I'm here for 24 hours and I see 2 local news stories that grab my attention.

1. A ultimatum issued to Bass pro to sign a lease for the waterfront.
2. Talks of a "companion bridge" for the Peace bridge are progressing.

Is this 2000 and I've traveled on a time machine instead of a Boeing?

I'm pretty sure rioting in the street is justified at this point...unless you're related to an elected official, in which case, fleeing should be appropriate.

/sorry, it's late and I'm lubricated, but damn.

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Hold my beer and watch this...

Seriously fuck Bass Pro... I don't know why the city feels like it's the backbone to the waterfront development. It's time to give it up and focus on other things for the CanalSide project.

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"Do not go where the path may lead, go instead where there is no path and leave a trail." - Ralph Waldo Emerson

Hockey Night in Buffalo

I haven't been following the intricacies of either story, but regardless, we're not building Hoover damn here...it's a glorified strip mall.

Whiskey
Tango
Foxtrot

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Hold my beer and watch this...

Well, the fact that they've been talking about building a bridge for over 20 years, I can see how building a strip mall along the water is a very complicated matter.

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"Do not go where the path may lead, go instead where there is no path and leave a trail." - Ralph Waldo Emerson

Hockey Night in Buffalo

whats wrong with a second bridge? we want to build one in michigan for the detroit crossing, but the issue is, the ambassador bridge is actually privately owned and doesnt want a second bridge. you read that right. some guy owns it.

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There is nothing wrong with wanting to build a new bridge...it's just that they've been talking about it for over 20 years and nothing has been done.

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"Do not go where the path may lead, go instead where there is no path and leave a trail." - Ralph Waldo Emerson

Hockey Night in Buffalo

Nothing's wrong with another bridge.
The BS that makes it take a generation is what's wrong.

Seriously, NY is unique in this regard....maybe joined by Illinois and NJ.

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Hold my beer and watch this...

Change is a terrifying thing, OK.

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Miles to go before I sleep

‎"Love knows not its own depth until the hour of separation."
-Khalil Gibran

The Bass Pro thing is good. They announced that they wanted to build a store here 10 years ago. During those 10 years, they wrangled lots of public money to get their building, yet they won't commit to the building by signing a lease.

Higgins had enough. It's about time someone told Bass Pro to shit or get off the pot. If they don't want to sign a goddamn lease like any other business, fuck em. We'll use that money for other projects. They've basically decided that the waterfront is going to move forward, with or without Bass Pro. That I like.

Ive been gone for about 6 years now... and i still cant believe they simply can not get anything done in the city... i mean really, are you kidding me... every politician should be dumped into the lake... there is so much potential that just gets lost in all the political bickering.... its been since i was in college that the big push between the pretty bridge and sister bridge has been going on.

the city has failed time and time again, when will anyone one wake the hell up?! Isn't the Sabres very own mighty Quinn a freaking land developer? What the hell has he developed?

Do we really want to list the failures of the city?

1 - Why is UB in Amherst?

2 - Why is the Ralph in Orchard Park?
Yes, these two are great for the suburbs, but do NOTHING to anchor the city... see Pittsburgh

3 - Why, when you have a thriving main st. do you close it to put in a "rapid transit" system that doesn't really go any place

4 - Ron? Pitts - The mighty bow tie, a councilman i believe who had a wonderful policy - any business that moved into the city had to employ a certain percent of minority workers.... Now I am not bashing minority workers, BUT why hand-cuff business this way? Why can't it be best worker for the positions... The Edge, radio station, put there building where they did, out of the city, simply for this policy.... how many other business did this cost the city?

5 - Waterfront land be the Pier I believe, is or was owned/controlled by the transit authority... huh, and they just sit on it, waiting for the development!

6 - Windmills - this occurred after i left. and may be just out of the city, but didn't these have to be rebuilt already?

7 - Bass Pro?

8 - Pretty Bridge vs. sister bridge

I mean come on... DO SOMETHING ALREADY!!!!


This is where the city's waterfront SHOULD be!!! But no...

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another shot of what it should be...

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Not to be nitpicky, but the Edge studios are on James E. Casey Drive inside the city limits. They moved from Franklin Street, also inside the city limits. They were never subject to the minority hiring 'suggestions'.

They're still trying to do stuff like that though. The common council is trying to force a 'Community Benefits Agreement' on all the developers for the waterfront, demanding that anyone who gets hired get a 'living wage', and also demanding that a certain percentage of hires be from specific areas of the city. It's all bullshit. Just get the damn businesses in there, and let them hire who they want to hire.

my bad... I thought i heard them talking about it years ago where they put the studios where it was subject to cheek-ta-vegas taxes... but i must have been wrong... the bottom line is b build it and they will come!!! stop all the other crap, build the damn businesses!

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here is another example..... Pittsburgh.... South Side works

The picture below is of the Pittsburgh South Side works area... this was an old steel mill site... when I moved here 6 years ago you would not go near this area without a loaded weapon... was simply not a place you wanted to be...



So after the mill had gone and it was a dreadful wreck of a place to be... this is what they turned it into it the six years since i have been here... and they are still building



or

http://www.southsideworks.com/

simply build something!

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Well I'm not commenting on the particulars of the story, just lamenting the fact that I'm still hearing it.

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Hold my beer and watch this...

No argument there.

It's a joke that these projects aren't done yet. (Although, to be fair, once the waterfront shit by the Arena started it's been moving along at least.)

I maintain that I will never see the Peace Bridge done in my lifetime.

What a wonderful place Buffalo could be if the state and local governments weren't totally incompetent. It's already got such warmth and heart. Imagine if the economy was strong and the city was vibrant and booming...

Ham

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Do you believe yet?

If I remember correctly re: Rich Stadium, wasn't there a plan to build a dome in Lancaster (I think) that never happened?

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mechaphil

There's been talk about a dome in Lancaster, one on the outer harbor by the Pier, etc, etc. It's not going to happen. There's no money to pay for it.

(I don't want a dome anyways. Fuck that noise.)

No, that wasn't exactly it. There was actually talk about building a dome in Lancaster at the time Rich Stadium was built (as an alternative to the stadium).

It would have been on Forton Drive behind the high school. Glad it didn't happen.

Although as fun as an open air stadium is...I wouldn't complain about a dome.