Chances are, if you attend(ed) Buffalo State, you would never know that the campus sits along Scajaquada Creek. There are many reasons for this, but primarily it’s due to a major auto thoroughfare that divides the campus from the creek. In a day and age when the NYSDOT is being pressured to downsize the expressway into a boulevard, there are some nearby residents who are wondering what would happen if we took this project a step further and married the campus to the creek. Now how’s that for some forward thinking vision?
This Thursday, supporters of a plan to “free Scajaquada Creek” (from the stranglehold that the Expressway has on the neighborhood’s historic waterway) will be meeting at Rohall’s Corner (540 Amherst Street) to discuss the plan, which includes connecting Buffalo State to the waterway. The event is also a fundraiser to garner funds to promote the vision.
If you like that idea, another segment of the plan concerns the future of Black Rock Harbor, the stretch of Scajacuada Creek that leads from the Niagara River inland. Once again, the idea is to focus on the water source, not the roads. The rendering below shows a walkable, boat-able area of the city, which currently sits in a state of neglect and despair. What are our politicians doing to help bring these types of visions to reality? Apparently not much at the moment. The community needs to jump on board with these concepts, to ensure that the areas surrounding the creek are utilized to the fullest. With all of the talks about downgrading the expressway, there have been relatively few discussions regarding how the surrounding neighborhoods will be impacted by the plan (or lack of plan at this point). Not to mention the urbanist opportunities at hand that would be squandered.
Come support this vision for a better Black Rock. To learn more about these Black Rock Riverside Alliance (BRR|Alliance) projects, and others, click here.
2nd annual Breaking the Ice Fundraiser and Celebration
Sponsored by Black Rock Historical Society & BRRAlliance
Thursday, May 11, 2017
Rohall’s Corner | 540 Amherst Street | Buffalo, NY 14207
Tickets are $25 | Purchase on Eventbrite or at the front door