With the Buffalo economic expansion in full swing, and more and more jobs being created in the health and high tech sectors, it’s only a matter of time before the following scenario will occur in Buffalo:
Imagine three years into the future – 2018. You’re a medical researcher being recruited by the new UB Medical School, or a pediatric nurse being courted by Women’s and Children’s new Hospital. Or a senior manager transferring to IBM’s new downtown offices. And here’s the thing: You’re from Chicago, or Boston or Toronto. You love the fact that Buffalo will offer you a more laid back and less expensive lifestyle. You are impressed by Buffalo’s architecture, its cultural amenities, its proximity to amazing outdoor recreational destinations which don’t take two hours to get to. And you’re bowled over by how friendly and down-to-earth Buffalonians are.
You’re ready for Buffalo. But the question is… is Buffalo ready for you? In other words, in 2018, will Buffalo have the services and the infrastructure, and accommodations to satisfy the needs of newly arrived residents, especially those who’ve moved from major cities?
As a current Torontonian and Buffalover, I ask that to myself. What if I were to move to Buffalo? Three years from now, would the city have what I want and have come to expect from a liveable urban locale?
To that end, here are the five things that I feel Buffalo should have in place by then, in order to appeal to those new hires moving from Seattle, or Denver or D.C. or any other progressive city in North America.
1) Condos: Buffalo needs condos. There’s a good chance that the doctor or nurse or engineer or computer programmer being recruited to Buffalo from San Francisco or Los Angeles, Miami or Boston may be moving out of a condo in hope of moving into another one in Buffalo. He or she may not want to rent a loft, but would prefer to own. Currently, save for a couple condos downtown, the only option to buy a place is in the suburbs (and that’s a house not a condo).
Several years ago Uniland proposed building the Gates Circle condos, but the development company met with sufficient opposition from neighbors of the proposed condo, that the project was shelved (at least temporarily).
Perhaps now is the time to revive this project and consider other ones like it. Buffalo was a different city five years ago. The wave of development and investment interests in downtown were just beginning. The realization of just how explosive the housing market would get, could not have been appreciated back then.
But times have changed. Nobody can deny that Buffalo is a hot housing market today. So the time is ripe to reconsider a project like Gates Circle – a modern, sleek condo that would appeal both to newcomers and current residents alike who are ready to own property and sink real roots in the city. Rentals are great. But adding condos to Buffalo’s housing options will make Buffalo that much more competitive and attractive to prospective employees considering a move to the Queen City… and will put Buffalo right up there with other cities that embrace the future.
2) More transit: It’s good to know the NFTA is currently studying expansion plans to Amherst and beyond the Canalside/Cobblestone district. Clearly the city is ready for rapid transit expansion and this will be a selling point to people being recruited to Buffalo who may already be transit commuters in their communities. Whether newcomers are keen on living in the city, or want a house in the suburbs, if the current plans materialize, both urban and suburban residents of Buffalo will have more reason to “dump the pump.”
3) More bike lanes: Kudos to Justin Booth of GObike Buffalo for his leadership, advocacy and the buzz he has created to promote cycling as a viable transportation modality in Buffalo. Thanks to Justin and his crew and all the cycling advocates in Buffalo, the city is seeing more bike lanes, more bike events, greater bike awareness and finally an appreciation for the role bicycles play as part of a comprehensive transportation plan for the city. Any commuter cyclist moving from New York City, Chicago, Portland, or Minneapolis, where bikes transportation is a serious matter, would want to know they can bike to work safely and efficiently in Buffalo as well.
5) A Skyway-less downtown: This likely will not happen by 2018, but it was only this week when I saw a picture of Canalside with the Skyway in the background, that I realized how this structure interrupts the sense of continuity, fluidity and flow of the downtown. It obstructs views, creates a physical and psychological barrier to the downtown, adds pollution to the air and prioritizes cars not people… at a time when people are repopulating the city. In my opinion, it should be removed. If not by 2018, then hopefully soon after.
4) A downtown supermarket: Practically a day doesn’t go by when I read on BRO of another downtown loft project getting off the ground, or a new loft project welcoming its first residents, or new retail popping up in the central business district. With every new person that moves downtown and every new person that begins a new job downtown, it only adds to the momentum and need for a downtown market. At this point, it’s just a matter of when… no longer if. Moreover, I am certain that a new downtown market, will spawn new retail growth in and around its location.
Now if we can just get federal funds so that the city can start working on bringing cars back to the 400, 300, 200 block of Main Street, we will have a downtown better than at any time in the last 50 years, and one more reason to impress all those who will be moving to the city of the future – Buffalo NY.
Lead photo by Katie Schneider – Conversion of Historic Warehouse Lofts to condos
Bike lane photo: Mayor Brown biking to work