Gentrification and the City of Back Door Deals

[pointblank]

Actually been following this issue for a while now, but this is my first column on it. Read it and let me know what you think.


Buffalo NY is currently undergoing a gentrification litmus-test that will have pivotal ramifications of the overall racial makeup of it’s population if allowed to be successful. On the surface the Rev. Michael Chapman of St. John the Baptist Church has an awesome idea; a $500 million program that will create 15,000 jobs over the next ten years. This is a program the public at-large got to know about back in 2010 which promises to move 150 residents of the Burnie C. McCarley Gardens into new townhouses that will be built on one of Buffalo’s oldest black communities; the Fruit Belt-a series of streets mostly named after a fruit-If you are old school like me you might be telling yourself that it seems like yesterday when McCarley was built (1978), and here Chapman is selling the property to the University of Buffalo (UB) Foundation for $15 million read more



http://www.thebuffalobullet.com

[Linda_D]

This happens everywhere, NOT just in Buffalo. It's happened and continues to happen in Harlem. It happened in Chicago where the Cabrini-Green housing project was razed and replaced with upscale housing.

Residents in poor neighborhoods always lose out when their neighborhood gentrifies because the people who were originally there can't afford to rent or buy in the rehabs or new-builds. This happens whether the gentrification happens over a decade as upper/middle class people move in and rehab old Victorians individually or whether it happens rapidly in an urban renewal type of project to put in all new houses/townhouses/apartments. In the larger projects, a handful of original individuals/families may be picked to live in the new "subsidized" homes in order to meet federal guidelines, but by and large, whether in ones, twos or threes or en masse, the older residents get pushed out.

[WNYresident]

Do you think it is wise to spend $500,000,000 on 150 residents? That is about $3.3 mil per person.

What is special about these 150 residents? Any reason why they can not just rent 150 pre-existing apartments in the City of Buffalo or surrounding areas instead of building new town houses?

http://www.publichousing.com/details...carley_gardens


You could easily dole out $30,000 a year to each person (subsidize their rent/life) at (150 people X $30,000 a year) = $4,500,000 for $500,000,000 / $4,500,000 = 111 years. $30,000 / 12 = $2500 a month towards rent, utilities, groceries and a monthly trip to the casino.

[300miles]

Actually been following this issue for a while now, but this is my first column on it. Read it and let me know what you think.

To be honest I think it comes across as somewhat racist

"Truth be told the powerful white man in Buffalo has has been wanting that precious land bordering St. John’s and the Fruit Belt for decades."

"Whites plan way ahead of time in their best interest, and any black taxpayers getting hip to their agenda can throw them off momentarily, or force a change in plans."

The whole article sets the tone that the medical campus / UB medical school project is a Whites against Blacks thing, and all the Whites are in power and making the decisions that will screw Blacks. But yet you don't seem to dwell much on how some of the decision-makers like Reverend Chapman and Mayor Brown are actually black themselves. You do talk about Chapman retiring off this whole project though.

If you really want to turn it into an "Us against Them" conspiracy - you might be better with Rich vs Poor instead of White vs Black, since some people are going to make money off the sale of McCarley Gardens and I guarantee they won't all be White people. There are a lot of valid questions about how this project is being handled. But to me a lot of those questions should be directed at Rev Chapman. He seems to be the one making the deals and the promises.

I think if the redevelopment of the Fruit Belt is done right, it could be a boost to the area. New housing that blends with the old neighborhood could be built as infill where old houses were torn down. The neighborhood could be made whole again without pushing anyone away, and there's potential for all the new jobs right next door at the campus. I'm sure a lot of that development money is going to be wasted though instead.

[pointblank]

Do you think it is wise to spend $500,000,000 on 150 residents? That is about $3.3 mil per person.

What is special about these 150 residents? Any reason why they can not just rent 150 pre-existing apartments in the City of Buffalo or surrounding areas instead of building new town houses?

http://www.publichousing.com/details...carley_gardens


You could easily dole out $30,000 a year to each person (subsidize their rent/life) at (150 people X $30,000 a year) = $4,500,000 for $500,000,000 / $4,500,000 = 111 years. $30,000 / 12 = $2500 a month towards rent, utilities, groceries and a monthly trip to the casino.

Man you got it down to the penny. Whenever a public institution wants land YOU are living on... THEN YOU JUST BECAME SPECIAL! And what makes you think any of that $500mil is evenly intended for the resident? (although I wouldn't be opposed to it)

[pointblank]

To be honest I think it comes across as somewhat racist

"Truth be told the powerful white man in Buffalo has has been wanting that precious land bordering St. John’s and the Fruit Belt for decades."

"Whites plan way ahead of time in their best interest, and any black taxpayers getting hip to their agenda can throw them off momentarily, or force a change in plans."

The whole article sets the tone that the medical campus / UB medical school project is a Whites against Blacks thing, and all the Whites are in power and making the decisions that will screw Blacks. But yet you don't seem to dwell much on how some of the decision-makers like Reverend Chapman and Mayor Brown are actually black themselves. You do talk about Chapman retiring off this whole project though.

If you really want to turn it into an "Us against Them" conspiracy - you might be better with Rich vs Poor instead of White vs Black, since some people are going to make money off the sale of McCarley Gardens and I guarantee they won't all be White people. There are a lot of valid questions about how this project is being handled. But to me a lot of those questions should be directed at Rev Chapman.

300miles I call 'em as I see them. If you really read the column you'll know I'm an equal opportunity finger-pointer. Since you bring in class I would be remiss if I didn't mention that white-owned land near the same area is generally sold for double the one million-per-acre Chapman settled for. Yes. Whites in power ARE making decisions to screw blacks. I see it with their unwillingness to bring a stadium downtown as per Pat Freeman's idea, and I see it here. I didn't start this, I just write what I see. Yes there are black co-conspirators like Chapman and Byron Brown-who has never been known to question whites in his life-in pt.2 we be getting more into the names and black interlocking directive groups.

[300miles]

A large part of this project has to do with the Reverend, but aside from being disappointed with him, you don't seem to be going after him as the main problem here. He owned the land. He sold the land. But you're blaming everybody else?

[WNYresident]

Point,

What is special about the 150 residents that you believe spending 500,000,000 to relocate them is wise?

Why can't the 150 residents just move to 150 apartments within the city/burbs?

While the "Cheektowaga Democrats" have ran Cheektowaga we have lost quite a bit of our population over the last 10 years. You know what that creates? Vacant homes. Wait, what am I talking about. Same thing has happened to the City of Buffalo while the "Democrats" have controlled your city. Buffalo has loads of vacant homes. So instead of spending $500,000,000 and over building overly expensive townhouses why not let the 150 fill in those vacant homes?

You could retro fit updates to the tune of $50,000 a home and be WAY ahead.

150 homes X $50,000 in renovations = $7,500,000 dollars. Far cry from $500,000,000....

You can get even more bang for our buck if we rehab doubles.

75 doubles X $75,000 in renovations = $5,526,000

[Genoobie]

I'd have to agree with 300miles on class versus race. It is class warfare that happens to have a skin color. The class warfare comes first. Race second. One simply has to look at any post-colonial African nation to see that the exploitation of poor people has nothing to do with race.

[WNYresident]

Thank you Genoobie.

That is how I see it.

[WNYresident]

Actually been following this issue for a while now, but this is my first column on it. Read it and let me know what you think.


Buffalo NY is currently undergoing a gentrification litmus-test that will have pivotal ramifications of the overall racial makeup of it’s population if allowed to be successful. On the surface the Rev. Michael Chapman of St. John the Baptist Church has an awesome idea; a $500 million program that will create 15,000 jobs over the next ten years. This is a program the public at-large got to know about back in 2010 which promises to move 150 residents of the Burnie C. McCarley Gardens into new townhouses that will be built on one of Buffalo’s oldest black communities; the Fruit Belt-a series of streets mostly named after a fruit-If you are old school like me you might be telling yourself that it seems like yesterday when McCarley was built (1978), and here Chapman is selling the property to the University of Buffalo (UB) Foundation for $15 million read more



http://www.thebuffalobullet.com

How does spending $500,000,000 to move 150 residents create 15,000 jobs?

You could take 15,000 people ($500,000,000 / 15,000) and pay them $33,333 for one year.

Or do what they do in Erie County. Set a few party supporters for life "monitoring" how the money is spent.

[300miles]

Since you bring in class I would be remiss if I didn't mention that white-owned land near the same area is generally sold for double the one million-per-acre Chapman settled for.

I'm not so sure about that. Every site has its own price based on its condition.

Chapman sold 15 acres for $15 million. So $1 million per acre. But the site requires a lot of demolition work and of course the people relocation issues and time delays for their move which all impact the price.

Nick Sinatra recently purchased a 1/3 acre parking lot on the campus for $500,000 (which could roughly equate to $1.5 million per acre) but the site is essentially shovel-ready - no people and no buildings to hamper a new build.

It doesn't seem like any kind of white conspiracy here. Anyway, Chapman could always have negotiated for a higher price.

[pointblank]

WNYresident that's a good question. You guys seem to think I am letting Chapman off the hook. There are many tentacles to this situation. This is just my first salvo on it. @300miles Sinatratra's example may not be racist in itself, but I stand by my word in most cases. Yes Chapman could have went for a higher price, unless he really wants to take the money and run.

[pointblank]

I'm not so sure about that. Every site has its own price based on its condition.

Chapman sold 15 acres for $15 million. So $1 million per acre. But the site requires a lot of demolition work and of course the people relocation issues and time delays for their move which all impact the price.

Nick Sinatra recently purchased a 1/3 acre parking lot on the campus for $500,000 (which could roughly equate to $1.5 million per acre) but the site is essentially shovel-ready - no people and no buildings to hamper a new build.

It doesn't seem like any kind of white conspiracy here. Anyway, Chapman could always have negotiated for a higher price.

Consider the increased value of the land since McCarley was built in '78, and all Chapman wants is $15 mil? We're talking land worth at least $40 million in actuality. First Niagara for example gave the land to UB for $1, the land was valued at $2 million per acre. The old Langston Hughes Center sold their property to Ciminelli for $1.9 million and that was less than an acre. Those are the higher prices Chapman could have negotiated for.

[WNYresident]

Consider the increased value of the land since McCarley was built in '78, and all Chapman wants is $15 mil? We're talking land worth at least $40 million in actuality. First Niagara for example gave the land to UB for $1, the land was valued at $2 million per acre. The old Langston Hughes Center sold their property to Ciminelli for $1.9 million and that was less than an acre. Those are the higher prices Chapman could have negotiated for.

In actuality an item is only worth what someone is willing to pay. If someone is not offering him $40,000,000 million it isn't worth $40,000,000.