David, I am very familiar with your work as an activist and stringer for the Mid-town / East Side area. I applaud your dedication despite the obvious frustrations, better men would have quit in your shoes, I am glad that you are still hanging in there.

I read through the Artspace development documents, and street profiles a couple months ago. They provide an excellent overview of the area; however they lack teeth when it comes to action. They are akin to a mission statement that says "Provide customers with outstanding service" or "increase investor earnings"... the question becomes, how? It is nice to say that we want to develop pedestrian friendly streets, or local retail; however the neighborhood is prohibitive. There is some development in the area, you mentioned a few of these projects; however there is also a palpable lack of commitment from local residents. I drive through the Main / Ferry intersection every few days and watch the graffiti increase along the walls of the vacant buildings. I drive down Dodge, North Hampton, Ellicott, and Michigan and see the ever increasing damage to the houses. This isn't damage that is done in back alleyways or under cover of darkness, this is done during the day and evening. How long has this area been neglected by the police? When was the last time someone was arrested for defacing property, for breaking and entering a vacant building, or for stealing from the job sites in the area? I read your melancholic updates of the Woodlawn Row Houses and wonder if there is anything that could be done at this point. They are continually raped of fixtures, vandalized, and pushed one step closer to being demolished; however the City and Police do little to stop it. Same with the plumbing and fixtures from so many buildings in the area; what is being done to improve the quality of life in that area?

The first step towards investment in DC came from the Mayor and the Chief of Police. They cleaned up the area and ensured that it remained safe. They provided clear boundaries for development, and prosecuted criminal activity in that zone. I haven't seen that level of involvement or public declaration of intent from the Buffalo Police or the Mayor. I have yet to see the city put actions behind their words, they provide a fluff filled paper on what this area could be, but the truth is that it is still a highly volatile area.

I lived in DC for many years. The area is in a constant state of change, both good and bad. The District proper isn't inherently attractive; with a few obvious exceptions (Georgetown, Embassy Row, Sections of North East, parts of Capital Heights); however it is becoming increasingly attractive as the suburbs expand. The suburbs are their own worst enemy in the DC area; there is a lack of infrastructure, a lack of roads and alternate routes into the city. Many people who live in DC work in DC; however there are probably just as many who enjoy the reverse commute to places like Tyson's Corner, Reston, Bethesda, and Largo, MD. Mayor Williams ran a program to attract business and development in the city, he worked to make it both practical and attractive for people to live in the City. If you have lived or stayed in DC, you will know that the metro is limited, that it is not a bike or pedestrian friendly city; but he has worked to change some of that. He has attracted new business downtown, into the various areas of the city, using the metro as a primary artery. He has offered tax incentives to new residents, and most importantly, he has cleaned up the streets and the schools. It is not perfect, and no were near as attractive as neighboring Arlington or Fairfax Counties; but it is improving.

We have many of the same strengths going for us in the city; however our city lacks leadership and guidance (much like DC under Mayor Barry). We have political power brokers who are concerned with upsetting the wrong person or group, for fear that it may interfere with the next step in their political careers. We have residents who have grown accustomed to the status-quo, they have given up. We need leadership, we need a plan with teeth, we need the city and residents behind the plan, and we need more people like David.

I would love to see a consortium of local developers, neighborhood residents and de facto leaders of this city come together to decide which areas they will focus on first and how they will go about doing it. There will always be free thinking investors, opportunists, and others who develop in undeveloped areas; or try to do their own thing, we should encourage that. That said, we need to create a few serious, large scale victories for this city, that isn't done one small step at a time. Think the toll booth removal magnified to benefit an entire 10x10 block area of the city, then spreading that 10x10 block to 12x14, then 15x20, then 30x50.. you get the idea. It doesn't happen by chance.

what would it take to bring the Artspace neighborhood to a point that it is on-par with Adam's Morgan in DC? It seems that this area of the city is closer to Anacostia (which is undergoing a remarkable revitalization) or Prince George's County, MD. Crime, vagrancy, homelessness, and blight make this seem like an unlikely prospect. On a positive note, the same was said about Anacostia and the Navy Yard in DC, and they have turned that entire section of the city around in less than 10 years. There is a greater desire to live in DC than downtown Buffalo (typical commuters in DC spend 1.5 hours+ commuting into and out of the city each day, that is 3+ hours in their cars). The hit on quality of life and lower cost of living is make the city more palatable for some, we are not under ths same constraints and conditions.

Here is a link to the SE DC Redevelopment company: http://www.jdland.com/dc/

They have a plan, mission, and focus for this area. Maybe we should do the same for that strip of Main Street instead of leaving it to chance.

I am sorry for hijacking the post, I thought I could go back and edit, but hit submit instead. Oops. :-)