On the way downtown this morning I stopped by to check out the pedestrian bridge going up on Ellicott Street. Had heard all about design and funding issues related to this project when I got to Ulrich's last week. It's supposed to connect the UB Bioinformatics (yikes...check out the video) building and Hauptman Woodward.
A couple people who work in both buildings told me that the pedestrian bridge was never part of the original design and where the structure connects to Hauptman Woodward, an electrical panel had to be moved to make room for the cut-out. Also learned that between the two buildings there about 6 scientists that have ID's to access both buildings. Killer is, the glass company that was supposed to install here has gone belly up...leaving the project in its current state.
Anyone know the source of money for this project? Let me know...
Anyone know the source of money for this project? Let me know...
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The bridge was always planned. I had seen it in drawings of the complex long before construction ever started
I recall when this first came about reading in the Buffalo News that the architect never designed the building with the pedestrian bridge in mind, and wasn't very happy that they were just going to stick it into his design.
Well, ok it goes like this:
The Architect did not want it, but it was part of the master plan for the community so that the scientists could more easily interact between buildings. He probably put the electrical panel in its location in protest, lol! When I took a tour of the HW, it looked like it would not be to difficult to connect to, I actually thought to myself that it was designed for it. I know in planning that these are not good ideas, but that usually refers to retail districts for which this is not, so I do not have many concerns with it. Plus, until the housing development (hate to use the word "projects") goes away (not in the near future) the winds in winter are going to be nasty right there. Part of the reason the entrance is shielded by the building extension the way it is. I believe that the Oshei Foundation was funding this (or another similar one) and they required that it be built.
Change the name of your blog to "Whine About How People Investing In Buffalo are not Doing Things My Way" because every single thing on this blog has become negative, obstructionist or whining.
I used to come here daily and my frequency is down to almost nothing and after today, I doubt I'll be back.
The Richard Florida mentality that the creative class somehow has all the solutions and is the magic bullet for everywhere is a sad theory to get behind and what I find it doing is giving people the soapbox to stand upon and rail against everything that's not pretty, artistic or otherwise "creative." But mostly, it's a typical academic, pie-in-the-sky theory of how things should or could be and not in any way understading of the free market or reality. It's made people like the arrogant and ignorant Bob Shibley somehow into local rock stars, despite Shibley's work never leaving the drawing board.
Wake up. If you want things done your way, spend your own money, start your own corporation and do something you want. If you haven't realized yet (wake up then) that those with money are the tastemakers locally. I'm not advocating that, I'm saying that's the reality. So either start a foundation that can invest, or your never going to get what you want. You think SUNY and Palladino or Ciminelli cares about what you want or blog about. No, they run their cost-benefit anaylsis and build to maximize profit because they can't see your neighborhood from Spaulding Lake.
Didn't know that only 6 people (currently) could use the damn thing. So much for efficient use of scarce dollars. I agree with the "TheStip" as I recall the Oshei Foundation was originally putting in some money, but I'm not certain if it followed through after the controversy surfaced. But perhaps they were legally obligated.
Anon...
Huh?
As you were complaining, I was writing a post about Jim Pitts' plans to buy the Woodlawn Row Houses.
Does Jim Pitts live anywhere near Spaulding Lake?
So...only the wealthy have viable models of urban development. Where does the 100K subsidy come from to build a "market rate" home in Sickamore Village?