By Erin McNeil:This Friday, Donna the Buffalo is roaming through downtown. Donna the Buffalo will be holding a home-grown, grassroots show at the Tralf Music Hall. Stop on down for some foot-tapping entertainment! Doors open at 7pm, shows at 8pm, so come early and find a great seat, or take advantage of the bar with stage views. Tickets are available at all Ticketmaster locations; tickets are $26.50 presale and $29.50 day of the show. Originating in Trumansburg, NY in 1989, Donna the Buffalo rove the Midwest and Eastern seaboard as one of the few touring roots bands. The Herd, their…
Author: WCPerspective
For those of you who can’t make it to the weekly Common Council meeting, following is the briefing. From this week’s meeting as provided by the council:The Council adopted a resolution sponsored by Council Members Michael LoCurto and Michael Kearns requesting that the Mayor of the City of Buffalo provide the Council with a report describing the progress of Capital Improvement projects, including schedules and explanations of any delays or anticipated cost overruns, as required by City Charter Article 20-31. According to the City Charter, the Mayor is required to submit to the Common Council, the Comptroller, and the Citizen’s…
By Nancy Cardillo:Want to do some unique holiday shopping while helping out a worthwhile organization? Looking for a creative gingerbread house to help decorate your house for the holidays?Join us at Gilda’s Club Western New York, 1140 Delaware Avenue (across from Canisius High School) on Saturday and Sunday, December 4 and 5 from 11am-6pm for our annual Gingerbread…Gifts…Glitz…at Gilda’s Club event!You can bid via silent auction on amazing gingerbread houses created by student, amateur and professional bakers. Or you can purchase a smaller gingerbread house right then and there.You’ll also have the opportunity to purchase one-of-a-kind gifts created by local…
The former Penn/Lamar Advertising property at the corner of West Avenue and Maryland Street could see a two-building, 83-unit apartment project constructed under a proposal by developer Anthony Lorusso. Lorusso’s firm, APL Properties, owns the Brent Manor apartments at 366 Elmwood and a number of other properties on the West Side. Approximately 30 people attended a Wednesday night information meeting on the project and raised concerns about the project’s design, site cleanup and plans for a laundry facility in one of the buildings. Two 3-story, flat roof buildings facing West Avenue with parking in the rear are proposed. Entrances to…
Andrew J. Rudnick is at it again. The president of the Buffalo Niagara Partnership has again gone on record saying that investing in the Statler is unwise. Curious talk from the head of an organization “working for improved business competitiveness and expanded economic activity in the region” and advocates for “policies and resources to increase private sector investment and jobs.” Rudnick is interviewed by YNN’s Ryan Burgess: “It’s an enormous building in a state of significant disrepair that requires investment that the market won’t support,” said Rudnick. “It’s thinking with your heart or thinking with your head. With your heart you want to…
State and local elected officials have a decision to make. Invest $5 million to stabilize the venerable Statler building or come up three times that amount (or more) to demolish the building. Would-be developers Mark Croce and James Eagan have plans for the property but can’t go it alone. They want to see the building redeveloped but are reportedly looking for state and city help to stabilize the building. The Statler’s clock is ticking. Croce and Eagan submitted the only bid to purchase the property in August. Their due diligence period expires on Monday. The developers have not unveiled their…
The Erie County Industrial Development Agency (ECIDA) board and its Industrial Land Development Corporation (ILDC) today approved a mix of tax abatement packages and tax-exempt financing arrangements to leverage $115.8 million in new projects. Actions by the ECIDA and RDC boards will support a range of developments, ranging from adaptive reuse of the historic Lafayette Hotel and Calumet Building in downtown Buffalo, to construction of a new parking ramp for the Buffalo Niagara Medical Campus, and major projects on the Canisius and Medaille College campuses. “Today’s approvals demonstrate the broad range and flexibility of funding mechanisms this agency possesses to…
100 South Elmwood LLC received $110,000 in sales tax savings and up to $25,000 in mortgage tax savings from the Erie County Industrial Development Agency for a $3 million renovation of the circa-1916 Robertson Cataract Building (also known as the Corn Exchange), 157 W. Mohawk Street. Anthony Baynes and Kent Frey are partnering on the project which will result in a mix of commercial and residential space. The first floor will include 10,000 sq.ft. of commercial space and the upper floors will be converted into 26 loft-style apartments. The building has been vacant for 15 years. Baynes and Frey purchased the…
Bridges are back in the news. The endless Peace Bridge debate continues while plans for a Buffalo River crossing to the outer harbor are advancing, at least until a site and design are selected. Perfect time for a road trip. Redding in northern California has a signature pedestrian bridge. The Sundial Bridge crosses the Sacramento River and connects the northern and southern portions of the Turtle Bay Exploration Park and is an integral part of the city’s river trail system. The 700′ long glass and steel bridge designed by Santiago Calatrava and opened in 2004 has put Redding on the…
The world’s most decorated soldier will be honored with a tree planting ceremony along Memorial Drive tomorrow, November 6, 2010 at 1 PM. Matt Urban won what is believed to be the most military medals ever bestowed on a combat soldier. The Guinness Book of World Records has recently honored this achievement. The eight trees planted will represent the Medal of Honor and seven Purple Hearts that the soldier earned during his six years Urban served in the United States Army. The total number of medals he racked-up during World War II numbered 29. Matt Urbanowicz grew up in the…