I think now is the time to let our public officials know that we are opposed to the casino. there has been opposition in the news lately and we need to make sure that our opinion is known. I wrote a letter and sent it to my city and county officials. I'm going to send it to Mayor Brown and I'd also like to drop a note of encouragement to the people who have come out against it.
The no casino Erie people are urging a letter writing campaign.

Look up your officials:

City

County


Here's my Letter:

I am writing to urge you, to do everything in your power, to prevent a casino from being built in downtown Buffalo.

My objection to the casino is not based on moral nor religious reasons, I am simply looking at the practical consequences of this casino, and I see no benefit. In fact I see grave harm, especially in regards to property values, crime, the local economy, and the desirability of Buffalo as a place to live or visit.

I would like to buy a home in Buffalo. I am the type of person who is not afraid to buy a home in an area that might not appear to be great, but has potential. I am also the type of person who will take it upon myself to keep my yard and my neighborhood clean, not only of trash but also of crime. If I buy a house in a community, that community then becomes my responsibility, I intend to work with and strengthen any block clubs that are involved in my neighborhood.

Right now Buffalo is a great place to buy a home. Private investment is steadily beginning to return to the city, and property values have increased dramatically in some areas. Now is the time to find that diamond in the rough and buy it for $40-$60,000, and fix it up while helping the neighborhood to improve, and in 10 years sell it for double what I paid. But there's a problem, the casino throws a whole bunch of doubt into this little plan. The current trend of investment and property values will be significantly altered by the creation of a casino.

The city needs people. Not just dollars, not just jobs, but people who are willing live here and start a business. These people, like me, will own a piece of the city, and therefore it will be in their self interest to take care of Buffalo. Just ask the business owners on Grant and Ferry, they know that if they want to protect their investment they have to take care of the neighborhood. The casino will not make this a better place to live, work and raise a family, that is the bottom line for Buffalo, and if the casino will not help, then it should not happen.

When the plans for a casino were announced, I kept a very open mind. I was encouraged by the prospects of converting the DL&W terminal and went down to the area to check it out. But when I returned home, I thought about my neighbors, who would go, and what would happen to my neighborhood and my life, when some of them lost more than they could really spare.

We will have an increased number of panhandlers, harassing people for change or to buy whatever they had stolen out of somebody's car the night before. And an increased amount of theft, more cars being broken into, more people returning from vacation to find they have been robbed, more people running off with your wallet when you take it out to benevolently give them a dollar. We will also have more drugs, people will try to sell drugs to make up for money they lost at the casino. With more drug dealers on the streets, we will also have more violence, and more murders.

I don't care how many cops you are able to hire with the $7 million Buffalo and the county get to split, they will not make me comfortable living on the west side, let alone buying a house there. Until this casino proposal is dead, my money is staying in my pocket, and if the casino is built I am leaving Buffalo for Albany, Pittsburg or Philadelphia. That's not a scare tactic, it's the truth, I do want to buy a home, and I'm not going to buy it in an area of increasing crime and uncertain property values. And who would?

The economics of this Casino also don't favor the city. Look at the restaurants in Niagara Falls, a casino is an unfair competitor, people do not venture out of the casino to eat or go shopping. Local dollars that were spent at restaurants, shops and entertainment venues will now go to the casino, and those dollars will not circulate through the community the same as if the were spent at say, D'Arcy McGee's. We do not need to compete with other gaming venues in the area, Buffalo hardly notices the dollars going to Fort Erie, Salamanca, and Niagara Falls. But we will notice the dollars left at a downtown Buffalo Casino, because it will be directly competing with local businesses, and those businesses will begin to close.

This Casino was never intended to help Erie County. It was born of an inept state government looking to balance its budget. The idea of a casino did not start with "how can we help Erie County?" the main concern was balancing the budget, and they chose to do it with our money. The reasons for the casino are no more than excuses. Common sense and empirical evidence dictate that the so called benefits of the Casino are false. Jobs will be lost, and money will leave the economy, tourists will not come, and I will not feel safer in my city with a casino downtown.

Please oppose any legislation that would open the door to a casino. And take whatever measures are within your power to put a stop to this casino from happening. This will be a terrible legacy to leave the city.

Thank you for your time,



David Coffee

Look everyone it's Disneyland in a box! the newest craze, make a custom city center for your suburb!! coming to a sprawlway near you.








From Buffalo Rising

Benderson Development is planning a 'lifestyle center' for 30 acres recently purchased from the Buffalo Shooting Club on Maple Road in Amherst. Preliminary plans call for a mix of office, retail and residential space.

Lifestyle centers are one of the biggest trends in retailing today. According to the International Council of Shopping Centers (yes there is such an organization), a lifestyle center is most often located near affluent residential neighborhoods, and caters to the retail needs and "lifestyle" pursuits of consumers in its trading area. It has an open-air configuration and typically includes 150,000 to 500,000 square feet of retail space occupied by upscale national chain specialty stores. Other elements differentiate the lifestyle center in its role as a multi-purpose leisure-time destination including restaurants, entertainment, and amenities such as fountains and parks. Many are designed as a 'Main Street' with nostalgic building facades, including residences above stores, office space and even hotels. In other words, a fancy strip mall.

From the Buffalo News

Benderson Development Co. has purchased the Buffalo Shooting Club on Maple Road in Amherst and plans to build a $40 million-plus "town center," with upscale retail, housing, office space and hotel.

Benderson, which is best known for strip plazas and big box retail centers, acquired the 32-acre gun club property on Maple Road, between Millersport Highway and North Forest Road, for $3.1 million. The developer envisions a small village ambience, with attractive buildings and heavily landscaped streets.

"We want to create a one-of-a-kind development that will be as aesthetically pleasing for its tenants and visitors as it will be for the Maple Road community," said Benderson's Eric L. Recoon. "From the architecture, to the landscaping, to the tenant mix, we want to do something very special."

I absolutely love this idea, a mock pro-casino parade, awesome. except i think they should get a permit and do it in the street. realy cool.

From the No casino Erie Listserv

Calling actors, artists, creative people of all kinds, to become part
of a mock pro-casino procession down Elmwood at 10:00 am, on Saturday,
May 6, from Bidwell Parkway to Allen Street.

Next planning session, Thursday, March 30, 6:00-7:00 pm. Rust Belt
Books, Allen Street near Elmwood.

The central focus of the procession will be a rolling Casino created by
Franklin LaVoie--in the center of which will be a toilet, down which
vast amounts of money will be thrown.

The procession will include characters excited about the coming of the
casino to Buffalo, possibly Politicians, Gambling Addicts, Pimps,
Prostitutes, Gluttonous Buffet Eaters, Dealers, Cab Drivers, Lady Luck,
Sandwich-Board wearers, Casino Cheer Leaders, and the Great
Hypnotist/Great Mesmerizer who goes around telling people that "This
will be good for the economy, this will bring in jobs, this is a done
deal, you are getting very sleepy, this will be good for the
economy..." Creative possibilities for characters, handouts, etc. are
endless. We hope to have a lot of fun, and even to get a message
across.

If you are interested in participating, but can't attend the next
meeting, or if you want more information, call Anna Kay at 812-8292.

The plan, incidentally, is to do this in a way that is completely
legal, and requires no permits. I.e., we will be walking along the
sidewalk, crossing the street only at intersections, with the lights,
not blocking pedestrian traffic or access to any buildings, and not
using megaphones or any sound amplification. Wearing costumes,
carrying signs, and doing street theatre along the way is fine.

Please spread the word.

I agree with Jenks [inlink]jenks,86[/inlink] that those buildings aren't as inviting as others on the strip. Stores like, Everything Elmwood, Urban, and etc have a real advantage over the businesses in these homes, one reason is that they have big windows right on the sidewalk. They're more inviting because when you walk by you can see what's in the store, and therefore you feel more comfortable walking in and hopefully purchasing something from them.

How many more college students would be spending their beer money at these stores if they could easily see what the place is selling,and who is inside, right from the sidewalk?

furthermore, think of the parents coming to visit their sons and daughters at the college. Many of us went to college, I went to Fredonia, it was far away enough to be your own person, but close enough that mom can come down for lunch. How many students from Elma, Clarance, Hamburg, Rochester, batavia, and elsewhere have parents coming to visit them at Buff State? and how many take their children out for lunch at some nearby restaurant, and wander down the street? With a big new commercial building on the corner, this shopping district will look a lot more attractive to visiting parents who may not have ventured down there to shop yet. and the businesses would really appreciate visiting parents because they are likely to spend money with their children while in town. A new 4 story building would create a grand commercial gateway, and make this part of the city seem as active as it really is.

It is a commercial strip, that is it's purpose, and if the businesses there succeed and expand, then the area is doing well. If you don't like living on an active commercial strip, move to linwood, richmond, colvin, ashland, or any one of the million Buffalo streets that are residential. the greatest challenge for the city today is for it to reestablish itself as the commercial center of WNY, and take some of the money away from the big box chains, which are trampling our farms and forests as the suburbs sprawl ever outward. You know?

That corner deserves more, and this hotel is far better than anything I expected, someone is really willing to put some serious money into that corner. it never had a great corner building like some of those in my neighborhood and around the city. this is an awesome step in the right direction.

I live in Buffalo, Allentown to be exact, and I plan on staying here. Because my future is here in Buffalo I spend a lot of time worrying over the various developments, and disasters affecting the city.

Fighting against the hotel is the wrong battle. Please let's put our energy toward stopping the downtown Casino, preventing the anti-pedestrian federal courthouse from being built on Niagara Square, Let's fight the new Health now building and demand it be more urban and pedestrian oriented, let's extend metro rail to UB North and the Airport, lets help expand the good areas of the city and make it somewhere people want to live and visit.

I want to address some of the myths surrounding this hotel issue. Many of which have been covered in great detail in the newest Artvoice, a fantastic read for anyone looking to investigate this issue.

1) The hotel will not get enough business and is doomed to fail:
The Albright Knox, and Buffalo State administrators are ecstatic about the prospects of a nearby hotel. When Albright Knox has an art opening the place will be full, currently the mansion on Delaware fills up, and after that the Hampton inn downtown, the next option is by the airport. Nobody traveling in from out of town to go see an art exhibit wants to stay next to the airport with a room overlooking highways and drainage ditches. right? They want to stay in the city and see what the city has to offer, this part of Buffalo is a great introduction for out-of-towners who know little about Buffalo besides that it snows here. There are about 10 art openings per year, that's at least 10 times that the hotel will definitely reach maximum capacity. Buff State attracts visitors for graduation and the many events it hosts at the Burchfield, their new performing arts center, and elsewhere on campus. Not to mention prospective students coming for open house, and par rents coming to town to visit their child and participate in the various planned activities that colleges do with students families, homecoming, and etc. Both the Albright and Buff State reserve rooms for their guests, donors speakers and artists that are invited to town. Savarino knows that this is a safe bet.

2) The Hotel will destroy the urban setting and feel of Elmwood:
This is the definition of friendly urban design. It's a mixed use building with retail on the first floor and people on the upper floors to patronize the businesses. That criticism is the most baffling thing about this. It seems that no matter what is proposed the public is against it. It's like the boy who cried wolf, we're opposing every project that is proposed, so when something really dangerous is about to happen, like a downtown casino, nobody will take us seriously because we ALWAYS complain. And we don't just raise the very legitimate concerns like parking and property values, we say "NO, put it elsewhere, how about in the suburbs" ... I don't want to hurt anybody's feelings, but that's really bad. It hurts the city, Our city. Don't build it, put it in the suburbs? I hope nobody takes you seriously.

I have a 4 story building on my corner (pictures below), what's the problem? Dense residential is great, it helps the businesses survive. I have a big grocery store on the other side of Elmwood that I use about 3 times per week, it couldn't survive without the dense residential buildings across the street from it. Having that Grocery store there makes life in Allentown better. You need more people and more density up there in the village, it would be a change for the better.

3) Building or not building this hotel will not effect the rest of the city.
I'll simplify it this way; Buffalo has 2 main objectives, 1) to keep people from moving out of depressed areas and leaving the city, and 2) encouraging people to move into and expand the good areas. Millions of possibilities exist to accomplish these goals, the hotel is a big step toward encouraging and expanding the good areas of the city. investment follows investment, if developers see success they know that if they invest in the area they will be safe too.

The reason I live in Allentown instead of further north on Elmwood is because you just don't have the businesses necessary to live an urban lifestyle. When I come home from work I park my car, and I don't need to move it until I go back to work. I walk to get everything I need, that is the appeal of cities, and it's what makes Buffalo better than West Seneca or Amherst. It's what some people are looking for, and when they realize they can pay $500 per month in Buffalo for what costs $1700 in NYC, or $1300 in Chicago there is a huge incentive to choose Buffalo. But so far Buffalo has few really walkable and pleasant urban areas.



AMENDED with my comment to Paul's concerns about the gentrification of the Elmwood Village:
"Home of the Hits is actually NOT being torn down. The buildings north of it are. I was excited to hear that since it is probably the best and most useful business on that strip.

Yours is a very real concern, it's the flipside of a city that is improving, prices go up. But I would rather have my city improve, than see Buffalo's urban real estate stay one of the lowest priced in the nation. It will grow from Elmwood outward toward Grant and Main St, and I for one am willing pioneer into the edges of a neighborhood and invest in a home.

I want to buy a home on the lower west side, or just west of Richmond and help the Elmwood / Allen areas further improve by being involved in my community. I'll take a hands on approach to bettering my neighborhood, because I think this community is great and I want other people to come in and appreciate it too. When new businesses and new people feel secure moving into the area, that means I have succeeded.

If you're worried about low cost housing and amenities there are other ways to address the issue. The Co-op Mansion on North and Elmwood is a good housing solution, or move into an apartment building instead of a two family home. As for retail, the demand for inexpensive rents will always be there, and building owners will take the opportunity to start opening basement and side-street commercial spaces.

It is possible for upscale visitors to coexist with the current environment. We should at least give them a chance."



Compare My corner, which is very comfortable and welcoming in my eyes.



to the hotel corner


also looks like a great spot to live or visit.




I'm going to close with a quote from Tim Tillman as published in the Artvoice article. For those who don't know Tillman could well be described as "THE" Preservationist of Buffalo, he heads the Campaign for Buffalo History, Architecture & Culture, and is constantly sticking his neck out for Buffalo's history and future.

"I support the hotel," said Tielman. "We did have concerns about the project initially, and when we spoke to them they addressed our concerns on a number of issues-scale, mass, the color of the building. I met with Karl Frizlen, the architect, and Savarino and explained our concerns about the bulkiness of the building, sound, light, issues like that. And they did address them. So it's not like we looked at it uncritically-it's not like we just went 'Yahoo, we're getting a hotel.'

"This project expresses things we've been preaching. It exchanges retail for retail and it adds to the number of people occupying the block. Instead of residents they happen to be hotel guests, but it's putting more people on the sidewalk, which we like.

"And demolishing those buildings Hans Mobius owns is different than the Atwater case," Tielman added, referring to the fight he led against restaurateur Pano Giorgiadis' plan to demolish the Atwater house, which is on the same block. "What makes the Atwater case different is that it's the oldest house on the block, it's rare, architecturally significant and compelling."

Speaking of the Atwater, it's worth noting that an online petition to stop the hotel project had only 72 signatures as of Wednesday, March 1. Compare that to the online petition against the demolition of the Atwater, which more than 6,000 people signed.

"But one of the things I like most about the proposed hotel project," Tielman continued, "is the process that Savarino has engaged in. Having attended both the meeting for the proposed new Buff State Burchfield-Penney Art Center on Saturday and the one for the Elmwood Village Hotel on the following Tuesday, I can't tell you how different these two meetings were. The difference was day and night.

"On Saturday, Buffalo State was arrogant; they didn't want to entertain any idea that somehow their design wasn't the best. Their attitude was that their architect is an Olympian figure and, heaven forbid, they didn't want to change anything that this person very close to God had come up with. It was unimaginable to them.

"On the other hand, Savarino established that their meeting was to get information from the community; that they want to build a hotel and what do you people think? I was just amazed, and I told city officials who were there, I said, 'Man, I just can't believe the difference between these two meetings.' And the Tuesday meeting with Savarino was much better attended and there were a lot of emotions. But things played out much better at the meeting for the hotel, and that had a lot to do with the receptivity of the developer to making changes."

This is one of the things I love about the internet, you can go to the primary source and get the information for yourself. You don't have to rely on cnn and radio show hosts to reinterpret it. I've been reading news articles and listening to people talk about this stuff all day.

Here's the video.
It's hosted by Crooks and Liars, my new favorite website. also check out the video of John Stewart on Lary King, and Arianna Huffington, and Bush interviewed about Katrina on ABC .


"Federal officials warned President Bush and his homeland security chief of possible devastation just before Hurricane Katrina struck. Six days of video footage from briefings and transcripts were obtained by The Associated Press. The warnings were that the storm could breach levees, risk lives in the New Orleans Superdome and overwhelm rescuers.A-P reports Bush didn't ask any questions during the final government-wide briefing the day before Katrina struck on August 29th"

The day after the mosque was blown up in Iraq and the "sectarian violence" or civil war began, the news provided us with a number of known dead. The day after the bombing I woke up and the headline said 111 dead so far, later in the day it was around 134 dead. then the number stopped being widely reported. Damage control? well of course, there's more outrageous political manipulations to talk about than this, but today the Washington post gave us a peek at the numbers game

"Prime Minister Ibrahim al-Jafari said Tuesday that the death toll provided to The Washington Post by morgue workers -- more than 1,300 dead since last Wednesday -- was "inaccurate and exaggerated." Jafari said the toll was 379. Gen. Ali Shamarri of the Interior Ministry's statistics department put the toll at 1,077."

But you know, I think this whole civil war thing is "made up by the media" what about you Rupert?

Trent Lott is straight up "offended" by Bush's veto threat, you gotta watch this video. it shows you exactly how much the president's own Republican Party is getting annoyed by his imperial attitude.

Crooks and Liars has the Movie Here

I'm very thankful I could be a part of the event. Great group of people. and it was great to put Internet personalities together with the real thing. Great to meet (e:Paul) Buffalo Pundit Zack Schneider Cynthia Van Ness and others. Thanks again For the invitation Paul, it was a great experience.

Everyone had great stuff to share, there was really a wealth of ideas and talent there. Aside from 3created who realy didn't have a good product. but it was great to see and hear everyone else. I got a lot out of Zack Schneider's talk he definitely does great stuff with web design.

I always like doing speaking engagements, this was my first in Buffalo. Of course they make you nervous, but I accept that, and I know that throughout life I will have to do public speaking, and the more practice I get the better. I Learned a lot this time, for one I hardly looked at my notes, part of the reason was that I couldn't read them in that setting, and the other part was that following words on paper just wasn't going to help get my point across. unfortunately I think I left a lot out of my presentation due to my lack of adequate notes. next time, bullet points, and 25pt font size!

But since I painstakingly typed up notes for my presentation here they are.



Notes From my Geek Meet Presentation:
Politics and the Buffalo Internet

I'm going to talk about What kinds of websites exist in WNY, where they came from and what their role is in shaping the public discourse as well as how they are putting pressure on the local government.

First a little bit about my Background, BA Political Science, started Masters at UB but I left that for the New Media Design Program � at the same time I got internship for Brian Higgins, to see what it was like behind the scenes.

As For My Web Design background, I started coding in notepad, and am currently using CSS PHP and other basic languages that I've learned at UB.

Also participate by writing for WNY Media, for almost a year.

So Regarding Politics and the Buffalo Web,
the Internet has Suddenly emerged as an important medium for local politics and news.

Technology has progressed to make Internet Publishing easier and more affordable,

And over the past year many important websites have been started, but a big factor in the rise of the Buffalo Internet is that Local news has been so interesting.

The Buffalo Mayoral Race kind of solidified and encouraged all the alternative news websites. But also
Erie County's fiscal crisis - Downtown Casino - Waterfront Development - Increasing investment in city neighborhoods.

Lots of issues have pushed local news to the front of peoples minds.

More Western New Yorkers are paying attention to local politics,
meaning more people want to talk about and read about local politics.

People have gone beyond simply reading the Buffalo News, and watching the major news channels. Now they are finding news online.

For example a site like WNY Media, gets over 30,000 hits per day,
it is also listed under Google news,
and it is more popular than all four TV news network websites.

Meaning that online news readership has grown tremendously. STOP

Lets think about who is reading online news.

some are just concerned community members like myself, but journalists and politicians also make up a significant part of online news readership.

Politicians and Journalists have a vested interest in public sentiment, and perception of different issues.
Journalists want to know what people are talking about, so that they can produce more Attractive News Coverage.

Politicians want to get reelected, so they want to make sure that they know about public discontent and can either cover their butt, or proactively address a winning issue.

If for example someone writes an article about Brian Higgins or one of his issues, Brian and the people who work for him are going to want to know what is said. It's their job to stay connected to the public and make sure that their candidate looks good.

When I was working in Higgins office, I got an email on Buffalo Issue Alerts listserv and that same day one of Higgins staff was talking about the e-mail, calling somebody to find out if the issue had been addressed, quoting the e-mail. I asked her if she was on the Buffalo Issue Alerts listserv and she said that she tries to keep up with everything she can, and she also gets forwards from people, e-mails and news articles that might be important to the Brian Higgins Team.

Ok, I've mentioned some of the local websites, and I'd like to show you some of them, and get into specifics.


Examples:



WNY Media Network:
About one year old
30,000 hits per day, just wnymedia
Site ranks higher on a daily basis than all 4 local TV stations
Started email � budget disaster - > website
Wordpress Blogs sponsored through the site, Judy, Buffalo Pundit 12 total regularly updated
Many Writers on main site, easy to get involved.
ie. My articles
Buffalo News Part of the problem � 238 reads
Impeaching the President � 878 reads
Relevant articles get 70 reads in 2 days
Joe Illuzzi Front page Buffalo News, Beast broke story originally.
Members meeting in person who never knew each other before the websites started.
Reporters contacting webmasters about community happenings. Marc "all the time"
Helping local community endeavors, "Save Santaland"
Marc fired from channel 2
"we have grown from 1 site less than a year ago to 12 quality daily updated websites. We
have all grown closer as friends in the process and I have met dozens if not hundreds of people through our website. We continuously get tips and information from people"





Buffalo Rising:
1 year May 2004
Started with a blogger account to supliment their small free magazine.
Quickly increasing number of visitors. About one third as popular as WNY Media
on par with WBEN Radio News website.
Very relevant, talks about community development and positive points.
Publicity given on B Rising definitely helps issues.
Community meetings, Charity gatherings, arts, etc


Speakup WNY:
2.5 years may 2003
Very popular twice WNY Media, but focused on discussion board.
Skewed statistics because small number of people checking their posts.
Relevant but focused on community discussion, can be chaotic.


Buffalo Issue Alerts:
3.5 years 2002
List Serv 300 subscribers
Started from local concerns and e-mail
Ideas frequently picked up by Buffalo Rising
Promoted petitions through listserv, to save Antwater House, and prevent gates circle Walgreans


Buffalo Pundit:
Buffalo Pundit nearly 2 years. Started before to promote Wes Clark for President,
About 1000 visitors per day, higher on weekdays
Illuzzi Webstats Story picked up
Hosted 2 "BloggerCon" events many locals attended both
Promoted petitions by others



Fix Buffalo:
1 year Oct 2004
Lives on near east side
300 visitors per day 130 subscribers
Interviewed by News and Artvoice about Woodlawn Row houses
"I've met more people this past year in decision making rolls than I would have otherwise."
"upset that the City of Buffalo could hold private property owners to a higher standard than they use themselves in maintaining real property."



Politics WNY:
7.5 years old 1998
Somewhat popular.
Snail Mail turned into e-mail, website, new magazine.

One thing I can say is, I'm glad I don't work in the whitehouse right now. News today of Iraq possibly drifting into Civil War because one of the holiest shia shrines in Iraq had it's dome blown off...

wow, it makes me realy sad to think about what's next.. I know peopple are talking about civil war... I can't wrap my mind around it, what a horrible situation.

meanwhile it makes me feel bad for the whitehouse too, throw in the other big news that Dick Cheney shot he friend with birdshot, and this whole Port issue with national security... man, that's stress.
I mean could you imagine being all embarrassed because you're the vice president and you just shot your friend in the face, then the whole congress Republican and Democrat is pissed off at you for turning over our ports to a questionable nation. and then.. after all that you wake up to find out that someone just blew the giant gold dome off of one of the holiest shia mosques.

But then again, the bush regime is much better off than the people who are actually dying in the streets, because of GOP incompetence. Dying in America and overseas.