Author Archives: VN

Our Other Waterfront

Hiro Student_Page_13

Imagine transforming a vacant lot on the corridor into a public green space with an incredible view of the Black Rock Canal and Niagara River. Proposals and renderings were developed nearly five years ago by graduate students at UB School of Architecture and Planning under the guidance of Professor Hiro Hata. As part of their proposal, they envisioned a narrow, linear park along the canal. A pedestrian bridge over the Beltline and highway could be the connection.  This would be a game changer for the corridor, not only for residents who have little access to parks within a short walk, but also for developers who are investing in the rehab of historic buildings like the Mentholatum building… think New York’s High LIne Park.

Vision Niagara has a proposal in the works to take over the parcel at 1318 Niagara Street, a DEC clean-up site, as a first step of this vision. Stay tuned!

Bootleg Bucha

bucha

This new year, we’re starting a monthly interview series featuring our Niagara Street neighbors. First up is Todd Salansky speaking about what he and his partners, Jeff Empric and Heather Lucas, are up to at Bootleg Bucha:

What four words describe Bootleg Bucha?

Fresh, Local, Healthy, and Fun

Describe the work you do and the impact you’re trying to make:

We provide a healthy beverage using as many locally-sourced ingredients as possible. Kombucha is a probiotic tea that originated in East Asia over 2,000 years ago and can help with digestion, detoxification, joint care, and energy. We are currently distributing beyond WNY and plan to expand to the northeast.

What brings you to the Niagara Street Corridor?

Before relocating to the Niagara Street Corridor, we looked at numerous locations in the city limits including the East Side, West Side, Allentown, Larkinville, Medical Campus, and Downtown. 1250 Niagara had everything we were looking for: a beautiful brick building, great neighbors, room to grow, a good landlord, and solid infrastructure, all while being easily accessible.

What are you noticing in Buffalo that deserves more attention?

We feel that there is much more collaboration between businesses. There was a time when businesses wouldn’t collaborate for fear of losing a competitive advantage. Today, it’s key for us to all work together and grow, making our whole region stronger. More farmers markets, pop-ups, and friendly competition raises the bar for everyone. Now, we’ve even got new labels coming out featuring the logos of our local suppliers. And we didn’t do it to negotiate cheaper prices, we did it to encourage others to work together.

What’s your favorite number & why?

1250 😉

Receive next month’s interview and more Niagara Street updates to your inbox with the Vision Niagara newsletter.

On Niagara Street…

onNiagaraSt

Update: Congratulations to Donna Renier, winner of this #onNiagaraSt contest. See more of her work below and keep using the hashtag to show off your finds in the Corridor!

Vision Niagara is excited to announce the Niagara Street Corridor’s new hashtag: #onNiagaraSt. We invite you to use this tag on everything Niagara Street in hope that it will generate conversation and exposure for what’s happening in the neighborhood. To get going, we’ve partnered with Bootleg Bucha to host a photography contest during the month of January. So head out to Niagara Street or look back through your archives, and use #onNiagaraSt in your caption to enter. Favorites will be shared every Friday with the overall winner receiving 32 oz. of your favorite flavor of kombucha at the end of January. ‘Til then, see ya on Facebook, Twitter, & Instagram. …and have you received our sparkly, new newsletter? Grab it here.

The winning #onNiagaraSt photo. (click through for more of her work)

Week 1

Photos from Week One (click through for photographer credits)

Week 2

Photos from Week Two (click through for photographer credits)

Week 3

Photos from Week Three (click through for photographer credits)

Week 4

Photos from Week Four (click through for photographer credits)

Niagara Street Design Concepts

intersection

Yes! That’s a cycle track illustrated for Niagara Street! It can happen! Design concepts for Phase 3 & 4 of Niagara Street reconstruction were presented for review on December 13th. You have an opportunity to see what’s proposed and give feedback. Check the link for Niagara Street Now – the full presentation is available as well as forms for feedback.

We are so excited to see what’s possible for the street! Check out the green infrastructure ideas that are available. What do you think works best? (especially if you are a property owner!).

$4.3M from REDC

redc

We are thrilled that REDC has awarded $4.3 million for the Niagara Street design and construction. This award brings a substantial piece of funding needed to complete the vision of stakeholders for the corridor.

Description: “The City of Buffalo, in partnership with the Buffalo Sewer Authority, will construct the portion of the Niagara Street Gateway running from Porter Avenue north to Ontario Street. The project will incorporate green infrastructure and include construction of a cycle track, installation of vegetation, street furniture and wayfinding signage.” via REDC Awards pg. 15

Niagara Street Reconstruction

Niagara St. map

The design of Phase 3 & 4 of Niagara Street reconstruction (Porter Avenue to Ontario Street) has been awarded by the City of Buffalo to Watts Architecture and Engineering. Their team includes: Stoss Landscape Urbanism (from Boston, MA-for green infrastructure and landscape design); the UB Regional Institute (for public input and outreach), Alta Planning+Design (bicycle facilities and planning), Frandina Engineering & Land Surveying (for survey & stakeout) and Think Outside the Square (for wayfinding/interperative signage).
Projected completed construction is 2017.

Follow all the updates on NiagaraStreetNow website.