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Thread: The Rainbow Center

  1. #31
    Member Linda_D's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by shortstuff View Post
    I think it's a wonderful idea to have NCCC locate it's Culinary Institute and Tourism Program at the Rainbow Mall. Tourism, what better place to have a great program. That building is sitting vacant, why not use it. Perhaps housing would occupy other parts of the mall, perhaps restaurants might occupy other parts of the mall due to the Institute. Point is, it is a great place for NCCC to have another site.

    The Mayor Dyster, who is a wonderful person and is doing a great job is opening up the doors for development to come back into Niagara Falls.

    All it takes is one idea, and watch it spin. People need to embrace education and spin off companies. NCCC and ECCC are becoming an affordable way to obtain education.

    Wake up people, this is a great idea.

    Linda, you don't live here, worry about your own town.
    Nowhere did I oppose the idea of the programs being downtown. I do question the "gift" of this building to the college, however. There's a big cost difference between a college leasing just the space it needs to launch a new program and maintaining an aging building that contains 3 times the space it needs. Who pays the difference, shortstuff? It's your tax money, not mine, since my local community college minds its money carefully.

    Moreover, if Cordish, who has been a successful developer elsewhere, couldn't develop the Rainbow Centre, I fail to see how NCCC is going to do it. As for NCCC being a catalyst for redevelopment, you might want to check out all the development that hasn't spun off from the ECC City Campus which has been in downtown Buffalo for almost 30 years now.

  2. #32
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    does the downtown ecc campus offer programs that are conducive to spin-offs?
    the spin-offs hoped for (for now) at nccc/rainbow centre are a direct result of the culinary program.

  3. #33
    Member Linda_D's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by cookie View Post
    does the downtown ecc campus offer programs that are conducive to spin-offs?
    the spin-offs hoped for (for now) at nccc/rainbow centre are a direct result of the culinary program.
    The idea of the community colleges as a spur to development just isn't shown anywhere in NYS, although civic boosters like to pretend they will be when arguing for new campuses. The fact is that community colleges aren't research facilities so there's no technology to "spin off" from college programs. Since students are primarily commuters who come to campus, attend classes, and then leave, even businesses catering to students seldom take root around community colleges. Even community colleges that have student housing on/near campus don't generate much "spin off business" because the number of resident students (generally a few hundred at most) is too small to impact the area unless it's in a really, really small town -- and I don't know of any NYS CCs that are located in really small towns.

    Virtually all development around community colleges either predates the campuses or grew without regard to the campus' existence all. Development around ECC North or South campuses is because of the growth of commercial areas of Amherst and Hamburg/OP not because there are college campuses there. Genessee CC sits next to the Thruway amid farm fields. The shopping plaza outside the main entrance to Hudson Valley CC and the commerical strip along Second Street near JCC both pre-date the building of those college campuses.

  4. #34
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    exactly.
    This will probably be a first as far as comm. college -> spin-off business directly attributable to it.

  5. #35
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    Quote Originally Posted by Linda_D View Post
    Nowhere did I oppose the idea of the programs being downtown. I do question the "gift" of this building to the college, however. There's a big cost difference between a college leasing just the space it needs to launch a new program and maintaining an aging building that contains 3 times the space it needs. Who pays the difference, shortstuff? It's your tax money, not mine, since my local community college minds its money carefully.

    Moreover, if Cordish, who has been a successful developer elsewhere, couldn't develop the Rainbow Centre, I fail to see how NCCC is going to do it. As for NCCC being a catalyst for redevelopment, you might want to check out all the development that hasn't spun off from the ECC City Campus which has been in downtown Buffalo for almost 30 years now.
    You are really way off base. Community Colleges are the beginning of that process. UB has lost it's vision for 2020, they also had a tuition increase in which the State took that money from UB and used it for something else. The University will have to do another rate increase which might put it out of the ball park for "affordable" education. This is where community colleges come into play, young students will invariably go to a community college before starting their education at a University. NCCC has great programs that actually will enable a young adult to spin off from the college and start companies like a restaurant etc.

    Re-development is stimulated by collegiate processes. I know of many who have started a company based on their degree from a community college. If at best, this leads them to a career path through more education that will direct them to a small business mindset. It is the foundation of small companies that our area thrives on.

  6. #36
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    Quote Originally Posted by Linda_D View Post
    The idea of the community colleges as a spur to development just isn't shown anywhere in NYS, although civic boosters like to pretend they will be when arguing for new campuses. The fact is that community colleges aren't research facilities so there's no technology to "spin off" from college programs. Since students are primarily commuters who come to campus, attend classes, and then leave, even businesses catering to students seldom take root around community colleges. Even community colleges that have student housing on/near campus don't generate much "spin off business" because the number of resident students (generally a few hundred at most) is too small to impact the area unless it's in a really, really small town -- and I don't know of any NYS CCs that are located in really small towns.

    Virtually all development around community colleges either predates the campuses or grew without regard to the campus' existence all. Development around ECC North or South campuses is because of the growth of commercial areas of Amherst and Hamburg/OP not because there are college campuses there. Genessee CC sits next to the Thruway amid farm fields. The shopping plaza outside the main entrance to Hudson Valley CC and the commerical strip along Second Street near JCC both pre-date the building of those college campuses.
    Wow, you are also wrong in this viewpoint. NCCC has grown in Niagara County, they have put in housing for students, which they did not have in the past, new home developments have cropped up around the area. Technology is not a precursor to spin off. Culinary will definately take off in Niagara Falls, Tourism will take off because it is a touristy environment.

    The fact that this is a consideration means in locating another division of the college in another areas, is development 101. Niagara Falls has new birth to it because of Dyster making that area have a vision.

    I hope they do it, and I know it will succeed.

  7. #37
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    More info and some early renderings here. It looks like they are doing the right thing by re-orienting some shops to face outdoors and create street life. This is the Old Falls street side. A barnes and noble will be a nice addition too.

    http://www.buffalorising.com/2010/11...-makeover.html

  8. #38
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    Quote Originally Posted by 300miles View Post
    More info and some early renderings here. It looks like they are doing the right thing by re-orienting some shops to face outdoors and create street life. This is the Old Falls street side. A barnes and noble will be a nice addition too.

    http://www.buffalorising.com/2010/11...-makeover.html
    Awesome 300, just read that, it is wonderful to read that.

    In "The Daily Progress" by Bryan McKenzie he has stated below:

    {Community Colleges serve the community, from helping local businesses train employee's to providing transfer opportunities to working with students.}

    He continues to state: "The most important factor companies look for in communities is a well-educated workforce , and community colleges help provide that."

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