This guy couldn’t join us but he greeted us at the door of Rich Products where we had our February general meeting on February 1st. Many thanks to Rich’s for the lovely meeting rooms and, oh, those fresh baked cookies!

The bulk of the meeting was used for planning events for 2017. We’ve got history tours, bike tours, foodie events and clean-ups for the corridor in the line-up. First up: Earth Day at Broderick Park! We’re delighted to be collaborating with West Side Black Rock Neighborhood Housing Services, Black Rock Riverside Alliance, Buffalo State College, Rich Products, Buffalo-Niagara Riverkeeper, Sewer Authority, Yelp, and AHA! Wow!

We’ve got a short survey for you! And you can get on our mailing list for our monthly newsletter! Lot’s going on here on Niagara Street!

This month’s interview is with Andy Szuba andAimee Buyea from Sugar City!

What four words describe your project?

Andy says: Volunteer, Community, Inclusive, Art

Aimee adds: all-ages arts and cultural space

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

Sugar City is Buffalo’s only legal, DIY, volunteer-run, all-ages performance venue. Accordingly, all events at Sugar City are drug and alcohol-free and end before 11pm. Our goal is to provide an accessible and alternative space to share and create art and community projects based on participatory culture and a do-it-together attitude. This organization focuses itself on the exhibition, performance, and creation of art for those who cannot obtain space from traditional sources. Events and initiatives include, but are not limited to music, films, poetry readings, a zine library, meeting space, art gallery, workshops, and more. We want to break down the barriers of what is and isn’t “art” because in some way everyone is an artist.

What brings you to the Niagara Street Corridor:

Aimee: We found an awesome building that works for our needs and have the support of a great landlord, Bill Breeser.

Andy: We made our Niagara St location our new home after seeing the potential of the NSC. Considering the amount that has happened in the two years we’ve been there, we can see we made a wise decision.

What are you noticing in Buffalo that deserves more attention?

Accessibility. We can’t wait for the Niagara St re-construction to reach our block. Our neighborhood needs more walk-ability, bus shelters, traffic calming and bike racks!

What is your favorite number?

19-it is the address of our original home at 19 Wadsworth ST

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!