Priority Issue: Accessing Downtown

Downtown constituents understand that the attractiveness of Downtown Buffalo as a place to work, live, or play is partly a factor of how easy it is to get there, move around, park, and walk the streets. “Accessing Downtown” was the third ranked priority at the 1999 Summit and five of the top ten priority projects were about access, including a revision of street circulation, parking improvements, and a new look at cars sharing Main Street.

Short-Term Parking Plan

Implementation of a new short-term parking plan has produced the equivalent of nearly 2,000 new parking spaces for Downtown. This includes an additional 650 commuters using the expanded Park n’ Go shuttle service; a targeted 500 monthly parkers converted to transit use through a new “Greenback” incentive program supported by the NFT A and Downtown employers; the addition of 505 new on-street parking spaces; and 450 meters that to allowed $2/day parking.

Metropolitan Transportation Center

Proposed renovation of the bus terminal concourse of the Niagara Frontier Transportation Authority is on moving ahead pending final lease negotiations with Greyhound Bus Lines. The proposal to renovate the office portion of the complex is on hold until the current fiscal crisis is resolved.

Erie Canal Harbor

Despite substantial delays due to the controversy over the fate of the historic Commercial Slip, investments in Inner Harbor infrastructure are back on track. A Supplemental Environmental Impact Study is under way. Additional archaeological investigation has been undertaken. And a new budget for the project to accommodate the re-watered canal slip has been drawn up. Meanwhile, construction of the new Naval Ship basin and the Veteran’s Park has continued and is expected to be complete this year.

Street Circulation Revisions

Although the system of one-way streets Downtown simplified travel at intersections, it also made it necessary for motorists to drive long and confusing loops to get to places that were actually nearby. This was very confusing, especially for visitors, and more two-way streets promised to help pedestrians and tenants as well as motorists. A pioneering phase of the work made Chippewa Street two ways from Elmwood all the way to Ellicott. The first phase of additional conversions made Ellicott two-ways from Swan Street to Goodell. Second and third phases will include conversion of Huron Street, Franklin Street, and Washington Street to two-way traffic by the end of the summer.

New Lighting On Main Street

To borrow a phrase from the centennial celebration of the 1901 Pan-American Exposition, “the light has returned to Main Street. “ Long-term inadequacies in street-level lighting have been rectified through the cooperative efforts of Erie County, The City of Buffalo, and Buffalo Place Inc. Brighter light fixtures and bulbs have been installed for both upper levels and pedestrian levels. The City of Buffalo has also installed similar fixtures along Pearl and Washington Streets.

Chippewa Street Improvements

Upgrades in basic lighting on Chippewa Street, as well as paving and streetscape improvements, are in design and are awaiting approval of bonding authority before proceeding to construction.

Adams and Augspurger Parking Ramp Expansion

Construction to add another level to the Robert Adam ramp at Washington and North Division Street is scheduled to begin this summer. Expansion plans for the Owen Augspurger ramp on Pearl Street north of Huron are being developed, along with other alternatives to achieve consolidated parking.

Return of Vehicular Traffic to Main Street

Meanwhile, additional planning work is being conducted for the future of the Main Street pedestrian mall and transit way. An environmental review process sponsored by the City of Buffalo, NFTA, Buffalo Place Inc., Erie County, the New York State Department of Transportation and the Greater Buffalo Regional Transportation Council will consider one of four options for reinvestment in the 20- year- old facility.

The options are (1) to restore two-way traffic to all of Main Street with auto lanes on either side of the track bed, plus some parking; (2) to restore two-way traffic with autos sharing the track bed with rail cars, plus some parking; (3) to reduce the length of the pedestrian mall and restore two-way traffic south of Church and north of Huron Street, with auto lanes next to the trackbed; and (4) to enhance the existing pedestrian mall without returning vehicular traffic.

Intermodal Transportation Center

Plans call for the Amtrak Station to be located in the northern portion of the Memorial Auditorium. This would allow better connections with the NFTA MetroRail. A subsequent phase of the project would involve demolition of the Gen. William J. Donovan State Office Building to accommodate inter-city bus facilities. The EIS is underway and should be ready for comment by summer.

Other Developments

Beyond these projects, there are many other developments on which to report. Within Downtown core, the new Erie County Family Court Building has recently opened Franklin and Niagara Streets. A major renovation of the historic Erie County Courthouse is anticipated. And planning has begun for a new U.S. Federal Courthouse.

Beyond the Downtown core, a wide array of new investments is planned, underway, or recently completed. In the Waterfront Village, a second phase of the Gull Landing residential development has recently been constructed. Across the marina, a series of proposals are now under review for reuse of the former Crawdaddy’s restaurant site – two of which include substantial residential or mixed-use towers.

On the Lower West Side, the Buffalo Municipal Housing Authority is in the midst of a massive redevelopment of a seven-block area under the federal Hope VI program. The project will replace many of the units in the Lakeview Apartments – one of the oldest public housing projects in Buffalo – with new one- and two- family homes.

Nearby, plans are still in the works for a new Tops Supermarket on Niagara Street; funds have been earmarked to renovate the Father Belle Community Center; ten new homes have been constructed nearby on Prospect Avenue; and Hispanos Unidos de Buffalo has completed its headquarters building.

In Allentown, the restoration of the Allendale Theater has provided a new activity anchor for that popular street; restoration of the historic reflecting pool, as well as other renovations at Kleinhans Music Hall, are well underway on Symphony Circle; The Mansions Hotel has opened in the renovated Sternberg House (more commonly known as the former location of Victor Hugo’s restaurant) at Delaware and Edward; and luxury apartments are renting in the renovated former University Club at Allen and Delaware.

Just north of Downtown, a new headquarters for the EPIC program has been completed on Main Street near High. The Pillars Hotel has opened to provide accommodation for long-term hospital patients and their families. And work on a master plan for the Buffalo Niagara Medical Campus is well along. Across a twenty-year horizon, it is anticipated that much as 2.6 million square feet of space will be constructed to house medical-related or bioinformatics facilities on the northeast corner of Downtown.

On the near East Side work is concluding on a new master plan for the Fruit Belt, close to 50 million dollars is establishing the Home Ownership Zone in the Willert Park area, and there is ongoing work in developing and sustaining Ellicott Towers and the Towne Gardens Plaza. All of this work represents significant neighborhood stabilization efforts and, in some cases, the complete reconstruction of neighborhoods.

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