Category Archives: Environment

Construction: Freedom Park

This might look like a handy path in the park, but in fact it’s for the equipment that will be moving about in Freedom Park. The Army Corps of Engineers started a project for the Emerald Shiner passage which will include repairs of the timber crib wall on the river side of the island. This will extend from the southern end of the island to about the middle of the island. The project will mostly like wrap up at the end of 2026. This means that parts of Freedom Park will be inaccessible and parking will be limited to make way for construction vehicles. Check the link to the Army Corps website for more information.

Access to the Bird Island pier will still be available during construction, yay!

Army Corps graphic showing restricted areas of the park during construction as well as other information.

Emerald Shiner: tiny but precious. 

 

Expansion on Niagara Street

Great Lakes Pressed Steel has a proposal before the City of Buffalo Planning Board to expand their footprint on Niagara Street. They have plans for a new building with landscaping facing the street and new parking in the rear. The site they will build on has been a vacant clean up site since….forever. It’s exciting to see plans to change that. The Planning Board tabled the request on May 6th and requested to see renderings that depict more details about the structure such as the color of the facade and how it fits with the rest of the street.

“Designed by Carmina Wood Design’s Joseph Palumbo, the building will house mostly light manufacturing operations, said Tim Nichols, the fourth-generation president of the privately-held Great Lakes Pressed Steel.” Jim Fink, We Are Buffalo

They will return to the Planning Board in a few weeks.

Niagara St Adopt-A-Block

We love our Niagara Street cycle track but it could use a bit more love from all of us. Although the City of Buffalo does some maintenance, and the Buffalo Sewer Authority works on the stormwater gardens, trash, glass and grit builds up quickly. We’re delighted that the Niagara River Greenway is organizing a collaboration of businesses, organizations and individuals to adopt bits of the blocks. Folks will take responsibility for a section of the trail and help keep it in better shape for bicyclists and pedestrians.

March 23rd from 10am to noon, teams will spread out from Busti Avenue to Hertel Avenue on Niagara Street for a spring clean up. Gloves, garbage bags and high-vis vests will be provided to volunteers. Folks can pick one of three sections to help out:

  1. Busti to Breckenridge – meet at Rich Products
  2. Breckenridge to Amherst St – meet at Campus Wheelworks
  3. Amherst St to Hertel – meet at Black Rock Riverside Alliance

 

Lunch options with discounts available at Mint Mojito Bar, Free Street Tavern, West Side Bazaar* (*limited swag bags) and Turning Bridge Tavern.

EV Chargers

We recently learned about the firm itselectric from Brooklyn NY (itselectric – Curbside EV Charging Built for Cities).

  • itselectric installs a Level-2 EV charger at no cost to the property owner
  • Once the charger is live, itselectric shares a portion of the revenue with the property owner
  • itselectric pays for any power used by the charger
  • itselectric offers turnkey design, permitting and installation, and manages and maintains the charger and handles driver accounts

Right now, itselectric is hoping to launch a small pilot in Buffalo, and they’d love the opportunity to share more with any interested property owners in the Vision Niagara network.

Here’s some recent press around the pilot they launched a few months ago in Fast Company, US News and World Report, and Car & Driver:

These sleek electric chargers could soon be all over New York streets (fastcompany.com)

New York to Pilot Revenue-Sharing EV Charging | U.S. News (usnews.com)

This EV Charger Can Make Money for Property Owners (caranddriver.com)

If you are interested, contact Nathan King at nathan@itselectric.us

Brush Up Broderick 2023

Vision Niagara and Friends of Broderick Park invite you to our annual Brush Up Broderick – May 13th from 10am to 1pm.

Our park is the jewel of Buffalo parks. Let’s get it spruced up for the warm weather! We’ll be mulching and weeding.

We’ll have lunch and goodies for our volunteers. And, if the weather obliges, we’ll have music to keep you entertained.

Everyone’s help is greatly appreciated. We can’t do it without our volunteers! It’s always a fun event.

AND…if you’re ready to jump in sooner, be sure to join Buffalo Niagara Waterkeeper’s Spring Sweep. Sign up here and choose Broderick Park from the list of locations. That’s April 22 @ 10:00 am.

It doesn’t have to be this way…

As seen in the image above, highway ramps dominate the western section of the Scajaquada corridor, Wasted land, cut-off neighborhoods and a polluted creek are a few of the conditions as a result of Rte. 198. As part of Scajaquada Corridor Coalition, we studied maps, collected input and envisioned a different landscape.

GBNRTC presented recommendations for the Scajaquada corridor and we couldn’t be more pleased. With the help of Stantec, a global consulting firm, they analyzed the region in terms of its people, rather than just cars. The data and analysis is available for examination on GBNRTC’s website. The preferred plan calls for a two-lane boulevard, connecting neighborhoods and Olmsted Park and the removal of these ramps.

Questions and comments can be made on-line. We’re pleased that Hal Morse, who led the project for GBNRTC, will be attending our January 24 meetup. Bring your questions and comments. Spread the word and your support for this generational change.

What’s next in the process?•Public engagement regarding recommendations •Assemble full report and documentation •Reconcile project to environmental review process and funding •Prepare a detailed traffic analysis to assess impacts of traffic diversion and recommend mitigation measures necessary to address the impacts •Obtain stakeholder and public consensus on the recommended mitigation measures •Determine projects owners and resource needs •Build Action Matrix of key stakeholders to implement all initiatives •Establish continuing mechanism to ensure timely completion of project

What is Possible for Scajaquada Corridor?

May 4th, 5:30 – 7:30 pm. Buffalo State Alumni Center

Four mobility scenarios will be presented. Roads, cars, bikes, people, water, land, neighborhoods, air, space, quality of life….the list goes on regarding the future of this corridor and our city. Public comment will be part of the decision making which is why we all need to be part of the process.

Presentation will be by GBNRTC.

Scajaquada Corridor Coalition has developed a vision for the corridor that is community based and compelling. Our Niagara Street corridor is impacted by the #198 which is why Vision Niagara is part of the Scajaquada Corridor Coalition and its vision.

 

Brush Up Broderick Returns!

Our beautiful Broderick Park is ready to be spruced up for summer events. Friends of Broderick Park is lining up a packed summer of music, art, and performance.

We’ll be at the park April 30, from 10 to 1:00 pm, weeding, mulching and tidying up. It’s work but it’s fun, especially because our volunteers are enthusiastic about the park.

We’ll have lunch and take-home goodies for our volunteers this year, thanks to a grant from Air & Waste Management – Niagara Frontier Division. And, once again, Rich Products has donated mulch!

Register here.