Mayor Brown Announces Demolition Of Two Vacant Blighted Structures On Ferguson Avenue

Mayor Byron W. Brown today announced the immediate demolition of two vacant, blighted structures on Ferguson Avenue.  The action falls within the Mayor’s “5 in 5” Demolition Plan, which was unveiled by Mayor Brown in August.

“As I stated in August, the ‘5 in 5’ Demolition Plan will be an accelerated, comprehensive, citywide attack on the dangers and blight of vacant structures,” said Mayor Brown. “Buffalo’s high vacancy rate is a serious problem that must be treated aggressively and the new ‘5 in 5’ Plan will do just that. Our goal is to demolish 5,000 vacant, blighted properties in five years and today’s announcement demonstrates that we are moving quickly and effectively to attack this problem.”

The demolition of the two structures – 19 and 23 Ferguson Avenue – is a direct result of the work of the Westminster Economic Development Initiative (WEDI), which has been working for the past 10 years with the residents of Ferguson Avenue and the City of Buffalo to rehabilitate the neighborhood by assisting existing homeowners with rehabilitation of their properties as well as creating homeownership opportunities through the construction of new housing.

WEDI is a collaboration between Westminster Presbyterian Church, West Side Neighborhood Housing Services (West Side NHS) and Habitat for Humanity.

This past August, West Side NHS acquired two blighting structures at 19 & 23 Ferguson Avenue from private owners for continuation of the Ferguson Avenue project.  Habitat for Humanity proposes to build one single family house on the site for a low to moderate income buyer.

“This action is another strong and clear signal that my Administration’s aggressive plan to remove vacant, blighted properties from neighborhoods across the city is moving forward,” said Mayor Brown. “It is a challenge, but it’s challenge worth taking up and doing what’s in the best interests of our city’s residents and their quality of life.

The estimated cost of 5 in 5 Demolition Plan is $100 million, with an anticipated contribution of $60 million from New York State, $20 million from the City of Buffalo, $15 million from the federal government and $5 million from a City-Community matching fund program (City will match goal of $2.5 million raised from community funding sources).

In the last week a private city homeowner donated $100 to the Mayor’s demolition plan and Travers Collins & Company, the largest city-based advertising/public relations firm, donated $1000 to the effort.

The Buffalo Urban Renewal Agency approved Community Development Block Grant funding for the demolition and any necessary asbestos removal at 19 & 23 Ferguson Avenue.