(e:Leetee) wrote, and I am replying:

Q: If Hans Mobius had kept his properties to code and wasn't such a slumlord, then perhaps all the tennants in those houses would have had way way way way higher rent, perhaps even not been able to afford to do business or live there?!?

A: Possibly, but he has owned these properties for twenty years. For twenty years, he has not made a single major repair to any of those properties. As a landlord, he is required BY LAW to keep them to code.

Q: So, the options are for him to sell the property to someone else and be rewarded or continue to be a scumbag slumlord? Neither are attractive. If he ends up in jail because he is a slumlord, what happens to the buildings and the tennants?

A: What would change if he was in jail? The business owners would not go anywhere. They pay rent. He broke the law, not them. The buildings could be better, but also keep in mind that any repairs done to the buildings were done by the tenants. Also keep in mind, that people live in these buildings too.

Q: Does the city take over? What the heck would they do with the buildings? Condemn them and boot out the tennants? Or sell them to the highest bidder and then the tennants would be out anyway?

A: The city could yes. Have you heard of Rocco Termini? read my previous enteries or see my article here: you can scroll to Related Wikinews and see the oldest article at the bottom of the list. Anyways, there is one about Rocco in there and a picture of what he wants to do. Remember Elmwood and Auburn? why not do something like that? He has said that all the tenants and businesses can stay and offers 7 storefronts as opposed to the 3 with the hotel.

Q: Instead of telling me what is wrong with Hans Mobis and him being a slumlord and wanting to sell to a developer that will do things you thing aren't good for you, your neighbourhood and the tennants of those buildings, how about what you are hoping will happen?

A: I hope that Rocco will do what he says he will do. His Idea is what Elmwood needs. What we do not NEED is a hotel. Plus with his Idea, it seems the tenants will get the option to buy.

Q: What is your suggestion in an ideal world? Really, i am not being sarcastic or arguing, i really want to know...

A: Please read my articles as there is too much to type :) But my suggestion: Progress is not demolishing homes and businesses. The Waterfront is progress. The Canal District is progress. The Burchfield Art Museum? is progress. Get the tourists here and then worry about a hotel.

Jason

Well it looks like we wone another delay. The hotel proposal has been sent to commitee to be "discussed further". No tabling, no date for the next meeting (common council meeting).

I want to organize a protest of those OPPOSED to the hotel. We will have signs and a bagel company will supply coffee and bagels if we do this. Anyone who is interested please send me a post it note with you e-mail address and I will send the information to you when we organize it.

Only three residents spoke that were for the hotel. At least 5, including myself were againsty it and spoke.

I will be writing my next article now, but it will take a bit.

Watch WB 49 News at 10 TONIGHT for an update and to see me on TV :)

We are always hiring and firing people at work. Hell, a lot quit too. But I like it when a new face comes along. Especially when its someone you know and worked with before.

My friend jen, who i have not seen in a year, just got a jo at the resturant. We used to work together at City Grill, downtown. That resturant is part of a few chains. They used to own Ya-Ya's on Main Street, across from the old Marcella's, but it has since closed. I hear none of their places are doing all that great, and I am glad I got out of there before I was out of a job. BTW, I worked at Pano's for two years then quit to go to City Grill. I was there for a year exactly and went back to Pano's where I am at now.

I am glad to finally see someone I know, and like again. It's about time we got some reliable help :)

Jason

(e:Dcoffee). Nice. Build the hotel on elmwood and north. If you think its gonig to be so great, tear down E,mwood and north. If you think its going to be so great, put it where your house is. Tear your house down and close the shops you use. Destroy yor neighborhood.

The redesign sucks. If I wanted toi see the old west, I would go to it. I sure as hell do not want to see it on my corner.

So lets reward all the slum lords in buffalo by allowing them to INTENTIONALLY neglect their properties and let them rot. If this were anywqhere else, Hans Mobius would be inb jail.

Well lets see. Maybe wthe city should o their job and put Hans Mobius in jail for the laws and codes he has been breaking for the past 20 years by again INTENTIONALLY neglecting his properties soi there would be no choice to tear them down. So we again, let him get away with this. Then we are rewarding him for what he did and encourages others to do the same.

The City needs to stand up and get these slum lords.

I am AGAINST Pano expanding hios resturant too. If he includes the Atwater House (all of it) then let him expand. I will also add I work for him. He is also my land lord and he is WELL AWARE of my stance being AGAINST his expansion and AGAINST the hotel. And he respects that. Just like he respects you ( (e:Uncutsaniflush) ) not eating there.

As I said, I do not care where in Buffalo you live, but this is more a community/nieghborhood issue than a city issue. As I said before, if you do not use the shops, never have, and you live in Williamsville, Amherst or Cheektowaga ETC., and you want this hotel, build it in your own city.

I am a Kenmore resident, true dat. I think you could put the exact same building on Kenmore's Delaware strip and it would be no less successful than if it were on Elmwood. I think it would be excellent to have that building in my neighborhood. - (e:zobar)

Good...then build it there.

I think it would be a shame if the city reinforced its reputation as
hostile to new development and lost yet another opportunity at urban
renewal and tax income to the suburbs - but it would not be the first time,
and it will not be the last. If it were to come to that, I can only
hope they would consider building on Kenmore's Delaware strip rather than
nowhere at all. -(e:zobar)

Hello? Bass Pro? Last I heard the city wanted Bass Pro...and where are they? I am afraid Bass Pro is to blame on this one.

I may have come across the wrong way. "you Guys" was in reference to those that commented on my blog. Perhaps I was a little haresh but nonetheless, I should have made it clear to Who I was referring to.

Ok sure...let demolish the houses build a hotel, to which no one in buffalo will use, destroy the urban setting of elmwood. While we are at it lets tear down the whole block. While we are at it why not the Atwater house? Lets just tear everything down put up a even bigger hotel because so many tourists come here. To even think this hotel is going to create any jobs is stupid. What jobs? 72 rooms is not jobs. Bass Pro is jobs...1,000+ jobs to be exact.

I like a lot of things in Buffalo, the art gallery is one of them, but do enough people go there YEAR AROUND to justify a hotel? Do enough peole stay at Buffalo State College YEAR AROUND to justify a hotel? The festivals on Elmwood are a good example, when they are going on. They are not a year around event. I like the art gallery, however; If I am a tourist, I don't think that Buffalo is on the top of my list to visit. No offense, but we have to look at it realistically. A hotel, a 72 room hotel, with 55 parking spaces 2 over priced shops and a resturaunt is not an attraction. And the Falls...well are they in Buffalo???

Last I checked there were not enough "conventions" or "seminars" in Buffalo YEAR AROUND to support even the hotels down town. In fact the ONLY time any of the hotels down town are full is during an event. Otherwise they are 60% full on average.

So we destroy viable businesses, that the COMMUNITY uses, to put up something we will never use. What's the sense in that?

This is a COMMUNITY issue. A NIEGHBORHOOD issue. Not a city issue or a tourism issue. If it was the hotel would be somewhere else and much much bigger. If you live in Amherst or Cheektowaga or Williamsviille or anywhere other than Buffalo or the surrounding NEIGHBORHOOD, and you want this hotel, then build it in your own damn city. Personally if you are that concerned about your family and friends then you would want it closer. So stop telling ME whats good for MY/OUR neighboorhood. You move here, and you use the shops and then you can tell me what is good for MY/OUR nieghborhood.

Also last time I checked everyone who lives in the IMMDEIATE area of this hotel is AGAINST it.

I remember a quote by Sam Savarino on the first and so far only community meeting on the hotel, and which I have on tape, saying:

"Some people have gotten emotional about this project. And I want to let the community know that we will listen to what you have to say. We're not forcing this down anybody's throat. If this is not something this community wants, we do not want to have it here."

The COMMUNITY does not want it. Knock on the doors all around Elmwood, Granger, Penhurst, Claremont, Ashland, you will see...they don't want it, and neither do I.

Well here is a response to a comment posted on my latest blog. The bold is what he said. And its the whole comment...nothing deleted or added.

"wait you are trying to tell me that because they tore down a hotel on Forrest and Elmwood in 1901 because it wasn't financially viable, there's no way that one could be successful in 2006?"

1. it's Forest. One R.
2. No I am not saying that. What I am saying is that any hotel for the last 106 years that existed in the general area around Elmwood and Forest, has not been financially successful. Not one. In fact, tell me one hotel that is in the area here. If you had read it properly you would see that a hotel existed right on Forest and Lincoln parkway. Where is it?

"I applaud your research and dedication, but give me a break. This hotel is essentially a sign of Buffalo's turn around,"

1. Turnaround? You need to have something here people want to come to from out of state etc. Do you think someone is going to come stay at this hotel to go to Coles or India Gate?

"It will enrich your neighborhood by helping your local businesses to thrive. take India Gate for example, they have amazing service and fantastic food, but they can't afford to upgrade their dumpy blue awning."

1. What businesses? The ones I really like will be demolished. Businesses that I already shop at and use. Right...where will people shop at on this end of Elmwood when these are gone? We Never Close? The current shops are original and thats what Elmwood stands for. Mom and Pop stores. I know that a storefron in a 7 million dollar hotel is going to cost a pretty penny or a trillion. So how would I be able to afford going into these "shops"? Also note that there are only 2 storefronts and a resturant in the new design. Right...i see a lot of shopping going on. Furthermore, how will a hotel benefit me when it wil be less than 5 feet from my house? I am not going to stay in it.

"An influx of customers from the new hotel will help them thrive and expand, I’m sure all the businesses in the area will flourish, and that is a good thing."

1. Again. Where are the "influx of customers" going to come from? Do you think someone is sitting in California saying, "hey they just built that new hotel in Buffalo. Lets go and stay in it." No. You need to have something here they want to come to first.

Plus the homes they’re tearing down are dumpy, not architectural treasures. Let this project move forward.

So we are supposed to reward a landlord (Hans Mobius) for neglecting his properties INTENTIONALLY for 20 years? Tell me, whats right about that? Thats why they are a dump. You need to yell at him about that. He is a slum lord. If the city had forced him to keep them up to code like the city is supposed to, they would not be "dumpy". Also, any improvements done on the properties were done by the business owners and residents or non-profit groups (the grop I forget the name, did all the neon lights you see that are not working anymore mostly....look over coles, you will see them there too...all down the street) Dumpy? I can name a lot more worse looking places in Buffalo...

Well I have done some real in depth reporting this time. And I think some of you might be suprised.

There was NO hotel on the same site they want to build the Elmwood Village Hotel. There was however; one right across the street where the Mobil gas station is.

My Latest article I wrote:

Rocco Termini writes a letter to the Buffalo news, and it was published 3 hours ago:

That TEMPORARY hotel was called the Statler Hotel, or Statler's. It was built in 1901 for the Pan-American Exposition and ONLY for the exposition. It was taken down with 90% of everything else for the exposition and that was that.

The hotel I might add, was a failure, financially. According to documents he took what little money he (Ellsworth Milton Statker) made and built the next temporary hotel in St. Loius for their exhibition in 1904....that one was successful.

It also shows that there were no hotels or rooming houses in the area prior to the exposition, and after. To this day, any hotel or rooming house that was documented in records at the Buffalo Historical Society, in this area, does not exist anymore, and no hotel since then has existed in this area and to this day there is not one.

So tell me, if a hotel has not been financially successful for 100 years, why would it be now?

Sign the petition to STOP the Elmwood Village Hotel and put and end to this madness: Petition:

Well...I have heard stories about people who joined MySpace and then out of no where someone from their childhood of 10-15 years ago e-mails them. I never thought it would heppen to me.

I opened my mail on Myspace and saw two messages from two girls. I read them and they both said that they went to elementary school with me. I mailed them back and turns out that I was best friends with both of them through most if not all of my elementary school days. I was quite impressed and shocked. They were apparently bored and were looking through names of people they went to school with and such and I popped up. I think its so cool!!!

Anyways, one had to mail the other to believe it :) So now I am glad to have met up with old friends and hope to hear from more.

Now for the hotel. We managed to delay any decision on the proposal for a maximum of thirty days. The Common Council is expected to meet on rezoning issues and allow the public to voice support or opposition in a public hearing this Tuesday at 2pm in City Hall 13th floor, Council Chambers. I will be there.

Here is my latest news article on the hotel:

Also, there is LITTLE time left to sign the online petition to stop the hotel here:

If you are against it, please sign it if you have not already. And spread the link :)

Jason