fixBuffalo

City Property Still For Sale...10 Years Later...

While still wondering about the fate of 669 Genesee Street, Mark Kubiniac saw my post last month and pushed the city to begin taking action on the complex of buildings and the process of securing the three buildings. Here's the e-mail to Jay Lynch, Office of Strategic Planning...

• Dear Mr. Lynch, Here is the link that I mentioned to you on the phone. Has the board-up crew been notified that the building is wide open, and how would I inquire as to the status of the demolition? -- M.K.
  

Mark Kubiniac sent me the following:

• Lynch had no idea that the building was open, that anyone was interested, nor what an asking price would be. Offers to the City would be reviewed by a Land Use Planning committee that would evaluate an proposal, its financing and its adherence to Zoning Code and Strategic Planning. With their approval a sale could be agreed upon.
• Apparently his office has a catalogue of City-owned properties that are available, though they have not been able to get it on the website. I suggested that any good realtor would put a property up on a MLS site within a day or so of getting a listing. Mr. Lynch did know that the building was "released" for demolition but had no idea of whether $ was earmarked for demo and when it might happen.
• It seems there is disconnection between Real Estate, Development and Demolition components of the City.

Mark followed up with this e-mail to Jay Lynch

• Jay, Thanks again. I think that everyone would agree that the best accurate and factual info comes from the owner. The City really needs to market its surplus properties as readily as any other property owner that wants to sell. Is there any timetable for gettting the surplus property catalogue on line? - Mark

From my latest visit to the Division of Real Estate on the 9th floor of City Hall earlier this week, I learned from Jay Lynch that the city even had a series of tenants in the building 'till 2001. While our elected and annointed continue to tumble down the rabbit hole of indifference and neglect just think of the possibility here if the city took Mark Kubiniac's suggestion seriously. I mean, why not put the city's surplus real estate on-line with pictures? The effective marketing of city surplus property...national attention for pennies.

With four simple postings to Craig's List, I generated over 600 hits to my little blog while attempting to gather some positive interest in 669 Genesee Street. Blogger is free and my Nikon Coolpix 2100 cost $100 on eBay.

Suggestions for the Division of Real Estate include:

• Put property listings on the City's website

• Place "For Sale" signs on surplus city property
  

I know these are the sorts of common sense suggestions that you probably would have assumed are already happening. They are not. And here's the kicker. 669 Genesee Street is not listed in the current catalog of city property for sale.

Here are some additional pictures that you may have missed. Check out the little liability thing associated with falling bricks. And the ice sculpture in the basement of 669 that has probably gone thru at least 5 years of freeze and thaw cycles since the city's tenant left in 2001.

I plan to tour the area this weekend. Wanna bet the water's still running? We'll see.

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