Demolition delayed
Disagreement over plaza project puts Peace Bridge work on hold
So let’s get this right. The Peace Bridge Authority again is being asked to postpone demolishing several uninhabitable houses. It doesn’t make sense.
None of the houses involved rises to the level of historic or aesthetic value that would make this worth a preservationist crusade. In fact, the impact on the neighborhood of letting these houses stand could be worse than the impact of demolishing them.
The authority went along with the postponement request from Assemblyman Sam Hoyt, D-Buffalo, and the Federal Highway Administration, and from the authority’s perspective, there was little reason not to. For one, Hoyt and the feds basically were saying that the environmental-impact process requires the delay. But in terms of building a new bridge and plaza, it doesn’t make much difference if the houses come down now or later.
Of course, the FHA, the Bridge Authority and Hoyt don’t live next door to these boarded-up, reportedly rat-infested fire traps. Other people do. They’d like the authority to tear down these unsalvageable houses now, not later. And why not? What’s the disadvantage?
The Peace Bridge Authority owns these seven structures. Six of them, all vacant, are slated for demolition. A government agency occupies the seventh. Some neighbors, and Niagara Council Member David Rivera, want the authority to fix violations at the houses, three of which are eligible for, although not on, the National Register of Historic Places. But three of the houses have been deemed structurally unsound and two of them, paradoxically, are among the ones eligible for the National Register.
Can anyone see in this lunacy why New York is a governmental and economic wasteland? There are people who not only want to delay demolition of houses that are beyond saving, but who want to force the authority to spend money on fixing code violations, apparently so the buildings will be better looking when they eventually are demolished.
Buffalo is overflowing with beautiful and historic buildings that demand to be saved. That’s where the attention of politicians and preservationists should be directed, not toward vermin-plagued properties whose continued existence places neighbors at risk.
A new bridge is going to be built. With the unfortunate failure of shared border management, American Customs and Immigration will have no choice but to do business on this side of the Niagara River. That means a new plaza will be built, and that means some houses—more than just these few authority-owned derelicts—will be demolished. That’s the nature of public construction. It needs to be handled carefully and fairly, but beyond that, a few people shouldn’t be allowed to stand obstinately in the way of the public’s legitimate needs.
A community process has been part of the effort to build a new bridge and plaza. The Bridge Authority has worked to minimize the American plaza while still meeting federal border- crossing infrastructure requirements, resulting in a “footprint” smaller than most such facilities elsewhere in the nation. The adjacent neighborhood not included within any plaza-expansion boundaries will benefit from reclamation of Front Park land and enhancement of that Frederick Law Olmsted amenity.
For years now, this project has proceeded along a responsible, inclusive path. This delay is part of a pattern of needless stalling and opposition. We need to get this project done, not stretch it out until the next millennium.
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