im now at

“allthingsbuffalo.wnymedia.net”

…probably should have told you that before.

I returned to Buffalo this week to hear that it looks like we’re finally going to get the downtown AM&A’s saved. These two downstate guys (Libby and Farkiris) have a pretty serious portfolio of developing apartments…even using other abandoned builidings in terrible shape! The deal is supposed to close on August 15th and we’ll see the conversion completed in 08 or 09 which in Buffalo means 2010 maybe 2011. The top eight stories will be apartments. The 2nd story will be office space and the bottom will be a restaurant and retail space for the estimated cost of $50 million.
So now the big Main St. eyesore will be taken care of. Time to take care of the dozen smaller ones.

I didnt forget about you all. I’ve been in Maryland since Thursday..enjoying a heavily populated and economically thriving region for the week and ill be back to blogging on wednesday.

Moving over to wnymedia.net later this week once i work out some kinks.

As told by “BuffaloWatchdog” first on the wnymedia.net page, the Sabres’ alleged new logos have leaked…

…not so much.

Okay so in the news today there was an article about Schumer wanting to make Niagara Falls Airport a big cargo airport since it has such a huge runway and they could land planes from China and India. Okay. I get that. But the NFTA is on crack. They still insist on adding a passenger terminal to the airport. I know BNIA adds more and more passengers every year but its not like its a jam packed place with multiple terminals. And notice that its called Buffalo-NIAGARA. Its for the region…the region with the dying economy and population so please tell me why you will make an airport to compete with one you already have?

Okay so let me give you a better way to spend the 20 something million you want to spend on the passenger terminal in NF
1. Add more gates at BNIA
2. Extend runway at BNIA for those alleged foreign airlines that have an alleged interest in coming here.
3. Build a line from the Airport to Niagara Falls and then another one from the Airport to Downtown.

Its pretty simple my friends.

Oh yeah and PS the NFTA once said their would be a light rail line from downtown to Niagara Falls by 1996. Oh man those NFTAers, they sure know how to crack a joke.

Find it suspicious Warren Buffett’s donation dominated the layout of the Buffalo News’ front page?
Yeah that’s what I thought.

Dear receptionist at the Liberty Building (the one who works during the lunch hours),
You are extremely cute and helpful all the time. Extremely helpful like whoa. Ummm yeah thats about it.

-Secret blogging lover

Here’s a list from “westcoastperspective” (the man who supplies the crack to the buffalo urban development addicts)
UC means under construction and PL means planning
Sadly, theres a bit too many PLs there especially with residential. That Courtyard Mall rehab being done by Paladino needs to be taken care of SOON. Its a frickin eye sore. As if Main Street didn’t have enough of those already.

OFFICE
Cobblestone Lofts- Office Bldg. Done
Delaware, 591- Renovation UC
Delaware, 599- Renovation Done
HealthNow Headquarters UC
Swan Bldg., 731 Main Street Done
WNY MRI Center- expansion UC
Court Street Tower PL
Courtyard Mall Renovation UC
Delaware, 285 UC
New Era Center- Delaware Ave. UC
Roanoke Bldg. Expansion PL
Seneca Street, 100- Renovation UC
Uniland- N. Genesee Block PL

OTHER
Bioinformatics Center Done
Inner Harbor Excavation UC
Auto Museum- Wright Gas Station PL
Bass Pro Shop (old Aud) PL
Casino PL
Children’s Museum- 173 Elm Street PL
City Centre Ramp Expansion PL
Donovan Building Parking Ramp PL
ECC Classroom Building, Oak Street PL
ECC Dorms, Oak Street PL
ECC Parking Ramp/Transit Center PL
Federal Courthouse PL
Roosevelt Historic Site Carr. House PL

RESIDENTIAL
Buehl Block Bldg. Reno (5 Units) UC
Granite Works (29 Units) Done
IS Lofts (24 Units) Done
Pierce Building, 651-3 Main (4 Units) UC
ArtSpace (50 Units) UC
Birzon Building (10 Units) PL
Brownstone Condos (3-6 Units) PL
Cobblestone Lofts (36 Units) PL
ECC Lofts- Ellicott Street (16 Units) PL
Elk Terminal- New Lofts (48 Units) PL
Ellicott Commons II (36 Units) UC
Greystone Hotel (30+ Units) PL
Immaculate Conception (unknown) PL
Main Street, 456- Baker Shoes (12 Units) PL
Main Street, 535 (3 units) PL
Packard Bldg. (40 Units) PL
RiverPlace Homes, Waterfront Vill. (12 Units) PL
Saturn Rings Bldg. (25 Units) PL
Schmidt Lot Condos (36 Units) PL
Seneca Paper Lofts (30 Units) PL
Spa Lofts (3 units) PL
Statler Hotel (280 units) PL
Virginia, 530 (10 Units) PL
Waterfront Village- Ellicott Dev. (80 Units) PL
Webb Building (30 Units) PL
YWCA North St- Sr. Apts. (65 Units) PL

HOTELS
Bass Pro Complex Hotel PL
Corn Exchange— Ramada Plaza PL
ECC Boutique Hotel PL
Franklin, 204- Boutique Hotel PL

I’ve spent time in cities all over America and without a doubt Buffalo takes the cake when it comes to its refusal to evolve. In a lot of ways I admire that. Buffalonians appreciate their history and traditions. Sadly this transfers over to some not-so-good things such as the absolute stranglehold the unions hold over its alleged superiors. If Buffalo was a somewhat-thriving city I could see the unions trying to milk out some more benifits and bucks but this is ridiculous.
Union workers in the public sector in this city don’t realize how good they have it. The infinite supply of benifits and pensions is off the charts when you look at the economy of the city, county and state (excluding NYC). So for three years now the control board has froze their wages and until now they have done a good job of making the sacrifice. Thats over now. Private sector employees make less on average than these guys who are threatening and whining about their situation.
Until Buffalo hits absolute rock bottom (a scary thought since I thought we did a few times already) the unions here will never change and always push for more goodies. Its the same reason why so many manufacturing jobs left this city. They refused to believe the businesses that said they were hemorraging money so we all payed the price.
Not to say unions are the only ones to blame. This current wage freeze problem has a lot to do with Albany. New York state gives ridiculous rewards to state employees even long after they are gone.
Someone, sometime, somewhere has to realize Buffalo is dying faster than ever. With every step forward we take two back. And all our progress is from people who will invest in this city DESPITE all the concequences that come with it (NewEra). Albany has to see the light and make the changes, the unions have to realize the control board is not a bunch of wealthy snots who look down upon them. We are in a time of crisis-which means we all need to cooperate or else we’ll never change. Then again, that would be very Buffalo-like of us.

Awesome news today…
Bashar Issa (a British businessman of Iraqi desent) said he plans to convert the top 14 floors of the 18-story Statler into condominiums, creating as many as 280 units, with one- and two-story dwellings, in the $150,000 to $275,000 price range. A 150-to-200-room, four-star hotel would occupy the second through fourth floors and ground floor, mezzanine and basement levels would be filled with office and retail tenants, plus a fine-dining restaurant, small movie theater and a health club.

Seriously, the best case scenario just occurred. He also said this is a very extensive renovation so it will take three to four years. Niagara Square is gonna be somethin’ in five years with this project and the new federal courthouse. Its great that Downtown gets some much needed condos and residential life on a 9 to 5 Niagara Square.

…still no news on the sale of AM&A’s which was supposed to have a June 1st deadline. Knowing Buffalo, we might not know for a while.