'm sure you'll agree that there is more being created during this process than just a few "pretty" pictures...
buffaloreuse - thanks for a great recap of the organization's intensions and goals. Specifically, I don't live on a street with boarded up windows and trash in the lots, but I'm only a 5-10 min walk to where this is prevalent. I do know what you are talking about, when I make my way to the Central Terminal on Saturday's. It is a problem.
I don't think that buffaloreuse would have written a nice long response if the other readers did not respond with a different viewpoint. If everyone just agreed with the organization then we wouldn't have received their goals and missions.
bhorvath--good riddance to you and your negativity. There is no single shot in the arm that is going to fix Buffalo completely. Stop raining on the parade of the people who are trying to do good, trying to make life here better in whatever ways they are capable of, and actually contributing real projects and momentum instead of just whining away about what a sadsack town this is. Buffalo is a great place, and there are good things happening here. I moved here reluctantly as a 20-something after college, and I have been proud to call this my home for nearly 10 years. I am proud to work with other people who are working to make this a better place to live and work.
So, fine, throw up your hands and walk away and keep grumbling that things will never change. For you, they never will. For those of us who see the potential and the progress that is rebuilding this city in a new way, we will leave you on the curb outside of the shuttered manufacturing facilities you so desperately want to refill while we keep moving forward.
I have lived in Buffalo only a short time, but one thing I keep hearing is that "everyone has left" but I think this is GREAT place to live. How do I help people see what I see in Buffalo? How do I help teenagers feel like this City belongs to them? How do I help college students, who might be looking for greener pastures, give Buffalo a second chance--or consideration? How do we boost the morale of a neighborhood? These are questions I struggle with and inviting this whole city to adopt a vacant home as a canvas for peaceful expression is one option. We have 15 groups committed already and we're so excited that we may have more because YOU choose to get involved. I hope that you will give this option a chance--this is being done with sweat and donations--not your tax dollars. http://www.buffaloreuse.wnymedia.net/
Of 'Trees' Vs 'Forests'
ReUse is trying to creativley address ever-spreading blight in poor neighborhoods.
Those attacking ReUse for not rehabbling deteriorated houses must remember the overarching challenge of addressing a massive surplus of housing in Bflo. There are at least 25,000 vacant housing units in Bflo, as the city steadily shrinks further, so rehabbing must be very selective.
Pouring more into rehabbing a house than its repaired market value would support is especailly risky. WSNHS (Neigh Housing Service) has long done costly 'scattershot' rehabs that have placed low income 1st-time homeowners with huge mortgages in declining neighborhoods, with disastrous consequences. For example, the $85 K rehab by WSNHS of 134 16th just resold in foreclosure to a NYC investor-speculator for $19.2K . . . after the new homeowner lost everything.
Instead of attacking ReUse it is important to challenge broken "low income" housing systems that squander $10's of millions annually. For example, BMHA (Municipal Housing Auth) plans to sell 200 LBJ Apartments to Medaille College for $3.5 million, then rebuild 200 apartmest anew (using a "connected" developer) for $36.5 million ($180K per one-person elderly apartment).
BMHA is massively funded every year to the tune of about $30 million, while competing with the poor in dying neighborhoods.
BfloReUse is part of the solution. HUD & BMHA are a large part of the problem.
ReUse is driven by volunteers. BMHA & HUD workers are very well paid.
Aim carefully!
I would like to ask what chiknlil or Joshua has done to improve neighborhoods in Buffalo. They both seem to know how to get things done and have strong negative opinions about this project, what streets have you helped revitalize? This is so typical of the negative attitute of Buffalo, especially the negative attitude of people who post on local blogs. OK, so you dont like Buffalo ReUse and Sam Hoyt's idea to promote peace and spruce up some vacant houses. fine. What are YOU doing? Joshua, you suggest this is a waste of time and money and instead Buffalo ReUse should be fixing up the homes instead. Perhaps you misunderstand the concept of volunteers and dontated materials. I'll give you a hint, its free!!! This is a project to get local kids more invested in their neighborhood and promote peace, not rehab every vacant home in the city.
Everyone's saying "fix up the homes,", "fix the facades", "fix the interior and exterior," etc. Can I ask you people what planet you live on?
I really don't want my taxes going towards fixing every abandoned home in the City. Sorry.
As far as painting the plywood goes - it's a good idea. Years ago, in the South Bronx, right by Yankee Stadium - there were some abandoned apartment buildings just off the Major Deegan Expressway. Everyone going to Yankee Stadium, or getting on the GWB would see them. They were incredible eyesores. Eventually, someone (the City, I suppose) painted all of the boarded up windows, with flower boxes, curtains, little sunshines, little kittie cats, etc.
It was goofy, but it worked.
Prior to that, you would pass by and think "what a hell hole." After that, you would pass and think "Looks like this may be a hell hole, but at least someone's trying." If someone wants to paint the damn plywood, let them do it! Let's just move on, and stop sweating the small stuff.
So, which screams "I'm abandoned!" more:
1. Boards covering the windows and doors of the house. 2. Broken windows and no lights. 3. Smell of feces and decomposition. 4. Murals painted by HS students.
Well, whichever you prefer, I know that abandoned housing screams "Nobody cares about this community!"
This project strikes me as useful in that it demostrates pride and care in the community. Is teaching kids that they should care about their neighborhoods really a waste of time? The alternative is to let them continue to believe that nobody gives a hoot and their surroundings are not worth taking ownership of.
Of 'Trees' Vs 'Forests'
ReUse is trying to creativley address ever-spreading blight in poor neighborhoods.
Those attacking ReUse for not rehabbling deteriorated houses must remember the overarching challenge of addressing a massive surplus of housing in Bflo. There are at least 25,000 vacant housing units in Bflo, as the city steadily shrinks further, so rehabbing must be very selective.
Pouring more into rehabbing a house than its repaired market value would support is especailly risky. WSNHS (Neigh Housing Service) has long done costly 'scattershot' rehabs that have placed low income 1st-time homeowners with huge mortgages in declining neighborhoods, with disastrous consequences. For example, the $85 K rehab by WSNHS of 134 16th just resold in foreclosure to a NYC investor-speculator for $19.2K . . . after the new homeowner lost everything.
Instead of attacking ReUse it is important to challenge broken "low income" housing systems that squander $10's of millions annually. For example, BMHA (Municipal Housing Auth) plans to sell 200 LBJ Apartments to Medaille College for $3.5 million, then rebuild 200 apartmest anew (using a "connected" developer) for $36.5 million ($180K per one-person elderly apartment).
BMHA is massively funded every year to the tune of about $30 million, while competing with the poor in dying neighborhoods.
BfloReUse is part of the solution. HUD & BMHA are a large part of the problem.
ReUse is driven by volunteers. BMHA & HUD workers are very well paid.
Aim carefully!
. . .Ok, so they're courting high school kids, I doubt the effect will be much different, though.
Want to see what non-BRO readers are saying about this? Go to:
http://www.topix.net/forum/source/wgrz/T9FEFDFCAUL2PD871
To AtwaterLouse and others: Thank you for understanding my thoughts. Buffalo REUse does an extraordinary job with constructive deconstruction. I'm sure I would use Buffalo REUse when I am ready to work on a house that I purchase in the City. In fact I speak very highly about Buffalo REUse to others I come in contact with. I think bhorvath showed a common feel by me and others that some of us are tired of the touchy-feely Buffalo is all stuffed with warmth. I can't wait to retire so I can volunteer and do things for Buffalo 100% of the time - that is my goal - to make a difference and get things done.
I'm actually confused by the strain of thought in this thread where people suggest that painting murals on boarded up houses will be calling attention to the vacant properties and encouraging more illegal activity. How? I thought vacant houses should be boarded to prevent people from squatting and illegal activity. Is this wrong? And, if you're going to board up houses in an effort to keep the illegal activity to a minimum, why not paint murals on the boards? Am I missing something here? There are more houses than there are people to live in them. What should be done with abandoned houses if not board them up?
Also, I see no difference between the much-maligned (and rightly so) knee jerk "this building needs more floors with 1st floor retail or else it sucks" reaction and the knee jerk "this program won't rejuvinate the buffalo economy and solve the housing crisis so it sucks" reaction on display in this thread.
Paint those houses with clever Trompe L'oeils of vacant lots. Confuse city officials and taggers alike.
Group enlists city youth to gussy up Buffalo’s dilapidated housing stock . The article that was written in the Legislative Gazette. Take a look.
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