Buffalo Rising Online

It is good to see that other parts of the city are working on redevelopment.

Now this is what I like to see. For all those naysayers who think that the East Side is dead and that there isn't any development taking place, they should check out what is really going on this side of town. Keep up the good work Buffalo Rising, its good to see that your focusing on the positive aspects of the E. Side. Having lived on the E. Side and W. Side, I can honestly say that both communities are great. The development opportunities on the e.side are plentiful and a lot is going on across main street.

I currently live in NYC and Buffaloians should see what developers are doing down here in our low income communities (have you walked through Harlem lately, nothing but Starbucks and the Disney Store) and we are in the process of developing the South Bronx and Bedford-Sty. in Brooklyn, not to mention what is happing across the Hudson R. in Jersey City and Newark.

Keep up the good work Buffalo, you don't know how good you have it. Cheap real estate, an educated workforce, and an historic city. Sounds like the makings of a success story to me.

Thanks for the vote of confidence, Andre, we at www.broadwayfillmorealive.org wholeheartedly agree!

Check out this post from a few months ago from Robert Klara, from Architecture Magazine. It echoes some of the same sentiments about the east side and Harlem!:

http://www.buffalorising.com/city/archives/2005/12/robert_klara_on.php

Of course, if they replaced municipal housing with rental vouchers....they could more more tenants into privately owned homes rather than demolishing them.

Of course, we could combine the department of urban renewal, the BMHA and ECIDA....and use the money for mixed income residential and commercial development where the purpose is to rebuild our city for all income groups instead of to maintain the salaries and benefits of civil servants!

Would anyone care to guess how many businesses and how many communities Buffalo would still have if we spent the money on our communities instead of salaries and benefits!

Yes, there are good things happening...but in crumbs...Im suprised no one is outraged about it.

Great story about this little Masten Neighborhood. Thanks West Coast!

Here's more about what's happening....

1. 26 new single family homes 2. New "Frank E. Merriweather Jr." Library (5 million) 3. Performing Arts High School (28 million) 4. New 14209 Post Office (3-5million) 5. Artspace (15 million) 6. New Row Houses (1-1.5 million)

This list doesn't include the dozens of new homes Bethel CDC has already built, the new youth center, 3 new churches, new investment along Main Street - Budget, Packard Apts, Literacy Volunteers...and of course the thousands of dollars local residents are spending to improve their own property.

Come on over and walk around the neighborhood, tons of problems with abandoned, boarded, derelict and vacant property...but you can see that the tide is really turning...

You want opportunity...come to this little corner of Masten on the City's near East Side!

Any idea how much each of these units are selling for? How much will be subdized?

Bethel seems to get things done while a lot of these other housing "agencies" do very little. We need to stop funding all of the little agencies and pool our money for the greater good!

I re-posted a Q&A that Rev. Stenhouse from Bethel AME Church and Bethel CDC had in the BN late last week.

Right here: http://tinyurl.com/jl6mw

I remember a few short years ago in, a week before Gov. Pataki was re-elected in 2002, not being able to park anywhere near my house, which is directlly behind Bethel. There were a dozen black SUV's flanking both sides of the street. I looked at the insignia...Gov's office. Next day I read in the paper that the Jeremiah Project ministers from seven East Side Churches had just endorsed Pataki over Carl McCall. I imagine that endorsement came with a ton of "faith-based-cash" flowing from Washington to Albany and now to Buffalo.

In any case Rev. Stenhouse of course now works with Carl McCall on Buffalo's Control Board. Small world.

gabe,

In my post about the project last week I thought I mentioned, yup...that the units will be rented to low-moderate income folks. Here, in the neighborhood we are really please with this as the new Row Houses will be directly across the street from Bethel's main entrance, which is always buzzing with Church related activities including Bethel Headstart!

if anyone attended the parade in the valley over the weekend, you would see a neighborhood that has been neglected for years. three new houses were built there sometime in the early 90's. that is the extent of development of an area that is within minutes of downtown and houses the redeveloped larkin/exchange building. dave franzack(sp) is the council member representing this district. wonder if he noticed the blight while marching in the parade. his tenure on the council reeks of the need of term limits. my point is that other areas close to downtown need to be revitalized also.