I hope this guy doesn't win the lotto

Click on photo to make larger Quote taken from Free New York Blog

“Flippers”, as most practice today, ARE Sleazy.

"Jim–Doc Breem used to “flip” houses back in the 70’s. But not the way it’s done today. He’d buy them cheap, but rehab them using his own labor, time and materials, then either rent them out or sell them for a marginal to medium profit, depending on how much he had to put into the place to begin with.

Buying a property unseen, and selling it on E bay to some unsuspecting noid for profit is sleazy, no doubt. Worse yet, buying the property, stripping out the house of anything valuable, THEN selling it to some unsuspecting noid is the problem that Buffalo has.

Another problem Buffalo has is there are too many houses for the number of people left living there. Jim’s neighborhood is relatively new for Buffalo, it’s mostly a post WW2 built up area–but still makes it over a 60 year old neighborhood.

My mother’s house in Riverside was built in 1889–it was the 2nd house built on what was the Esser Farm. My dad remembers going out to that farm from Greeley St with his grandad with a horse and wagon to buy fresh eggs and chickens. But Much of the housing in Riverside was built in the era.

Many of the houses in Black Rock were built before 1870. My aunt’s house at 280 East St had the clapboards installed with wooden pegs instead of nails, and still had the gas jets in the walls for gas lighting. Now THAT’s old. But I digress.

If I hit the powerball tomorrow, one of the things I’d want to do is go into a neighborhood like Riverside, and start a new trend. Buy up all the houses on two streets (with backyards facing each other), tear all the houses down, and start over again. New Sewer and water lines, electric, phone and cable/internet lines underground, larger lots, and slightly larger, more comfortable homes that working families could afford. Gated and privately secured until I could afford to buy the next two streets.

The other big problem I see in neighborhoods like Riverside and Black Rock is absentee landlords. I know Joe Golombek agrees that they have ruined what was in our youth a vibrant neighborhood. When 3 of the 4 corners of Tonawanda and Ontario have gone from the Riverside Men’s Shop (at that spot for over 100 years), Rung’s Furniture (there almost as long) and Schnitzer’s Hardware (there for 80 years) to an empty storefront and 2 Rent-to-Own Stores, you know there’s an absentee landlord problem.

Section 8 tenants do no better a job of keeping up a neighborhood in rented homes than they did in public housing. It’s not theirs, and the government pays for them to live there, so why should THEY give a crap? So they don’t. And the neigborhood goes to hell. It’s truly a shame."

While what most of what is said is the truth the quote "Gated and privately secured until I could afford to buy the next two streets." how is a Gated Community good for the neighborhood ? I like many others choose to live here I am in a position to live pretty much where I want to I CHOOSE to live in a house that is 116 years old with a small garden no garage for the car your average 33' X 99' lot small front yard. I like most of my Neighbors owners and renters alike and most like me if I wanted to live with "New Sewer and water lines, electric, phone and cable/internet lines underground, larger lots, and slightly larger, more comfortable homes that working families could afford. Gated and privately secured until I could afford to buy the next two streets." I would move into a mac mansion in the Suburbs and live in a gated community close to someone much like yourself we probably wouldn't talk much but if we did we could talk about the OLDEN days in the hood and how great it was and how much of a shit hole it is now we can Monday morning QB about what we would do and what should be done and we can talk about those rental properties that we have in BR/R and how the ROCKERS trash them and how lucky we are that we don't live there damn they should level that whole place and start over again. But before we knock down those old drafty money pits we should strip out all that old woodwork and put it in one of those new Vinyl Victorians.

That green box on the corner

• Well it's a different color now Today I took two gallons of different color paint mixed it up and painted those Telephone company boxes on the corners of Dearborn & Austin and Dearborn at Amherst anybody wanna take bets on how long they will go before there tagged again.

The world is a dangerous place, not because of those who do evil, but because of those who look on and do nothing. ~ Albert Einstein

The Return of The American Elm Tree

• Bought a 12' Princeton American Elm tree today and with the help of a Friend transported it and planted it in it's new home in front of my house at the curb. Five years ago the city planted a Maple but last Summer a high speed driver left the road and killed my tree. While this tree cost about $200 it's going to be worth it when it comes into shape and offers shade this tree grows 3 to 6 feet a year and can reach 100 feet.

• Once the dominant feature in the American landscape east of the Rockies, the American elm ruled supreme as the shade tree of choice for generations of Americans prior to World War II. These large, graceful specimens with their upright, vase-shaped habit have shaded so many American streets that "Elm Street" is generally believed to be the most common street name in the United States. Unfortunately, in the early 1930s, a fungal infection borne in beetles was introduced into the United States in a shipment of lumber from Europe. This fungus turned into a deadly and catastrophic blight wiping out tens of millions of American elm trees over a period of decades. It was later labeled Dutch elm disease and is still referred to in that manner.

• Introduced in 1922 by a wholesale tree grower in Princeton NJ, the Princeton American Elm is the only cultivated variety of American Elm (Ulmus Americana) that has an over 75-year landscape proven tolerance to Dutch Elm Disease. In fact, its longevity surpasses that of all other selected cultivars by several decades.

Breaking the surface

This is a very welcome and common site this time of the year.

Where the buffalo {nians} roam

Was surfin the local blogs and found a cool story about one man and his dream of returning to Buffalo.

New York State Board of Elections Money Trail

Search engine from the New York State Board of Elections Money Donations - Right Here! I Took this from Fix Buffalo Thanks D.

In the small town each citizen had done something in his own way to build the community. The town booster had a vision of the future which he tried to fulfill. The suburb dweller by contrast started with the future—with a shopping center for twice the population, with a school building already built, with churches constructed, with parks and playgrounds and swimming pools. These were as essential to building a suburb as the prematurely grand hotel had been to building a city in the wilderness. In large developments where the developer had a plan, and even in the smaller developments, there was a new kind of paternalism: not the quasi-feudal paternalism of the company town, nor the paternalism of the utopian ideologue. This new kind of paternalism was fostered by the American talent for organization, by the rising twentieth century American standard of living, and by the American genius for mass production. It was the paternalism of the market place. The suburban developer, unlike the small-town booster, seldom intended to live in the community he was building. For him community was a commodity, a product to be sold at a profit. -Daniel J. Boorstin

Now is your opportunity to let your voice be heard!

Common Council News Advisory For Immediate Release Dated March 9, 2007 Contact: Paul Wolf, Chief of Staff, Buffalo Common Council 851-5161 Public Hearing Regarding Development of Downtown Buffalo The Buffalo Common Council will hold a special meeting of the Council’s Community Development meeting chaired by Councilmember Joseph Golombek Jr. on Tuesday March 20th at 5:30 p.m. in the Council Chambers located on the 13th floor of City Hall. The purpose of this evening meeting is to hear from the public as to what they would like to see happen in terms of development downtown. With the future demolition of the General Donovan building, rehab or demolition of the vacant Auditorium and the completion of the historic Erie Canal project, many development possibilities exist. What would you like to see happen in terms of downtown development? Do you support a public market at the DL&W terminal? Do you support Bass Pro coming to Buffalo? Do you support the removal of the Skyway? The public has not had much opportunity to comment about the development of downtown Buffalo. Now is your opportunity to let your voice be heard! -end-

What Others are saying.

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• A trip around the Web using some keywords will give you an idea of how others feel about are little corner of the city. Some comments are from city residents and others are not some may upset you some are funny some are encouraging. These are just copied and pasted quotes so they don't make a complete paragraph. {No I don't wright run on sentences just new to the blogeshere and having some freshmen moments.}

"Black Rock is a pretty depressing area, as is Riverside. I've known folks who've lived there. I try and support businesses in both. We buy sausages at Spars. I bought my suits and my son's clothes at Riverside Men's Shop, but they've finally moved out. Both areas are manifestation of the self-separation that's occurring in WNY (City vs suburban) and in the country as a whole (surging southwest/declining northeast and midwest)". "Good for you, I'm glad to see you support local businesses My father grew up in Riverside and my mother in Black Rock (me Grand Island) and I remember when it was a decent place to live." " Given the added commute in terms of miles and time as well as the additional cost of parking, a 25% raise to take a downtown job shrinks significantly. If a suburbanite lives within 3 miles or 10 minutes of where he/she works now, it's going to cost significantly more in money and time to take that job in downtown. Not everyone feels that how much money you make is the most important thing in the world. You hit on almost every reason why I declined the job. Three others: 1 - Walking from your vehicle to the building in January when the freezing rain is coming off the lake at 30 miles per hour. No thanks. 2 - Being able to run errands during lunch. I can easily go to the post office, bank, convenience store, and get lunch quickly where I work in Black Rock. It takes upwards of 15 minutes just to get to your car when you work in that damn tower, depending on the wait for an elevator. It would be a different story if all of those conveniences were within a reasonable walking distance dowtown, but they aren't. 3 - I can get home in 10 minutes from where I currently work. It would be twenty, plus the added time of walking to the parking lot, if I worked at the tower". "I'll admit that the downtown location is part of the problem with the Bass Pro project. If Bass Pro was somewhere else besides downtown, it would require a lot less in public money: no rehabbing the old Aud, no parking garage, no ramp reconfiguration, no transit hub. Buffalo is more than just downtown. How about the largely empty commercial/industrial area around South Ogden Street tolls? Better yet, how about a site in Black Rock near the river and just off the I-190 at Amherst or Austin Street exits?". "Actually, Bass Pro doesn't fit on the Buffalo Inner Harbor. The Buffalo waterfront by the Aud has always been a commercial/industrial area not a recreational boating area except for the last 20-30 years with the building of the Erie Basin Marina and the marina across the Buffalo River near the Coast Guard Station. The Small Boat Harbor has long been the recreational boating center south of downtown. A site close to the SBH would be a better fit for Bass Pro if access wasn't a problem. The marinas along the Black Rock Canal north of Squaw Island over to the Ontario Street boat launch have long been the recreational boating center north of downtown. If the city could put together a big enough parcel, the Niagara Street-Amherst Street-Austin Street area would be an excellent site for Bass Pro. I believe that Lake Ontario is considered the "world class" bass fishery. I think that Lake Erie is better known for its walleyes". "North of Buffalo" is not the same as North Buffalo. Kenmore is north of Buffalo. Somwhere west of Delaware, North Buffalo becomes Riverside. You'll notice a lot of Polish, Ukranian and other Eastern European names in Riverside. It was the last section of the City opened up by the Beltline RR. I highly recommend Spars on Amherst for their fresh German sausages. Black Rock always confuses me. I think that's on the West Side beyond Richmond where all the streets go to a 45 degree angle. Like Connecticut and Masshachusetts. The streets were laid out on a different grid, because the village of Black Rock was separate from the village of Buffalo. But where Black Rock becomes Riverside is a mystery to me". "Local, non-chain retailing and restaurants, much less neighborhood grocery stores, butcher shops, shoe stores, etc, are memories.We've become people who have isolated ourselves within our homes, within our backyards, within our own small circle of family and friends, so where is all this pedestrian traffic going to come from that's supposed to support the "new urbanism"? You don't spend much time on the West side, Hertal, Jefferson avenue or Elmwood areas do you? These areas are full of pedestrian traffic everyday. I buy all my meats from a family owned Butcher shop on Grant (one of 4 in the Grant st.area) every week as well as getting my vegetables from Guercio's (family owned and thriving so well they just had to purchase the adjacent property for storage space). Plenty of people along Elmwood avenue, Hertal, Black rock riverside, and Jefferson avenue live a similar existence. I know all my neighbors (on my block) and no one has a barbeque or backyard get together without asking fellow neighbors to join in. Everyone doesn't want to live the Edward scissor hands strip mall suburban existence". "Not all of us. You want the City to be healthier, live and shop in it. You like the Broadway Market, shop there. You like the local restaurants, eat there. You like the fact Budwey's is non-union, shop there. (OK. Some of us may like that last one better than others. ) Excellent point. citymouse. If you live near the grant street corrider (from grant and forest to grant ferry)you never have to leave your nieghborhood. We have a dibbles hardware store just off grant street to get home stuff at least 4 butcher shops a vegtable market that has fresh veggies shipped in weekly, a couple of dollar stores to get knick knacks, a family dollar, Life styles cloths shop, 2 drug stores, a shoe store and a zillion diners and pizzaries all within 20 minutes walking distance. As I stated earlier Black Rock Riverside, Elmwood, Hertal, and the Fillmore area all have the same stuff. (although the east side is lacking in the butcher shop dept) Everyone doesnt shop at major supermarkets like tops and wegmanns. I can also walk to the park and go to the zoo or just hang out (25 minutes) or the art gallery (20 minutes) or the elmwood strip (15 minutes). Perhaps your shopping habits are just so different from mine that we arent on the same page...... or maybe you need to get outta your car and see whats around you " "It would be nice if they downgraded the Niagara Expressway to a parkway like they are doing with the Scajaquada. Connect the Westside, Black Rock & Riverside neighborhoods to the new Niagara Parkway. Buffalo always had a canal and a railroad but that there was a lot of green space between the canals, rail roads and the neighborhoods...there had to be thats were all the industry was located. While we dont have the barges or the railroads, the canal is now a great recreational vehicle and provides an anchor for the local community (if it was connected and integrated into the community)". "They are ignoring it because it is of no benefit to them. Here is the smell test: 1. How much will I receive in campaign contributions if I support this proposal? 2. Will a beaurocracy be created to manage the project? If not, can an existing beaurocracy be expanded? 3. Can any of my buddies make a quick buck off the project? If yes, see smell test #1. 4. Is a economically viable Black Rock really in my best interests as a politician? In other words, who will vote for my transfer of wealth policies when the citizens of black rock no longer need welfare?". "I work in D district {Police Officer}. If your talking about Riverside/Black Rock area, yes that has always been a working mans neighborhood. Its something to be proud of. The poster who attacks that area and its people then and now, is just an empty asshole. They are uneducated about that area. Granted, it has seen better days, but it has always been a working class area and God bless them for working. If you have a big problem in that area try posting the problem and area on here and I will swing by there when I'm working. Cant promise anything, its very busy lately but I will try. Dont give up hope, dont give up your neighborhood".

Then and Now

Photos of Yesteryear and This year. This set is Niagara St between Hamilton and Amherst. The black and white photo is from the 1930's and is apart of the {S.G} Collection.

Corner Lots

Corner Lots are the welcome mat to a Neighborhood especially one on a main drag . An unkempt empty lot on a corner can make the first impression a bad one for a entire Community. This large lot at 1921 Niagara St. corner of Hamilton has been in disrepair forever it's location and size make it a viable location for a wide variety of uses. However the Barbed wire fence that has seen better days and the 3' high grass in the summer time are not the best selling points. Any suggestions on what can be done to advertise this property or get the current owner to take responsibility please chime in.

Tony's House

Former Buffalo Mayor Tony Mobsiello made a choice to follow the exact recommendations of a outside firm when they completed a study of restructuring the city's Firehouses and he put in place a puppet named Michael L. D'Orazio to make sure his way was the only way. Mike ya Tone i will make you Commissioner of da Fire Dept if you do as i say. Ok Tone. Mike ya Tone jump. How high Tone? Mike ya Tone the sky is falling. Yes boss. Mike ya Tone go to da GNPA meeting and tell dem people over in da Rock dat weer gonna build a brand new Firehouse to better protect the more affluent people of North Buffalo. Tell dem dat weer gona move Engine 36 from Elmwood Av and Truck 12 from Amherst St to a brand spankin new house on Hertel. Tell dem what they wanna hear. Ok Tone. So GNPA that's what Tony said is gonna happen . Mr D'Orazio that location that you propose on Hertel is a busy intersection would a different location be more sutable for a busy Firehouse. No that's what Tony said. Mr D'Orazio the lot at 860 Hertel is worth about 50k let's get this right the city is going to give a lot Downtown worth 180k to a Developer in return for this poor location at 860 Hertel is that right. Um thats what Tony said. So Engine 36 and Ladder 12 will be moved and Truck 13 at Colvin and Linden will close? Thats what Tony said. Mr D'Orazio thank you for your time. And thank for allowing me to come in here and BS all of you. Now be careful when you leave here tonight Tony said that the sky is falling.

In a place not so far away

There is a sledding hill a frozen pond for skating you can cross country ski{more on Summer activity's in the Summer} and your dogs can run and run the dear graze . Some of the best views of the Mighty Niagara River the historic Black Rock locks and you may even see a Choo Choo Train. It's a five minute walk from the Neighborhood yet far enough separated that you don't here the sounds of the city is this a scene out of a Norman Rockwell work. No i will tell you where it is but it's our little secret so don't tell anybody OK Squaw Island park is located at the Northern end of Squaw Island and is reached just off of Niagara street near the International RR Bridge. 11.5 Million has been spent to convert the old landfill into a 70 acre Natural park. Recently work was completed on the entrance to Squaw Island Park at the tune of $100k all of the land north of the city water treatment plant to the islands northern most point is the city's newest protected green space let me make this completely clear ALL of the land just north of the water treatment plant to the northern most point not just north of the International RR bridge crossing is protected untouchable public green space for all to enjoy make no mistake about it residents have fought for a long time to regain Squaw Island and i can't believe it's finally ours and nobody is ever going to take it away or shadow it. This past summer i told my neighbor about the new park it took me some convincing but he made his way over there one sunny summer afternoon and he hasn't looked back "WOW he said i can't believe how beautiful it is over there i thought i was in the Tonawanda's only better".