Buffalo Rising Online

wait... what? two decent proposals!! holy sh*t the sky is falling!! Couple small comments.. Detached homes, while desirable are the LEAST efficient and environmentally friendly means to live, heat and dwell. So while I am enthused and greatly pleased that they are willing to take the steps to implement green produces in their designs, It should be noted as such. We are a long way from giving up the single family detached home so I don't fault them for going where the market is.

Zero lot line? Really? sure the garage is zero lot line but that is about it. It wouldn't hurt to push them together just a wee bit more. Most traditional urban neighborhoods have 30' lots and while yes I know that is too narrow for modern building codes (which I totally disagree with) maybe they could fit in a couple more units if people shared a driveway here and there. I grew up in a home that shared the driveway with the neighbors and it was nice. In the spirit of interaction and knowing who you live near, nothing beats that. Plus kids have a double wide areas to play. If everyone is going to have an attached garage and therefore no need to actually park in the driveway (something my home didn't have) there would be few conflicts.

Less Concrete = more green & less costs, More units = more money + more green.. See its a win win! 50 - 60' lot lines are twice as wide as most homes in the Elmwood village or other areas of the city, which means you have fewer people and less density overall. Something to think about. If we can't build quality townhomes yet in this city maybe lets try to make the best single detached homes we can for residents and the environment.

I would like to see an elevation that both includes the garages, which will be present and the distances between homes. While those renders of the buildings looks quite nice we always need to think about the area as a whole. They seem slightly misleading, floating in green and blue like that.

While someone will probably say I am nit-picking and just build it I offer these comments as constructive criticism as anyone in the field of urban design and architecture know, it is what you do to make projects the best possible. They can take it or leave it but there isn't anything wrong with trying to add value.

I hate the cottage floor exterior and floor plan....its an urban area....what exactly are they trying to recreate memories of sharecropping.

the colonial is the way to go for traditional, especially if it has a garage like shown in the floorplan.

The big mistake that these developers make is that they just DO NOT UNDERSTAND BUFFALO!

Drive down the streets that every Buffalonian has embraced in their hearts.

Colonials like above fit in quite nicely but: Lets not forget ROWHOUSES (brownstones) like what can be seen on Delaware Avenue and elsewhere. Lets not forget TUDORS Lets not forget FRENCH COUNTRY or BEAUX ARTS Lets not forget FEDERAL Lets not forget the ART NUVEAU Lets not forget that the cottage house could easily be tweaked to Italian and Greek Renaissance Lets not forget the ARTS & CRAFTS COTTAGES.

THE SAD THING IS THAT IT DOESNT HAVE TO COST THAT MUCH BECAUSE THERE ARE ACTUALLY BOOKS OF EACH OF THE ABOVE STYLES UPDATED TO MODERN BUILDING CODES.

(the only drawback is that one would have to order building materials in smaller lots for the different styles but people will be more than happy to compensate for the additional quality because they will have faster appreciation and curb appeal .... and the big thing...people dont want crap anymore...now they want 2 things:

1) they want low quality design...especially quality design that fits in with the best of the designs from the best of the cities neighborhoods...that means designs evoked from Delaware, Bidwell, Chapin, Lancaster, Oakland, Penhurst, Lincoln, Tillinghast, even something modern such as FLW's modern house on Bird Ave, etc)

2) they want quality building materials...especially stone and brick accents

what they dont want is a cheap copy cat design that belongs more in the 1950s and 1960s manufactured homes where there are only maybe 4 styles to choose from and none of the styles have any connection to Buffalos best.

If people are going to pay good money then they want their house to have the curb appeal and the design reflect it.

WHATS BEING PROPOSED SO FAR TELLS ME THAT NO ARCHITECT HAS BOTHERED TO BE A STUDENT OF BUFFALO ARCHITECTURE.....

NO ARCHITECT SO FAR HAS TAPPED INTO THE ARCHITECTURE THAT IS SEARED INTO AND EMBRACED BY BUFFALONIANS AND WNYERS (CONSCIOUSLY OR unconsciously)

Its as if all developers and all architects graduated from the same school and they are all playing the same record and using the same designs that can be found anywhere USA.....to that I say....what good are you and what good is your education and talent if your signature work is symbolic of a copy cat hack.

Also if I were a developer.....I would be having a conversation with what is it Nichols over on Amherst and Colvin, as well as Medaille, as well as McKinley High School over on Elmwood.

All of those sites are ideal for multiple 15 story residential towers with commanding views of Forest Lawn and Delaware Park that are completely un-noticed because the current occupants are 1-2 stories mostly.

Imagine if Medaille or Nichols decided to relocate someplace where they had more room to grow.

There are sections of Main, Delevan, Humboldt, Agassiz Circle that are completely unrecognized for their location and potential views.....especially if done like what is it 800 West Ferry or the Compagnile...with alot of brick and stone balconies but updated with larger windows but again....no architect reaches to our own Buffalo character and style.

Yea its great to be bold and modern....but to often bold and modern is genericville USA! Buffalo needs bold and modern...Buffalo style just as we need traditional buildings that echo....Buffalo characteristics.

I think this idea is decent, but not as good as the Mayne one. I feel that the commercial center of teh Mayne development has a better chance of unifying those neighborhoods than does this one. This one has fewer connections to the existing street grid (I would prefer more in the Mayne development as well). I'm still behind the Mayne development. The one component of this plan that I like is that it extends north to Nicholson and Brinton. I was not aware that that land was included in this project. If it is I would like to see the Mayne proposal add a North South street from their development through to Nicholson that has homes along it. Further integrating the neighborhoods with new housing and streets will help the area.

chris69, i agree with almost all of what you're saying except, there isn't a chance in hell Nichols is going anywhere. they've just made a multi million dollar investment with their sports fields, and plan on redoing the entire campus. not to mention the parents there, wouldn't exactly be tickled by loosing their nice spot in North Buffalo. nothing but the best for little martha :]

reminds me a little bit of the Crystal Beach Village without the beach or the quasi - facist feel of a rule heavy, curfew enforced, gated community

bfloMatt, Im not worried because there is always Medaille, McKinley, Sisters Hospital, Humboldt, Agassiz, Delavan and Main.

Anyway the point was raise awareness that there are additional developable locations with incredible view of Forest Lawn and Delaware Park.

I think this proposal is better than Mayne's. It seems to be much further developed. Maynes appears more conceptual and schematic. I like the boulevard and the green guidelines. I have to say that I think creating a new commercial zone, as per Maynes proposal, would canabalize exisitng commercial strips (Hertel, Main, Kenmore) while this plan seems to recognize that a few commercial parcels could help augment the project while not being dependant on them. I don't think this needs a new "center" as much as it should marry the existing fabric. I think this plan does just that.

I'm loving all of these.

Do I see actual porches? Detached garages? Is the world coming to an end?

Isn't it exciting to see what happens the City issues an honest Request for Proposals?

Imagine what would happen with all the City-owned parcels on our Inner Harbor....

I don't think that Buffalo should be sacrificing the exiting rail corridors. We are likely to need them in the future.

I like the proposals that I have seen so far, my only question relates to the impact to the surrounding neighborhoods. Has anyone done an impact assessment on what these new build houses may have on the University Heights? Will it spark interest and investment or lead to even more vacancies?

What about the impact to development along Main Street, do these proposals truly tie Main Street to Hertel Ave, or are we looking at a village within a community?

As a resident of North Buffalo and an ex-University Heights resident and home owner, I am curious about your opinions.

it amazes me that only 17 people commented on this by the way... i guess Peace Bridge trumps all.

What really bugs me about this is that apparently the NFTA has given up on rapid transit. This will be viewed as one of Buffalo's biggest blunders. One of the characteristics of successful cities is ease of mobility. The NFTA is apparently selling off these rail right of ways to make money on real estate. We are blessed to have these right of ways. They interconnect throughout the city, making it easy to develop rail transit. If you build houses, then what? Buffalo is one of the few cities blessed with so many of these right of ways. Unfortunately it is the only city I know of that has looked at rapid transit in a negative light. Even pointing fingers at it for the demise of shopping downtown. Downtown shopping was already dying. the nail in the coffin was the "Galleria".