Fall/Winter 2003 Table of Contents

A Preservation Plan for Buffalo

The Landmark Society of the Niagara Frontier has entered into a contract with the City of Buffalo to provide technical assistance on the Community Preservation Plan Process. At the request of Mayor Masiello, the Preservation Board has launched an ambitious program to develop a Community Preservation Plan for the City of Buffalo. In the Spring of 2002, the Mayor led a group of Buffalo's leaders to Pittsburgh, PA in a community exchange program facilitated by the Landmark Society of the Niagara Frontier.

The conclusions of the participants of the exchange called for a "building and land management program" for the City of Buffalo that would help ìpreserve communities." It also called for the development of a "strategic investment fund" with private and foundation partners taking the lead to leverage public resources for preservation. Finally, the participants in the exchange recommended something they called the "Preservation Agenda" be convened by the City's Preservation Board to develop a plan for preservation for the City of Buffalo. That plan, in turn, was to be seen as an integral part of the organizational leadership of non-governmental organizations with interest in preservation.

Specifically, the Landmark Society has been retained to develop a collaborative Historic Preservation Plan that will include an Inventory Assessment of known historic properties within the City of Buffalo and a review of preservation Successes and Failures. As part of the ongoing work there will be an analysis of existing landmark and building management programs, a review of precedent plans from other cities, a review of Buffalo's past historic preservation efforts, and an effort to establish criteria for setting preservation priorities.

The contract will conclude with short term recommendations on the best way to preserve identified historic properties and their surrounding neighborhoods as immediate action steps; the preparation of a daft outline of the Historic Preservation Plan and a description of the remaining work required to complete and implement a full plan. The Preservation Plan process is scheduled to conclude in late April.