“With a deep collection of architectural landmarks, Western New York has amassed assets that can help on many fronts including economic development and growing the tourism base,” reports Jim Fink for Buffalo Business First, “But it is up to the region to take advantage of those assets.” “That was the consensus among the insiders who gathered at a Business First roundtable that focused on architectural and development issues. The roundtable was sponsored by Hodgson Russ law firm.” “This year, the city of Buffalo instituted the Green Code, the first revised building and development guidelines in more than 60 years. What the impact of the Green Code will be on the development landscape remains an open-ended question. ‘I consider the Green Code the beginning of the conversation, not the end,’ said Phil Snyder, managing partner at Stieglitz Snyder Architecture.” “Matthew Meier, HHL Architects: ‘There’s a problem with the perception amongst maybe those individuals who don’t work with the zoning ordinance on a daily basis as to what design standards are and what the Green Code Unified Development Ordinance really is intended to do. And it’s not intended to be some prescriptive that this is the only thing you can do. All of us in the room here have a different perception of what we think good design really is or what we think a great piece of architecture is. None of the good pieces of architectural history—the Martin House, the Richardson Complex, Central Terminal, even this building—was dictated. It occurred sort of dynamically with the community and with opportunities and with additional conditions.'” “Robert Stark, Chaintreuil, Jensen & Stark Architects & Planners: ‘I think the people who put it (the Green Code ) together really knew what they were doing. I find it interesting that a couple of weeks before it came out, it was immediately compromised, particularly with the [height] restrictions on Elmwood which, frankly, are causing all the problems that we’re talking about now.'”Leaders from the region’s development and architecture sectors met recently to discuss the importance of Historic Tax Credits, Buffalo’s new Green Code and the influence of design standards on new projects. The industry roundtable was part of an ongoing series. (Image credit: Jim Courtney / Buffalo Business First)
