WEST SIDE
Bid denied for home on site sought by Peace Bridge
A former city lawmaker who threatened last year to move a historic home to a street near the Peace Bridge in hopes of derailing a long-debated expansion now wants to build a new house on the site.
But Alfred T. Coppola denied that his latest move is a ploy to obstruct the bridge project. He said he wants to build a two-story home at 762 Columbus Parkway on land the Peace Bridge Authority needs for a new plaza only because he and his wife want to move into a smaller home in a “beautiful” neighborhood.
Buffalo zoning officials have torpedoed Coppola’s plan. The Zoning Board of Appeals ruled Wednesday that the lot is too small for the proposed home. James A. Lewis, board chairman, said he can’t help but wonder why someone would consider investing more than $100,000 in a new home if it could be demolished in the foreseeable future.
“You don’t build with a juggernaut coming your way,” Lewis said.
A Bridge Authority official and a West Side homeowner were even more pointed in questioning Coppola’s motives.
“His track record has been to try to stop this project any way he can,” said Ron Rienas, the authority’s general manager.
Eugenio Russi, of Columbus Parkway, sent the Zoning Board a letter saying that while many residents don’t want to move, “you can’t always get in the way or stop progress.”
“It appears that Mr. Coppola’s only intention with this application is to create yet another obstacle or somehow personally benefit from this situation,” Russi wrote.
Coppola denied the claims, saying he wants to relocate from a larger home he built on Delaware Avenue in North Buffalo. The area around the Peace Bridge is one of the nicest in the city, Coppola said.
“I believe in the neighborhood. I believe in that community.”
But the former Delaware District Council member didn’t hide his disdain for a bridge expansion that he said would eliminate 90 homes. Bridge officials should choose an alternative that won’t destroy a stable neighborhood, Coppola said. He also expressed doubts that the project even will be done.
“Make [bridge officials] tell you where the money is for the expansion,” Coppola said. “They’ve been lying all along. There is no money for the expansion.”
Rienas replied that projects are completed in phases and that financing falls into place after all parties give their approval. He expressed confidence of obtaining final environmental sign-offs this autumn.
“Upon approval, the [Bridge Authority] will be proceeding with property acquisition, including if necessary, the use of eminent domain,” he said.
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