From the rendering, it appears that these new homes utilize design elements that have for too long been lacking in urban new builds. The large front porch to sit and see the neighborhood in action is great. Its also wonderful to see those solid porch colums instead of dinky wrought iron or aluminum supports. Stone foundation surface treatments! Even the large window frames, with a sill and trim piece at the top, instead of some bland aluminum wrapping. And ESPECIALLY having the garage entrances in the back or side of the home. It is great to see the home first, instead of a garage at the street with an attached house behind it. New builds in the city have come a long way from what was once constructed as urban infill. Ironically, the better the designs become, the more they look like what once was our housing stock. That is the best of both worlds though! New housing, with modern ammenities, and still with the street charm of a well designed home.

I am not sold on the "pedestrian walkway" but it may work with private homeowners.

Land banking should occur, but not on the near east side. I feel new builds like this should be concentrated between Jefferson and Main. As we demo, we need to start funneling people back to the core to be able to concentrate and more effectively use our resources. To make a concentration of people to support new stores etc.and downtowns reemergence. On the outside (out past fillmore) start to concentrate the land banking as those houses get demo'd over the next 10 yrs. We need to realize that the popluation is not there to save every neighborhood and house.

Some people want new builds. Not everyone wants double flats with 8x10 bedrooms and even smaller bathrooms. And these look great and very urban. Jefferson is not that far from DT. WE have seen in the past forclosures and loss of value for new builds. There will be growing pains. I think this dense urban development with more upscale features as opposed to scattered cheap infill has a better chance at some level of success. We need plans to ensure we build off it until we have something that has a chance of supporting and growing on its own.

Again the pessimistic attitude of some Buffalonians is prevailant. Yes the East Side has a reputation. And maybe investment in this area will start out low due to crack houses, etc... But you have to start somewhere and this development is a step in the right direction. Amazingly there are 27 potential buyers for 24 homes.... seems like there is some demand in this area. And those buyers willing to shell out the 180-200k for these homes will most likely take pro-active steps to help rehabilitate the rest of the area. Again... this is a positive step in a struggling city. Let's support it instead of criticize it.

The rear of the houses do NOT face Sycamore. The garages and driveways are at the rear of the houses and face the new alley Sydni . They come off the rear of the houses. Not the typical front of the house like typical suburban design. Except for the houses at the corner of Mortimer and Sycamore that have the more common driveway at the front of the house.

Mathew's St is also used as an alley. The houses between Mathews and Sydni face each other along the new pedestrian walkway.

> Why doesn't the developer just buy all of the houses in the neighborhood, and renovate those.

I hear this argument all the time in such posts, often accompanied by photos of gorgeous houses by Canisius College. In reality, the vast majority of housing stock on the East Side consists of small worker's cottages and telescoping houses that, for the most part, were stripped of little charm and "character" they had through the years. They're energy-inefficient, and usually have awkward floorplans; tiny bedrooms, small or nonexistent closets, no delineation of public and private space (bathrooms off a kitchen, bedrooms off a living room, etc.), only one bathroom, basements often accessible only from the outdoors, and so on. The cost of gutting the house, expanding and reconfiguring the floorplan to meet the expectations of a typical middle-class homebuyer, and furnishing the house with modern amenities (high efficiency HVAC, high amperage electrical system, multiple bathrooms, energy-efficient windows, modern kitchen, large closets, etc.) would be astronomical; it would be more practical and economical to simply build new.

Maybe some readers of BR would want to live in a fully rehabbed and updated East Side cottage. An overwhelming majority of homebuyers, though, would likely say "DO NOT WANT" if offered the alternative of a new neotrad home.

JM- two activists?!?! Wow. Some unaminity! Good going.

1. Yes I have been in this part of town... actually IN it not just driven thru it. 2. I don't believe in any of my posts I have criticized any progressive move to increase population and housing in the city core. 3. Maybe it is a PR move. But again investing in rehabilitation is better than doing nothing.

Yes you are pesky pessimists. "The east side is dead so why try to do anything" mentality. I've said it before. If you think that investing in Buffalo and attempting to bring about renewed interest in its surrounding neighborhoods - even the east side - is a fools errand... then get out. The reason crap neighborhoods remain crap is because people like you turn a blind eye to them and allow them to rot. I'd rather have people in this city try and fail then not try and let it continue going down the drain.

Ok. This project is not going to please everyone, but serioulsy, it increases property values throughout that neighborhood. I know there is a strong contingent out there that would like to rehabilitate long-vacant structures that are either burned out or have been a drug haven for several year, or maybe go back to constructing homes like they did in the 1800's, but we need to face reality. This is a positive development, maybe not ideal, but positive. If the city could combine this idea with mid to high rise living on major thoroghfares, like Sycamore and Jefferson, it may just create a unique urban experience that appeals to a diverse mix of people.

They dont look all that suburban. And it does bring investment into the east side. And I have to agree with the mayor on harnessing the energy in downtown and pushing it into bordering neighborhoods. Its shocking that houses on the outskirst of downtown dont cost a fortune because of the convienence of a professional who wants a house to commute five minutes to and from work.

When I first heard about this development, SUBURBAN popped up in my head.

But from the renderings they don't look that way at all. The front porch is a huge plus. When I think of city vs. suburb living that is one of the distinguishing characteristics in my mind. Front porch vs. Back deck. I also like the higher price tag. Gentrification is a dirty word to some people but there's no doubt that it helps development in ailing cities. I'm liking this development more than I thought I would.

There are durable, maintenance-free and low-maintenance alternatives to vinyl siding. One alternative is concrete fiber siding ("Hardy plank" or "Hardy board"), but its use in the region is almost unknown. Concrete fiber siding (along with a certain percentage of masonry, as required by local zoning codes) is the standard siding material for most single-family development in the Denver area, and it looks really, really good. Another alternative is brick; not a prominent element of the local architectural vernacular, but for those that value "authenticity", "honesty" and the like, it beats vinyl by a mile.

Looks nice and good luck, but for 200k, I'll stay on the west side thankyou very much.

I agree with the need to develop the East Side, but not in this way. It might not look like your typical subdivision, but it screams of suburbia. Why do we need to redesign the city? Why doesn't the developer just buy all of the houses in the neighborhood, and renovate those. Yes there are some missing teeth that will have to be fixed, but that is where the new houses come in. The proposed houses are nice, but where is the charm in them that is being talked about. The city should discourage the use of vinyl siding, that is not only bad for the environment, but it is also bad to the aesthetic environment.

I do like the attempt though to bring people back into the East Side. Hopefully it will spur growth and we will start to see businesses opening up again. I think it is a good attempt, but needs to be thought out more.

One star means you made a really good point right? Anyhow, clapboard, Hardy board, & brick, etc. are outrageously expense. There's a reason why nearly everyone uses plastic to cover their houses.

Kind of sad to see this neighborhood (once a vibrant commercial/mix district) go through a rough time, only to be turned into a sub division (suburbia lifestyle-in the heart of the ghetto).

Hey, many restaurants in WNY have been charging NYC prices for years so why not real estate. The joys of our renaissance.

denizen sums this whole project up perfectly.

This development will create no value and will subtract value from other city neighborhoods. Similar developments down the street showed, house by house, that people simply left historic housing, as in Hamlin Park, for housing like Sickamore Vinyl Village that exist really nowhere at all. There is no public amenity in this district and none can exist because of the construction of this housing. As a planner, I'm at a loss as to why the City is pursuing this project.

Who will be moving into these houses when the population continues to drop? are people going to move into these from an older house and that older house will be demolished as part of the Mayor's Plan? What the east side really needs are JOBS, BUSINESSES, A BETTER DEVELOPMENT PLAN, BETTER SIDEWALKS, PAVED STREETS, LIGHTING AND MORE POLICE PRESENCE.

Hall- 'artistic' licensce by the blogger is my thinking. Are you thinking?

This development is not all that suburban, I say this because they are building 24 homes on less than 4 acres, yes they are larger than many lots in the city but they are also much smaller than what 24 homes would require in the suburbs. I am also glad that most of these homes will be market rate at close to 200K the subprime collapse will guarantee that the " borderline" financially will not be able to move in and struggle to maintain and otherwise afford these homes, nasty sounding I know but it would be a shame to see this blighted by a wave of unaffordability that seems to strike this type of project if it were all subsidized.

Dear Haters:

I hate to say it but this is what society has come to, the majority want a house like this. Big lot, lawn, 2 car garage. Vinyl victorian in the city or vinyl victorian in the burbs.. you pick.

Ricky rick... find me some pictures of the vibrancy and cleanliness of the east side... I won't even give you a time line.. it was always slumish.. and dirty... this is an improvement.

Landbank... I wish... its unfortunate that there will always be new houses built. If we stopped new builds and pushed homeowners either into renovation or demolition.. then buffalo would be perfect wouldn't it?

But the upfront costs can save you money in the long run, since they usually all have better insulation ratings than a 1/8 thick piece of plastic, they require fewer repairs over the life of the structure especially in a windy place like Buffalo when the winds decide to rip a chunk of it off every couple years.

The reason people in older homes save money when putting on vinyl isn't because of the vinyl but the 1/2 inch of insulation that goes underneath it over their existing facade, which the vinyl is then tacked onto. Hence why you can walk up to almost any vinyl house and with little force at all ripe it off.

Overall this project is a step in the right direction though for this area and for developments in Buffalo. I am actually interested to see how it looks and feels once completed and how dense or sparse the neighborhood will feel.

But the upfront costs can save you money in the long run, since they usually all have better insulation ratings than a 1/8 thick piece of plastic, they require fewer repairs over the life of the structure especially in a windy place like Buffalo when the winds decide to rip a chunk of it off every couple years.

The reason people in older homes save money when putting on vinyl isn't because of the vinyl but the 1/2 inch of insulation that goes underneath it over their existing facade, which the vinyl is then tacked onto. Hence why you can walk up to almost any vinyl house and with little force at all ripe it off.

Overall this project is a step in the right direction though for this area and for developments in Buffalo. I am actually interested to see how it looks and feels once completed and how dense or sparse the neighborhood will feel.

I don't live in a vinyl house, I am not particularly in love with the material but I understand why it's used, now there is good , better, and best types of vinyl. It is hard to tell from the renderings but the details seem to suggrest both vinyl and cultured stone used, I know from experiance that the cultured stone material looks great, lasts a long time , is low matinence, and is not cheap at all. I would love to see hardi plank exterior material but I also know that it is more expensive. Is vinyl with stone accents and an architectural shingle roof all that awful? These renderings have more character than the all vinyl Mc Mansions in Amherst and, Lancaster ect...

Could we at least put bricks on the chimney's? Who thought that looks good or normal? I can guarantee those 1'-6" pieces will be the first ones to fly off considering they probably will only have two or three nails holding them on.

cdubmoo right on!

why dont new develpoments in the city go with painted clapboard siding? You would think it would be cheaper than vinyl and it would shut up half the folks apposed to "vinyl victorians"