Written on Tuesday, October 9th, 2007 at 6:52pm by Mark | 4 Comments

Okay. We're downtown. Now what?


Last Friday a few friends and I went to the “Party at the Plaza” event outside of HSBC Arena for the home opener.

Basically hundreds and hundreds of young people all clusterd together to stand in front of a large screen for three hours. And then go home…or somewhere not downtown.

And then the game ended. 18,690 people left the arena, hundreds left the plaza and all convened onto Main and Perry. With nothing to do in sight. The wait for the light rail was crowded beyond a DC metro stop at rush hour, and dozens upon dozens of people who didn’t want to wait decided to just walk up Main Street until they either reached their parking lot or a place to eat/drink. It was a warm night so we didn’t mind walking up to Chippewa and Delaware.

But thats not the point. The point is that the area immediately surrounding the arena should and has to be developed into a great place to hang out and spend time/money. And I don’t understand why it hasn’t been already outside of investors being deathly afraid to test an untapped market.

Yeah its cold most of hockey season, but if you give 18,690 people a reason to walk outside for 1-2 maybe 3 minutes to somewhere…they’ll do it. They walk just as far to the many surface lots they park on anyways. There is no excuse for Canal Side to not be a great destination of stores, restaurants, and entertainment.

Just wanted to make that clear.

4 Comments

  1. Andrew Kulyk says:
    October 10, 2007 at 12:35 pm

    Well the idea sounds nice but there are a few problems.

    That land across Main Street the other side of the arena is the Central Wharf and that is “sacrosanct”. Tim Tielman said so. So that means we can put in cobblestone paths, old fashioned street lamps with hanging flower baskets, and grassy knolls with historical markers describing the whore houses and saloons that used to exist there in the 1800s. Anything more than that will be described as “big box” and will be threatened with lawsuits.

    See the Aud? It’s been boarded up for 11 years now and will look identically the same five years for now. Oh…. they are going to tear it down. Or they won’t. It means asbestos and mold removal. That will start in 2008. Or 2009. Or as soon as they strip the memorabilia or seats. Do I hear 2010 to start things up?

    See the Donovan Building? It’s been vacant and abandoned for ayear now, save for those lazy and ugly two employees who sit on the loading dock and smoke and collect their 50K Yeah that was supposed to come down this year. But it’s full of perfectly good used furniture. So we got to do a study to figure out what to do with the furniture. That will take a year. Or two. 2011 anyone?

    See the skyway? Everyone wants that puppy gone? Yeah work is starting on the new Fuhrman Blvd this fall. Or not, because the Mayor of Milwaukee says it’s bad. So they wll build a boulevard. Or an expressway. Or a boulevard and an expressway. Or stop it all and study it some more. In any case, whatever is built means that northbound motorists will get as far as the Buffalo River and then swim across, because there are no plans for a bridge or bridges to span the river into downtown. Except Higgins has a rolled up sketch in his trunk. Next federal highway pork bll comes up in 2009. So design in 2010… environmental impact statement in 2011… Tielman sues because the bridge skirts his sacrosanct soil. Do I hear 2013?

    See that blue tool shed down Perry St? Yeah they *insert shriek here* gamble there. Nice plans for a signature casino and hotel and how awesome will that be. Except CACGEC says gambling is baaaaaddddd! This little group of assorted nuts and kooks know what’s good for us better than we do. So lawsuits are ongoing. Do I hear 2015?

    They tore down “The Pier” last week, and in it’s stead will be a nice walking path with views of the lake and pretty brick and lamps and flowers. And a “shovel ready” site to add to the rest of the 120 acres that have languished since I was a little tyke. But plans are in the works for a great an exciting Outer Harbor, I promise ya! Just as soon as the NFTA deeds the property over to the ECHDC. Paper work is a bitch. Do I hear 2017? Anyone? Anyone?

    Weeks and turning into months, months into years, and still arena patrons walk out into the street and see parking lots, boarded up buildings, and empty nothingness. And today in Business First, Gov Spitzer blathers on about wanting to jump start things at Canal Sde. Well Gov, how about starting tear down work on the Aud…No not next March not next summer… How about first thing Monday morning?

  2. jen says:
    October 10, 2007 at 3:43 pm

    “The point is that the area immediately surrounding the arena should and has to be developed into a great place to hang out and spend time/money. And I don’t understand why it hasn’t been already outside of investors being deathly afraid to test an untapped market.”

    Yeah, why is that?

  3. Mark says:
    October 10, 2007 at 4:39 pm

    haha andrew. i see those two damn old guys sitting outside the donovan building and i say to myself “only in new york state.” getting paid full time to protect a vacant building. awesome.

  4. starbuck says:
    October 13, 2007 at 1:51 pm

    And I don’t understand why it hasn’t been already outside of investors being deathly afraid to test an untapped market.”

    Yeah, why is that?

    My guess – jsut a guess: Number of Sabres games even counting pre-season and playoffs is about 50. Even if we round up for a few other arena events we get to around 60. Let’s be generous and say 65.

    That would leave 300 days/year of a very difficult time attracting customers.

 

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