The Buffalo Planning Board held a public hearing in the very crowded quarters of room 910 in Buffalo City Hall concerning the proposed development of the Parklane Condominiums. The meeting was scheduled to start at 8:30 AM. Uniland spokesperson, Judy Griggs said the Parklane Association people arrived at 7:45, taking all available seats, and that the meeting began early. It was already in session when we arrived at 8:20.
The architect and designer from Uniland, developers of the proposed project, were given space to present out of the sightline of those seated, standing at the back of the room, and packed into the doorway and hall.
Renderings were presented and explained. Project drawings were placed on a wall and the team from Uniland explained various features of the building and it's surrounding landscape. They stressed that the footprint or floor plate of the building is being kept small--to about 20 percent of the overall parcel of land--and that the tower would go higher in an effort to cut down on breadth while still accommodating 68 units. See plan details in this previous BRO article.
Justin Azarella from the Elmwood Village Association said there were several points about the project that pleased the EVA. They were as follows:
- The Planning process was extremely open.
- The increased density of the neighborhood will promote a vibrant urban environment.
- Underground parking is a plus.
- The green design and built-in plant filter is environmentally friendly.
- The modern, contemporary architecture is visually pleasing.
Richard Lippes, representative for the Parklane Association said that he was not given enough time to prepare for a public hearing. Notices were sent out from the 26th to the 29th of May. One major source of contention of those opposing the project was that no traffic impact study information was available. Lippes said the association would bring Type 1 class action litigation, and that the issue can't be decided until the (State Environmental Quality Review) SEQR Act comes through. He ended his lengthy speech by saying, "The past is our future" and that the preservation of historic buildings and landscapes is the most important issue.
Attorney Carol Collard, a resident of the Parklane, reviewed side yard requirements, which she said would be reduced from nearly 80 feet, to 32' and 42' in some areas due to the positioning of the building. She also presented petitions counter to the project that had approximately 2,000 signatures and asked if a three-dimensional model of the project could be made in addition to the renderings, suggesting it might be made of foam.
Several others spoke; one woman read a letter from an architect friend in Rhode Island who is opposed to the project. But the upshot of today’s hearing is that another will be held in two weeks. With Uniland's 2,000 signatures, and Buffalo Rising's petition list growing, it should make for an interesting meeting—a meeting many have voiced concerns about having later in the day and in a larger venue to accommodate a larger and more diverse group.
UPDATE: As we've mentioned in other posts, the architects responsible for the design are Toronto's Diamond and Schmitt Architects and Buffalo's Hamilton Houston Lownie Architects. We went with the correct but not as specific "architect and designer from Uniland" to get the report of this morning's hearing to you as soon as possible.