Fillmore District Councilmember Mitch Nowakowski has announced that the precarious 2 St. Louis Place is finally in the right hands. The hands of the City that is. The notoriously disruptive building has been a constant headache for Allentown, not only because of its state of disrepair but because of the presence of vagrants and squatters.
After being put up on the market back in May, the City has finally had enough and decided that it was time to take action. Around that same time, Senator Sean Ryan was calling for the City of Buffalo to take action on abandoned buildings, like 2 St. Louis Place. Now, action is underway.
From Nowakowski:
After years of neglect, violence, and court actions, the City of Buffalo has officially taken control of the long-vacant building at 2 St. Louis Place. This outcome is the result of sustained pressure through the City, Housing Court, and persistence from neighbors who refused to accept blight as the status quo.
This marks a major turning point. After the property was officially declared abandoned and the City now holding the deed, we have established a new tool for the City to use to hold absentee owners accountable. We will now work toward stabilizing the site and turning it over to productive use. I can’t wait for the day when folks call this place their home.
From the bottom of my heart, thank you to the residents, advocates, preservationists, and public servants who worked so hard on this solution. This is what accountability looks like. And it’s proof that when we stay engaged together, progress does happen.