What to do about Grant Street and its West Side neighborhood was the topic for a virtual meeting Tuesday evening sponsored by GoBike Buffalo and Preservation Buffalo Niagara, both deeply involved in the tattered but reviving community.Multilingual surveys show lots of ideas about what to do along a corridor that needs lots of old-fashioned things, like curbs, sidewalks, paving, trees and less-visible street light poles. The planning is somewhat hampered by the relatively narrow width of the street and sidewalk.
State Sen. Sean Ryan said he can help once there is a plan on what the community wants to do.
"When we get something closer to a comprehensive community plan, then we can put a price tag on it," Ryan said. "So that’s what we’re rolling towards. I envision a complete redo of Grant Street, from the roads to the curbs to the sidewalks, but we want to make sure that we do it right."
One challenge revolves around bicycles, increasingly a year-round means of transportation.
"There is a concern with pedestrian/bicycle crashes on Grant Street. The areas of conflict are typically at the intersections. That’s when you have the most conflict points," said Go-Bike Buffalo complete streets engineer Jim Jones. "So those are something when you do redesign a street or redesign an intersection, you really need to be mindful of the pedestrian safety and the bicycle safety."
Preservation Buffalo Niagara and GoBike Buffalo are working with neighborhoods activists to shake up the community and make it a better place to live. PBN Field Services Coordinator Bridge Rauch said it’s an ambitious planning process.
"Looking at, like, what buildings and how land is used around Grant Street. Community engagement, so that’s like survey work and reaching out to folks, find out what are folks’ concerns and what do they love about Grant Street and the community. A storefront campaign, which originally conceived was going to be popups," Rausch said.
Over the next few months, the sponsoring groups hope to roll out some specific plans that can go to public meetings this summer. If the neighborhood residents like them, then there will be requests to City Hall and Albany for cash.
