Submitted by Evan Bussiere
New skatepark news. The drive to get a free, public skatepark in downtown Buffalo has picked up momentum. As the OLA (off-leash area in LaSalle Park) has shown, small, active parks can bring vitality back to underused park space. We have seen an abundance of use not just during the warm weather months, but the cooler months as well.
Jay “Micropark” McCarthy and the Buffalo MicroPark Board of Directors are putting the final touches on the proposal for a downtown skateplaza. They have continued to assemble a development team which now includes landscape architects Renata Neidzwiecka Kraft from Bergmann Associates and Mark van der Zalm from van der Zalm + Associates and Newline Skateparks Incorporated. Newline has extensive experience consulting, designing and constructing skateparks across the United States and Canada with over 80 projects to their credit. That means that there should be relatively few design problems as many of the cities that host these parks reflect a variety of seasons and climates.
Downtown Buffalo has underused park space that would be ideal for an urban skateplaza. The prime parcel that is being examined is the underutilized public space under the ramps of the freeway near Pear Street Brew Pub. The ramps offer protection from the elements while the layout already follows many of the requirements for a successful skateplaza. Skateplazas are a type of skatepark that resemble the type of public parks that are most coveted by skateboarders and BMXers.
Plazas can be built for low cost and require very minimal upkeep. A downtown skateplaza will not only attract skateboarders and BMXers to the park but will draw people to watch as well. The park in question is a mere minute from the Canal Side development and the newly proposed Outlook Beach. This would give entire families the ability to come downtown to enjoy the conveniences before grabbing a lunch at The Hatch or any one of the restaurants in the Cobblestone District. As the OLA has shown, small, active parks can bring vitality back to underused park space.
Check out the Newline designs for the Wilmington, DE (first) and Vancouver, BC (second) skateplazas. Then see the proposed Buffalo skateplaza area below.
