Buffalo Rising Online

Just mentioned this the other day about this part of Buffalo. It is a Shame, has been sitting like this for years, i really dont understand why they dont build anything on the property. right down the street as well where Citizens Bank is located is a large amount of Space that could be devepoped as well but has sat empty, also the Don Pablos Restaurant in The Regal Plaza that no one has moved into! Why wont this Area ever Grow?

There was actually a cool looking old industrial building on this site, McGregor or something like that. Torn down for a shovel ready site about what, 10 years ago now. Perhaps if they left that building this area would have something going on at this site. But instead it sits empty under a single owner where the best outcome is another strip plaza that only reinforces car dependence. This is what our politicians feel is the proper development of our city.

Who is the council member issue that seems not to care about this corner? Locurto or Golombek?

This corner is a disgrace (shovel ready potential) and the business owners near these sites should put some pressure on the city to make some progress on these sites.

The land is contaminated

This is not a Benderson Property.

This is owned by the Deny Family. They own a lot of real estate in this part of town. Mainly broken down industrial bldgs.

They are some of the most difficult people to deal with. I can think of 1,000 national companies that would love to build here. Signalized corner, high traffic counts, lots of roof tops.

Queenseye.....call the Deny family, ask them what there plans are, tell us what type of reception you receive from them. I think his name is Frank.

Please no more retail...

Put a nice 3 story office building with some real jobs and maybe retail on the first floor....BUT WHAT BUFFALO AND KENMORE NEED ARE PLACES TO GO TO WORK EVERYDAY.

Best thing would be if a real company ever wants to put new real jobs at that location - back office operations or something. Architectural issues would be of low importance compared to job creation. Tobe and Golombek should be trying to see if there's any way some of Spitzer's promised $1B upstate bailout fund could be used to clean up those gas tanks as redbaron suggests. It being private property might complicate that. Unfortunately other things Spitzer is doing make it less likely any company would be interested, but it's worth a try for Gunderson and NYS ESDC to make an effort.

I might be alone on this one, but I like to think of it as a park. An asphalt meadow for quiet contemplation.

FRANK DENI and or JFD HOLDINGS comboned own 28 properties in the immediate area, HERTEL AVE, NORRIS ST. CHANDLER ST. according to city records. Many are industrial buildings, vacant lots and even some residential houses .After years !! of sitting vacant, you would think that the city would put pressure on him to EITHER DEVELOP OR SELL this corner. Deni seems to just sit back and gamble on the prospect of his properties become more valuable without putting one red cent of investment into them....especially this viable commercial corner. HOPEFULLY the city will continue to keep the hucksters off this corner..who pay no taxes or fees, licenses etc...stealing $$ from legitimate business' who in fact do. MAYBE a few summonse' issued TO THE OWNER will motivate him to monitor this corner more effectively. I know in the past that there have been complaints from AREA BUSINESS ASSOCIATIONS AND Councilman Golombek has helped in keeping this corner clear of this type of nonsense. The city needs to put pressure on Deni to clean and spruce this corner eyesore up....if anything else...perhaps putting pressure on him to sell or develop. I'm sure there are effective ways for the city to promote some type of movement here on the use of this large vacant lot!

... and people are worried about a new aprtment building on Gates Circle?

Deni bought the property knowing that there were tanks in the ground that will have to be removed. It's his responsibility. It was still a smart purchase. An alternative use for this site would be great.....but it's retail. It's highest ($$$) and best use is going to be a pharmacy, bank, fast food, ect. Walgreens pays up to $100,000 Net on a land lease for a corner like this. I'm surprised they are not already there.

So....if Deni can get a land lease at $80 Net + a year on a 20 + year lease. I don't think the $25k to remove the tanks are really an issue.

The issue as JOEY has explained is that Deni is nothing more then a really well connected slum lord in this part of the city.

Good one al-alo....

This is exactly what we (the general people of N.BFLO) need to do to try and get something going on this site.

Just drove thru the intersection going to Pep Boys....God it boils my blood.

Document everything and submit a complaint until people get sick of hearing from you. It does work...

Hasn't Deni has to pay taxes on a property that he makes zero income on? It does not look like it is even being marketed.

Maybe I am missing something here?

Taxes on vacant land is minimal. It's the reason why he tore the building down. He can sit on the property for 20 years, he'll pay very few taxes. Deni can afford it.

I see a couple people above mentioned both Joe Golombek in regard to this issue. If you want to know what kind of vision he has for this site, then you need to be reminded of the hilarious completely out of touch suggestion he made at a council meeting in regard to the Gates Circle Condo. In all seriousness, he suggested this very location for the condo tower to be built rather than Gates Circle. This is your representative at work. It led me to realize how out of touch with reality this guy is. Does he really think that people would pay 400k and up to a million to live on this industrial corner? Not exactly our best and brightest.

'People, there are underground issues with developing this land. Check into it.." IF fuel tanks and their spillage from the once Mobil station exist...and the possible contamination from once was GemCor mfg. at thgis site..shouldnt the current owner be forced to clean this up? I'm no environmental atty., but was there not a law (D.E.C. ) that required any closed or abandoned site where there was once a fuel storage site, tanks and clean up were to be removed from the site within 1 year? There was once a gas station on AMHERST ST, ACROSS FROM WEGMANS' THAT IS NOW THE HOME TO PEOPLE INC that had to be cleaned up before the site was developed at a cost of approx $ 200k and there is also a once operating gas station @ 479 Amherst st, across from Casey's bar that STILL has it's tanks intact,underground.

Has anyone ever seen the Park-N-Ride lot on Main St in Clarence(I think it's called Clarence Hallow). It's actually pretty nice(ok it's still a parking lot). Could this property serve as one? People from N Bflo, Tonawanda, Kenmore could use it. The ONLY thing the one in Clarence gets used for is for their Farmers Market, this one might actually be used for park and ride.

Chainging the title of the Post...

"Pathetic with Potential" Let's hope we see the potential in our lifetimes?

I should spell check my comments - sorry

Good idea MeliQ. Imagine more artists lofts even. A bunch of infill new-builds like the loft buildings behind Artspace. Something like these pictured here: http://allthingsbuffalo.wnymedia.net/blogs/2008/01/27/artspace-lofts/

OR MAYBE it's time for us as concerned residents to get GUERILLA about these types of non-action by slumlord land owners. Organize a protest on that corner. Or get someone like Ani DiFranco to play a guerilla style concert on a flatbed on that corner. Or set up a stand that hands out "tax write offs for wasted land" vouchers to compete with the sneaker guy. I'm sure he doesn't have a permit either. All during peak traffic hours to bring attention to the fact that its our gov't and these property owners that are hurting us all. Probably time to take some action into our own hands.

Email address if we want to send him a note

jgolombek@ch.ci.buffalo.ny.us

Maybe Newell can discuss this topic on WBFO in the next couple weeks (I missed this morning's so forgive me). Use some of the stats listed above about all these parcels are owned by the same guy. Talk about the boom of retail on the Delware/Hertel side with the new M&T, Dunkin, Timmys, Fleet Feet, Kohls... and contrast it to the Elmwood side of Hertel. See what happens if JFD holdings and Deni's name goes public on the air and someone can be a community focus for the blight.

Let the listening public out there that see this intersection ( that are not reading posts like this everyday and know what's going on) understand that development is happening in North Buffalo, but it is issues like this that keep some land in preverbal limbo. Newell could use it as an example to many areas in the city have have huge potential.

Land like this doesn't get anymore "shovel ready." The City likes to throw that term around as an excuse to NOT getting things done when there isn't any shovel ready land... well, here are how many acres of land that should be an Empire Zone. Offices should be lured there. Or how about that BUFF STATE is completely land locked and could certainly use this land for new class buildings or dorms (maybe like the Artspace Lofts). Shuttling/walking/bus taking students to this area of Elmwood would be a HUGE shot in the arm for density and spin off development. Just look to Canisius or UB. They are purchasing land just like this.

The Black Rock/Riverside GNPA and I have been working together on a proposal for this corner. There is a Riverside resident, former Buff State student, who is an Urban Planner who I hired as an intern to work for GNPA part time. Through their work we put together a proposal for the Ontario Street Boatlaunch, Tonawanda and Niagara Streets and currently the corner in question. Once the proposal is done I will schedule a meeting with the people at Deni Machinery, GNPA and myself.

The GNPA and I realize the importance of this intersection. It is our goal to bring the Elmwood Strip and Hertel Avenue together. It may take a little longer but in Black Rock and Riverside we try to work from the bottom up. We identify a location, discuss its potential and then make a plan that we can hopefully sell to a developper/business owner.

PS Our GNPA meets at 6:15 on the fourth Wednesday of the month at the Northwest Buffalo Community Center on Lawn Avenue. Vistors and new members are always welcome.

Joe, the 4th Wed... So was that last Wed the 23 or is there one coming this Wed.? Damn months with extra weeks in them throw me off.

JohnMartin, I will see you at the next meeting then. I will introduce myself.

what property in Buffalo doesn't have some type of contamination. Seriously. Its an old indistrial city. Its part of the brownfield reclemation and not some surprising new thing.

if we were a whole functioning metro area, policy would make these types of old infrastructure the cheapest to build on to help make sure they (and thier surounding infrastructure) were resued. New green sites could also be developed but would be more expensive to deal with the long term effects of new infrastructure, etc.

You gotta put the staidium up there for the Bills. Its a perfect one?

Biniskiewicz - When you say 'clearly retail' that's presumably about the corner property, but any thoughts about realistic possibilites for adjacent properties? As Joey wrote above:

FRANK DENI and or JFD HOLDINGS comboned own 28 properties in the immediate area, HERTEL AVE, NORRIS ST. CHANDLER ST. according to city records. Many are industrial buildings, vacant lots and even some residential houses.

I wonder how possible it would be for NYS to ever bribe a Geico or Citibank type huge co into ever considering building a back office facility around there somewhere? Or maybe some light industrial uses? Or is all that probably doomed to sitting idle the next 20 years due to lack of demand?

Put a bar in one of the porn shops but they can only serve Labatts....

Call it the "Blue light" district, instead of the Red light district

I think the nail in the coffin for this corner was when the smoking ban was instilled. Dickies had to jerry-rig some sort of smoking tent that really didn't offer the same high level of charm or safety that the cabbies were accustomed to inside the donut shoppe proper

Didn't the owner of this property (Deni) have something to do with the Buffalo Stallions soccer team? If I remember correctly the Stallions left Buffalo in a questionable manner. From what I understand, some Buffalo Stallions stuff is in one of the 20 or so buildings in the area owned by Deni.

I see a lot of overseas container trucks unloading at the grey building behind the old DICKIES in the 1st pic. See a lot of trucks leaving for Wal Mart and Sears from the same location. Deni is doing pretty good I would think and doesn't need to worry about his vacant lot.

Unless the city does something.