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The following are the rough, working notes from the second breakout session convened at the connecting places in the Broadway-Fillmore District of Buffalo meeting held at the Central Terminal on October 3, 2009.
Issue: Restoring the Broadway-Fillmore Area and Re-Inventing Paderewski
Convener(s): Bishop Grosz and Eddy D.
Summary of Discussion:
- Bring in people/keep people
- Preserve the old post office
- Paderewski: NYS/COB/E.C. attend – change laws
- Support each others events
- Creation of a calendar of events
- Need one master plan
- Get a foundation involved
- Urban planner stay involved
- A small group can get things going: talk and share
- Keep “re-entry” initiatives
- Collaboration, communication and planning
- Rebuild on empty lots
- Continue meeting
- Rebuild neighborhoods
- Hit city hall
- All groups work with police (E. Ferry & Fillmore)
- Involve more people
- Get more people to move here
- Unity
- Today – first step-next-develop solutions
- Develop a plan for houses around St. Stanislaus
The following are the rough, working notes from one of the breakout sessions convened at an open forum for block clubs and other neighborhood-level leaders to work on improving the quality of life in Buffalo. See also the invitation and forum report.
Issues: Community Gardens/vacant lots
Convener(s): Mike Tritto
Participants: Catherine Gillepre, Laura Fitzgerald, Evelyn Vossler, Jack Norton, Gayla Thompson, Darnell Jackson, Jacqueline Allen, Jennifer Falt, Amy Senger, Tim Riordan, Joyce D ’Christian, Charles Burgen, Anthony Armstrong
Summary of Discussion:
Vacant lots/Community Gardens Urban Farms
• Concern about soil contamination
• Need for raised bed gardening
• Linear parks – vacant lots strung together (greenway)
• Planful mapping of community gardens
• Added playgrounds
• Adjacent lots turn into neighborhood parking
• Grass roots gardens can offer soil testing
• Challenge of finding volunteers
• Buffalo B Team – youth volunteers
• Henry Taylor @ UB Urban Planning – source of volunteers
• Daemen College and private colleges – source of student volunteers.
• Need for networking between gardens to share tools, plants, and resources.
• Urban Roots – plant swap.
• Vegetable garden “Boot Camp” in May 2009 @ M.L.K. Park
• See: www.urbanroots.org also search: Grassroots Gardens web-site
• Reclaiming vacant lots for whatever neighborhood decides it wants Ground Work B see: www.groundworkusa.net
• Challenge of getting City of Buffalo’s permission and issue of liability insurance
• Need for City of Buffalo resource to clean up vacant lot. Contact Grassroots Garden @ www.grassrootsgardens.org
• Need for better communication between Livable Communities grant and Grassroots Gardens to get grant.
• There’s a need for an organized communication and check list for how to start a community garden through Grassroots Gardens.
• Need for guidance on where it’s safer to plant to avoid contamination.
• Niagara Frontier Food Terminal – John Perisi for advice and resources to create gardens.
• Need for better restrictions on building demolition so that vacant lots are cleaned and greened.
• See Dudley Street Initiative in Boston, MA.
• Need for collaboration between neighborhood groups and City government around demolitions.
• Need for smaller neighbor plans.
• Good neighborhood Planning Committee can be too big.
• Need for a city – level catalyst to bring block clubs together to plan.
• Need for more funding for Good Neighbor Planning Committee.
• Need to find someone in a neighborhood group who can do grant writing.
• Need for dedicated re-tree farm in each area of City.
• Need for better communication from the City on resources and public meetings on a timely basis.
• Need for more staffing in Good Neighbor Alliance.
• Need for city to attach neighborhood process to city budget process to dedicate funds.
• Need for Office of Sustainability in the City to coordinate resources for vacant lot improvement.
• Need to get your Councilman involved in advocacy.
The following are the rough, working notes from one of the breakout sessions convened at an open forum for block clubs and other neighborhood-level leaders to work on improving the quality of life in Buffalo. See also the invitation and forum report.
Issues: Demolitions, empty lots, vacant housing and dumping in parks and vacant lots
Issues: (*Boarded Houses*), Empty lots, (*Demolitions*), Tires very bad and beautification. Old garage filled with garbage, no gutters, and water leaks into my basement when it rain. Need to be torn down. 350 Humboldt Avenue
Participants: Ray Walter, Theodore Bynes, Geraldine Minter and Sr. Mary Augusta Kaeser
Summary of Discussion:
• Board up houses, time frame for boarded up houses.
• Dumping in public park (vacant lots) – motion lights/cameras so public can Id
• Time frame for picking up tires; city pick up tires on regular times.
• Absent Landlords – Regulations and follow up demolition – what plans City has for them – propriety of City – reinforce fence
• Demolitions – are there other options available? Are there plans for the lot after the demo?
• Dumping of tires: The City should better publicize where citizens can take their tires.
The following are the rough, working notes from one of the breakout sessions convened at an open forum for block clubs and other neighborhood-level leaders to work on improving the quality of life in Buffalo. See also the invitation and forum report.
Issues: Vacant Houses and Lack of Money to Address… Including lack of improvement access money for more businesses, more financial support and money for home owners, eyesores business’s, who own these buildings? (Capital Improvements) side walk, pot holes, trees, etc.
Convener(s): Verline McLaughlin, Shirley Monroe, Erma Brown, Lisa Jo Schaeffer, Jackie Eckert, James C Clemons, Eugenia Poole and Christie
Participants: Good Neighbors Planning Alliance (GNPA), Tonawanda, NY
Summary of Discussion:
Part I – VACANT BUILDINGS/LOTS:
• Vacant building/Lots who owns these building/lots?
• Make accountable those who own those buildings/lots (City Wide Home Steading Policy) as to demolition, etc.
• Find tenants for vacant buildings (City Wide Home Steading Policy).
• Support and start businesses in these areas where vacant buildings exist.
• More financial support and moneys for home owners.
• Transparency for where money is going and how to access money (more equitable!!!)
• Capital improvements (Broken sidewalks, potholes, curves, signs, etc.).
• Incentives for businesses that already exist, and are kept up in the City.
• Stimulus money!!! How it does and can affect us and our community?
Part II – GPNA Planning Alliance
Lots – Beautification
Matching Grants – Formerit
Supporter Flower pots, lights, etc.
The following are the notes from one of the breakout sessions convened at last week’s open forum on the future of housing and neighborhoods in Buffalo.
Issue: Innovative ways that have worked elsewhere to turn the vacant housing problem into an asset
Convener(s): Marti Gorman
Participants: Joined the discussion: started with five people, combined with another group and grew to eight during the first session and to 10 during the second session including Gregory Boles, Elena Cala Buscarino, Karen Stanley Fleming, Marti Gorman and others – Kensington area resident, GIS/urban planner, former Philadelphia resident. Carla Kosmerl joined the second session.
Summary of discussion:
What is done elsewhere to turn the problem of vacant/abandoned houses/lots into an asset:
- In Philadelphia, lots that become vacant due to demolition are reclaimed by neighborhoods by fencing, and planting flowers and trees. As few as three trees can turn a vacant lot into a pocket park.
- Vacant lots could become Christmas Tree farms. The neighborhood would reap the rewards when the trees are sold 5 or 6 years post-planting.
- Entire blocks could be cleared by inviting the last remaining residents to move to better housing elsewhere, and the blocks could be cordoned off. The utilities could be cut off and services ended. Ultimately, a golf course could be put in.
- Rather than a golf course, patio homes and nice apartment housing for empty-nesters who no longer want to own a house should be built. Healthy rents would be paid by those who no longer wish to own.
- A vacant lot in the Kensington area owned by the City is in disrepair – crumbling asphalt and weeds. Parking is needed for a youth football program that is using a nearby space for practice and games. Suggestion: to pave the City lot to create off street parking for the neighborhood and recreation uses, making good use of what is now an unsightly lot.
- A complete housing inventory of the city is desperately needed. This should be a GIS map overlay. This will require feet on the ground – it cannot be done sitting in front of a computer. The status/state of each and every structure is needed.
- There is a shortage of contractors that the City is able to use. Perhaps City requirements for contractor certification should be relaxed to free up this work bottleneck. Contractors from other areas should also be encouraged to move their businesses and expertise to Buffalo where there is plenty of work/jobs to be had.
The following are the notes from one of the breakout sessions convened at last week’s open forum on the future of housing and neighborhoods in Buffalo.
Issue: Community Gardens on Eaton / Community Green Space / Possible Assistance to Block Clubs to Care for Vacant Lots
Convener(s): Caesandra Seawell / Tremeeka Cummings / Jajean Rose-Burney
Participants: Zoe Lavatelli, Pat Taylor, Meela Moore
Summary of discussion:
- Volunteers available
- East side spaces to green
- Grant/funding “livable communities” Oct. 2008 – write proposal block club or 501-c-3 rolling basis
- Need for clarity on city owned property “structures” – gazebos/benches/trees
- Maintenance of spaces (more regular)
- Hydrant permits
- Splitting/donating lots to neighbors – homesteading adjacent lots – don’t need structure
- Paving some lots for off street parking
- Sweat equity / match funds / materials
- Walkable community
- Farmers market (mobile)
- Hermit / reclusive – getting people out to garden – invest in neighborhood
- Urban agriculture = nutrition, jobs/training
How Can We Maximize the Local Economic and Social Capital Impacts of Buffalo’s Vacant and Abandoned Residential Properties? Issues and opportunities for supporting the future of Buffalo’s housing and creating value in our neighborhoods.
You are invited… because you have the experience, connections, resources and passion we need to change this city and create new housing value for the future of buffalo. We are a diverse community of implementers and doers. Please join us!
The city is committed to demolishing 5,000 of the worst houses in 5 years—Now, which are in the worst shape or worst locations? After demolition. Then what? What are the issues and opportunities for choosing which homes to demolish, which properties for the city to gain ownership, and then who will bring new uses to them? What are the procedures? Whose help will be needed and how can we invite them to join? What are the projects and how should we measure our collective success?
What do we have to start with and what do you want to happen next? This is what we want to find out in these first two meetings, focusing first on the area…one of Buffalo’s housing priority areas from approximately Main St. to Jefferson Ave.; Best St. to Kensington Ave……
Come with your experience, resources, connections, & ideas. Understand existing residential and vacant land policies and practices as they are today. Shape those that are working now and design even stronger more flexible procedures and systems that might yield more value to Buffalo neighborhoods in the future.
And in the process…become part of (or make connections to) a diverse community of implementers and doers in one of Buffalo’s housing priority areas from approximately Main St. to Jefferson Ave.; Best St. to Kensington Ave.
Orientation session: What exists today?
When: October 7, 2008 - drop in between 6 and 8pm
Location: Belmont Shelter Corporation, 1195 Main Street
At your convenience, browse poster sessions about current government and non profit policies, practices and planned 2008-9 projects. This information will ensure everyone is up to speed and ready to dig deep at the 3 hour working session.
Working session: What do you want to do next?
When: October 9, 2008 - 6-9pm; full 3 hr meeting session
Where: Belmont Shelter Corporation, 1195 Main Street
Bring your knowledge of what is now. Identify what works and what could work better. Consider how you want to strengthen what is now— into better, stronger, more flexible procedures and systems or what project you want to undertake next.
Who should come? Those who care about the issues above and are ready to do something about them as part of their day job, or those who contribute significant volunteer time on implementing solutions and actions on these issues.
Co-Conveners (people and organizations who have agreed that this is an important question, and will invite others they think would be interested)
Mayor Byron Brown • Belmont Shelter Corporation • City of Buffalo, Economic Development Department • Homefront, Inc. • Buffalo Niagara Association of Realtors • Fillmore Leroy Area Residents (FLARE) • Western New York Law Center • Bethesda Community Development Corp. • Local Initiatives Support Corp. (LISC) • Ellicott District Community Development, Inc.