Sitting in the Auditorium on the 8th floor of the Delaware North building overlooking Chippewa was the perfect spot for our last Alliance Community meeting. Thank you to Delaware North, Tim Stone, and all who attended – great turnout!
The topics on the table were parking concerns in and around Chippewa as well as the streetscape improvement efforts the City of Buffalo is planning.
Parking Commissioner Kevin Helfer addressed areas that have been impacted by the recent changes in parking regulations as well as cost saving options such as late afternoon/early evening monthly parking passes for civic parking ramps throughout the city.
Council President Darius Pridgen stopped by to address the group and respond to any questions we might have for him.
We then transitioned into a discussion regarding the City’s streetscape renovation efforts and the role that the Chippewa Alliance is playing in the design and execution.
We were taken through the project by:
Mike Finn, the City’s Acting Commissioner of Public Works, Parks, and Streets.
Julie Fetzer, Engineer, Department of Public Works, Parks, and Streets
Brandye Merriweather, Vice President for Downtown Development at BUDC
Peter McCarthy, Secretary of the Board for the Alliance & Vice President at CannonDesign
Justin Azzarella, former President of the Alliance & Vice President of Community Development at Evergreen Health
Discussions included new sidewalks, curbs, paving and lighting, as well as some artistic and wayfinding elements that would make a significant impact on how people perceive the neighborhood. The goal of the project is to make the area more inviting for residents, visitors and businesses. Consultants from Watts Engineering were also present.
It was a full agenda with a lot of next steps. The Chippewa Alliance in conjunction with the Dept. of Public Works, Parks, and Streets will be inviting all property owners and business owners to join them for a meeting to discuss the future project in greater detail.