The City of Buffalo Office of Strategic Planning (OSP) would like to invite you to its LaSalle Station ETOD (Equitable Transit Oriented  Design).  The city is in the processes of developing an RFP for this ETOD project at the LaSalle Station.

Kick-off Meeting Thursday, August 4 at 6pm at the Gloria J. Parks center.  Please see the attached flyer for more details.

LaSalle Kick Off Flyer

This is a correspondence we received from the Liquor Authority regarding the Suspension of Luxor Restaurant License. If the community havs any concerns or support this is the time to address them with the Liquor Authority before a decision is made.

Correspodens:

Please be advised that the above referenced matter will be before the Members of the Authority for determination at the July 27, 2022 Full Board meeting for reconsideration.

This meeting is OPEN to the public. This meeting will be held on the 3^RD FLOOR of the Adam Clayton Powell Jr. State Office Building, 163 West 125^th Street, New York NY 10027. Video conferencing will also be available at the Alfred E. Smith State Office Building, 80 South Swan Street, Albany, NY 12210 and at the Authority’s Buffalo office in the Iskalo Electric Tower Building, 535 Washington Street, Suite 303, Buffalo, New York. The meeting will start promptly at 10:00 AM and will also be streamed live on the Authority’s YouTube channel. A link to the live stream will be available on the Authority’s website: https://sla.ny.gov/.

For those who wish to attend the meeting in person:

• You may appear at any of the three locations. Please have a photo ID available when you arrive since you will need to check in with security in the first-floor lobby.
• Limitations will be placed on the amount of time allocated to speakers on each item. Further information will be made available on the Authority’s website and announced at each meeting.
• Anyone intending on speaking before the Members on a matter will be required to include their name along with the agenda number for that matter on a list at each location. With rare exceptions, items will be called in the order they appear on that list, first in Buffalo, then Albany and then New York.
• If you intend on appearing in Albany or Buffalo, please email Secretary’s Office @ Secretarys.Office@sla.ny.gov at least one day in advance of the meeting date and please plan on arriving (with photo ID) at least 15 minutes before the start of the meeting. You will need to check in with security in the first-floor lobby.
• Interpreter services are available to applicants, at no charge, by the Authority. If you are in need of such services, please email Secretary’s Office @ Secretarys.Office@sla.ny.gov or call (518) 474-3114 and follow the prompts to Secretary’s Office. Please note that a delay in requesting an interpreter may require that the matter be held over until a later meeting.
• If you have any supplemental material you wish the Members of the Authority to review, it must be received in Secretary’s Office no later than 2:00 p.m. on July 22, 2022 in order to afford time for the Members to review.  Documents should be emailed to fbsupplemental@sla.ny.gov. Any material received after 2:00 p.m. will not be accepted or considered. Please refrain from bringing new materials to the Members of the Authority on the day of the meeting.
• Requests for copies of any submissions made by those in support or opposition should be directed to boardinfo@sla.ny.gov. Please refrain from contacting the Secretary’s Office directly with those requests.
• If you have any questions, please contact the Secretary’s Office either by email @ Secretarys.Office@sla.ny.gov or by phone @ (518) 474-3114 and follow the prompts to Secretary’s Office.

Thank you,

Secretary’s Office

New York State Liquor Authority

Alfred E. Smith Office Building, Suite 900

80 South Swan Street, Albany, NY  12210-8002

(518) 474-3114 | secretarys.office@sla.ny.gov

www.sla.ny.gov

New Slow Down – Drive Like Your Kids Live here signs are available for your University Heights Neighborhood Street.  Stop by Amy’s Place during normal business hours to get one. 

As you may be aware, the City of Buffalo announced plans to redevelop the parking lot at the LaSalle NFTA Metro Station. This is a welcome investment, but it came as a surprise to many residents and community leaders. And, there was not an opportunity for meaningful community engagement before a Request for Qualifications (RFQ) was issued for developer input.

 This project represents a significant opportunity for our neighborhood, which struggles to maintain a healthy business district despite plentiful amenities and proximity to the University at Buffalo’s South Campus. UHC is committed to maintaining affordability while promoting development that brings long-term residents who will support local businesses. We need your help to ensure this project benefits University Heights residents, creates a sense of place, and strengthens our existing business district. 

 We are asking Block Clubs and residents to complete a survey to help us guide development in the University Heights and at the LaSalle NFTA parking lot. Please take a few minutes to help us by responding before July 6. You will notice that the survey asks about the neighborhood generally and it contains a Community Inventory section to guide UHC during the LaSalle process.

1.  Desired amenities for LaSalle project. Over the past decades, we’ve seen an exodus of small and locally owned businesses from Main St. Share your ideas for how new development can support existing residents, attract new long-term residents, and bring back Main St. Ideas for amenities could include: office space/employers, a shared workspace for neighborhood consultants or small businesses (an affordable local WeWork or Hansa), an expanded Tool Library, a coffee shop, a fitness center or yoga studio, pet store, and a bike repair shop.
   
2. All proposed projects in the University Heights Area — We believe that many projects are moving forward, but not connected. They are proceeding in silos and without community engagement. We need cohesive, not disjointed, development. Projects we know of include: LaSalle Station (NFTA parking lot), Bethune Loft conversion, University Tops Plaza Redevelopment, Build Back Bailey Ave near UB, Shoshone Field House, extension of Rails to Trails south  etc. Tell us what we are missing.

3. Neighborhood assets. To build from our strengths, we need to know what neighbors love about the Heights. Examples of assets could include: Rails to Trails bike path, grocery stores, healthcare services, Shoshone Park, access to UB South, pocket parks, community gardens, the Tool Library, restaurants, transit access, and residents with unique skills — artists and master gardens. These are only examples.

4. Neighborhood liabilities. Every community has challenges, and development should help us solve problems. So what are our ongoing challenges? Examples could include: poorly maintained houses, out-of-town landlords, vacant storefronts, unaddressed quality of life issues (noise, litter, etc), neglect from UB, parking, traffic, noise pollution from the Materion factory at Hertel and Main, or lack of natural space at Shoshone Park. 

 Please complete and share this survey so UHC can effectively advocate for University Heights residents. If you prefer to respond to the above community inventory questions via email, you can send a message to UHC at info@ourheights.org.

 Thank you for your time. I hope you will encourage neighbors to complete the survey by July 6. 

Survey Link: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSf4YIcRotjDRdeIpeUjXrF38doijhx8tdfLIy9Fg5y8UqpBrw/viewform?usp=sf_link

As reported by the Buffalo News (link) five developers have submitted responses to the City’s Request for Qualifications(RFQ).

“Four local real estate sources say teams led by or including Generation Development
Group, McGuire Development Co., Uniland Development Co., Ciminelli Real Estate
Corp. and Savarino Companies have submitted preliminary bids and other materials
to the city’s Office of Strategic Planning, in response to a “request-for-qualifications”
that City Hall and the Niagara Frontier Transportation Authority issued in early May.”

The UHC will be looking for community feedback in the near future on what the community wants out of this project, a community survey will be available in the near future. The UHC will work closely with the a local cohort of community members engaged in equitable Transit Oriented Design and lead by LISC and goBike to make sure the community’s input is incorporated into this project.

Five developer groups submit for LaSalle Station redevelopment project _ Business Local _ buffalonews.com

​Good afternoon Community members and stakeholders,

Below and attached are meetings that scheduled.  You are required to wear a mask and practice social distancing.  Please share this information.  We appreciate all that you do.

University District Community Breakfast Meeting: 

Saturday, February 19, 2022 – 9am-12pm at

St. Lawrence Church 1520 E. Delavan Avenue.  Buffalo NY 14215

Food Store License Renewal Community Meetings:

Time: 5:30pm – 7:00pm

Location: Kensington Bailey NHS, 995 Kensington Avenue. Buffalo NY 14215

Please call the University District Office at (716) 851-5165 to confirm your participation or by email.

Thank you.

Doris Corley, MSW

Senior Legislative Assistant to

University District Council Member

Rasheed N.C. Wyatt

IRS-certified students from the School of Management will again offer free tax preparation services to individuals and families with an annual income below $57,000.

New this year, to ensure the health and safety of preparers and clients, all tax services will be by appointment only. The service will be offered on the South campus. To schedule an appointment and view a list of what to bring, COVID safety guidelines, maps, directions and frequently asked questions, visit management.buffalo.edu/freetaxprep.

The  2022 Calendar is now available to order for $10.  All photos of are from gardens in the Capen Garden Walk.  The calendars will available New Year’s Eve. Contact us to order yours by email: capengardenwalk@gmail.com or by phone or text: 716 830 4290

As everyone probably knows by now, there was a fatal fire on West Winspear Ave this morning. Unfortunately the upstairs occupant and his dog did not survive the fire. The family living on the first floor (mother and two girls) were able to get out of the  house safely and are currently staying  with relatives in the area.

We have to assume that the family will not be able to salvage their belongings. If you want to help, the UHC and the West Winspear Block Club are taking donations of clothes and other household goods. Please contact info@ourheights.org to coordinate a drop off.  The girls are 8 and 13. They need clothes size: girl’s 14-16 and women’s 3x. Shoes are also needed: girl’s 2-2.5 and women’s 11 (or men’s 12)

The West Winspear Block Club has set up a GoFundMe page where contributions can be made to help support this family: https://gofund.me/db3a0a9d

The Red Cross was on the scene this morning, if you prefer to donate through them, you can use this link: https://www.redcross.org/donate/donation.html/. We are not unsure if you can designate funds to specific people through the Red Cross.

This is also an excellent time to replace batteries in your smoke detectors and ensure that your entryways are clear enough for emergency personnel. If you have a landlord that has not supplied you with smoke or carbon monoxide detectors, please report it using 311 right away. The UHC will be happy to help purchase smoke detectors for anyone who needs them.

This morning was awful, but we are fortunate that firefighters and first responders could quickly get to the house. Last Thursday, the recycling truck couldn’t make it down  Winspear because cars were parked on both sides of the road near the top of the street. We do not want to consider how much worse a fire like this could have been if trucks couldn’t get through. Our houses are very close together, and seconds count in an emergency.

Please be mindful of alternate parking. While annoying, it is a matter of public safety. You can report cars that violate alternate parking by calling 311 or using the 311 app. Of course, if you know whose car it is and have a few extra mins go ahead and knock on their door and ask them to move.