2010 Annual Report

Buffalo

Partners in Comprehensive Revitalization

LISC’s Building Sustainable Communities initiative is helping to reinvigorate targeted Buffalo neighborhoods through its emphasis on concentrated and comprehensive community development strategies. On Buffalo’s West Side long-vacant eyesores are being renovated into affordable single-family homes and rental units by People United for Sustainable Housing (PUSH) and HomeFront, Inc. Vacant lots are being reclaimed as community gardens and recreational facilities. “Green” development is taking shape in the form of a first “net zero” energy efficient home. New York State joined our efforts with a new Sustainable Neighborhoods pilot program and a $500,000 grant to PUSH. The community’s energy also got the attention of ABC’s Extreme Makeover Home Edition. In addition to a featured home, community volunteers added over 100 additional neighborhood improvement projects and a lot of pride.

$1 Million for Neighborhood Economic Activity

LISC partners on the West Side and in Buffalo’s reinvigorating Larkin District also turned their attention to the work of revitalizing commercial districts. With guidance from LISC-funded consultants, the Old First Ward Community Association in partnership with the private Larkin Development group, received a $500,000 New York Main Street grant to spur new neighborhood business investments. PUSH received a similar grant for work on Grant Street on the West Side.

Preserving the Physical Environment

Buffalo LISC promotes innovative public policies and plays a leading role in local discussions aimed at solutions to the region’s high number of vacant properties. By assisting in the formation of the Erie County Distressed Properties Task Force, LISC and other partners are working with the State Assembly on land bank legislation that will assist municipalities to return vacant properties to productive use. LISC also led the formation of a Groundwork Buffalo partnership with the U.S. Parks Service and the Environmental Protection Agency, and has partnered with Preservation Buffalo Niagara on historic resource surveys and alternative demolition strategies.

Fostering Livable and Healthy Environments

Two Buffalo athletic fields received a facelift thanks to the Grassroots Program partnership between LISC, the NFL and the Buffalo Bills. Buffalo’s Olmstead Parks Conservancy received $50,000 for Riverside Park. The Johnnie B. Wiley Sports Complex, the original home of the Bills, received a $200,000 grant toward a full rehab of its football field.