Buffalo Rising Online

Typical Buffalo apathy.....from AM&As to the Greystone to the Richardson and everything in between our city simply will not enforce its building codes, nor will it enforce its fines...but they will string you out like a murderer for parking incorrectly.

The more informed I am about Buffalo the more I understand the constant drone of fatality in this city. Its a city where if you have money or your an out of town owner....your pretty much untouchable but if god forbid you are a local resident who commutes to work...the city will pretty much ride you like a whore on friday.

Knock it down...redevelop it...how about instituting a $50,000 fine and the owner has a choice they can either compete the maintenance repairs to safeguard the building and get the fine reduced or they can pay the fine in total in which case another one will be issued upon re-inspection.

Problem is that Buffalo simply does not have any balls for empty buildings! However take a hard working resident with a broken window or a minor repair and they crucify them.

Will Buffalo ever get its head out of its ass?

I think this is just bad timing for New Horizon. As noted above and in the News they have had contractors working on the warehouse building for some weeks now. The work here has actually involved more than just knocking off loose material, they've actually removed and rebuilt areas of masonry that needed it. Based on their record across the street, I'm sure the owners will have contractors out inspecting the facade on the Main Building quickly. They're dealing with a huge property that has had no work done on it in years - but now there is potential for significant improvements. This should not be used as an excuse for demolition.

This is B.S. and just for show. If it was such a danger then why are there still people sitting on the NFTA bench along the building waiting for their buses? The bus stop would be moved immediately if there was a REAL issue with falling debris.

agreed, where is this CitiStat and Brown's reform when you need it. Sorry buddy but you are nothing but another patronage mayor... playing all his cards to get his people in power as we speak for the upcoming elections.

inspections often isn't the problem, he is in housing court, the inspectors did their job the problem is the fines are not steep enough and judges are not always given the same home owners so they often let people off easy their "first" time.

I unfortunately do not really know a solution to this cycle. Should the city fork up the money, do the repairs and then bill the owner? What if the owner doesn't pay? Jail time? suit for other assets? eminent domain? Maybe we should make developers know that we will take other properties of theirs if they don't show proper stewardship of their blgs. Seems like big government, but then again maybe we need that, because it is OBVIOUS we can't trust people to do what is right.

a friend was recently fined $800 & threatened w/ jail in housing court b/c his house on the east side (on a vacant block where his was the only house standing) had over-grown weeds and decrepid fencing and gutters. not to excuse any lax property owner, but why was my friend treated by our city as more of a nuisance than the owners of AM&A's?

Isn't this a re-hash of a story BR did a couple of months ago?

Whatever is going on with AM&A's is creating a lot of confusion. Over the past 30 days, we've been told that the building is up for sale, it's not up for sale, the plan for its rehabilitation and reuse is still the goal of its owner/developer, the building should be demolished at taxpayers' expense, it shouldn't be demolished, it's heading for demolition by neglect and who knows what's next. I'd like to know about the owner's current designated developer status. When BURA(Buffalo Urban Renewal Agency) gives a developer the "designated developer" status, it's usually for 6 months. Certain requirements have to be met during this period or the designated developer status won't be renewed after those 6 months are over. So where is the developer in regards to meeting those requirements?

LOL. I just got a letter to show up in court in July or be arrested becouse of my garden gate. Where's the justice?

These falls occur frequently, even in well-maintained buildings, when temperatures rise suddenly and affect the grip of the mortar. While dangerous, it does not necessarily signify serious neglect. The owners should be given a chance, and the Buffalo News should lay off detailing every mishap that occurs on the site. As the News article today indicates, the materials fell because of actions the owners were taking to secure the site.

Well I can attest to you cities incompetence. They went after me in January because my from step is cracked and expected me to go out and get it fix as if you can set concrete in single digit weather. But then they tear down a house three doors down from me and leave gravel all over for kids to pelt passing cars and over grown weeds everywhere. They're really good at policing everyone but themselves.