This is what neighborhood activists can do. They can turn around a whole neighborhood. This is what happens when a group of motivated people get together to do something huge instead of just waiting for the government to come and "save" them.

Congratulations, Harvey to you and all those people and organizations and city officials and employees who've worked with you.

There's only one more problem to solve and that's how do we inform people in other neighborhoods who are just as motivated how you did it and help them?

Again, another remarkable example of what can be done when great minds, great ideas and determination come together. Unlike the doom and gloom we hear daily on the news/radio, your website is so inspiring as to the big and small improvements to our area. I love BR!

I can't wait to see all the new changes that will be happening on Connecticut!

In answer to the suggestion of informing others on the how-tos I'm going to try to post the Grant Street project online as we develop the plan and implement. I'd really like all of us to work on it collectively.

Tangent is right - step one is to stop waiting for someone else to come in and fix it for you - just let go of the anger and embrace the new feeling of empowerment and your own ability to help shape the future of Buffalo.

Harvey

Great commercial streets are the key to great neighborhgoods. Show me a vibrant commercial street and I will show you a neighborhood that is growing. Lets bring the Itanian Festival back now.

wonderfull!!

Harvey: great peice on the progress that has been made in redeveloping Ct. St. You, Linda, Robin, Nick and so many others have played a significant role in the transformation of this great neighborhood. David S. is right when he says that great commercial districts are key to great neighborhoods. in fact, generally speaking, one does not happen without the other. The Ct. St. model is a good example that we can take back our streets and revitalize our neighborhoods. I was pleased to provide the money to install new lighting for this district. in fact, the same pot of money also produced new street lights for most of grant st. as well as the commercial part of West. Ferry. the feedback i have gotten from merchants has been fantastic. now we need to continue to strengthen Ct. St. and then begin to look at how we can do the same for the Grant./Ferry bus. dist. I look forward to working with you and others on that project. keep up the good work. Sam Hoyt

Thanks Sam, your assistance (monitarily and otherwise) has been invaluable.

Harvey

For us, (Polis Realty) Connecticut offers a number of opportunities. First, just the cost of space is more reasonable for a small business. The costs have risen on Elmwood (as the primary commercial West-Side street) which pushes businesses in other directions. (this has also herped spur Hertel.) This is only a positive as it is the reverse of the spreading blight problem of the past 50 years - and it is important to remember that the trend can be reversed. Likewise, the housing prices have gone up in the Elmwood area, again pushing people to cross that ridiculous border of Richmond that was defined at some point. There is tremendous opportunity for individuals and businesses on the streets that stretch West from Richmond - already the efforts of community organiztions are being realized in lower crime, increased home prices, and now, business interest. Additionally, I believe it is important for a business to have a physical presence and investment in the community in which they operate. There are few markets in the country where real estate is so removed physically from the community - we hope to change that and also are also closing on a building on East Delavan (which is in far better condition than 360 Connecticut). Connecticut offers some unique properties which make it overdue for revitalization - the scale of the street and the remaining buildings give us a glimpse of Buffalo's neighborhood retail past. Also, because of the tightness of the street, it offers wonderful potential for a strong pedestrian strip - which should be remembered as new development plans come forward. Every strong commercial street relies on foot traffic. The same people who have put their efforts into Elmwood and Connecticut are now looking to Grant Street, which has an even richer collection of commercial buildings. The difficulty with Grant is that at the North end, it must compete with Elmwood for student traffic and at the Southern end it is removed from Richmond and the Elmowood neighborhood. Lafayette may provide the best connection to the street as W Ferry still remains a dubious location between Richmond and Grant. Unfortunately, Grant lost some of it's most prominent rows of buildings when the drug store was built at Grant and Ferry. Hopefully, development on Grant can stay at the pedestrian / neighborhood scale that the chain store ignores. We should also remember that small business is most responsible for job growth in the US - we so often look for a big store or company to come in and save the day. They don't. Grant Street has a number of small businesses - Neimac Builder's Supply, Guercios, the Tropical Bakery - and others. These buisnessses should be helped to thrive to encourage other small business to move in. We are glad to be a part of a Westward revitalization.

This street has so much potential! Congrats. to all the great people who will make this street great once again! Even a year ago, I thought I would never hear "Ct. St." and "Luxury units" uttered in the same breath.

How are the neighborhood residents reacting to all this investment? It must be a great sigh of relief to many of these hardworking families to see their streets cleaned up and blight removed. Is the specter of gentrification on anyone's minds? Usually if a neighborhood is drastically cleaned up the G issue comes up.

Last year, I began to look for an area to serve as a Summer escape from the hustle and bustle of Los Angeles. Being obsessed with architecture and design, I factored this into my online search, and stumbled upon the site created by Chris Brown- who has been instrumental in the redevelopment of the Klienhans area. Through Chris and a search of MLS listings, I came upon the property on Connecticut next to the new Greater Buffalo Savings Bank site that is to be the future home of Polis Realty.

Exactly a year ago, I flew out to see this property, thinking it would make a great art gallery/production space with an apartment above it. Guess who met me at the door? Harvey Garrett. While the space not right for me, Harvey took me on a walking tour of the neighborhood showing me the amazing stock of homes.

I spent 3 weeks here in a hotel looking for the right place. Something kept me coming back to Connecticut St. where I met the fantastic people at West Side Neighborhood Housing Services who reinforced my interest in the area.

Driving around on my own, I found a boarded up 1890's cottage that had been vacant for 2 years and had been used as a chop shop for stolen cars in the past. I contacted the realtor and Chris from West Side NHS came with me to take a look at it. Sure, there were boarded up windows and the place was in complete disrepair, but I saw that it had potential.

By now, I knew I wanted to be on the westside and that this place, if nothing else, would serve as a foothold for my move and I would be able to improve it in the meantime. I bought it, moved here in March and have not looked back since. If anything, I have fallen more and more in love with Buffalo. I've become committed to bringing my friends and other artist to this fantastic city.

Locally, I run into people who think the Westside is rough. All I can say is they have never lived in Los Angeles! I know rough.

Where else can an artist find affordable housing and such beautiful surroundings? Buffalo is heaven for creative people and the natural beauty of Western NY is wonderful secret. The city itself is one of the most visually diverse landscapes in America- perfect for filmmaking. It is somewhat shocking that to the rest of the world, Buffalo is known primarily for it's snow storms, where cities with the same weather, like Toronto, are known for their culture.

If this City were to have a new PR campaign, you would see an influx of outside investment and occupancy that would be staggering. Every month I have 2 or 3 visitors that come out and every single one wants to move here. That says alot. Affordable, beautiful housing and breathtaking natural beauty are things unique to Buffalo.

While I am still restoring the house I moved into eight months ago, I plan on bringing as many talented people to this wonderful city as I can, and I hope to continue to find more homes to improve and restore.

I wonder if I'd be doing any of this if I hadn't seen Chris Brown's website and if Harvey Garrett hadn't show me around a year ago. The efforts of people like this is what is going to bring new life to this fantastic city.

I forgot to applaud the great concept of leveraging the strength and stability of local institutions such as colleges. Getting a Barnes and Nobel on the street would be a huge coup! Getting colleg students on the streets buying books and stopping at cafes would do wonders for the street. These types of instiotutions do not need to stay bottled up on isolated campuses. The can and should be blended into the city fabric. Both sides win. Even if you are not successful with the book store that kind of thinking is still right on target. How 'bout a college caffeteria on Connecticut Street? How 'bout some storefront classrooms on Ct Street?

Thank you Harvey for a fantastic post and for all of your great work! Everyone loves a come-back story and here's one produced through collaboration, hard work, and government assistance where needed. Taking this model to other areas of the city is something we should all be pushing and supporting. And don't be afraid of celebrating and publicizing your success. As several other posters have mentioned, it is the locals who overlook the vast potential and the incremental positive changes happening in the city. Congratulations to everyone involved and keep fighting the fight!

What an inspirational report! And just this handful of photographs from just one corner of Buffalo is another reminder of the staggering architectural riches and human scale of the city.

To Mark from L.A.: I would like to do what you have done-- sooner rather than later-- but I haven't yet convinced the other person in my life that a move to Buffalo is a good idea.

My much younger brother recently accepted a very good job with the California state university system and moved to Los Angeles from New York State. He is so sure he will never come back East. But I told him that when he's had a couple of years of constant balmy weather and sitting in twelve lanes of traffic every day, that he'll start to remember what's it's like when the leaves turn and you're walking, not driving, down a street lined with magnificent Victorian houses.

While I wish Buffalo prosperity and renewal and a return of a city-loving population, I hope it retains its real-ness and lack of pretension. Sometimes a neighborhood's or a city's being "discovered" is its own kind of disaster.

Just a few comments,
I would hope that all the westside business districts and community associations are also working to put in architectural and design requirements so that redevelopment or new construction stays with the existing architectural period and blends in.

Secondly, I would hope that the business district, community associations together with Mr Hoyt are doing something to stimulate infill residential and commercial development to fill in all those sadly empty neighborhood destroying lots (and not with low cost municipal style housing)

MY SUGGESTION FOR THE WESTSIDE AREA IS THAT IF THEY FIND A LARGE BLOCK THAT IS MOSTLY EMPTY....TO REZONE IT AS A SMALL MIXED USE BUSINESS OR OFFICE PARK (PREFERABLY WITH RESIDENTIAL UNITS ABOVE AND UNDERGROUND PARKING BELOW).

Third, there are a few things all converging on a revitalization of Grant Street:
1) the success of Elmwood and Richmond
2) the success of Connecticut
3) the success of Allentown and the plan to reconnect Allen Street all the way to Niagara Street
4) the Niagara Street redevelopment plan by the New Millenium Group
5) the new owners of the Bristol Myers Plant on Niagara & Forest, and adding jobs
6) the expansion of Buffalo State to Grant Street (one can only hope that they put a friendly street scape on Grant that they have on Elmwood)
7) the redevelopment of the Richardson along Forest
ALL OF THESE THINGS TOGETHER WILL EVENTUALLY CONVERGE AND THAT WILL MAKE IT EASIER TO KNIT BACK THE ENTIRE COMMUNITY.

UNFORTUNATELY, THERE ARE FEW SUCH CONVERGENCES ON THE EAST OR SOUTH SIDES BUT THERE IS HOPE.

Thanks Bob,

I do think that good things are also starting to happen on the East Side. Thee were a lot of folks who would have never thought the West Side could come back - especially while retaining it's diversity. We've lost a lot of housing stock on the East Side and it will take some additional creativity - but I think we are turning corners all around Buffalo. Economic Development will certainly be necessesary to maintain the momentum already started in a few neighborhoods.

Anyone have any ideas (other than the obvious one of moving money from Bass Pro) on how we can stimulate more job creation? Ideas that we can implement ourselves?

Harvey

I used to live very close to Connecticut (on 16th Street, and then on York Street), between 2000 and 2003. I like to take very long walks around my neighborhood, but during my time on the West Side, I tended to avoid Connecticut because it seemed so sad and run-down. I have since relocated to Allentown, but I walked down Connecticut a few times this summer, and I must say that the change is remarkable! A lot of the buildings, which used to sit in disrepair, are being cleaned up, built up, converted, etc. I was most surprised - and very charmed - by the public gardens. They are beautiful. The entire street is being revitalized.

I am impressed! I would love to see any changes made for Grant Street.

Again - WOW!!! Great job on such a positive turnaround. COngrats to everyone involved in this remarkable change! :)

Harvey, in my neighborhood we formed a volunteer neighborhood association with contributions (depending on income) between $25 - $100 dollars per year.
-we have community meeting at the neighborhood church, community center or school
-we publish a community phone book with addresses and phone numbers which comes in very handy for neighborhood safety watches, protecting children, etc.
-we use the neighborhood association when calling to get our street lights repaired or replaced
-we use the neighborhood association when getting our houses fixed (offering painters or roofers 5 houses instead of one is an example)
-we use the neighborhood association when calling politicians to lobby for the community
-we use the neighborhood association to invite small businesses, dentists, doctors, accountants, etc to open offices in the neighborhood by telling them we's support them.
-in some cases we chipped in extra money to buy empty lots, foreclosed or demolished buildings....then invited developers to build on it.

IF YOU CAN PUT 50+100+-200+ NAMES ON A LIST, THEN YOUD BE SUPRISED HOW SERIOUSLY PEOPLE TAKE YOU!

FOR POLITICIANS...THATS A SOLID BLOCK OFCONSTITUENT VOTES IN THEIR DISTRICT.

FOR DEVELOPERS....COMMUNITY BACKING MEANS THAT THEIR DEVELOPMENT WILL GET STRONG WORD OF MOUTH FOR POTENTIAL BUYERS.

FOR PROFESSIONALS....COMMUNITY BACKING MEANS THAT THEIR BUSINESS HAS A HIGHER PROBABILITY OF SUCCESS WHICH CAN BE TRANSLATED INTO EASIER BANK LOANS FOR SMALL BUSINESS.

No matter the community, the closer the community...the more successful it will be in growing property values and attacting jobs!

It's very exciting to see the gentrification of Connecticut Street picking up speed. Many other cities of Buffalo's size have multiple commercial enclaves that are unique and thriving. There is no reason that Buffalo couldn't support more areas to shop and dine as well. Especially with the rising property values and home ownership on the West Side. I look forward to watching this street with it's great architecture and charm reclaim it's prosperity and value in the community.

This is great! I arrived in Portand, OR, this afternoon (my former home) and just got in after an evening out with my friends. I spent much of it sincerely, if not shamelessly, extolling the virtues of Buffalo, while struggling at the same time with my affections for this wonderful town. Jeez, I love it here, but boy - what's happening in Buffflao these days is truly exciting, and since blood is thicker than rain, I gotta go with Buffalo! Seriously, though, I believe Buffalo is on the verge of something really good. And reading what I've just read only confirms my suspicions. This city has so much potential - it's really nice to see that so many others realize it as well and are working to make it happen. Let's keep the momentum going!!!!

Congratulations to all involved in the Connecticut revitalization effort! This is a great story that should empower community members on the West Side and throughout the City. As mentioned in messages above, mixed use or urban commercial streets like Connecticut serve as the heart of many city neighborhoods as well as in other urban communities. The freedom to walk, bike, skate or drive along our architecturally interesting streets makes our urban settings unique and appealing to many.

As a planner for our great City, its wonderful to see the enthusiasm and various talents that community members can bring to improve their area. By now we all know that the City/government can�t revitalize neighborhoods on its own. However, the City can be an instrumental collaborator in the process. The Good Neighbors Planning Alliance (GNPA) provides a structure for citizens to work with the Buffalo Office of Strategic Planning to develop neighborhood plans that, when complete, will be adopted by the Common Council as policy documents. While developing strategies and prioritizing future public investments is a critical output of the GNPA planning process, the knowledge and energy that citizens bring is the most important input. Since I started my position with the City over a year ago, I have met and worked with a number of groups and community members of the West Side and have always appreciated their tenacity at fixing problems and strategically making improvements to their community on a grassroots level. I look forward to continuing my work with West Side community members on the GNPA plan to help bring about future West Side success stories.

Harvey, you and your collaborators need to write a book or launch a website or both on how it is done! Teach a class, pass the knowledge on! Please start a diary now so that you have raw material at hand.

We were too busy doing to document. We'll document the Grant Street project here and let everyone not only see the process, but help with the progress. We'd like to know who is interested in helping. I promiss a lot of fun and an indescribable feeling of accomplishment and empowerment for anyone interested in working on the project.

Harvey

Good job guys on Conn St. Love it there. As to the earlier post...Creating Jobs, it is necessary to lower taxes before we can really score a huge employer...Geico received the largest tax package in WNY History for 2400 employees. Now we either give away the tax package incentives or we lower taxes...somethings gotta give

I remember this street being empty and gloomy in the 80's. What a dramantic turn around. I'm glad to see the positive changes in this area and throughout the city of Buffalo. I can't wait till Buffalo is finally back on the map like Cleveland, Atlanta (hotlanta) and so on. Buffalo can be a great city it was again if we continue the trend of Connectic St. to the other main streets.

I remember this street being empty and gloomy in the 80's. What a dramantic turn around. I'm glad to see the positive changes in this area and throughout the city of Buffalo. I can't wait till Buffalo is finally back on the map like Cleveland, Atlanta (hotlanta) and so on. Buffalo can be a great city it was again if we continue the trend of Connectic St. to the other main streets.

i have frequented the buisness on ct. st. first hand for the past five years while living in different parts of the upper west side. This was always a shock to anyone who came with me to get the best bbq ribs this side of yhe erie canal. unfortunately sweet treats and more is not there anymore but luckily Lupita and her great mexican food have taken over. it is great to see people discover this area and the ethnic dirversity it has to offer. not to mention great buisness and housing. hard work pays off and cheers to those who have made this happen! nice job br for getting the word out.