fix buffalo today

• City Catalog of Residential Real Estate
• Results of the October in-rem 40 Tax Sale
  

Twenty-five years ago, social scientist James Q. Wilson and criminologist (and Manhattan Institute senior fellow) George Kelling first introduced the phrase “Broken Windows” into the public policy lexicon. In a pathbreaking Atlantic Monthly article, Wilson and Kelling pointed out that people were likelier to vandalize a building with one broken window than a building with none, since a broken window sends the message that nobody cares, encouraging vandals to act on their destructive impulses. Similarly, they suggested, if a community tolerates quality-of-life offenses, such as drug use and prostitution, it signals to all potential lawbreakers that it doesn’t care what happens to it; more serious crime will soon result. read the rest...

I'm assuming your attorney does not live in the immediate neighborhood. If you are sincere and desire to move forward with your project and preserve what is still a viable structure, properly securing the building is a good first step. NO one will stop you from properly boarding and securing the site. Deeds sometimes take weeks to receive after they've been recorded. Again, you may be losing valuable time.

• Why do great strategies fail? That's the question Michael Raynor asks in his new book, The Strategy Paradox. Michael says the job of leaders is to embrace the inherent uncertainty of strategy and recognize that the future can't be predicted. Instead of making choices, leaders create options. Michael is a Distinguished Fellow with Deloitte Research in Boston.

• Our second topic this week is a strategy critical to cities - how to leverage universities and other anchor institutions to contribute fully to urban success and, in turn, to their own. Dr. David Maurrasse of Marga is with us to talk about the challenges and rewards of these partnerships. David is on the faculty at Columbia University's School of International and Public Affairs.

• What would happen if every anchor institution in your city -- your universities, libraries, parks, major sports facilities, and museums -- were in perfect alignment around a few big goals, contributing their maximum to your city's success and their own?

• Our guests this week are leading anchor institutions with imagination and energy, and they are key participants in an upcoming discussion to take place May 1st and 2nd in San Jose on the topic of Leveraging Anchor Institutions for Urban Success.

• Paul Holdengraber is the Director of Public Programs and LIVE from the NYPL at the New York Public Library. Josephine Ramirez is Vice President of Programming and Planning at the Music Center in Los Angeles.

I saw the area this morning, and it's weird because it's only 2 blocks from my house but the whole area is in a blindspot for me because it's on the other side of Delaware Ave.

Marketing Available City Owned Properties

The CitiStat panel discussed the need to market the many properties owned by the City for new development opportunities. The need to establish a marketing plan was discussed. The idea of utilizing a real estate company or a private marketing company to market available City owned properties was also discussed as something to look into. At the very least Mr. Wanamaker stated that within the next 30 days an effort will occur to at least put photos of available City properties on the City’s web page.

Totally spaced on Good Friday's Housing Court date involving the future of Transfiguration Church. Über City Inspector Tracy Krug rewrote the church for court earlier this year - index #276/2007. The case names local Buffalo attorney, William Trezevant as a defendant. A concurrent case, index #275/2007 names his mother, Pauline Nowak as a defendant, too.

photo - Jay Morrison

The Transfiguration Church, three miles from Elmwood, was first written for Housing Court on March 13, 1997. In the last 8 years Transfiguration has journeyed through Housing Court 61 times and the file, case #869/97 has seen four seperate Housing Court judges. Judge Broderick passed the file to Judge Devlin who tossed it to Common Council President David Franczyk's brother and finally Judge Fiorella issued a warrant for Pauline Nowak [no relation to Judge Nowak] on September 25, 2002. She's an officer of Paul Francis Associates, Inc., the party that bought the crumbling church from Bishop Mansell in October, 1995.

• Sustainability is the new imperative for urban leaders. And now there is a new way to encourage and even measure a community's sustainability. It's called Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design for Neighborhood Development -- LEED-ND for short - and it extends criteria for green building to neighborhoods. Jennifer Henry from the U.S. Green Building Council is with us to talk about the new guidelines and the impact they will have on cities.
  

• Also with us is Dr. Helen Mulligan who has been exploring ways that cities, particularly older industrial cities, can take advantage of the growing interest in green technologies to fuel local economic development. Helen is a director of Cambridge Architectural Research Limited.

• 7/06/07 Violating St. Matthew's
  
• 5/20/07 St. Matthew's Watch #2
  
• 5/13/07 St. Matthew's Watch #1
  
• 5/12/07 St. Matthew's in the News
• 5/10/07 Saved?
• 5/7/07 Wait a Minute?
  
• 5/7/07 Flipping (off) Jesus - Part II
• 4/29/07 St. Matthew's (lack of) Passion
• 4/26/07 Selling Jesus
• 4/21/07 Disfiguration - Part II
• 4/08/07 Disfiguration?
  

St. John Fruitbelt Community Development Corp.

Ground was broken in November for a 28 unit townhouse development in Buffalo’s Fruitbelt neighborhood. The 3 and 4 bedroom family rentals received an allocation of Low Income Housing Credits from the State of New York. LISC subsidiary National Equity Fund is the project investor, having agreed to provide approximately $ 5 million in equity funding. Construction financing is being provided by M&T Bank.

The new homes are sponsored by St. John Baptist Church, and will be the largest new housing development in the Fruitbelt in many years. Not only will this investment give families a new great place to live, it will also further downtown housing opportunities in keeping with both the Queen City Hub Plan and the master plan of the adjacent Buffalo-Niagara Medical Campus.

From an April 2006 Business First article we learn...

"We are using the same formula that we're using in the Fruit Belt already in other parts," Wanamaker said. "That formula initiative in the Fruit Belt is almost exactly what you see in the Cold Springs neighborhood, where you have a faith-based community development corporation."

The design here is a huge step forward for the City's East side. Would like to know what the costs are compared to vinyl. First saw this development in January - right here.