Cedargrove- New Urbanism in Bflo?!?

[Linda_D]

Originally posted by moadib
For the record, I do not favor developers over people...look at my Convention Center posts

I have repeatedly stated that the alternative sites for the Convention center on Mohawk were wrong because there is absolutely no reason to force existing businesses and existing residences for a new convention center when there is a waterfront location bounded by scott, perry & mississippi (which is presently a parking lot adjacent to HSBC Arena) and doesnt require any demolition or forced relocation.

I have repeatedly supported the redevelopment of AM&As, Richardson, Central Terminal, the old Trico Buildings, Benlin, etc.

I have consistently supported development instead of demolition.

But what exactly are we preserving at Cedar Grove, the right for citizens to deny a small redevelopment that would provide a long term anchor for the surrounding neighborhoods.

Again, in a city with a declining population and a surplus of affordable livable neighborhoods....that are at risk of depreciation, decay, and demolition.

I SUPPORT HISTORICAL BUILDINGS AND I SUPPORT PROPERTY RIGHTS OF BUSINESSES AND RESIDENTS BUT FROM MY POINT OF YOU THERE IS AN ABUNDANCE OF ALTERNATIVES PLUS RELOCATION ASSISTANCE, THERE ARE DISCOUNTS AVAILABLE FOR THEM TO STAY AND THE END RESULT IS TWO FOLD:
1) IT PROVIDES A LONG TERM ANCHOR FOR THE SURVIVABILITY AND APPRECIATION OF THE SURROUNDING NEIGHBORHOODS, INCLUDING INFILL DEVELOPMENT ON ANY EMPTY LOTS.
2) IT PROVIDES JUSTIFICATION TO DEVELOPERS INTERESTED IN BUFFALO AND THE FIRST RING SUBURBS THAT ITS A PLACE WHERE PEOPLE OF ALL INCOMES WANT TO LIVE AND THEY ARE WELCOME TO DEVELOP FOR INCOME DIVERSITY.

LOOK AT DOWNTOWN BUFFALO AS AN EXAMPLE. YES, THERE ARE UPSCALE HOUSING PROJECTS. HOWEVER, THERE ARE ALSO NUMEROUS LOW AND MIDDLE INCOME PROJECTS THAT ARE IN DEVELOPMENT TOO.

ITS BLATANTLY UNFAIR TO ASSUME THAT ALL DEVELOPMENT IS SPECIFICALLY SKEWED TO A SINGLE INCOME GROUP.

Moadib, you forgot to mention your advocacy for ousting the current tenants from the Marine Drive Apartments, many of whom are elderly and on fixed income and have lived there for decades, so that the property can then be sold to developers to create "high end, luxury housing". Give 'em vouchers and send them packing ....

You also advocate getting rid of all public housing projects because you blame the public housing projects for making slumlords slumlords. ROFLMAO. Ever hear of Scott Wizig? Frank Parlato? You persist in claiming that landlords will welcome welfare recipients and families with seven kids ... when evidence from not only Buffalo but other cities proves quite the opposite ... Give 'em vouchers and send them packing ....

BTW, name one low-income development planned for downtown ...

[WestCoastPerspective]

Originally posted by Linda_D
BTW, name one low-income development planned for downtown ...

The Ellicott housing project was rebuilt for low-income housing, same for Frederick Douglas, MJ Peterson redeveloped low-income housing along North and South Division Streets and replaced them with income-restricted townhomes, E-Square Development is rehabbing the old Y on North Street to Senior Apts, Holling Press Lofts have income restrictions, James Pitts/Norstar is proposing to rehab the Shoreline Apartments and not remove any existing tenants, the Lakeview Homes were rebuilt under a Hope VI project, and new infill homes on the east side and cold spring neighborhoods near downtown have income limits.

[moadib]

THANK YOU WESTCOAST PERSPECTIVE

AND LINDA, YOUR RIGHT ABOUT THE MARINA TOWERS...I WOULD DO EVERYTHING POSSIBLE TO RELOCATE THEM INTO EQUIVALENT APARTMENTS OR HOMES.

BUFFALO HAS NO BUSINESS BEING IN THE PROPERTY MANAGEMENT BUSINESS.

JUST LIKE SCHOOLS, RENTAL VOUCHERS SHOULD COME WITH RULES AND THE PURPOSE OF THE BMHA SHOULD NOT BE TO PROPERTY MANAGEMENT BUT:
1) TO SET RULES AND AUDIT COMPLIANCE
2) TO ASSURE THAT ZONING LAWS SUPPORT MIXED INCOME DEVELOPMENTS
3) TO ASSURE THAT ZONING LAWS SUPPORT MULTI-USE PROPERTY SO THAT THERE ARE LOCAL FULL AND PART TIME JOBS FOR LOW INCOME PEOPLE
4) TO UNDERSTAND STATE, FEDERAL, COUNTY AND MUNICIPAL PROGRAMS TO SUBSIDIZE, INCENTIVISE, ETC...INFILL DEVELOPMENTS, NEW DEVELOPMENTS, REDEVELOPMENTS (IE TO ASSURE AN ADEQUATE SUPPLY LOW INCOME HOUSING EXISTS NOT IN CLUSTERS OR PROJECTS BUT SCATTERED THROUGHOUT THE MUNICIPAL AREA.

THE CITIES ROLE SHOULD AND MUST TO SET THE LAWS AND ENFORCE THEM WITH LANDLORDS, NOT TO COMPETE WITH THEM.

THATS THE EXACT REASON WHY SCHOOLS ARE SO SCREWED UP. SCHOOLS ARE SPENDING TO MUCH MONEY AND TIME COMPETING WITH CHARTERS, PRIVATE AND PAROCHIAL SCHOOLS INSTEAD OF SETTING STANDARDS, AUDITING COMPLIANCE AND RE-ORGANIZING PUBLIC SCHOOLS TO SATISFY THE NEEDS THAT ARENT BEING MET IN THE COMMUNITY (WHICH IS QUITE DIFFERENT THAN COMPETING AND BEING THE SCHOOL OF LAST RESORT)

[crlachepinochet]

Originally posted by moadib
THATS THE EXACT REASON WHY SCHOOLS ARE SO SCREWED UP. SCHOOLS ARE SPENDING TO MUCH MONEY AND TIME COMPETING WITH CHARTERS, PRIVATE AND PAROCHIAL SCHOOLS INSTEAD OF SETTING STANDARDS, AUDITING COMPLIANCE AND RE-ORGANIZING PUBLIC SCHOOLS TO SATISFY THE NEEDS THAT ARENT BEING MET IN THE COMMUNITY (WHICH IS QUITE DIFFERENT THAN COMPETING AND BEING THE SCHOOL OF LAST RESORT)

So it's a problem that public schools are in competition with private, parochial, and charter schools, and the way to fix that is by letting everyone send their kids to these other schools for free or at a greatly reduced cost? If your only probelm with public schools is that your kids need a religious education, take the public schools and send them to class or teach them yourself. I went to Catholic school for nine years and all I got was 40 mins of religion class, nuns for teachers and mass every friday morning. Not to mention stations of the cross!

[Linda_D]

Gee, maybe charters aren't quite what they're cracked up to be ...

Charters

[biker]

Crache

I've got a kid at Cornell who got a lot more from her parochial school education than you did.

[crlachepinochet]

Hopefully she got some religion while she was in parochial school... Cornell perennially has the highest suicide rate among students of any college.

[therising]

Cornell has one infamous suicide bridge, but I think NYU has been shattering all records over the past year.

Enough of that, now, back to bulldozing poor people's homes!

[crlachepinochet]

Just an update on New London, CT. The submarine base there has also been targeted for closure by BRAC. I haven't found an exact number for the number of people there, but it's in the thousands, not the hundreds. Even if New London loses the Supreme Court case, expect them to get aggressive finding some other way to redevelop that area. If they eventually find some way to kick those people out of their homes, it will be copied all over the country. New London is extra desperate now.

[granpabob]

one problem many of you missed people have lived in cedar grove for a long time they now pay taxes on 30 and 40 thousand dollar houses and those houses are paid for,
now they want to give them 80 to 100 thousand dolloar houses twice the taxes and they will have to mortage 40 to 60 thousand dollars. with what!! most of the people who live here do so because they cant afford anything better. nor should they have to
paid for houses with low tax value is just what seniors need to still be able to live well.
will they get equal trades a house for a house .I doubt it the new one will cost twice what they get for the old house. and twice the taxes. forcing them to move out of the neighbor hood.
if this millionair builder wants to tear something down pick on people who can fight back not poor elderly people hoping to retire in their own homes

[biker]

I'm with you granpabob.

I went through that area. No fancy shmancy brick homes or three car garages.

But the lawns were all cut and most homes were recently painted.

Get this developer to move on to something else.

[therising]

Originally posted by granpabob
most of the people who live here do so because they cant afford anything better. nor should they have to
paid for houses with low tax value is just what seniors need to still be able to live well.
will they get equal trades a house for a house .I doubt it the new one will cost twice what they get for the old house. and twice the taxes. forcing them to move out of the neighbor hood.
if this millionair builder wants to tear something down pick on people who can fight back not poor elderly people hoping to retire in their own homes

The Town Board is fully aware of this, and they simply don't care.

They are seeing things very Black and White - X amount of $40,000 homes can be replaced by Y amount of $120,000 homes, and the tax base will go up. The grey area is the poor people who will be displaced.

Personally, I find it shocking that the majority of the Town Board agrees with this principle. I don't know how they sleep at night.

[WNYresident]

Originally posted by therising
The Town Board is fully aware of this, and they simply don't care.

They are seeing things very Black and White - X amount of $40,000 homes can be replaced by Y amount of $120,000 homes, and the tax base will go up. The grey area is the poor people who will be displaced.

Personally, I find it shocking that the majority of the Town Board agrees with this principle. I don't know how they sleep at night.

I dont think it's the governments place to figure out how to optimize residental property taxes of existing established homes.

I could see maybe optimizing a business district but once you buy your home it's your home.

[WestCoastPerspective]

Was it the town who asked for ideas on what to do with Cedargrove? Or did the developer approach the town?

Sheeesh- for all the grief he's getting, he should just stick to building roads for mansions in Birdsong and Spaulding Lake.

[crlachepinochet]

The developer proposed a similar project in Clarence a few years ago, and the town laughed at him. Cheektowaga heard about this and asked him if he had any ideas for their town. I believe they had a list of sites in the town that they were targeting.