Elmwood Avenue is the golden child when it comes to commercial shopping districts in Buffalo. But that doesn’t mean that the street has not suffered at the hands of bogus building and business owners. Each of us has a list of the things that we love and dislike about the district, from parking issues to blighted storefronts to absentee building owners… there are some serious issues that need to be addressed. At the same time, Elmwood is light years ahead of where it once was. There have been some significant developments as of late, with more on the way. This is the perfect time to steer a smart course for the district, thus ensuring the best future possible.
On Saturday, April 12, 2014, the Elmwood Village Association is hosting a Community Open House – to Envision the Future of the Elmwood Village. The meeting will take place at St. John’s Grace Church*, 51 Colonial Circle, and features two sessions – Session 1 from 9:00 – 11:00 AM, and Session 2 from 1:00 – 3:00 PM (participants can arrive and depart as they see fit).
If you’re one of those people who has been sitting on the sidelines, bitching to friends about this or that (pertaining to Elmwood), this is your chance to let your voice be heard in a constructive manner. It’s also a chance to find out about some of the exciting developments that are on the way (including the new Benchmark building coming soon – see here).
The information taken away from the meeting will help to forge Phase 1 of the Elmwood Village Neighborhood Plan (Community Engagement & Visioning). Together with social media feedback and an online survey, the information will be handed off to eco_logic STUDIO and Rose Hernandez Planning Partners in order to create a more comprehensive vision for the street.
According the the EVA, the Vision Plan would “support and inform the RFP for the Women & Children’s Hospital Campus redevelopment and serve as the basis for embarking on Phase 2 of the comprehensive neighborhood plan.”
Participants will take part in interactive dialogs to help answer questions like these:
• What do you want EV to be like in 10 years?
• How can we get there?
• What opportunities and challenges does the hospital redevelopment pose for EV?
• What do you like about your neighborhood?
• What would you change about it?
*The facility is not handicap accessible; for those who may not be able to attend because of accessibility or other reason, a survey is available at www. elmwoodvillage.org.
The development of Phase 1 of the Elmwood Village Neighborhood Plan was made possible with funding from the Baird Foundation and Kaleida Health.