People United for Sustainable Housing (PUSH), a grassroots, non-profit community organization working to rebuild the West Side of Buffalo, is advancing plans to renovate three vacant buildings on a four-block stretch of Massachusetts Avenue. The group is working with residents to create and implement an action plan for improving the neighborhood. A prime focus is the redevelopment of empty houses for occupancy by low-income residents.
The City of Buffalo designated PUSH as the redeveloper for 397 and 398 Massachusetts Avenue (left and right in entry image), two vacant City-owned properties, in October 2008. 460 Massachusetts (below), at the corner of Chenango, was acquired in November 2009 from a private owner. Eleven apartments will be created in the three structures.
Funding consists of a $1.47 million grant from the state Department of Housing and Community Renewal and $400,000 from the City of Buffalo. The Buffalo News has details on the "green" rehab plans:
Architect Kevin V. Connors of eco_logic Studio said one important feature is that the rehabilitation projects will embrace green technology. They will have energy-efficient windows and water heaters, solar electric panels and recycled-content materials.
The housing complexes will be painted in "turn-of-the-century" Victorian colors, said [PUSH executive director Aaron] Bartley.
Rents for one-bedroom apartments will be $375 a month, while three-bedroom units will go for $525 a month. PUSH already manages six units of housing.
460 Massachusetts Avenue- from Google Street View
Work is expected to start in the spring and be completed later this year. PUSH has longer-term plans to clean up vacant lots and rehab approximately 200 housing units in a 25-block area south of West Ferry Street and west of Richmond Avenue.
The larger effort may receive funding through the New York State Sustainable Neighborhoods initiative announced by Governor Paterson in his 2010 State of the State address. The pilot program, if it proceeds, is expected to create new, affordable, high quality homeownership opportunities by rehabilitating vacant and abandoned buildings and making them available to first-time homebuyers.
After the stretch limo finally pulled up to the Good family home in Cheektowaga and Bills
linebacker Paul Posluszny stood smiling in the living room, there was a moment of awe and
silence.
WASHINGTON -- The Senate late tonight confirmed President Obama's choice for U.S.
attorney in the Western District of New York: William J. Hochul, the career federal prosecutor
who handled the "Lackawanna Six" terrorism case.
Among many appearances, including todays ceremony at City Hall and tonights puck drop at the Buffalo Sabres-Dallas Stars game at HSBC Arena, Mesler is inviting the entire city to a free party at Pearl Street Grill & Brewery from 6:30-9:30pm on Thursday night.
Jason La Canfora at NFL.com is reporting that the Buffalo Bills will host a visit with free agent defensive tackle Jimmy Kennedy on Thursday.
The 6′4″, 320-pound Kennedy, 30, has spent the past two seasons in Minnesota, where he backed up Pat Williams and Kevin Williams. During a stellar 2009 campaign, Kennedy [...]
We heard the women last night -- and we're still shaking our heads at the amazing performances turned in by Crystal Bowersox, Siobhan Magnus and, of all people, Didi Benami, who is back in the race after last night.
Though virtually every New Orleans dining experience would be easy for a decent to good chef to replicate in Western New York, some of the biggest no-brainers are the city’s famous sandwiches and desserts: though there are sometimes substantial variations in recipes from restaurant to restaurant, they all tend to use ingredients that are as commonly available here as there. This second and final part of our look at New Orleans cuisines discusses everything from po’ boys to pralines and fried chicken, along with a few small disappointments and some brief comparisons with Western New York options. You can see the first part, discussing New Orleans drinks and seafood dishes, here, as well as a huge New Orleans food photo gallery with more details here.
Brad Riter, Scott Wilson, & Tom Schuh throw around topics such as Starburst jellybeans, Randy Michaels, & Tim Tebow. Finally, you do not want to miss out today’s trip down to the Korner.
Chris Smith from WNYmedia.net, joins Brad in studio to tackle all the local political news in Western New York.
Buffalo native Dr. Michael Roizen, chief wellness officer at the Cleveland Clinic, brought a simple message about health to WNED's Buffalo City Forum this afternoon. Rozien said a few simple changes in diet, inactivity and stress can have a "radical" impact on health.
The FAA Reauthorization Act hit the Senate floor Wednesday evening. But before debate began, the legislation was held up by a Tennessee Senator. YNN’s Jennifer Bernstein tells us what Flight 3407 families did to ensure it wasn’t stalled.
Young Audiences of Western New York is teaming up with the Albright-Knox Art Gallery this Friday March 12 to give families the opportunity to go Around the World with Young Audiences through interactive experiences in art, dance, and storytelling. Presented as part of the popular Gusto at the Gallery series, admission to the gallery and participation in events are free to the public.
The programs offered with Around the World on Friday include interactive workshops and performances at the Albright-Knox from 4:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. in the classrooms and auditorium of the gallery. Each activity explores a different culture or group of cultures.
"Gusto events are a great way for Young Audiences to share the diversity and talent of our teaching artists with the public," said Cynnie Gaasch, Executive Director of Young Audiences WNY. "Our programs are educational and artistically excellent. Because they are most often offered in school many people don't know about all of the fantastic programs we offer. We love presenting in the family-friendly atmosphere of the Albright-Knox."
Families will make avatars or cherry blossom out of paper in Kyoko Roszmann's Origami Workshop and Sarah Hooper's Family Dance/Salsa Workshop will kick-off the night's activities in the gallery's classrooms, followed by performances in the auditorium by Lorna Czarnota and Clyde Alifiju Morgan.
At 6:30 p.m. Czarnota will present This World of Ours: Stories from Many Cultures, a dynamic performance featuring stories from China, Ireland, Africa, and the Middle East. Czarnota's performance will be immediately followed by Morgan's Afro-Brazilian Dance & Music at 7:30 p.m. Morgan's fast-paced performance features a brilliant array of dance and music reflecting the multi-cultural traditions of Brazil.
Young Audiences WNY, is one of 30 Young Audiences affiliates across the country. They present hundreds of programs, plus dozens of residencies. Their teaching artists provide schoolchildren, their educators and families, with multi-disciplinary, multi-session education through the arts. These residencies create meaningful connections between artists and young people that might otherwise not be exposed to the arts--especially arts integrated into school curricula.
Young Audiences also appeared at the Buffalo Powder Keg Festival with some of their teaching artists, and you can view a slideshow of the fun families had with Kyoko Roszmann, Cindy Hanna, Jen Russo , and Glenn Colton there, here. To learn more about Young Audiences programing, visit their website at www.yawny.org.