4/15/2014

Buffalo's Preservation Ready Survey

Mayor Byron W. Brown today released a Preservation Ready Survey, which reveals properties in downtown Buffalo and along the Belt Line that are eligible for the National Register of Historic Places.

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Why is this important? Tax credits. With recent success stories like the Lafayette Hotel, Apartments at the Hub, and Tishman Building, it is becoming clear that New York State's Historic Rehabilitation Tax Credit is getting results.

What's more important is that the Brown administration appears eager to extend these benefits to beyond downtown, into the industrial heartland of the East Side. At Brown's insistence, the historic survey included two industrial loft clusters along the Belt Line, which includes some of Buffalo's best, under-appreciated buildings. Most are vacant, awaiting savvy investors.

The Preservation Ready Survey was completed with an $80,000 grant from SHPO and National Grid. From the looks of the 348-page report (download here), the consultants appear to have been paid by the page. I'll publish a Google map in a few days that makes the report's content accessible to the average person.

Part II
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1 comment:

Bill C. said...

This is great publicity and good for preservation, but I have to say, the document itself is sadly what we've come to expect from municipal government.

It's disorganized, unprofessional, and ugly. It's difficult to find relevant information. I can't imagine a developer ever having time to slog through 348 pages. I certainly won't. How could someone with the credentials of Mehaffy put his stamp of approval on such a sloppy, incoherent document?

I look forward to your Google map of NR-eligible properties. It may be the only useful thing to come out of this project.