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Post by lioneljoe on May 21, 2011 7:25:16 GMT -5
Sadly at this point, I do think the building needs to come down. In fact, not just that building but all of the other empty decaying eye sores including commercial or residential buildings. Utica has half the population it had when these buildings were constructed and its infrastructure needs to be right sized.
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Post by Clipper on May 25, 2011 12:43:47 GMT -5
You are correct Joe. I was reading the article in yesterday's OD about the difference between home owners and renters when it comes to maintaining and keeping up the appearance of homes. Unfortunately the inner city is rapidly being taken over by homes purchased by landlords specifically as an investment. Not only do many of the tenants not give a damn about the yard and appearance of the place, the landlords (slum lords in some cases) don't give a damn either. They invest any money to improve a property and within a short time, the improvements have been ruined and the money wasted.
I don't care how many low income homes you build in an urban area. Unless they are SOLD rather than rented, they will decay as rapidly as the old two families that are there now. Ownership is the only thing that will encourage pride in appearance and a desire to maintain and improve a property.
Downtown buildings will only survive if they are re-purposed and little areas are created somewhat like Varick St. Downtown could use an area of loft apartments surrounded by a selection of restaurants of every ethnicity. It would be great if there was a little area of the city that had a concentrated assortment of Italian, German, Polish, Indian, Hispanic, Oriental, and other ethnic restaurants, clustered in a neighborhood brought back from decay, such as Varick St has been. Mix that with little shops filled with antiques, art work and galleries, and other little shops, and we would have a sincerely viable area that might draw tourists. Do that instead of pouring money into harbor point, which will simply draw even more business AWAY from downtown, and we might be spending some money wisely and efficiently for a change.
It may be in the best interest of the city to try and concentrate on one area at a time. Putting money into little fragmented efforts in W Utica, then Bleecker St and then Corn Hill seems to be a waste and unsuccessful to date. It's like running around town planting lilac bushes in manure piles. It makes a block or so look a little better but it doesn't take the stink off the overall rot.
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larry
French Fry
Posts: 169
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Post by larry on May 25, 2011 15:26:00 GMT -5
I think the DA needs to investigate this whole situation. If you look at the pictures and the inside of the building, it's obvious that this was a professional job. They cut every piece of copper out of there, and it was clear that this wasn't just some crackheads in the night. I wonder if the owner has insurance and has collected on it?
However, as for demolishing it, Bonnaci (sp?), the architect, has issued an opinion stating that the building is structurally sound and does not need to be taken down. He says Hotel Utica and other buildings were in much worse shape. Anyone redeveloping the building would likely gut the inside anyway.
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Post by Clipper on May 25, 2011 17:35:53 GMT -5
It is sad that developers from out of town are able to buy these places at auction, and if they are not successful in developing or selling them at a profit, they simply get every dime they can get out of the transaction and then let the property go for taxes, leaving the city to pay for the demolition. I don't know the facts on the subject, but I have to wonder if any money is ever recovered from the owners of properties that are demolished by the city because they become unsafe.
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Post by realist13413 on May 25, 2011 18:36:21 GMT -5
They would bill the owner for the demolition.
Larry - you miss a salient point. It will cost more to rehab than it one can ever make from the building. That's the key to development - unless you want another disaster like the Hotel, where millions of dollars of money are poured into a building, that can never reach economic viability.
Utica will never prosper if you keep letting the past dictate it's future. You will never have back the Utica of the 50's and 60's - making the area appealing to developers - people who have their own money to risk in Utica will help revitalize the City. What about Harza? You'll never get development there unless you have somewhere for people to park.
One can only imagine who stripped the building, but the point is, it IS stripped and moldy and uninhabitable. You can board it up and let it sit there, or you can make something of it - or you'll keep attracting these out of town folks who are only interested in a quick dollar. Seriously, did anyone think a Renaissance Faire was going to sustain that building? Come ON!
You
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