Right On, Donn!
Donn Esmondeis column today in the BNews listed the MANY things that have gone right in Buffalo. I love articles like this, rather than the iif it bleeds, it leadsi nature that is frequently featured.
He talked about the Chip Strip & nearby neighbors, Sheais & Studio Arena. It made me think of a symposium that I attended in the fall at Nichols School sponsored by iSmart Growth.i The speaker discussed the recent development of ilife style centers.i He cited a few, newly created sites built in suburban areas and what criteria made a ilife stylei center successful. Only one, the Easton Center in Columbus, OH, was designated so.
As I sat there and listened to the eveningis discussion, this thought crossed my mind, "Isnit downtown Buffalo already a ilifestyle center?i
It seemed to me that all of the various criteria was already in place, especially in the downtown area that Esmonde speaks about today in his insightful column:
iToday we accentuate the positive - things we got right, gifts that keep on giving. Theater District/Chippewa Street: This part of Main Street was once a dismal stew of crime and vacant buildings. Now it is the community's highbrow playground, featuring the restored Shea's Theater, Studio Arena, Irish Classical Theater, bars and restaurants. It shows what can happen when similar attractions are clustered to create a destination.
iVery few cities have this sort of a [theater/entertainment] district," said Larry Quinn, former city chief of community development."It has been a great success."
The transformation of nearby Chippewa Street from a streetwalkers' haven to a nightlife mecca was a happy accident. Trailblazing club owner Mark Goldman opened the Calumet, a flood of other bars (and lately, upscale restaurants) followed.i
Some of the criteria critical to a successful ilifestyle centeri were; accessible mass trans; entertainment including restaurants, theatre, film & retail; urban living; multi-use zoning. Itis all up and running!
Many times we complicate the issue, not realizing that a itweaki is all thatis needed, not reinventing the wheel. The isilver bulleti thinking that has dominated downtown development for decades, where one project is going to be the critical mass, is wrong. Letis face it, whatis REALLY propelled Buffalois recent resurgence is that New Buffalonians are putting their time and money into projects that are creating real change. One only has to check into BROnline/CITY each day to read about these positive developments.
Keep it up, New Buffalo! And right on, Donn!
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Comment Options
John C.
Great article...Always happy to see the Media mention the positive news in our city.
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barhopper
Nice article but same old stuff...how many times is this reporter going to kiss ass with guys like Goldman etc...Goldman hardly developed the Chip strip..come on there were others who ventured down there as well but were too busy the real crowds and business to gain media attention.
Why does't anyone talk about Hertel or upper Main street development or even housing development in downtown.
Articles about positive growth in area are great but how about some more diverse stuff...frankly it is getting boring.
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Melissa Q.
I always thought the Buffalo News should have a weekly column/section that should be dedicated strictly the positive ongoings of the city, such a store/restaurant opening, construction plans, events, etc. Sort of a printed Buffalo Rising so that everyone can read it, not just the web users.
Maybe Queenseyes could pitch this too the News and become a contributor!!
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John C.
That's a great idea Melissa Q. Many newspapers nationwide do that sort of news on the weekends to let it's local readers know what's happening in their area. We should work that out with the Buffalo News.
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mark goldman
yo barhopper...themz fightin' woids, man. how 'bout you and i meet some night, real late, in Asbury Alley and we'll settle this thing once and for all.
Paznakowsky (that's yiddish for Goldman, just in case ya dit-in know.
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HandMeThatPiano
Re: Goldman hardly developed the Chip strip
Ye of little memory. He started it all, many came long after to develop the area, because of cheap area property prices after they saw Mark's place succeed. Before the Calumet, the street & surrounding area was considered a hopeless slum. No investor would touch the area.
I went to Hutch Tech just up the street in the late 1960s & early 70s. The street was mostly boarded up buildings or ones with broken windows. The few barely surviving businesses were run down, vermin infested, smelly dumps. One had to duck muggers, step over bums lying in the street, live & dead rats just to get to school in broad daylight!
When I revisited Chippewa in 1994, 4 years after Mark opened the Calumet, it still looked & smelled the same, except for one glimmer. The Calumet. It housed the Calumet Arts Cafe, The Third Room, & the Irish classical theater. What a wonderful & interesting new place in the middle of a broken or boarded up street.
Others followed later after they figured out there was money to be made... Probably too many.
I saw too many bars suddenly opening up at an alarming rate. Mark's dream of a diversified artistic street was shattered. It had became a heavy drug & drinking street again... Which was Chippewa's downfall decades before. History is repeating itself, but we never learn.
A few friends & I tried to petition the city & SLA to limit the amount of taverns that could open up per block on Chippewa to keep it diversified, & manageable but we where ignored.
Now the area has once again attracted crime, hard drugs, heavy drinkers, & all sorts of undesirables. Traffic, crime, & fights push our limited police & security resources to the limit on weekends, & even more during the summer.
More than half of Chippewa is up for sale because owners want out fast. Will we see Chippewa become a slum again? If things keep going they way they have been for the past 10 years... Yes!
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