Buffalo Rising Online

Throw Issa onto the the scrap heap right alongside the last Buffalo savior, the great genome king Jeffrey Skolnick.

No harm, no foul.

Bashar was a colorful figure in Buffalo. We wish our friend the best in his future endeavors.

Thank organized crime, I mean organized labor, for stalling the project. As long as this remains a union-town, we will continue to wallow in our own feces and die a slow death. When a project has to not only use only unionized labor (see: higher costs, shoddier work, higher prices for tenants for substandard space), but has to actually bring organized labor on as a financial partner (as this story fails to point out since BRO and many are pro-union), that's a sad statement about the viability of this region longterm.

When you can't set the price you want to pay for your project because of organized labor and their corruption, extortion and political connections in city hall and the building department, that's not a free market. That's called DEATH OF A CITY.

24% union in WNY, 8% in the rest of the country. Stagnant growth and population decline in WNY, growth in the majority of the rest of the country.

thinker - do you have a source that compares construction costs in Buffalo vs other areas of the country to support your claim that unions drive costs up in Buffalo. For an equal building in Buffalo vs Charlotte, what is the difference? Just looking for verifiable facts.. I don't have a strong position on the issue of union vs non-union labor.

"When you can't set the price you want to pay for your project . . . that's not a free market."

This is nonsense. A free market doesn't deliver the prices you want. It delivers the prices you can get.

The idea that this project was derailed by the labor market in Buffalo is greatly weakened by the fact that everything Issa touches tends to turn to crap. Everything we've heard about his work at the Statler -- like expecting workers to remove asbestos for less than a living wage -- indicates that this project was never very serious. That, or he is simply a dilettante playing with his father's money.

Buffalo is still ahead of the game - the Statler in Detroit was torn down.

As long as the group that bought the Statler plans on putting some money into it I dont see a real loss here. I would like to point out that this had nothing to do with Buffalo economics. This guy just got in way over his head and owed everyone and their brother money.

WCP - Your article implies the labor troubles were about only a wage dispute: 'BSC became involved with a dispute with Laborers Local 210 over wage rates at the project...', but why didn't you also mention the widely reported health and safety issues?

'Safety, labor issues cloud multi million-dollar plans of Statler developer By Sharon Linstedt NEWS BUSINESS REPORTER 01/23/08

Two workers said they were dismissed for attending an OSHA seminar on asbestos removal. ...'

Full text of above is here about 10 items from top. That was from the Buffalo News in January, and there were other similar reports in the BN and Business First over the past year. That article also says Issa had an unusually high number of noncompliance notices under British health and safety laws on his recent project there - 19 separate violations. How is it that Uniland's non-union construction projects and Paladino's non-union construction projects somehow get done in Buffalo without this level of NLRB and OSHA issues as happened with Issa?

thinker - any answer to the question I asked at end of comment above?

Also, do you think not providing proper safety equipment and training for $8 an hour asbestos removal is something usually done by reputable non-union contractors in Buffalo (Uniland, Paladio's contractors, etc.)? Isn't it a huge sign of Issa's incompetence or worse? And his troubles in England as well - all a coincidence or run or bad luck? Or are Buffalo unions to blame for his problems in England too?

I agree with your point that a lot of union-related factors do hurt Buffalo's economy, but in Issa'a case that's not even close to a real excuse.

VGS, It doesn't affect my "Top 10 list of things that will never happen in Buffalo" at all because this project will also fail.You see, Buffalo is not "Business Friendly." Can you say Bussssinneess Friiieendly?

What makes you think this project will materialize, because the buyer said so??? how do you know they buyer is not going to buy the Statler, sit on it, and look for more money, which he will probably get because the Statler sits dead smack in the heart of downtown Buffalo....speculation.

The "Top Ten List of Things That Will Never Happen in Buffalo" will not change until I see the finished product.

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Great news. Marriott Residence brand is a great match for the building. These are developers with a proven track record, unlike Issa. Please people though, when are you going to dig up something on them. Get working on your homework assignments already!

UrbanGuy, In Heather's absence I can tell you that you are missing the point. You misconstrue some comments as pessimistic when they are meant for people to see past the pipe dreams and move on to realistic projects that are not a waste of time.

Although, we all want the projects to come to fruition, I for one believe that the people on this site become too optimistic about unrealistic projects only to be disappointed over and over again. This destroys morale and keeps Buffalo a third rate city.

"You and ever other Sabre jersey wearing, gold wig, tin foil stanley cup, living with your grandma until you are 40 cheese puff eating, snow plowing, magnum PI mustache, Bills zubba wearing Buffalonian...."

Funny, This is the exact image I get when I think of Gaustad. ;-)

You forgot, he has the Genny in hand too! lolol

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Thanks for clarifying Heather...and I don't think you are being negative. Buffalo politicians should have looked at Issa's resume a little closer before popping the champagne bottles....it was that simple. A lot of time and energy could have been saved for a real developer. do we have one now or are we going to make the same mistake?

{deleted- flaming}

I have to agree with TARGET and others that Issa was well intented and sincere in wanting to accomplish something at the Statler.

I also have to agree that Buffalo is better off than Detroit. Detroit has lost its Train Stations and its Statler and a significant number of other buildings....same with Cleveland.

Now that being said, the Statler sale and redevelopment was common sense really. Now that the Federal Courthouse will be completed next year the Statler is now prime office, residence and hotel Space.

We must also not forget that the two properties most affected by the Federal Courthouse and the Statler are Snyders Hyatt and the Convention Center. Once the Statler is complete the Convention Center site becomes more valuable for an office tower and the Hyatt becomes more valuable as mixed use (office, residential, hotel) space.

Prepare yourself fellow Buffalonians the war of the convention center and hyatt are coming soon.

(FLAMING) BRO - WHAT DOES FLAMING MEAN?

Go Bills!

target - You say he wasn't malicious at all here, but don't you consider multiple offenses of endangering worker safety to be malicious? Or do you think OSHA and the NLRB were wrong about Statler workers being told to remove hazardous asbestos without proper equipment and safety training? Just curious how you reconcile all that.

UrbanGuy - Do you own this blog?

If so, I suggest you just delete the comments you don't want to appear here, and ban commenters who don't parrot the desired opinions.

If not, why are you pretending you're the owner/boss around here? How about just stating YOUR viewpoint about the topic, explain how you disagree with others about the topic if you wish, and leave it at that? Instead, you're acting like some self-appointed attitude police by tellin gothers to stay silent when their opinions don't match yours.

By the way, your insistance that others keep any critical objective thinking to themselves does make you sound like a pollyanna, even though you wrote that you're not trying to be one.

If any particular commenter(s) upset you so much by not being cheerleaders about every single project, then I suggest just clicking Avoid User for them. It works very well.

I would like to see Scott Enterprises continue to get a foothold in Buffalo. I would love to see Buffalo get a family style tourist attraction like Splash Lagoon is in Erie or Strong Museum in Rochester.

Yes Sally a smaller one not a big tourist draw and not in the city.

He probly blew all his money on that damn boat

sally...What indoor water park? I don't remember hearing anything about this? I knew the Radisson was knocked down, but I haven't driven by there recently.

Think this might be connected more to the economic mess that we are in than unions or other favorite scapegoats

Genny Cream Ale

Is the Park Lane out?

man i love Issa, I hear he is working at Chippendales across the border.