Yes!

Take a look at the Genesee gateway project, a renovation and reimagination of the block of Genesee street just east of Ellicott in downtown Buffalo. As reported on Buffalo Rising:

The new owners of the block, a partnership including Scot Fisher and CityView Properties, is working with Flynn Battaglia Architects on redevelopment plans. A mix of office, residential and retail space is anticipated for the properties stretching from Ellicott to Oak streets.

I am so happy someone is doing this. I had always promised myself I would invest in that block and do pretty much what they’re doing once I won the lottery or came into some serious dough. It’s such a critical set of buildings, both practically and for the image of the city, and is most likely a lucrative investment.

Practically, it is within walking distance of hotels, shopping, the theater district, a food market and the metro rail, making it a perfect location for residential and commercial development. Having people living in this section of the city might help ignite similar projects on other blocks in the area, including Main St. between Chippewa and Lafayette Square.

Image-wise, the buildings in question are the first thing people see when they come to downtown Buffalo from the Kensington Expressway and the development zone is one block from a hotel that serves the downtown nightlife district. Currently, the block is an eyesore. The buildings are crumbling, boarded up and vacant. One has signs advertising political issues from decades ago that have never been taken down. Redevelopment will give a radically new impression of the city to visitors and citizens alike.

As far as I am concerned, the next step is creating a park out of one of the parking lots between Ellicott and Washington streets. The one by the Market Arcade on the north side of Chippewa St. would make a perfect large public square, considering the historical nature of the block and its adjacent hotel, church, and retail stores. Failing that, the one on the south side of Chippewa St. which was purchased as part of the project, would work nicely, and might encourage development in the block north of Chippewa St.