What am I talking about? Common Sense...planning...this is Buffalo
Looking @ Satellite of Buffalo State, Scajaquada, Amherst & Tonawanda.
There is a HUGE amount of empty land between Tonawanda & the Scajaquada, as well as Amherst and the Scajaquada.
What to do?
What to do?
How about building student residences in this area...and let them walk over a bridge?
How about building student parking in this area...and let them walk over a bridge?
BUT THE ABSOLUTE BEST IDEA FOR ALL THAT EMPTY LAND: A UB TYPE BUSINESS INCUBATOR AND/OR CENTER FOR EXCELLENCE.
ITS PERFECT....IT WOULD RELIEVE PRESSURE FROM BUFFALO STATE TO ENCROACH ON THE RICHARDSON ....IT WOULD LOCATE ANCILLARY COLLEGE PROGRAMS LIKE THE VARIOUS CENTERS, RESEARCH, DEVELOPMENT, ENTREPRENEURIAL/INCUBATOR FACILITIES...
AND BY DOING SO THE SCAJAQUADA AND THE RIVER COULD BE NATURALIZED INTO A PARK LIKE STRIP CONNECTING THE NIAGARA RIVER TO DELAWARE PARK.
What am I talking about? Common Sense...planning...this is Buffalo
Originally Posted by therising
It took me one post to catch that.
Timmy, you need to take a good look at the satellite map -- and then you need to take a trot down there and actually look at the site itself. First off, the paved walkway (which is part of the "Riverwalk" system) is clearly shown along the north bank of the Scajacquada Creek, between Elmwood Avenue and Grant Street, although some of it is obscured by trees, so it's already "a park like strip" -- and has been for more than 20 years -- I used to walk my dog there!Originally Posted by Timmy
The area closest to Elmwood is part of McKinley High School and is used for athletic fields. Just west of that is the old Morrison Steel property which has been redeveloped into a Wegmans Super Market. In fact, the area between the Wegmans' parking lot and Bush Street, seems to have been developed into a small park, including a basketball court.
There's an industrial/commerical building at the foot of Howell Street, and the parking lot between Howell and Peter Streets belongs to Assumption Church. The large building closest to the creek between Peter and Germain Streets is the former Assumption School, now Our Lady of Black Rock School, which is still open. Assumption RC Church and rectory take up the rest of the block bounded by Peter, Amherst, and Germain. The building at the end of Germain Street opposite the school is the Assumption Convent. On Grant Street, right next to the Scajacquada exit, is the Polish Kadets Hall and parking lot, and facing Amherst is the fire station.
Across Grant Street is the Tops Market and plaza. The pathway continues all along that way, but it's much more desolate and less park-like. The empty land that you see between Grant and Tonawanda is all old heavy industrial sites (Pratt and Letchworth is along Tonawanda from Niagara to Amherst) that are probably too seriously contaminated to be developed into residential or park land (think Hickory Woods).
My mother's family has lived in this area for nearly a century, and I lived here for about 20 years. Grant-Amherst doesn't need "redevelopment" in terms of pricey new units for students or yuppies. It doesn't need Buffalo State intruding on it and taking more property off the tax rolls.
What's needed in Grant-Amherst is a concerted effort to improve/stabilize the surrounding neighborhoods before they go the way of the West Side. This means getting rid of dilapidated industrial buildings either by renovation or demolition before they go up in flames like the old Buffalo Weaving building on Chandler at the end of Bridgeman. This also means that there needs to be strict code enforcement on residential units as well as monies made available for homeowners to buy, repair, and renovate existing homes so that property values remain stable (I'm talking bank mortgages and home improvement loans, not hand-outs). This is especially true along Grant Street and west toward Tonawanda where the housing stock is older and more modest and needs more improvement.
Your right to buy a military weapon without hindrance, delay or training cannot trump Daniel Barden’s right to see his eighth birthday. -- Jim Himes
There are currently 1 users browsing this thread. (0 members and 1 guests)