12/04

VACANT PROPERTIES ASSET MANAGEMENT STRATEGY

Contact Guide
Contact Topic Number/Email/Web
City of Buffalo department and agency contact information is available on the web at
http://www.city-buffalo.com

Mayor’s Complaint Line Central contact for vacant property 716-851-4890

maintenance and mowing Online form at:
concerns, abandoned vehicles, http://www.city-
trash pick-up, recycling buffalo.com/document_1700.html

Office of Strategic Making Houses Homes - Housing 716-851-5035

Planning (OSP) rehab, loan and new housing
programs services and referrals Please call for contacts and
instructions
Buffalo Economic Renaissance
Corporation (BERC) and other
economic development programs,
services and referrals
OSP – Comprehensive Plan, city and 716-851-5035
Community regional plans, and Good
Planning Neighbors Planning Alliance
OSP - Real In rem properties, city-owned 716-851-5275
Estate vacant property information, Urban
Homestead Program
OSP – Planning Site Plan Review, SEQRA reviews, 716-851-5086
Board NYSHPPO review
OSP – Preservation planning, permits 716-851-5029
Preservation affecting proposed work on historic
Board structures and in designated
districts

Permits and Inspections Building and construction code 716-851-4925

standards and fees, court and fines Changes to permit process and links
House, building and facility to ePermits and fees:
inspections http://www.city-
buffalo.com/document_2008_127.html

Central Referral Important contacts for: 716-851-5555

Services Emergency numbers
Social services Printed and digital directories
Medical services available
Community services
Consumer services www.wnyservices.org
Government services
Election districts
Regional service information

Buffalo Don’t Borrow Lending, foreclosure prevention, 1-866-375-0408 toll free

Trouble Project credit card debt 716-954-7625

Police – Fire – Ambulance Emergencies only 911

City of Buffalo Police Non-emergencies 853-2222
VACANT PROPERTIES ASSET MANAGEMENT STRATEGY

Table of Contents
Summary _____________________________________________________________________1
An Asset Management Approach __________________________________________________4
A Comprehensive Framework ____________________________________________________6
Redevelopment and Reuse _____________________________________________________6
Strategy Checkpoint: Forward Momentum _______________________________________9
Principles and Practices ________________________________________________________10
General ___________________________________________________________________10
Systems Support ____________________________________________________________16
Financial Support ___________________________________________________________19
City-Owned Properties Dispersal ______________________________________________22
Clean, Safe & Green _________________________________________________________24

Appendices
Appendix 1 – Maps 1-3 ______________________________________________________30
Appendix 2 – Strategy Objectives and Tasks Summary Table ________________________33
Appendix 3 – Selected Comprehensive Planning Asset Layers _______________________34
Appendix 4 – Vacant Property Cost Estimate Examples_____________________________37
Appendix 5 - Vacant Property Asset Management Elements & Flow Charts _____________42
Appendix 6 – Vacant Lot Homesteading Proposal, Priority Areas _____________________54
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS___________________________________________________57
BIBLIOGRAPHY __________________________________________________________59
Project Sponsors ~

The Vacant Land, Buildings and Facilities Asset

Management Project funding partners include
The City of Buffalo, Buffalo Urban Renewal
Agency, Cornell Cooperative Extension
Association of Erie County, Cornell University
Cooperative Extension – Community and
Economic Vitality, and Cornell University
Community and Rural Development Institute.
The strategy document was prepared by
Darlene Vogel, Community Educator, Cornell
University Cooperative Extension Association of
Erie County.

Cornell Cooperative Extension Association of

Erie County and Cornell University provide
equal program and employment opportunities.
VACANT PROPERTIES ASSET MANAGEMENT STRATEGY
Summary
Vacant Properties Asset Management Strategy
The Vacant Properties Asset
Management Strategy is an extension of
the work performed under the City of
Buffalo Vacant Land, Buildings and
Facilities Asset Management Project,
2004. The foundation and supporting
details of this Strategy can be found in a
report bearing the same title.
The Vacant Properties Asset
Management Strategy is designed to
accommodate several important factors
currently at the forefront.
It is a strategy built on a
Comprehensive planning
framework.
It is a strategy that is consistent
with Smart Growth principles.
It is a strategy that is mindful of the
fiscal conditions of the City of
Buffalo.
The strategy recommends no new
programming, and relies on back-
to-basic services, reallocation of
resources and community
collaboration.
The strategy identifies major costs
and potential savings associated
with vacant property and an asset
management strategy.
Current estimates put vacant land of all
types around 13,000 or more than 13%
of the total number of parcels in the city.
This figure represents more than 10% or
3,000 acres (1,200 hectares) of the land
area within the city. Approximately 8,500
vacant properties are privately owned,
1
and about 4,000 are city-owned. To
further heighten the urgency of action,
1998 neighborhood conditions analysis
estimates a surplus or vacancy of 22,290
residential units. Some of these
vacancies include vacant residential
structures, and other excess units having
the potential to become abandoned
structures or lots if reuse options are not
established for them.1 Estimates put the
current number of vacant structures
around 4,000. Nearly 5,000 demolitions
have occurred or were planned from
1996 through 2003. See Appendix 1 –
Maps 1-3 for the general distribution of
vacant property and demolition activity.2
The primary GOALS of a vacant
properties asset management strategy
as determined through the Vacant Land,
Buildings and Facilities Asset
Management Project include:
! Slowing the rate at which properties
become vacant.
! Managing existing and future vacant
properties.
! Returning vacant properties to
appropriate, functional, and revenue
generating, or cost-saving uses.
1 City of Buffalo, City of Buffalo Master Plan, Phase
I: Community /Neighborhood Conditions Summary,
November 1998, Appendix E.
2City of Buffalo Office of Strategic Planning,
data and mapping, 12/09/04.
VACANT PROPERTIES ASSET MANAGEMENT STRATEGY
Vacant land, buildings and facilities asset
management should reinforce the CITY
VISION to:
! Repopulate residential areas.
! Rebuild the industrial base.
! Revitalize commercial areas.
! Maintain and enhance green and
open space to support the
preceding three.
Comprehensive planning and
redevelopment initiatives establish the
framework for vacant property
redevelopment and reuse for any area or
parcel in the City, and are powerful
assets that affect the value and potential
of vacant properties.
Comprehensive planning guidance links
social and environmental issues with land
use decisions and asset management. It
is through comprehensive planning that
communities are better able to focus their
available resources and attain their
development goals. Vacant properties
must be included as an available
resource, and included in municipal
management systems for their economic
development potential, and to minimize
liability and costs.
Because of the magnitude of the current
and future anticipated numbers of vacant
properties, systems should be developed
or modified to reduce the number of
vacant properties, slow their proliferation,
and funnel them into productive uses.
This will entail:
! Maintaining and expanding the city’s
capacity to manage, market, and
redevelop the properties.
! Planning in realistic timeframes and
factoring in interim property
treatments and maintenance,
! Creating the climate to save and
control costs through budgeting and
partner financing to reflect baseline
vacant property management costs
2
and future development costs over
time.
The City Administration has been
identified as the sector of the community
having the key position and capacity to
most impact vacant property asset
management at this point in time. With
the present number of existing vacant
properties, and the potential number of
future vacant properties, it is currently the
agent in control over most of the systems
and processes that impact the balance of
the community. Most of the vacant
property recommendations and proposed
solutions provided by project participants
2003/04 have elements that must flow
through the City Administration by virtue
of policy, planning, processes and
procedures, local legislation and the city
charter, New York State municipal law,
and funding. It is therefore a high priority
that the proper systems and mechanisms
are in place, properly used, changed
where allowed, and redistributed
throughout the community where not
mandated or legislated.
The most limiting factor at this time is
funding. Sample estimates indicate that
vacant property direct costs associated
only with residential properties could cost
$5.9 million annually across a variety of
city departments. An exercise using
residential demolition estimates
combined with vacant lot maintenance
and mowing estimates indicates the
potential cost to the city of $40 million
over 5 years using optimistic reduction
goals. These costs do not include annual
allocations for indirect costs and
equipment.
Strategy Principles and Practices
A complete description of strategy
objectives and tasks can be found in the
Principles and Practices Section and a
summary table in Appendix 2.
VACANT PROPERTIES ASSET MANAGEMENT STRATEGY

Systems Support - City-Owned Facilities Dispersal

! Objective: Establish, promote and ! Objective: Reduce the inventory of

educate around a policy of city-owned property to conserve
comprehensive planning and the neighborhood resources, generate
benefits of adhering to such a policy sales revenue, increase the tax role,
and plans. minimize maintenance costs and
minimize liability.
! Objective: Market all vacant
properties in a comprehensive Clean, Safe and Green
manner
! Objective: Vacant Property
Financial Support Sanitation, Blight Removal,
Neighborhood Safety and
! Objective: Create the environment to Conservation
save and control costs through
budgeting and partner financing to
reflect baseline vacant property
management costs and future
vacant property development costs
over time.

3
VACANT PROPERTIES ASSET MANAGEMENT STRATEGY
An Asset Management
Approach
An asset management STRATEGY for
vacant properties can form the
foundation for more detailed, site-specific
recommendations and best practices for
the productive, economical, and
sustainable development, maintenance,
and monitoring of the various types of
vacant land, buildings and facilities within
the City of Buffalo.
The primary GOALS of a vacant
properties asset management strategy
as determined through the Vacant Land,
Buildings and Facilities Asset
Management Project include:
! Slowing the rate at which properties
become vacant.
! Managing existing and future vacant
properties.
! Returning vacant properties to
appropriate, functional, and revenue
generating, or cost-saving uses.
Vacant land, buildings and facilities asset
management should reinforce the CITY
VISION to:
! Repopulate residential areas.
! Rebuild the industrial base.
! Revitalize commercial areas.
! Maintain and enhance green and
open space to support the
preceding three.
The asset management approach is
broad in that it strives to integrate all of
the parties involved in the various
aspects of vacant property, and that it
encompasses the entire life cycle of a
4
property inclusive of land, buildings and
facilities.
The asset management strategy
presumes some form of centralized,
municipal oversight. It must also include
the guidance provided by the City of
Buffalo Comprehensive Plan currently
under development, and all of the allied
initiatives, area plans and sub-plans
included in the comprehensive plan. The
cost of implementing any part of the
strategy is dependent on the number and
degree of the recommendations and best
practices selected.
The justification for an asset
management strategy should be weighed
in favor of avoided costs, future cost
savings derived from efficiencies and the
reduction of vacant properties, and
eventual investment throughout the
community.
Current estimates put vacant land of all
types around 13,000 or more than 13%
of the total number of parcels in the city.
This figure also represents more than
10% or 3,000 acres (1,200 hectares) of
the land area within the city.
Approximately 8,500 vacant properties
are privately owned, and about 4,000 are
city-owned. To further heighten the
urgency of action, 1998 neighborhood
conditions analysis estimates a surplus
or vacancy of 22,290 residential units.
Some of these vacancies include vacant
residential structures and others have the
potential to become abandoned
structures or lots if reuse options are not
established for them. Project estimates
put the current number of vacant
structures around 4,000. See Appendix 1
VACANT PROPERTIES ASSET MANAGEMENT STRATEGY

– Maps 1-3 for the general distribution of

vacant property and demolition activity.3 Asset Management Strategy
All Properties, continuous:
The vacant property asset management
strategy has two major components. The
1. COMMUNICATION &
first component recognizes the life cycle
INFORMATION
of a property in a set of 7 elements that
2. MONITORING
are both continuous (1 through 3) and
3. PREVENTION & INTERVENTION
cyclic (4 through 8).
_____________________________
The second major component is Element
The Subject Property:
4 in its entirety – Preliminary Evaluation
and Asset Review. There are seven
4. PRELIMINARY EVALUATION
asset layers described to aid in the
ASSET LAYER REVIEW
evaluation of vacant property and provide
guidance towards reuse and
5. CONSERVATION
redevelopment. The layers include: paper
REHABILITATION
layers, buildings and facilities, green
PRESERVATION
infrastructure, infrastructure/utilities,
RESOURCE RECOVERY
land/at grade, land/sub-grade, and
surrounding land use and conditions.
6. REMEDIATION
To aid in decision-making, the asset 7. DEMOLITION
manage cycle elements and asset layers
are tied together in a flow chart for 8. VACANT LAND REUSE
decision-making. See Appendix 5 for OR CONVERSION
Elements and Flow Chart excerpts from
Vacant Land, Buildings and Facilities REPEAT
Asset Management Project Report.

3City of Buffalo Office of Strategic Planning,

data and mapping, 12/09/04.

5
VACANT PROPERTIES ASSET MANAGEMENT STRATEGY
A Comprehensive
Framework
Redevelopment and Reuse
Strategy Checkpoint: Forward Momentum
Redevelopment and
Reuse
Vacant property analysis and
redevelopment planning should be
performed in the context of
redevelopment policies, plans and
initiatives for the city and region.
Vacant property characterization and
potential can be viewed from a
perspective of assets and opportunities.
The existing or potential utility of a
property can be derived from its
redevelopment context. Therefore, the
current and future opportunities are with
those initiatives that can leverage the
redevelopment of vacant property
resources. Vacant property analysis
should be performed in the context of
redevelopment for neighborhoods,
business, mixed use, commercial,
industrial, recreational and environmental
policies, plans and projects.
Occasionally, the vacant parcel may be
better recognized as “natural capital”
(open space, flood plain, etc.) with
minimum traditional redevelopment
value. The ability to classify vacant
property according to its potential highest
and best use, including open space,
founded on community consensus can
6
better position the city for sustainable
redevelopment.
Comprehensive planning, such as the
City of Buffalo comprehensive plan
currently in the draft review process,
should be used as the platform for
reinvestment and the eventual zoning
changes that will provide the framework
for vacant property redevelopment. The
draft comprehensive plan and its
component plans offer a number of
starting places that can be further refined
by including the other subsets of planning
and development layers (assets)
assigned to a specific geographic area.
This exercise can be done for each major
planning overlay to set a preliminary
designation for all existing and future
vacant property. Rezoning according to
these new patterns should follow the
comprehensive plan adoption to assure
that the redevelopment of vacant land is
optimized and congruous with community
goals. This will ease the pressure of non-
conformity and save time and effort over
multiple, compromising spot zoning
exercises.
The sustainable, economical and
productive conservation, development
and management of vacant properties of
all kinds impacts, and is impacted by, the
quality of schools and neighborhoods,
economic conditions, and investment in
business and industry development. The
VACANT PROPERTIES ASSET MANAGEMENT STRATEGY
following comprehensive planning and
redevelopment initiatives are powerful
assets that affect the value and potential
of vacant properties, and that establish
the framework for vacant property
redevelopment and reuse for any area or
parcel in the City.
Comprehensive Planning and
Redevelopment Assets
Citywide
! Queen City in the 21st Century,
Buffalo’s Comprehensive Plan, draft
edition issued December 2004
! Designated Economic
Redevelopment Areas
! Good Neighbors Planning Alliance –
Planning Communities
! Lives Zones (key retail strips)
! Phase I Schools and Neighborhood
(1/2 mi. radius)
! “Rethinking Niagara, Cultural
Attractions in Buffalo”
! Historic Landmarks and Districts
(1/4 mi. radius)
! Waterfront Nodal Analysis
! Green Infrastructure; Protected,
Unprotected, Potential
! Buffalo Greenways
! Parks
! Ellicott, Olmsted and the Water
! Renewal Communities and Empire
Zones
! Brownfields
! “The New Downtown”
! Transportation Improvement
Projects 2004-05
! Bike Paths
! Gateways
7
! Vacant Land Around Historic
Districts
! Strategic Investment Corridors
! “Good Neighbors Planning Alliance”
Community /Neighborhood Plans
(10) – In progress
! “Queen City HUB: Regional Action
Plan for Downtown Buffalo,” 2003
! “A Housing Strategy for the City of
Buffalo: Livable Communities
Initiative,” 2004
! “A Plan for Ellicott Radials”
! “Olmsted Parks and Parkways
Plan,” In Progress
! Local Waterfront Revitalization Plan,
Draft 2004
! The Waterfront Corridor Initiative
! Peace Bridge Expansion Plan, In
Progress
! Community Preservation Plan, In
Progress
! Comprehensive Environmental
Plan, In Progress
Area-Specific
! Community/Economic Development
initiatives
! Renewal Communities in Buffalo
! Community Area Revitalization
Effort (CARE) Areas – revitalization
of older neighborhood retail areas
! Specific Historic Preservation
Districts
! Home Opportunity Zones
! Urban Renewal Planning Areas,
multiple
! “City of Buffalo Green Infrastructure
Report” – ecological features,
environmental problems areas,
recreational opportunities, and
VACANT PROPERTIES ASSET MANAGEMENT STRATEGY
distinctive character (historical,
archaeological)
Special Zoning Districts
! Transit Station Area District
! Elmwood Avenue Business District
! Allen Street District
! Special Delaware Review District
! Hertel Avenue District
! Porter-Busti District
! Seneca Street District
! Kensington-Bailey District
! Buffalo Coastal Special Review
District
! Buffalo River Open Space Corridor
! Niagara River Coastal Special
Review District
! Hamlin Park Overlay Review District
(Historic)
! Downtown Area Zone or Downtown
Opportunity District
Regional
! “Erie Niagara Framework for
Regional Growth,” In Progress
! “Erie Niagara Regional Economic
Development Strategy”
! Greater Buffalo-Niagara Regional
Transportation Council 2025 Long
Range Plan for Erie and Niagara
Counties
! Transit Oriented Development
(TOD) planning for metro rail
stations
! Buffalo Niagara Cultural Tourism
Initiative
8
Asset Matrix and Mapping
The concept of a Comprehensive
Planning and Redevelopment Asset
Matrix was tested with representatives
from the Administrative Track. The
exercise was very productive in that it
focused redevelopment discussions to
take advantage of the very things that the
asset layer was intended to produce
through 20 years. This long-term view of
redevelopment takes into account many
practical constraints, the most
fundamental of which is having the
resources necessary to redevelop
everything that currently requires
attention. The other realization that
occurs with a long-term, limited
resources point of view, is that interim
measures will be required to stabilize all
of the vacant property available before its
value appreciates in most areas of the
city.
The utility of the matrix approach is
multiple. It can be used to more easily
communicate the potential uses and
reuses of a vacant property that are
consistent with a planning or
development asset layer. This can be
important especially among and between
Good Neighbors Planning Alliance
planning areas. It can also be used to
refine options for parcels that may have
more than one applicable asset layer.
Redevelopment cost estimates can be
made for common reuses in an area,
especially interim vacant lot treatments.
Appendix 3 includes descriptions and
attributes for sample planning layers in
the proposed draft comprehensive plan.
Mapping an area to include combinations
of asset layers can aid in visualizing
relationships, linkages, gaps and
potential redevelopment schemes for
vacant properties. The draft
comprehensive plan illustrates this effect
citywide by co-mapping 3 layers –
Strategic Investment Corridors, and
Ellicott, Olmsted, and the Water – in a
single “Strategic Corridors” map. See
Appendix 3.
VACANT PROPERTIES ASSET MANAGEMENT STRATEGY

Strategy Checkpoint:
Forward Momentum

What is progress? Brookings 10 Steps to

Urban Land Reform Checklist4 -

! Are we getting to know our territory?

! Are we developing a citywide

approach to redevelopment?

! Are we implementing neighborhood

plans in partnership with community
stakeholders?

! Are we making government

effective?

! Are we creating a legal framework

for sound redevelopment?

! Are we creating marketplace

opportunities?

! Are we financing redevelopment?

! Are we building on natural and

historic assets?

! Are we being sensitive to

gentrification and relocation issues?

! Are we organized for success?

4Adapted from Paul C. Brophy and Jennifer S.

Vey, “Seizing City Assets: Ten Steps to Urban
Land Reform,” Oct. 2002, The Brookings
Institution and CEO’s for Cities. [Also online]
WWW: www.brookings.org

9
VACANT PROPERTIES ASSET MANAGEMENT STRATEGY
Principles and Practices
General
Systems Support
Financial Support
City-Owned Facilities Dispersal
Clean, Safe and Green
General
Attainment of Goals: Time, Costs,
Capacity
The strategy objectives and tasks are
immediate, near-term (1-2 years) and
mid-term (2-5 years) in nature. Within 10
years, and with the goal to arrest
deterioration within that span, the City
could expect the number of vacant
properties to peak and then begin to
decline. This is barring any further major
economic setbacks that would impact the
City and Region. Realigning and
refocusing municipal and community
resources before this peak is critical, and
is necessary within the next 24 months to
keep pace with the problem of vacant
properties and related social and
economic issues.
Because of the magnitude of the current
and future anticipated numbers of vacant
properties, systems should be developed
or modified to reduce the number of
vacant properties, slow their proliferation,
and funnel them into productive uses.
This will entail:
10
! Maintaining and expanding the city’s
capacity to manage, market, and
redevelop the properties.
! Planning in realistic timeframes and
factoring in interim property
treatments and maintenance.
! Creating the climate to save and
control costs through budgeting and
partner financing to reflect baseline
vacant property management costs
and future development costs over
time.
Comprehensive planning guidance links
social and environmental issues with
land use decisions and asset
management. It is through
comprehensive planning that
communities are better able to focus
their available resources and attain their
development goals. Vacant properties
must be included as an available
resource, and included in municipal
management systems for their economic
development potential, and to minimize
liability and costs.
VACANT PROPERTIES ASSET MANAGEMENT STRATEGY
Comprehensive planning trends and
forecasting identify 10 major land use
opportunities in addition to housing that
the community, business and industry
can engage.
! Healthcare and social assistance,
including medical research and
bioinformatics
! Manufacturing
! Education
! Professional and related services
! Finance, insurance and real estate
! Retail
! Tourism
! Transportation and warehousing
! Information and knowledge based
commerce
! Public administration
Incorporating vacant properties into
these opportunities will include
renovation, demolition, reclamation,
interim uses, possible relocations, and
related long-term considerations built into
redevelopment project timelines and
costs. It is important to establish real
costs over time to assure that
development opportunities and risks are
equitably borne by city government, the
community and development partners.
At first examination, the added cost of
incorporating vacant properties into
redevelopment initiatives may seem
prohibitive. The following examples imply
that city and regional government
services, therefore taxpayers, are
currently subsidizing the non-
development of vacant properties
potentially in the amount of millions of
dollars annually.
11
Vacant Residential 5-Yr Example
A hypothetical, typical residential
property, 5-year example has been
provided to illustrate the direct costs
associated with property abandonment.
A table in Appendix 4 shows activities
and costs normally associated with
abandonment, nuisance response,
inspections, demolition, vacant property
maintenance and mowing, and foregone
taxes. The example, using conservative
costs, is spread over 5 years and
assumes non-compliance by the owner
and eventual demolition in year 4.
Vacant Residential 5-Year Example
Services, labor $1,825
Materials and demolition $8,520
Taxes, unpaid $1,504
Total Cost, yrs. 1-5 $11,849
(2003/04)
In practice, there are many cases that
take less time and effort to resolve, and
many cases that take more. The actual
costs vary by circumstances and the
complexity of ownership issues. Because
the example ends with the private lot in a
vacant idle condition, there were no
costs added for reuse by neighbors or
the community.
The significance of the example
is in the number of abandoned
and vacant properties that
currently exist and the number
anticipated for the future. To take
the example a step further, assuming
there are 500 residential properties in
this cycle at any given time, the annual
cost to the city could be $5.9 million
dollars per year distributed over a
number of municipal activities and
departments. Again, the real challenge
VACANT PROPERTIES ASSET MANAGEMENT STRATEGY
as explained throughout this strategy is
the number of accumulated “properties
of all types in the pipe” and the time it
takes to resolve ownership issues due to
regulatory constraints.
Citywide 5-Year Residential Demolition
and Maintenance Estimates
The 5-Year Residential Demolition and
Maintenance Estimate in Appendix 4 is
an attempt to understand the financial
impact of two city-based activities -
residential demolition, and maintenance
and mowing on existing and resulting
vacant residential lots.
The scenario applies 2004 costs to
residential demolitions and vacant
residential lot maintenance and mowing.
It optimistically assumes there is a net
annual reduction of 500 city-owned and
privately owned vacant lots per year
each through sale or development. It
also assumes total demolitions of 4,250
city-owned properties (property
transferred to the city for demolition) and
250 emergency private properties.
Assuming that the city is able to recover
100% of its costs billed to private owners,
the total net cost for these activities over
5 years is estimated to be more than $40
million.
The estimates show the affect of
aggressive demolition goals and the
resulting potential net impact on
maintenance and mowing
responsibilities. Private property is
included in the estimates to demonstrate
potential costs to the city of intervening in
emergency residential demolitions and
noncompliant property maintenance. A
100% cost recovery goal for services
provided to private property owners
becomes extremely important with such
large numbers involved. It is not realistic,
however, given the financial status of
most property owners in these
circumstances.
If the other direct costs, such as those
itemized in Vacant Residential 5-Year
12
Example, are added to demolition and
mowing and maitenance costs, the
resulting numbers reinforce the need to
recognize and treat vacant property
management as a legitimate cost center
distributed over a significant portion of
the city departments and agencies.
Similar types of costs exist for vacant
commercial and industrial properties and
should be added to the residential
estimates to provide the total picture.
Demolition costs will vary widely by
property type, size and condition. In
summary, these costs are a major
competitor with other city government
and community goals for funding and
municipal resources.
Summary: Citywide 5-Yr Residential
Demolition and Maintenance Example
City demos 4,250 $31,875,000
Maintenance/mowing 8,662,500
TTL City $40,537,500
Private demos 250 1,875,000
Maintenance/mowing 3,965,400
TTL charge to owners $ 5,840,400
Other Important Government and
Community Costs Not Factored In the
Examples
The presence of vacant property can
have an immediate effect that depresses
the resale value of adjacent properties.
As the number of vacant properties
increases in a neighborhood, depressed
real estate values have spilled into
adjacent neighborhood.
The presence of a neighboring
abandoned house can cause an insurer
to raise rates or drop an insured
homeowner even though the legality of
VACANT PROPERTIES ASSET MANAGEMENT STRATEGY
this practice is in question. The rationale
for increasing the cost of homeowners
insurance or dropping the homeowner
altogether is the increased fire risk
presented by the vacant property or
structures. The homeowner insurance
controversy has pushed some owners
into requesting that the vacant house
affecting their insurance rates or status
be demolished.
The presence of vacant properties poorly
or not maintained diminishes the local
quality of life and can further attract
nuisance and destructive behavior.
These are reflected in reduced physical
activity, increased health problems,
crime, and the cost of remedial social
programs targeted to areas having high
numbers of vacant properties. The
progressive decline commonly results in
a loss of confidence in municipal
governance and assistance efforts.
Vacant Property and People
Is vacant property a cause or effect of
social problems? How are poverty,
unemployment, crime, and substance
abuse, deteriorating housing stock,
sprawl, etc. related to vacant properties?
Who or what is responsible for solving
these problems and how much will it
cost? These questions, and the sense of
loss and frustration that accompanies
them, are at the center of the confusion
and conflicts associated with vacant
property problem solving.
And what does the vacant properties
asset management strategy propose?
The strategy proposes to both separate
and coordinate doing what government
and the community do best. The
community, for the purpose of this
discussion, is all of the people who live,
work and recreate within the city, along
with its economic, education and cultural
components. Government is the City of
Buffalo executive, legislative, and judicial
13
branches, plus its related agencies and
authorities.
The “back to basics” message is a
practical theme that harkens back to the
necessity – due to limited resources in
challenging times – of providing basic
government services better and more
efficiently, leveraging existing
government and community capital
(social and financial) to attain goals, and
eliminating redundant services among
and between government and the
community.
The effectiveness and efficiency of
vacant property asset management
processes and procedures is impacted
by many factors:
! The number of vacant properties
! Property ownership issues
! City budgets and funding
! Staffing levels
! Regulatory and legal requirements
! Organizational systems and
technology
There has been substantial progress
recently due to increased focus and
commitment on the city’s part to tackle
various aspects that include procedures,
processes and practices. The first
example include the use of “orders to
vacate” through City Housing Court to
remove and prosecute persons
occupying vacant properties. The second
example is the city’s vacant lot
maintenance and mowing plan. In its
second year of operation, Streets and
Sanitation was able clean and mow over
6,000 vacant lots in the Ellicott, Masten
and Fillmore Districts at least three times
each, with no overtime costs.
Reorganizing work crews and assigning
them to regular areas to establish a
familiarity with the locations and required
work patterns accomplished their goals.
The third example is the City’s proposed
revised Urban Homestead Program
VACANT PROPERTIES ASSET MANAGEMENT STRATEGY
provisions for vacant lots. A summary of
this proposal is in Appendix 6.
In further support of comprehensive
planning, comprehensive planning is
where government and community
merge quite naturally. A comprehensive
plan sets the physical, geographic stage
for land use that originates in a
community’s social, economic and
environmental objectives. City
government provides many of the tools
for decision-making and community
building through this process that the
community can use in neighborhood or
area plans and development projects.
Community momentum and participation
are what activates and drives progress
based on the planning framework, either
independently or with government
technical assistance.
Public and Private Property
The federal and state constitutions and
federal, state and local laws confer
rights, powers, procedures and
restrictions regarding property on people
and governments. The nature and extent
of specific rights and laws are mirrored in
what we see in terms of progress, or not,
that is aimed at conserving
neighborhood resources and removing
blighted structures.
There are legal processes for
condemning, transferring to public
ownership, and the eventual property
sale or transfer. These processes are
designed to protect private property
rights, and in doing so, require extensive
notification and hearing steps. This is the
most common reason for delays in
demolition, other than funding limitations.
Though 3 vacant houses may stand in a
row, it is not always possible to remove
them simultaneously because they are in
different stages in the process. Owner
notification requirements, and the task of
finding the legal owner, are the most
common causes for uneven progress in
a location. Additional funding and staffing
could increase the number of properties
14
“in process”, but may not speed up the
most difficult cases. Targeted legislative
reforms to address every difficult case
would require substantial municipal and
community commitment, but may be
possible longer-term solutions.
With respect to vacant lots, the City
Charter assigns the responsibility of
mowing city-owned lots to Streets and
Sanitation. Private owners are
responsible for the condition of their
vacant lots. Citywide, approximately 1/3
of the vacant lots are city owned – the
balance, about 8,500 lots, are the
responsibility of private owners. The cost
examples showed the financial burden of
maintain both public lots and a portion of
the private lots. Together, however, the
city and community need to decide if this
is the most efficient way to address the
problem and whether or not the city can
afford to subsidize noncompliant property
owners. See Clean, Safe and Green
section.
Once the city gains ownership of vacant
lot, building or facility there are a limited
number of options available. The city,
however, cannot legally give away or gift
public property to a private entity. The
most productive current option is to sell it
for a productive reuse and get the
property back on the tax role. The sale of
public property also has a process to be
followed that includes public notice and
approvals. Viable houses and lots can be
sold in exchange for rehabilitation
through local housing programs. Less
commonly, vacant properties can also be
leased or rented. Temporary and
conditional community uses, such as
community gardens, can be arranged
through a rental arrangement with
Buffalo’s Grassroots Gardens. Vacant
properties in Strategic Investment Areas
are bundled and retained for large-scale
redevelopment.
What We Do Best
The city government can best use its
authorities and capacity to provide the
VACANT PROPERTIES ASSET MANAGEMENT STRATEGY

community with the information, tools

and resources to build on its assets and
redevelop vacant properties. This
includes improving the systems related
to vacant properties asset management,
and extending partnerships throughout
the community and region.

The community, including the private

business sector, can best use its
creativity, talents, expertise, and energy
to focus on the social aspects associated
with to vacant property, especially
housing. This includes, but is certainly
not limited to, housing abandonment
prevention and intervention, connecting
people with programs and assistance
that address wellness and poverty, and
aggressively pursuing clean and green
neighborhoods. See Clean, Safe and
Green section.

Coordinating government and

community resources is essential to goal
attainment – and communication is key.
It is very important to communicate
neighborhood level knowledge and
conditions to government and within the
community. This information should be
used to deploy government and
community resources and technical
assistance, and to monitor progress. The
exact information content, the format of
the information, the benefits of
centralizing reporting and dissemination,
and timeliness are all factors for
consideration in vacant property asset
management. See Systems Support
section.

The strategy objectives and tasks in the

form of recommendations and best
practices were selected from the Vacant
Land, Buildings and Facilities Asset
Management Project and subsequent
work with the project’s Administrative
Track. The strategy recommendations
and best practices apply to the City of
Buffalo in its current condition, with
consideration for its current and future
assets.

15
VACANT PROPERTIES ASSET MANAGEMENT STRATEGY
Systems Support
Objective: Establish, educate,
and promote around a policy of
comprehensive planning and the
benefits of adhering to such a
policy and plans.
Task S 1.0 – Policy development and
monitoring
Policies should be re-evaluated,
updated, or developed to reflect city and
community-wide redevelopment goals.
Such policies should be widely
communicated in a manner to aid
redevelopment and to promote solidarity
of efforts.
Routinely screen proposed policies,
initiatives, projects, and their revisions,
using Smart Growth and International
City Management Association Principles
at key stages: Proposal, Impact Studies,
Share with Stakeholders, Assessments,
Performance Evaluations, etc.
Immediate/On-going; $No cost
Task S 2.0 – Establish and maintain
vacant property team
Establish and support a multi-disciplined,
representative team to regularly
coordinate, review, and advise on policy,
plans, local regulation, procedures and
funding involved in or affecting vacant
property asset management. Plans and
actions involving or impacting vacant
properties, city-owned and private, must
be centrally coordinated to optimize
effectiveness, maximize the use of
limited resources, and support citywide
goals and policies. Conservation,
rehabilitation, and preservation priorities
must be incorporated into processes,
procedures and practices to maintain the
physical integrity of neighborhoods and
16
to maintain the greatest number of
properties on the tax role possible.
This team should have an ad hoc
community advisory group that includes
Good Neighbors Planning Alliance and
key community representatives.
To maintain continuity and increase
effectiveness, a city staff person
dedicated to at least half time to this
initiative should coordinate the team.
Immediate/On-going;
$Staff/Community volunteers
Task S 3.0 – Comprehensive plan
approval and rezoning update
Proceed with rezoning after the adoption
of the comprehensive plan to assure
that:
1) A range of creative and compatible
vacant property reuses are allowed,
especially in areas having multiple
planning layers.
2) Zoning should allow interim uses
such as green space, urban forests
and limited recreation within
residential and mixed use
designations.
3) Zoning should recommend
increased green and open space
minimum development requirements
to improve ratios around schools
and in areas not meeting recreation
access ratios.
4) Community gardening and urban
agriculture uses should be added
uses to improve urban food security
access.
5) Those areas designated for
industrial investment are not
designated as residential or other
incompatible uses.
Immediate/1-2 yrs; $Included
with comprehensive planning and
zoning development.

Communication & Information
Communication and information
recommendations and best
practices involve the development
of systems and networks that
support the productive,
economical and sustainable
conservation, management, and
development of vacant land
buildings and facilities in the City of
Buffalo.
Communication and information
systems or networks should serve
to preserve and enhance sense of
community; reduce future conflict;
facilitate joint, creative solutions;
improved the quality of decisions;
and save time and money.
Communication networks should
provide a means to exchange
information and updates, facilitate
decision-making, and should be
designed to concentrate or focus
resources. Communications and
information can aid in forecasting,
resource allocation, fostering
partnerships, monitoring,
marketing, and economic
development.
Information and communication
systems or networks should be
centrally organized, linked to other
resources, be efficient and
regularly maintained, and ADA
accessible. They may include a
range of media and methods from
education and public participation
programs and the government
cable channel, to electronic portals
such as web-based access to
common information and
resources.
The City of Buffalo is making very
good progress on it’s web site
offering documents, council
proceedings and a web-based,
geographic information mapping
and assessment information, and
ePermits located online at:
http://www.city-buffalo.com
VACANT PROPERTIES ASSET MANAGEMENT STRATEGY
Task S 4.0 – Access to
comprehensive planning information
and opportunities
The general descriptions and associated
incentives for each of the
Comprehensive Planning and
Redevelopment Assets listed in this
section, as well as the content of the
documents, should be made easily
available through a single source
available to the public such as the
Internet and a central planning document
repository. The Comprehensive Planning
and Redevelopment Assets listing
should be updated regularly as changes
and new documents/maps come on line.
The list should also be linked to City
marketing efforts.
Expand public assess and participation
opportunities that will be required to
implement collaborative and shared
vacant properties asset management
solutions. Review the communication
methods and routes currently in use and
expand them to include additional outlets
and venues that reach a broader
audience. Routinize the posting of
participation opportunities by creating a
checklist for OSP, Boards, and
community organizations.
1-2 yrs/On-going; $5,000 start-
up, materials and supplies
Task 5.0 – Education: Administration
and Partners
Disseminate available information
supportive of vacant property goals and
recommendations to the city staff and
vacant property partners, and targeted
sectors as needed.
Include the common regulation, reporting
and enforcement penalties and
processes that apply to vacant properties
in community education opportunities
and information systems. Compile the
procedures used for common vacant
property situations and post them as
references on the city’s web site. Many
of them are available already on the
Inspections and Permits links; however,
17
packaging them and others together
under a vacant property link would make
them more accessible.
1-2 yrs/On-going; $2,500
annually, material, web posting
Task 6.0 - Research and Technology
Monitor research and technology trends
to optimize the city’s competitive position
in the region, state, and nation; and
share with city asset management
partners.
On-going; $No cost
Task S 7.0 Upstate vacant property
collaboration
The City of Buffalo should collaborate
with community organizations and other
upstate cities to promote regulatory
reforms that can facilitate vacant property
redevelopment.
Sponsor a summit of similar size upstate
city governments and legislators to share
processes, procedures, practices, and
organizational systems used to manage
vacant properties under the constraints
of NYS law and budgets. Common
needs and recommendations should
form the basis for legislative reform and
financial assistance.
Examples - Work with the NYS Attorney
General’s Office to clarify property
insurance practices affecting
homeowners in the vicinity of vacant
properties; Work with NYS Assembly
and Senate on foreclosure, demolition
funding authorities, and Internet vacant
property sale reforms.
1-2 yrs/2-5 yrs; $No or low cost
depending on extent of
communications and meetings
Task S 8.0 – Inventory and build
upon existing information systems
Build upon existing information systems
such as BuffStat, Hansen and others, to
meet the needs of vacant property asset
management. Inventory the information
VACANT PROPERTIES ASSET MANAGEMENT STRATEGY
systems currently in use to determine the
types of information available and who
has access to it. Determine the additional
information needed to implement
selected recommendations. Work with
city information management
departments to investigate the feasibility
of how the information can be added,
merged, accessed, etc., and what costs
are involved.
In progress and1-2 yrs; $Staff
participation; Near-term $50,000
technology costs
Task S 9.0 – Parcel-based data
expansion
Modify a city parcel database to include
fields corresponding to their assigned
Comprehensive Planning and
Redevelopment Asset layers. This task
may be broken down by assigning
priority geographic areas or priority asset
layers first. The result of this task will be
to reveal parcel-based asset codes to
predetermine potential redevelopment
opportunities. It will also aid in
neighborhood planning, marketing, and
monitoring progress.
1-2 yrs; $20,000 staff/technical
assistance
Objective: Market all vacant
properties in a comprehensive
manner
Task 10.0 – A uniform marketing
response
A uniform index of vacant property
contacts, programs, services and
protocol should be distributed to frontline
city, agency and community organization
personnel. The objectives are to:
! Welcome citizens and clients to
Buffalo and its neighborhoods and
begin to market local assets.
! Standardize the response to
common inquiries; eliminate
18
confusion among and between
departments and organizations.
! Properly handle challenging or
atypical inquiries.
Immediate; $No cost to $2,500
materials development
Task 11.0 – Via City Internet
resources
Use components of the information and
communications system(s) to aid in the
marketing of vacant land, buildings and
facilities assets. This can be done
through or linked to the City web page.
Attractive and contemporary sites
reflecting Buffalo’s goals and planning
assets should be targeted
homebuyers and developer/investors.
Short lists of strategic properties and
development RFP’s can be posted along
with links to Buffalo area real estate and
development services and agencies.
1-2 years; $20,000 staff/technical
assistance
- BuffStat -
A citywide quality of life issues
assessment and monitoring
tool
BuffStat is a work in progress that
will provide the community and city
officials another tool to assess and
monitor quality of life issues based
on data, problem-solving and
resource allocation. A task force
comprised of the Mayor’s Office,
the Law Department, Housing
Court, Save Our Streets, Police,
Fire, Inspections, the Mayor’s
Impact Team, Citizens’ Services,
and Strategic Planning are
working together to assemble
databases, criteria, and analyze
to
emerging issues, trends and
needs.
Preliminary examples of data
produced through BuffStat can be
viewed through
http://www.city-buffalo.com.
Maps and tables include:
! Arson fires and vacant
properties
! Citizen Service calls by type
! Excessive calls
! Summary table of calls
Continued BuffStat development
includes an on-going review of
relevant criteria and performance
standards, and identifying future
opportunities to match recurring
issues and properties to
community and social services.

Caution: Fees and Charges
The strategy recommends only
three specific fees at this time - a
vacant property registration fee, an
independent waste hauler fee, and
an open space land management
fee.
New fees, or changes to existing
ones, should be carefully studied
to insure that they have the
desired impact and do in fact
generate revenue. Fees should
also be structured to recover the
actual costs of the services or
program that they intend to
contribute to. Information gathered
in project conversations, news
reports and economic
demographics points to the
difficulty of assessing fees and
taxes that may not be paid. Unpaid
city fees and utilities can be
attached to the property tax bills,
and often are. Taxes and fees in
arrears are subject to collections,
and recovery through foreclosure.
It is at this point that many
properties enter, or get stuck in,
the vacant property cycle.
VACANT PROPERTIES ASSET MANAGEMENT STRATEGY
Financial Support
Objective: Create an
environment to save and control
costs through budgeting and
partner financing to reflect
baseline vacant property
management costs and future
vacant property development
costs over time.
Task F 1.0 – Vacant property cost
center
City budget planning and allocations
should identify vacant property and its
associated activities as a significant cost
center. Vacant property management,
maintenance and marketing
responsibilities are distributed over many
city departments, agencies, and
authorities, and may appear as direct or
indirect costs. City departments,
agencies and authorities should report
related direct and indirect costs to
determine a baseline, and then regularly
to monitor progress.
Government and community should
adopt criteria to monitor vacant property
asset management costs and revenues.
Decision-making and vacant property
spending criteria must reflect established
policies, regulations, plans and city and
community priorities, and should assure
that:
! Systems are adequately staffed and
funded to attain goals.
! Costs for services on private
property are recovered in full, in a
timely manner from private property
owners.
19
! Revenue is maximized from the sale
of city-owned and increases in the
tax role.
Immediate; $Coordination and
staff time
Task F 2.0 Vacant property budget
coordination
Coordinate the budgets of the major
funding sources for vacant property
management to assure that adequate
resources are deployed to effectively
address vacant property goals and
objectives.
Vacant properties responsibilities and
services are funded mainly through three
sources requiring plans to fund allowable
costs.
! General city funds: Annual local and
state revenue (taxes and fees) –
Streets and Sanitation operations,
maintenance and mowing
! City Capital Budget; Capital
improvement projects through bonds
– demolition of city-owned properties
! Federal Entitlement HUD;
Consolidated Plan and Annual Plan
and Budget – Slum clearance and
blight control through Clean and
Seal and emergency demolitions
Immediate/On-going;
$Coordination and staff time
Also see Clean, Safe and Green section,
Task C 6.0.
Total immediate needs of the
Streets and Sanitation
Department and Mayor’s Impact
Team vacant properties clean,
seal, maintenance and mowing
responsibilities is $560,000.
Task F 3.0 – Fiscal obligations
Provide regular information and
education opportunities to government
staff and the community on the various
types of funds in use and available, and
the associated authorities and
VACANT PROPERTIES ASSET MANAGEMENT STRATEGY
restrictions of these funds, to insure
compliance, performance monitoring,
and goal attainment. Of particular interest
are funds for community development,
emergency actions, and blight and slum
clearance.
Immediate/1-2 yrs;
$Coordination and staff time
Task F 4.0 - Vacant Property
Registration Fee
Investigate the application of a program
similar to the City of Wilmington’s Vacant
Property Registration Fee Program5 in
order to reduce the time a property is
vacant and offset the city cost of
maintaining vacant properties.
For example, owners are required to
register existing and new vacant
properties and pay a fee based upon the
length of time a property is vacant. A
vacancy period of one year is charged
$500. A sliding scale can assess a
charge in excess of $5,000 and more for
vacancy periods of 11+ years. Failure to
comply is criminal with fines and other
legal actions possible. Fee waivers are
available for owners engaged in rehab,
construction, and sales to new owners to
discourage long-term vacancy.
1-2 yrs/On-going; $10,000 start-
up/admin thereafter
Task F 5.0 – Independent waste
hauler registration
Develop a registration and license fee
scale for independent waste haulers that
wish to operate in the city. This will
facilitate the tracking of waste hauling
activity within the city and contribute
illegal dumping cost recovery.
5 “City of Wilmington Vacant Property
Registration Fee Program” [Online] Available
WWW:
http://www.ci.wilmington.de.us/vacantpropertie
s.htm
20
1-2 yrs/On-going; $2,500 start-
up/admin thereafter
Task F 6.0 – Open space and land
management fee
Government and community should
investigate the benefits of a dedicated
development and/or property transfer fee
to conserve and manage vacant land for
the public purposes of open space and
recreation access. A fee to be
determined through investigation can be
assessed at the time of property transfer
and/or site development approval. The
funds should be used for expansion,
improvements and maintenance of
public green and open space, including
interim treatments expected to be in
place 10 years or more.
1-2 yrs/On-going; $10,000 start-
up/admin thereafter
Task F 7.0 – Dedicated development
fund
Government and community should
investigate the benefits of a dedicated
development fund (trust or corporation)
for the purpose of conserving,
developing, and managing vacant land,
buildings and facilities throughout the
City of Buffalo. This can be part of the
“Buffalo Development Program”
proposed in the draft comprehensive
plan, part of the mission of an existing
city development corporation, or part of a
regional initiative.
Any development fund that targets
vacant property should minimally have
the following characteristics:
! The ability to leverage community
and private resources.
! The ability to own and sell property.
! The ability to accept donated private
property.
! The capacity to efficiently and cost-
effectively management vacant
property in its control and prepare it
for various types of development
VACANT PROPERTIES ASSET MANAGEMENT STRATEGY

(land banks), interim uses and

mothballing important structures.
! The capacity to provide technical
assistance to the city and community
on interim uses for vacant property.
! The ability to generate operating
expenses through vacant property
related fees, services, property
donation and sales.
! Required to work closely with the city
to assure that it is absorbing the
allowable administration’s
responsibilities and costs to result in
a net cost-savings to the city and
community.
1-2 yrs/15 yr maximum; $50,000
start-up/$5.0 mm for operations
yrs 1-5
A range of options can be examined in
programs developed in Atlanta6,
7 8
Philadelphia , and Flint, MI among
others.

6Atlanta Development Authority [online]

WWW: http://www.atlantada.com.

7Philadelphia Neighborhood Transformation

Initiative[also online] WWW:
http://www.brookings.edu/es/urbsn/publicatio
ns/kromervacant.pdf.

8National Public Radio, “Community Leaders

Work to Revitalize Michigan Town (Flint),”
Morning Edition, Oct. 21, 2003, [also online]
WWW:
http:www.npr.org/rundowns/segment.php?wfld
+1473155.

21
VACANT PROPERTIES ASSET MANAGEMENT STRATEGY
City-Owned Properties
Dispersal
Objective: Reduce the inventory
of city-owned property to
conserve neighborhood
resources, generate sales
revenue, increase the tax role,
minimize maintenance costs and
minimize liability.
Task D 1.0 – Implement the city-
owned properties dispersal options.
For city-owned vacant properties in or
entering the city inventory:
Vacant, or soon to be vacant, buildings
and facilities inventory
! Employ housing rehabilitation and
homestead programs for sound
residential properties in priority
areas; encourage density reduction
for multi-unit residential structures.
! Select poorest condition properties
for demolition; obtain demolition cost
estimates for budget and
redevelopment forecasting.
! Select impacted properties
(brownfields, listed sites) for
remediation and demolition, and
prioritize based on hazards, cost
estimates, regulatory investigations,
and financial assistance.
! Develop a portfolio of structurally
good vacant, or soon to be vacant
non-residential properties; bundle
adjacent vacant properties where
possible; include scope of potential
redevelopment opportunities based
upon comprehensive plans; post
and market for sale or develop RFP
22
to meet specific redevelopment
goals.
Vacant, or soon to be vacant, land
inventory
! Use homestead provisions for
vacant residential lots adjacent to
owner occupied residences in
priority areas. See Appendix 5.
! Reserve lots in Strategic Investment
areas for future development; assign
ownership and interim maintenance
provisions for each of these growing
areas to a municipal development
board and fund.
! Investigate offering for sale/bid
vacant lots adjacent to eligible
business owners in
commercial/business zones to
accomplish comprehensive
redevelopment goals in Renewal
Community areas.
Surplus Buffalo Public School Facilities
Since the City of Buffalo is the owner of
City of Buffalo school buildings and
grounds, having multiple vacant former
school structures as a result of new
school construction poses potentially
high demolition and long-term
maintenance costs.
School buildings have many potential
adaptive reuses, and more so for those
facilities in or near commercial areas. For
facilities in primarily residential locations,
reuses need to be especially compatible
with their settings. Examples of schools
turned into apartments are available in
Western New York, and a very good
example of a school-to-college library
conversion can be seen at the former
Holy Angels School on West Street in
Buffalo (D’Youville College).
Redevelopment options should be
considered sooner rather than later in the
case of vacant, or soon to be vacant,
schools. The more desirable facilities
and locations will emerge and likely
VACANT PROPERTIES ASSET MANAGEMENT STRATEGY

determine the fate of the balance that

may require demolition.

Immediate/On-going; $5,000
start-up/$5,000 annual
staff/technical assistance

Sample reuses or conversions compatible with residential areas:

Cooperative housing Homeland security community stations – shelter,

Temporary and transitional housing
Senior housing
Adult day care
Child care (24 hr) and pre-school
Family sports and fitness center
Recycling centers and exchanges, collection
points
Neighborhood heritage and entertainment
centers – film, art, music, etc.
Faith-based learning institutes
College dormitories and satellite classrooms
storage
Information technology training centers – partner
with call centers, medical campus, community
college
Neighborhood retail, thrift, and convenience
centers
Community kitchens, workshops, studios, etc.
Neighborhood transportation centers – taxi,
Metrobus, special transportation services, rentals,
bicycle stands and repair, Amtrack and airport
shuttles
Centralized vacant property management
headquarters and equipment storage
Other creative approved reuses proposed
through development RFP’s

Estimate of Improved Properties for Sale -

Mid 2004, active properties omitted

Single, double, multiple 47+

Apartment buildings 4+

Commercial Properties 15+

Former schools/community
6+
centers/police/ firehouse

Possible additional schools 9

Source: Div. Real Estate, Nov. 2004.

23
VACANT PROPERTIES ASSET MANAGEMENT STRATEGY
Clean, Safe & Green
Objective: Vacant Property
Sanitation, Blight Removal,
Neighborhood Safety and
Conservation
The predominant issue surrounding
vacant land, buildings and facilities is the
physical condition of the vacant
properties and the resulting impacts on
neighborhoods. Deteriorating and
unsanitary properties impact human
health, safety and well being, and the
stability and economic vitality of an area.
Property owners, both private and public,
are responsible for the condition of their
property. The New York State Uniform
Fire Prevention Code, the City Charter
and building codes, and their referenced
standards, establish minimum
compliance requirements to protect
human health and safety. The Erie
County and NYS Health Departments
and NYS Department of Environmental
Conservation also have authorities
regarding disease and vector control,
and environmental hazards.
The countermeasures currently in use by
government and the community include:
! Inspections
! Enforcement, including penalties
and fines
! Clean and Seal (cleaning and
boarding up structures)
! Demolition
! Maintenance and mowing, including
trash removal
! Volunteer neighborhood clean-and-
green projects
! Police and fire response
24
The costs associated with these
countermeasures for vacant properties
are significant as was illustrated in the 5-
year costs examples. Applying them to
the number of all types of vacant
properties in the city demonstrates the
magnitude of the drain on government
and community resources. There will
always be some number of vacant
properties in the city due to
obsolescence and trends, but hopefully
at much smaller proportions. Vacant
property will never disappear from the
radar, but in the future it should be more
manageable and cost far less to
maintain.
Buildings and Facilities
The strategy acknowledges the fact that
there is a surplus of housing and more
vacant industrial and commercial
property than can be used near-term.
The present market is slow in growth and
the demand for these types of property is
generally very low. The strategy
proposes a hierarchy to keep useable, or
potentially useable properties, intact
through conservation to preserve the
asset values of structures and locations.
This especially applies to important
cultural and historical structures. The
Vacant Land, Buildings and Facilities
Asset Management Strategy flow chart,
combined with the comprehensive plan
and other plans, enables targeted
decision-making for redevelopment
choices. The final option after exhausting
the conservation possibilities may be
demolition.
Challenges:
! There are no plans or funds for
“mothballing” important structures
that have potential reuses or historic
significance. Note: Vacant wood
frame structures with no utilities
(heat) and no maintenance generally
deteriorate within 2 years.
! Boarded entrances and windows do
not prevent illegal occupation of
structures – Evidence of temporary
VACANT PROPERTIES ASSET MANAGEMENT STRATEGY
or regular use can be found in the
form of trash, furnishings, clothing,
graffiti, drug paraphernalia, etc.
! Vacant structures are generally
scavenged for fixtures, architectural
features, wiring and plumbing,
windows, etc., often leaving the
interior beyond repair.
! Vacant structures are dumping
spots, inside and outside, for
garbage, bulk trash, tires,
construction debris, etc.
! Vacant properties that include a
structure require more time to clean
and mow due to small sideyards,
back yards, fencing and
outbuildings.
! Public or private ownership and
ownership problems are not
discernable from the street or
sidewalk.
Vacant Lots and Land
The redevelopment option for vacant lots
and land follows a similar analysis to
buildings and facilities as described
above. Project discussions indicated a
desire by city administrators, elected
officials, community representatives,
youth and developers that vacant,
developable vacant land should have
one or more the following qualities
depending on its location. In the interim
(prior to redevelopment), vacant land
should be:
! In a useable condition to encourage
community stewardship.
! In a developable condition or shovel
ready to encourage economic
development.
! In a permeable and “finished”
condition to return environmental
function to an area.
! In a visually pleasing and sanitary
condition.
! In a condition appropriate for
surrounding land uses that
25
ameliorates impacts to nearby
property values.
! In a condition that is affordable and
efficient to maintain to minimize the
strain on city and neighborhood
resources.
Challenges:
! Illegal dumping (tires, construction
debris, etc.) and residential garbage
and large trash on vacant lots are a
major problem across the city. Since
lots must be cleaned before they can
be mowed, considerable time and
costs are added to this task.
! The equipment needed for
maintenance and mowing duties is
in short supply and is subject to
significant wear and tear due to the
number and condition of vacant lots.
! Compliance by private owners
needs to be improved to minimize
the costs of servicing private lots and
city billing procedures.
! Two-way city-community
communications need to be
established to report vacant lot
mowing requests and reports of
mowing performed by the
community to improve efficiencies.
See Mowing and Maintenance Plan,
2003/04, DPW Streets and
Sanitation.
! Public or private ownership of
individual lots is not readily
discernable.
! Coordination is needed to address
maintenance and mowing on other
publicly and privately owned rights-
of-ways and properties, including
highways, parks and parkways.
Clean, Safe and Green
If ever there was an opportunity for
coordination and collaboration, it is in the
efforts to keep vacant properties clean,
safe and green. This requires
communication, education, and a
VACANT PROPERTIES ASSET MANAGEMENT STRATEGY
community consensus of what the
specific needs are so that resources can
be used effectively and efficiently.
Isolated incidents in one area may be
prevalent in another, or evidence of
emerging trends. This local knowledge is
very important for citywide planning and
allocation of resources. The larger
picture can be gained by assembling this
information in a centralized manner in
order to be proactive and to match the
appropriate resources and services.
Neighborhoods can coordinate and
concentrate their local resources to gain
efficiencies and effectiveness. City and
community resources, applied in a
scattered or piecemeal fashion, except in
the case of emergencies, has the affect
of fracturing services and diluting the
impact. Reinventing the wheel and
creating many small, independent efforts
can cost valuable time and resources.
Clean, safe and green is a year-
round responsibility. Planning,
budgeting, assigning labor and
equipment, and purchasing
supplies are tasks that need to
happen in advance of Buffalo’s
spring and summer seasons.
Summer preparations and seasonal
activities begin in May and June. This is
also the end of Buffalo’s fiscal year
occasionally complicating contracting
and cash flow. There are many other
activities that can be done through the
fall and winter such as rehabilitation and
mothballing structures. Surveillance for
illegal dumping should be done year-
round to avoid the surprises that
accumulate and come into view when
the snow melts.
Task C 1.0 – Know your territory
Good Neighbors Planning Alliance
planning areas should include
inventories of vacant properties in their
plans. This exercise should be
coordinated with the Office of Strategic
Planning, and updated, as needed
26
based on activity in the planning area.
Priority sub-areas can be selected for
areas having large numbers of vacant
properties. Lists and maps should be
compared against what is visible from
the street or sidewalk and corrected as
needed. Public and private ownership
should be included with the addresses.
Immediate; $No cost – currently
available
Task C 2.0 – Community reporting
The vacant property team and a
community advisory group should agree
on a 2-way reporting protocol for non-
emergency correspondence, monitoring,
and complaints that is centralized,
compatible with data collection methods,
and time sensitive. Currently, the
preferred central contact is the Mayor’s
Complaint Line – 851-4890.
Immediate; $No cost – currently
available, education opportunity
Task C 3.0 – Solid waste education
The city, Common Council, community
and Erie County should collaborate in a
Clean, Safe and Green education
campaign. Materials can be obtained
through Keep Western New York
Beautiful that builds upon current, joint
recycling education efforts. Subject
matter should focus on the major solid
waste and garbage problems in
neighborhoods.
1-2 yrs; $5,000 per year for 2 yrs
Task C 4.0 – Surveillance and
enforcement
Surveillance, reporting and enforcement
for illegal dumping should be a priority to
reduce and recover city waste disposal
costs. The community, legislators, and
enforcement personnel should
collaborate on anti-dumping education
and reporting. Where reporting is an
issue or dumping is repeated in an area,
surveillance cameras can be used to aid
enforcement and prosecution.

Costly and Dangerous
The dumping of used tires is a persistent
illegal dumping problem. Dumping
occurs on vacant lots AND in vacant
structures.
Under NYS DEC and Taxation
Departments a fee of $2.50 is assessed
at the time of new tire sale for tire waste
management. Retailers and dealers
retain $0.25 per tire to cover time for
paperwork and arrangements for used
tires they must legally dispose of. There
is no fee charged for the resale of used
tires. The City is charged $2.00 to $2.50
for disposal for every tire that is retrieved
from illegal dumping. Because of this,
consumers are charged twice (through
the original fee and through city taxes)
for each tire picked up. For example, the
city has cleaned up dumps of up to
60,000 ($120,000 + plus labor and
equipment) or more tires in a single
incident this past year (2003) and many
10’s of thousands annually as a result of
vacant property cleanups. This can
amount to a subsidy approaching
$250,000 annually for illegal operations.
Tires are a West Nile Virus health
concern because of their ability to hold
rainwater that becomes a breeding
environment for mosquitoes. Tires are
also a fire hazard, and greatly
complicate firefighting when dumped in
vacant buildings.
VACANT PROPERTIES ASSET MANAGEMENT STRATEGY
Immediate/1-2 yrs; $15,000 for
equipment and operating-
enforcement plan
Task C 5.0 - Used Tire Waste
Management
Work with Erie County Environment and
Planning and Health Departments, and
the NYS Department of Environmental
Conservation to develop a process to
inspect and educate retail and wholesale
automobile operations that deal in new
and used tires of all types. Recommend
and implement a system for reporting
illegal dumping and renew enforcement
of solid waste and public health laws.
Include additional inspector in grant
opportunities.
Immediate/1-2 yrs; $90,000 for 2
yr solid waste inspections and
enforcement (part of and in
addition to education and
surveillance above)
Task C 6.0 – Labor and equipment
allocations
Adequate capacity and number of
equipment, labor and supplies must be
incorporated in the city budget to perform
desired sanitation and blight removal
goals. This involves forecasting next
season’s activity based on the projected
number of vacant properties and new
demolitions that are expected to increase
for at least the next five years.
Equipment pools and acquisition of
surplus government equipment should
be investigated to fill budget gaps. Real-
time, portable data collectors (palm
pilots) can be used to log lot status and
notations to eliminate data entry steps.
Streets and Sanitation Department –
Responsible for vacant property
maintenance and mowing, and the
coordination of supporting city
departments to accomplish vacant
property sanitation goals. Immediate
needs:
! 5 Tractors with cutters - $125,000;
plus $15,000 annual maintenance
fee
27
! Trimmers and hand tools - $10,000;
plus $1,000 annual maintenance fee
! 2 Tandems - $200,000
! 1 Highlift - $80,000
! 1 BobCat - $25,000
Total Year One estimate to meet
baseline needs is $458,000.
Clean & Seal Team – Performs major
“clean and seal” duties. Immediate
needs:
! 2 Tractors with cutters and snow
throwers - $24,000; plus $500
annual maintenance
! 1 Dump truck - $50,000; plus $1,000
annual maintenance
! 1 BobCat plus attachments -
$29,000
! Trimmers and hand tools - $3,000
! Personal protective equipment, plus
Kevlar vests - $3,500 annually
Total Year One estimate to meet
baseline needs is $102,000.
Total immediate needs of the
Streets and Sanitation
Department and Mayor’s Impact
Team vacant properties clean,
seal, maintenance and mowing
responsibilities is $560,000.
Task C 7.0 - Demolition standards
The demolition standards should be
reviewed annually against performance
criteria, and the developing needs for a
range of redevelopment options and cost
savings. This may include options for
finer site finishing for homestead-
destined properties, or a separate follow-
up for desired finishes. Contractor lists
should be refreshed annually to assure
compliance with state and federal
contracting requirements.
Demolition projections, practices and
funding priorities should be re-evaluated
regularly to maintain the physical integrity
VACANT PROPERTIES ASSET MANAGEMENT STRATEGY

of neighborhoods, to minimize Task C 10.0 - Clean Safe and Green

maintenance costs, and to aid in Performance and Goal Attainment
redevelopment Award
Acknowledge and celebrate
On-going; $No cost. accomplishments and goal attainment
Task C 8.0 Clean, Safe and Green through recognition and grant awards.
Design Review
The candidates should include
exceptional performers and cooperators
The Department of Public Works,
from all community and government
Inspections, Office of Strategic Planning
sectors and emphasize collaboration and
and BERC should develop site review
efficiency. Grant awards should be
guidelines or conditions of public and
standardized and based on plans and
private development and improvement.
measurable outcomes.
The purpose of these guidelines is to
assure that the city can actually perform
the required maintenance on rights-of- 1-2 years; $No cost to
ways in an efficient manner. Streets and recommended small grants/
Sanitation do not currently have cutters awards, $5,000 annually.
that can cut sloped berms,
embankments or detailed cutouts. The
responsibility for tree maintenance on the
public portion of new developments is
unclear at this time. An alternative is to
designate certain maintenance and
mowing activities to the primary manager
of the commercial/industrial development
as a condition of site plan approval.

1-2 yrs; $No cost

Task C 9.0 Clean, Safe and Green
Summits
Convene summits or meetings with
entities in control of vacant, open, or
right-of-way land within the City of
Buffalo. The purpose of the summits is to
present the City of Buffalo clean, safe
and green objectives, and to solicit the
cooperation/collaboration of those
entities in vacant property maintenance
and mowing.
! Railroad corporations
! State and county transportation
departments
! Utilities
! Institutions and public authorities

1-2 yrs; $No cost

28
Appendices

Appendix 1 - Maps 1-3

Appendix 2 - Strategy Objectives and Tasks Summary

Appendix 3 - Selected Planning Asset Layers Table

Appendix 4 - Vacant Property Costs Estimates Examples

Appendix 5 - Vacant Land Buildings and Facilities Asset Management Strategy Elements
and Flow Chart

Appendix 6 - Vacant Lot Homesteading Proposal and Priority Areas

29
Appendix 1 – Maps 1-3

30
31
32
 Appendix 2 – Strategy Objectives and Tasks Summary Table

Objectives and Tasks Time Frame Costs

Systems Support
Objective: Establish, educate and promote around a policy of
comprehensive planning, and the benefits of adhering to such a
policy and plans.
S 1.0 Policy development and monitoring Immed/On-going No Cost (NC)
S 2.0 Establish and maintain vacant property team Immed/On-going Staff/Volunteers
S 3.0 Comprehensive plan approval and rezoning update 1-2 yrs Included in comp planning and
zoning projects
S 4.0 Access to comprehensive planning information and 1-2 yrs/On-going $5,000 start-up – materials and
opportunities supplies
S 5.0 Education: Administration and Partners 1-2 yrs/0n-going $2,500 annually – materials, web
postings
S 6.0 Research and technology On-going NC
S 7.0 Upstate vacant property collaboration 1-2yrs /2-5yrs Annual communications costs
S 8.0 Inventory and build upon existing information systems In progress and 1-2 Present – Staff participation;
yrs Near-term $50,000 technology costs
S 9.0 Parcel-based data expansion 1-2 yrs $20,000 staff/technical assistance
Objective: Market all vacant properties on a comprehensive manner
S 10.0 A uniform marketing response Immediate NC to $2,500 materials development
S 11.0 Via city internet resources 1-2 yrs $20,000 staff/technical assistance
Financial Support
Objective: Create an environment to save and control costs through
budgeting and partner financing to reflect baseline vacant property
costs, and future vacant property development costs over time.
F 1.0 Vacant property costs center Immediate Coordination and staff time
F 2.0 Vacant property budget coordination Immed/On-going Coordination and staff time
F 3.0 Fiscal obligations Immed/1-2 yrs Coordination and staff time/Partners
F 4.0 Vacant property registration fee 1-2 yrs/On-going $10,000 start-up/admin thereafter
F 5.0 Independent waste hauler registration 1-2 yrs/On-going $2,500 start-up/admin thereafter
F 6.0 Open space and land management fee 2-5 yrs/On-going $10,000 start-up/admin thereafter
F 7.0 Dedicated development fund 1-2 yrs/15 yr max. $50,000 start-up/$5.O mm for yrs 1-5
City-Owned Properties Dispersal
Objective: Reduce the inventory of city-owned property to conserve
neighborhood resources, generate sales revenue, increase the tax
role, and minimize maintenance costs and liability.
D 1.0 Implement the city-owned properties dispersal Immed/On-going $5,000 start-up/$5,000 annual
options. staff/technical assistance
Clean, Safe & Green
Objective: Vacant property sanitation, blight removal, neighborhood
safety and conservation.
C 1.0 Know your territory Immediate Currently available
C 2.0 Community reporting Immediate Currently available – education opp.
C 3.0 Solid waste education 1-2 yrs $5,000 per year for 2 yrs
C 4.0 Surveillance and enforcement Immed/1-2 yrs $15,000 for plan and equipment
C 5.0 Used tire waste management Immed/1-2 yrs $90,000 for 2 yr solid waste
inspections and enforcement
C 6.0 Labor and equipment allocations Immed/On-going $458,000 Streets & Sanitation
equipment; $102,000 Impact Team
equipment; plus annual allocation for
regular replacements
C 7.0 Demolition standards On-going NC
C 8.0 Clean, safe and green design review 1-2 yrs NC
C 9.0 Clean, safe and green summits 1-2 yrs NC
C 10.0 Clean, safe and green performance and goal 1-2 yrs Ranges no cost to recommended
attainment awards $5,000 per year for small
awards/grants

33
Appendix 3 – Selected Comprehensive Planning Asset Layers

Asset layers from Queen City in the 21st Century, Buffalo’s Comprehensive Plan, DRAFT, Dec. 2004.

The matrix assigns the positive attribute(s) of the selected asset layer. Other attributes can and should
be examined for the evaluation of redevelopment options involving vacant properties. The primary
attribute is denoted as”1”; “2” denotes other or secondary attributes.

The Investment Corridors Map which follows is a good example of viewing the asset layers as a
composite of Strategic Corridors, Phase I Schools, and Ellicott, Olmsted, and the Water.

Table: Asset Layer Matrix

Attribute

Neighborhoods
Economic Dev.

Environmental

Asset Layer
Good Neighbors Planning
Alliance – Planning Communities
Phase I Schools and
Neighborhood (1/2 mi. radius)
Rethinking Niagara, Cultural
Attractions in Buffalo
Vacant Land Around Historic
Districts
Waterfront Nodal Analysis
Green Infrastructure; Protected,
Unprotected, Potential
Buffalo Greenways
(Also Bike Paths)
Connectivity
Cultural
Description
11 geographic planning areas (including
downtown), each encompassing several
major neighborhoods; all areas are 2 2 1
responsible for developing local priorities
and plans.
Redevelopment and consolidation of
physical school infrastructure and closing
of some facilities; area surrounding
2 2 1
improved schools targeted for
neighborhood and housing investment
priorities.
Mapped cultural attractions – historical,
arts, other cultural, some natural features
2 1 2 2 2
within Buffalo; basis for tourism and
heritage campaigns.
Vacant land plotted around each
attraction prioritized for improvement and 2 1 2 2 2
infill.
An element of the Local Waterfront
Revitalization Plan (DRAFT) designed to
2 1 2
fulfill prescribed coastal management
planning requirements.
A comprehensive view of Buffalo’s
“green” infrastructure and it function and
2 2 1 2 2
potential as a community and
environmental asset.
A draft plan of greenways around and
through the city to connect Olmsted and
the waterfront; examples of
recommended pedestrian and bicycle 2 2 1 2
design standards; vacant property is a
means to link destinations.

34

Table: Asset Layer Matrix
Continued.
Asset Layer
Parks
Ellicott, Olmsted and the Water
Renewal Communities and
Empire Zones
Lives Zones (key retail strips)
The New Downtown
Transportation Improvement
Projects through 2006
Economic Redevelopment Areas
Strategic Investment Corridors
Brownfields
Attribute
Neighborhoods
Economic Dev.
Environmental
Connectivity
Cultural
Description
Buffalo network of historic destination
parks, facilities, neighborhood parks and 2 1 2 2 2
passive parks.
A framework of infrastructure and natural
resources linked by historic design and
natural features – radial transportation 1 2 2 2 2
routes, the park network, and the water
front and river.
Federal Renewal Communities and NYS
Empire Zone designations offer 1 2
reinvestment priorities and incentives.
Designated neighborhood-based retail
strips or nodes eligible for revitalization
1 2 2
assistance; some Live Zones are also in
Empire Zones.
“Queen City Hub” plan includes strategic
investment sub-areas within the
1 2 2 2
downtown region, including and
surrounding the central business district.
Scheduled Buffalo sponsored federal
transportation improvement projects – 1 2 2
access to funding pending.
Larger, core commercial and industrial
areas utilizing major highway and rail
1 2
transportation; infill and new development
opportunities.
1) Waterfront/Tonawanda Corridor, 2)
Main Street/Downtown Corridor, 3) South
Park/Eastside Rail Corridor; these
1 2 2
corridors reinforce and consolidate
transportation and commercial/industrial
redevelopment opportunities.
The majority of brownfield sites are within
the Strategic Investment Corridors;
2 1
programs available for site investigations
and redevelopment.
35
The Investment Corridors Map - a composite of Strategic Corridors, Phase I Schools, and Ellicott,
Olmsted, and the Water. Source: Queen City in the 21st Century, Buffalo’s Comprehensive Plan,
DRAFT, Dec. 2004.

36
Appendix 4 – Vacant Property Cost Estimate Examples

Hypothetical 5-YR Residential Estimate

VLBFAM Project Report, 2003/04
The Year 1 assessed value of the home is assumed to be $25,000; the Year 4 assessed value of the
lot is assumed to be $2,000. The taxation rate is fixed at $19.04 per thousand for all five years.

For the purpose of this illustration, the labor costs were estimated using approximated direct man-hours
and a citywide average salary ($45,000) plus fringes estimated at 15% for a total hourly rate of $25.00
per hour. Materials or other costs are estimated and no indirect costs were included. Labor and
materials costs are estimated to be the minimum required for each activity. Actual costs will vary with
each property and ownership situation.

Activity Labor Materials Other Total

Year 1
Initial inspection – confirmed
vacant, code violations noted $75 $75
Citation 50 50
Follow-up inspection 25 25
Clean and seal ordered 100 $250 350
Year 2
Fire response 250 250
Debris removal – 2 times 100 50 150
Series of citizen complaints 75 75
Police respond – 2 times 100 100
Inspection response initiates 150 150
demolition proceedings
Year 3
Notification to all parties with 200 200
interests and ownership
Real estate, collections, courts 200 200
Court hearing scheduled – no 100 100
response
Vector control (rodents) 50 50 100
Police response (x2) 100 100
Unpaid taxes Yrs 1-3 1,428 1,428
Year 4
Demolition in year 4 7,500 7,500
Private land is idle – Neighbors 200 200 400
voluntarily clean and mow
Year 5
Abandoned vehicle reported 50 50 100
and removed
City cleans and mows, bills 420 420
owner
Unpaid taxes Yrs 4-5 76 76

Total est. costs $1,825 $8,520 $1,504 $11,849

37
5 YR Demolition Mowing & Maintenance Projections
The 5-Year Residential Demolition and Maintenance Estimates are an attempt to understand the
financial impact of two city-based activities - residential demolition and maintenance and mowing on
existing and resulting vacant residential lots. The scenario represented by the following table makes
these assumptions:
! A demolition goal of 4,250 residential structures over 5 years
! A net annual reduction goal of city (COB) and private (PRIV) lots of 500 per year each through
sale or development
! All costs are in 2004 dollars
! Residential demolitions average $7,500 each, and do not include asbestos removal (additional
$2,500); Private residential demos are generally the result of emergencies.
! The average city maintenance and mowing (M&M) costs average $450/yr/lot
! The city performs M&M on 25% of private lots due to noncompliance
! The city recovers 100% of its demolition and M&M costs from private owners
! No other direct or indirect vacant property management or services are included in this
estimate

City-owned Property:
City
City lots City residential Total City City City Total demo and
(minus 500/yr) demo lots demo costs M&M costs M&M costs

YR 1 4,000 750 4,750 5,625,000 2,137,500 7,762,500

YR 2 3,500 1,000 4,500 7,500,000 2,025,000 9,525,000
YR 3 3,000 1,000 4,000 7,500,000 1,800,000 9,300,000
YR 4 2,500 750 3,250 5,625,000 1,462,500 7,087,500
YR 5 2,000 750 2,750 5,625,000 1,237,500 6,862,500
TTL 4,250 $31,875,000 $8,662500 $40,537,500

Private Property Activity – Noncompliant & Emergency Net Pre-Reimbrsement

City Costs Billed to Owner: Cost to City
PRIV
PRIV lots PRIV residential Total PRIV PRIV PRIV Total demo and NET COST
(minus 500/yr) demo lots demo costs M&M$* costs M&M costs City TTL+PRIV TTL

YR1 8,000 50 8,050 375,000 905,400 1,280,400 9,042,900

YR2 7,500 50 7,550 375,000 849,600 1,224,600 10,749,600
YR3 7,000 50 7,050 375,000 792,900 1,167,900 10,467,900
YR4 6,500 50 6,550 375,000 737,100 1,112,100 8,199,600
YR5 6,000 50 6,050 375,000 680,400 1,055,400 7,917,900
TTL 250 $1,875,000 $3,965,400 $5,840,400 $46,377,900

**Changes to the assumptions used in this example can cause costs to increase or decrease
substantially. A worse case scenario that does not meet vacant lot reduction goals and does not
recover city costs incurred by private property owners could feasibly push the total cost for 5 years over
$50 million. Delaying demolitions may reduce near-term costs, however direct costs will accumulate
through vacant property maintenance and emergency response activity, and demolition costs will rise in
the future. Cost savings may be realized through proactive planning and goal setting, and demolition,
mowing and maintenance efficiencies.

38
Cost Estimates For Common Community Vacant Lot Reuses

General – The types and ranges of costs included in the following summary are intended as
guidance only. Total project costs vary with site (lot or lots) size, site condition, desired design
outcome, availability of plants and trees, type and quality of materials used, timing and
availability of contracted services, permit and insurance requirements, and future operation
and maintenance requirements.

The Partners for Urban Resources and the Environment Erie Niagara (PURE) facilitated the
development and funding for a variety of community based environmental Projects from 1998 through
2003. Many of these Projects were implemented on vacant lots of varying conditions. Average Project
costs for basic vacant lot restoration (one or two adjacent residential lots) were around $5,000.00. The
range was about $500 per lot to $30,000 per site depending on the treatments. Site improvements
included turf, perennial gardens, raised-bed community gardens, tree planting and passive recreation
areas, outdoor educational spaces, wildlife habitat and water quality improvements. The United States
Department of Agriculture Forest Service and Natural Resources Conservation Service provided
matching funds for these projects.

The City of Philadelphia has a guide called Reclaiming Vacant Lots, A Philadelphia Green Guide,
published by the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society, 2002, that offers strategies and checklists for
vacant lot reuse. This information is very helpful in developing interim reuses and determining the costs
associated with reuse activities. Examples of local costs and components follow.

Important notes:

1) Site control is required for work on public and private property. This includes written permission
or agreements to work on the site, the nature and duration of the work, and any insurance
requirements required of the site owner.

2) Site improvements that are funded by City, State, and Federal sources require bids for
purchases exceeding certain values, work performed according to prevailing labor laws and
wages, many other conditions. Check with your funding agent to assure compliance with grant
and award requirements.

3) The City of Buffalo has a pesticide ordinance that prohibits the use of pesticides on public
property. It is advisable to use organic methods and Integrated Pest Management methods
where controls are necessary. Pesticide notification regulations may apply in this case.
Pressure treated lumber warnings should be adhered to where it is use is necessary in the
landscape.

4) Large-scale projects may require review, approval and permits from the city and/or other
agencies depending upon the extent of construction, the location of the project or it’s proximity
to protected cultural or environmental resources.

Common or Typical Costs

There are common types of costs associated with the generalized activities and site improvements
listed below. The costs may include community volunteer services, volunteer or donated professional
services, donated materials and supplies, donated equipment, purchased or contracted services,
purchased materials and supplies, utilities (water, lighting), rented or purchased equipment, etc.

Site establishment:
Community organizing – Construct a sustainable project partnership that will carry the project
through planning, fund raising, design, construction, seasonal care, and future maintenance
and operations.
Costs - Volunteer time, supplies and materials, professional or contracted
services will vary with type of project and duration.

39
Fund raising – Design fund raising to cover the costs of constructing the project and sustaining
the maintenance of the site into future years.
Costs – Volunteer time, supplies and materials, professional or contracted
services will vary with type of project and duration.

Cleanup – A major clean-up prior to the first workday should be done to carefully examine the
site characteristics, determine unforeseen problems, and adjust the site design if necessary.
Often this first clean-up requires more than one session.
Costs - Volunteer time, pre-arranged trash pick-up, trash bags or containers,
gloves, shovels, rakes, contracted services to remove and dispose of large
items.

Site preparation – Preparing the site for planting, fencing, raised-bed construction or other
installations. Do NOT strip the entire site bare of turf and topsoil unless it is a requirement of
the site design. Instead, strip only those smaller areas needed, and in other problem areas
remove rubble and rocks and undesirable weeds so that these areas can be reseeded. This
will prevent unnecessary soil erosion, dust dispersion and other exposures.
Costs – Volunteer labor, equipment and hand tools, disposal of brush and
debris, topsoil, fertilizer and compost, grass seed, contracted services for
major site modifications or foundation and concrete removal if needed.

Turf – For sites intended to be covered in turf grass only – Current conditions should be
examined for specific needs, including soil testing for fertility levels. Lots mostly grass-covered
should be revitalized with fertilizer or compost based on test results, and over-seeded or
patched where needed. Establishment of a new lawn requires removal of current weeds and
grass, preparation of the seedbed with topsoil and fertilizer or compost, seeding and mulching,,
and regular watering. Ongoing care includes mowing, watering and occasional fertilizing.
! Do-it yourself turf, supplies only: 2” depth topsoil delivered (not including
spreading), grass seed, fertilizer, straw or compost mulch - $0.15-
0.22/ftsq
! Hydro-seeding on already prepared site (seed w/mulch applied) - $0.05-
0.10/sqft
! Soil testing - $12-20/sample
! Grass seed selected for conditions and use – varies
! Water source, hose and sprinklers – varies
! Lawn mower/tractor - varies

Landscaping – The addition of trees, shrubs, perennials, beds should be suited to the soil, light
and moisture conditions of the site. Consideration should be given to pedestrian traffic patterns
through and around the site, and snow accumulation (street and sidewalk plowing). The
design should be low maintenance, or not require more maintenance than the community is
able to dedicate.
! Costs for average sized lots with simple design elements have been in
the range of $1,000 to 5,000 depending on the size and number of plants
and trees selected, not including signs, fences or furniture.
! Bare-root trees, volunteer planted (1 ½ dia. or less) - $30-75/tree
! Ball & burlap, contractor planted (up to 3 ½” dia.) - $250-500/tree
! Shrubs and perennials – varies
! Topsoil for beds – Ave. $20/cuyd

Community gardening – The raised bed method of gardening is recommended for the
production of garden crops (fruits, vegetables, herbs, edible flowers, etc.) for human
consumption due to the variability of soil quality. Organic gardening methods are
recommended where crops are grown for general consumption or sharing within the
community. Garden soil tests and site light and moisture conditions should guide fertility
recommendations and plant selections. All crops used for consumption should be thoroughly

40
 washed before preparation and eating. Garden paths should be covered in mulch or turf to
minimize erosion and dust. Pressure treated lumber should be avoided for new garden bed
construction. Where it is in use, it should be isolated from the garden soil by a plastic
membrane liner. An available water source is essential for successful community gardens and
should be included in garden planning and design. Irrigation systems can be designed to
conserve water.
! Volunteer constructed raised beds:
28-48 sqft x 10” deep approx. $200 ea.
28-48 sqft x 32” deep ADA accessible $800-$2,000 ea. (w/drainage)
! Water source – tap plus meter, underground box - $3000-5000 ea.

Special treatments – Fences, signs, some electrical, lighting and plumbing improvements, and
some larger outdoor structures such as large sheds and pavilions require city installation
permits and may require inspections or surveys.
! Signs – sign, installation and permit varies with size and type of sign
! Fencing only, approximate average costs installed, prevailing wages, does
not include permits, gates or other special features:
Split rail, 2 rails – $12-15 per linear foot
Chain link (Cyclone), 4’ tall – $17-22 per linear foot
Aluminum, decorative, 4’ tall – $55-75 per linear foot

Regular and long-term site operations and maintenance:

Planning for regular and long-term site operations and maintenance is essential to keeping a
community project site looking its best and generating on-going volunteer participation. The
following activities should be put on a community calendar to develop routine attention to the
site.
! Spring clean-up, inspection, plant replacement, mulching and soil testing
! Regular watering
! Trash removal as needed
! Mowing as needed, and care and maintenance of garden equipment
! Weeding beds and trimming trees and shrubs and needed
! Preparing the gardens and beds ready for winter
! Fund raising for the next season

Post-demolition cost estimate for finishing lot in turf:

Current demolition contracts provide for a minimum quality of site finishing. Demolition
contracts do not normally require topsoil or seeding unless special provisions are required
based on future use. Finishing residential lots in the following manner is appropriate for lots
intended for homesteading.

The estimated cost of finishing a post-demolition residential lot, average size of 30’ x 100’, with
topsoil, seedbed preparation and hydro-seeding is approximately $2,600. This estimate
includes the following assumptions:
! Single residential lots of this size are difficult to maneuver large equipment in, and
finishing single individual lots is less efficient than large open areas or multiple lots
! The lot is left 6”-8” below grade after demolition and no debris, aggregate or soil
clods remaining are greater than 6”
! Costs include labor, mobilizing equipment, 6”-8” of topsoil (and subsoil if
necessary) for a 30’ x 60’ area, spreading, leveling, and seedbed raking, hydro-
seeding equipment and supplies.

As with all grassed areas, new turf care and watering will be necessary, as well as seasonal
maintenance and mowing.

PURE Erie-Niagara, 12/04

41
Appendix 5 - Vacant Property Asset Management Elements & Flow Charts
(Excerpted from the Vacant Land, Buildings and Facilities Asset Management Project
Report)

An asset management strategy calls upon a variety of disciplines and involves the community.
The outline of a proposed asset review of a property includes an examination of all of the assets
or resources that it contains, above, at and below grade. It is not exclusively a real property
appraisal or an environmental assessment. It is an integrated combination of considerations to
satisfy neighborhood, preservation, environmental, and development goals. The umbrella of the
asset management strategy is a set of communication, monitoring and prevention elements.

The vacant properties asset management strategy elements follow and are summarized in flow
chart form in the Vacant Land, Building and Facility Asset Management Strategy Parts 1-3,
(following).The element components include the major considerations or aspects necessary to
guide an asset management strategy as they relate to the systems or processes currently in
place.

Diagram 2.0 Vacant Land, Building and Facility Asset Management Strategy Overview

All Properties, continuous:

COMMUNICATION & INFORMATION
MONITORING
PREVENTION & INTERVENTION
_____________________________

The Subject Property:

PRELIMINARY EVALUATION
ASSET LAYER REVIEW

CONSERVATION
REHABILITATION
PRESERVATION
RESOURCE RECOVERY

REMEDIATION

DEMOLITION

LAND REUSE OR CONVERSION

REPEAT

Element 1: Communication and Information

1. The communication and information elements involve the
development of systems and networks that support the productive,
economical and sustainable conservation, management, and
development of vacant land buildings and facilities in the City of
Buffalo.

2. Communication and information systems or networks serve to

preserve and enhance sense of community; reduce future conflict;
facilitate joint, creative solutions; improved the quality of decisions;
and save time and money.

3. Communication and information systems or networks integrate, and

are accessible to, the stakeholders involved in and affected by
vacant property.

42
 4. Information systems provide a wide variety of information and
resources related to vacant properties, the scope and content to be
determined by the stakeholders.

5. Communication networks provide a means to exchange information

and updates, facilitate decision-making, and should be designed to
concentrate or focus resources.

6. Information and communication systems or networks provide an

education opportunity for prevention and intervention resources, and
a mode to report monitoring outcomes.

7. Information and communication systems or networks provide a

foundation for marketing and its associated activities; these same
systems can co-function as elements of a marketing strategy.

8. Information and communication systems or networks should be

centrally organized or linked, efficient and regularly maintained.

9. Systems and networks may include representatives, committees,

special task-oriented groups that reach both into the administration
and the community. They may also include electronic portals such
as web-based access to common information and resources. Good
examples of this are the city’s web-based, geographic information
mapping system and assessment information, both located online at
http://www.city-buffalo.com.

Element 2: Monitoring
1. Monitoring is an activity performed throughout the life cycle of a land
use, and it repeats as the use is renewed or changed.

2. Monitoring is the generalized activity of recording real time

transactions and observed changes to property that will aid in
intervention and prevention, planning, preservation, and vacant
property management.

3. Monitoring can be used to measure accomplishments, program

outcomes, the impact of investments, compliance results, and to
detect trends.

4. Many departments, boards, and community organizations perform

independent monitoring. Sharing the resulting information through
communication and information systems will aid in reaching mutual
goals.

5. Monitoring criteria relevant to abandonment trends and vacant

property should be reviewed to determine the scope of information
currently collected. The criteria should be examined for information
gaps and the appropriate manner for including the criteria or not.

Element 3: Prevention and Intervention

1. Prevention and intervention are taken to be a set of services,
activities, programs and support that aims to arrest the deterioration
of structures and intercept owners tending toward property
abandonment, i.e. housing services, lending institutions, historic
preservation districts, etc.

43
 2. Prevention and intervention benefits individual property owners and
is often dependent upon program education and varying degrees of
financial support to achieve successful outcomes.

3. Prevention and intervention benefits neighborhoods and includes

neighborhood conservation and redevelopment; the preservation of
unique or historic places structures or articles; resource recovery;
and the enhancement or establishment of accessible green and
open spaces.

4. Prevention and intervention service providers include public and

private sector agencies and organizations serving regional or
localized audiences; all are collecting information and could benefit
from information and communication (legal constraints recognized).

5. As with Monitoring above, the City of Buffalo Department of Permits

and Inspection has an important and central role in Prevention and
Intervention.

Element 4: Preliminary Evaluation & Asset Layer Review

“Evaluation, review, and assessment” are used interchangeably in this section to
describe ways to consider vacant properties. This is a generalized concept that should
not be confused with a tax assessment, a real estate appraisal, or an environmental
review or audit unless specifically noted. Any “assessment, evaluation or review”
conducted for the purpose of considering a property in the manner described in this
report cannot be legally substituted for the latter.

Any “assessment, evaluation or review” conducted for the

purpose of considering a property in the manner described in
this report cannot be legally substituted for a tax assessment,
a real estate appraisal, or an environmental review or audit.

Vacant properties can be reviewed in asset layers to help determine their condition
and to enhance conservation and reuse decision-making. Each layer contributes,
some objectively and others subjectively, positively or negatively, to the total potential
or future use of the property.

The various layers may require research, site visits or interviews to determine
answers to specific inquiries. Do not attempt to access a property without the
permission of the owner, public or private – “vacant” is not a defense against trespass.
Do not attempt to enter boarded buildings or facilities, or posted property; you may be
placing yourself or others in danger. Environmental testing or chemical analysis of any
part of any structure on the subject property, or of any surface or subsurface soil or
water on the property requires the consent of the property owner(s), public or private.
This includes seeking written permission from the City of Buffalo or any of its
municipal agencies.

CAUTION!!!

! Do not attempt to access a property without the

permission of the owner, public or private – “vacant” is
not a defense against trespass.

44
 ! Do not attempt to enter boarded buildings or facilities,
or posted property; you may be placing yourself or
others in danger.
! Environmental testing or chemical analysis of any part
of any structure on the subject property, or of any
surface or subsurface soil or water on the property
requires the consent of the property owner(s), public
or private. This includes seeking written permission
from the City of Buffalo or any of its municipal
agencies.

Asset Layers
Not all asset layers require attention in every case, but each layer should be given
consideration for possible future impacts and to eliminate unnecessary surprises and
time delays.

ASSET LAYERS

Vacant properties can be evaluated in layers to improve conservation and

reuse decision-making.
! Paper layers
! Buildings and facilities
! Green infrastructure
! Infrastructure/utilities
! Land/grade
! Land/sub-grade
! Surrounding land use and general conditions

1. Paper layers – The paper layers are the man-made conditions,

constraints and opportunities associated with a specific property. For
example:

Ownership Economic development zones

Deeds and covenants Development plans
Special districts Strategic Investment Corridors
Zoning regulations Land assembly areas
Development constraints associated with Former uses
funding authorities

2. Buildings and facilities layer – If buildings and facilities are present

on the land and are the subject of proposed conservation or
demolition, the first review should be from a paper and sidewalk
perspective.

DO NOT enter vacant buildings or facilities without the

permission of the owner, and NEVER enter boarded, sealed,
or posted building or facilities.

45
 A preliminary search should use:

Public records - deeds Title searches

Photographs, regular, aerial Interviews – neighbors, former
Historic archives owners or employees
Inspection information Tax assessment information
GIS data and records

A more detailed study is generally necessary depending on the planned

future use and funding sources involved. There may be city permit and
inspection requirements; asbestos surveys; preservation and planning board
reviews and approval processes; and/or environmental reviews such as New
York State Environmental Quality Review or environmental testing. Inquire
early in the planning process and add these requirements to your timetable.

Contact the City of Buffalo Planning Board for the “Design and
Site Plan Review Checklist” package for submission
requirements, process schedule, and fees, (716) 851-5086.
See also Part V.

Contact the Buffalo Preservation Board for the operations and

procedures package at (716)-851-5029.

Contact the City of Buffalo Department of Permit and

Inspection Services for code standards permits and fees at
(716) 851-4925, and Inspections at (716) 851-4949.

3. Green infrastructure layer – The green infrastructure layer includes

live and natural resources on and in the vicinity of the property under
consideration: the trees, landscaping and other vegetation on the
property and the corresponding right-of-ways.

This layer is a part of the neighborhood and citywide system of green

infrastructure that provides numerous benefits to the environment and
supplements quality of life. Trees and landscaping contribute to
individual and neighborhood property values and increase pedestrian
circulation in commercial districts.

Green infrastructure should be preserved, enhanced or replaced in a

manner that improves or preserves continuity. Green infrastructure can
be used as a tool to direct and encourage neighborhood connectivity to
shopping and cultural attractions.

The assessment of green infrastructure should also include a look

beyond the immediate boundary of the vacant property for consideration
of the property’s relationship to the neighborhood, watershed, viewshed,
or other geographic or geopolitical region.

4. Infrastructure/utilities layer – This is a strategic layer that can guide or

discourage development, and that may or may not impact vacant
property in varying ways depending on location. It includes a number of
manmade public and private services:

46
 Hardscape – sidewalks, curbs, driveways, parking lots
Roads, highways, and bridges
Sewers – storm water and sanitary
Lighting – street and traffic
Utilities
Railroads

The presence or absence of manmade infrastructure may affect the

feasibility of proposed reuse or development, and should be a major
factor in locating commercial and industrial Projects.

This layer requires special attention in land assembly areas that may
offer opportunities for consolidation and upgrade of aged public service
districts.

The City of Buffalo Department of Public Works has a policy of

coordinating city and regional infrastructure upgrades where feasible with
road reconstruction.

5. Land, at-grade layer – This layer represents the physical shape and
condition of the land at-grade. It can be described by the slope, surface
condition, surface drainage and surface soil (about one shovel deep).
These conditions can vary widely from parcel to parcel and across the
city.

As with the sub-grade layer below, the surface soil is generally not the
original topsoil in urban areas. Over the years topsoil may have
developed under grass or could have been developed by the landowner
through care and soils amendments. In contrast, post-demolition lots and
long-time vacant lots tend to collect rubble and debris through backfill or
illegal dumping at or just below the surface.

Above ground tanks and materials storage areas may require special
attention.

A more detailed study is generally necessary depending on the planned

future use and Project funding sources involved. There may be city permit
and inspection requirements; preservation and planning board reviews and
approval processes; and/or environmental reviews such as the New York
State Environmental Quality Review Act (SEQRA) assessment or
environmental testing. Inquire early in the planning process and
add these requirements to your timetable.

6. Land, sub-grade layer – This layer though unseen requires serious attention
depending on the location and former uses of the vacant property. The
current legal owner(s) by law is responsible for its condition.

Reuse and development plans can be affected by underground utilities and

drainage conveyances. Older residential areas often have underground
heating oil tanks that require removal prior to construction or rehabilitation.

A more detailed sub-grade study is generally necessary depending on the

planned future use and funding sources involved. There may be city permit
and inspection requirements; preservation and planning board reviews and
approval processes; and/or environmental reviews such as SEQRA
assessment or environmental testing.

47
 What you don’t see might hurt you – or certainly slow you down. Inquire
about underground storage or petroleum tanks, past land disposal and land
filling practices, hazardous material spills, and plumes from underground
leaks and spills from adjacent properties. These are topics worth checking off
your list. Inquire early in the planning process and add these requirements to
your timetable.

Plans that include excavation, tree planting, or digging

for construction or repairs require that you CALL
BEFORE YOU DIG to locate underground utilities.
Property owners should contact 1-800-962-7962 for
coordination of utilities in your area.

Also, remember to check for overhead electrical lines if

ladders, scaffolding, and construction equipment will
be required on site.

7. Surrounding land use and general conditions layer – This layer captures
a variety of topics that may influence or add to the value of vacant property
reuse and development.

The surrounding land use, including adjacent properties and the immediate
neighborhood, should be observed for its prevailing characteristics. The
proposed Project should enhance and not detract from the surrounding land
use.

Area residents, especially the immediate neighbors (residents and

businesses included), should be directly involved or provided ample
opportunity for their recommendations to ensure the proposed Project is
compatible with neighborhood plans and community spirit.

The site should be observed in more than one season and at several times of
the day and evening to observe lighting, and pedestrian and vehicle traffic
patterns. The differences may influence reuse and design parameters.

For sites that involve landscaping and gardening, the site should be checked
for light and shade patterns, summer heat reflectance, prevailing winds, snow
storage areas, soil type and fertility, and drainage. These will influence soil
development requirements, plant and tree placement and selection, and
drainage and watering needs.

Urban gardening for human consumption should address the potential for
soils impacted by lead or other contaminants, and use alternative methods or
location when necessary. See Part V – Penn State “Lead in Residential
Soils” bulletin.

Element 4: Conservation
1. The conservation element includes structural rehabilitation,
preservation and resource recovery.

2. A more detailed account of community conservation and

preservation goals and plans are in progress as of the writing of this
report. Those results should be substituted for like information
contained in this report when it becomes available.

48
 3. Conservation, like prevention and intervention, requires public
education and financial support to be effective.

4. Rehabilitation and preservation initiatives benefit property owners

directly and are difficult for renters to participate in; absentee owners
have a general lack of interest in these opportunities.

5. Surrounding property and residents benefit from the stabilizing effect

of conservation. Neighborhoods benefit from the exhibit of
investment and enhanced reputation as a good or preferred place to
live.

6. Preservation of unique or historic buildings and facilities help to

maintain core business or residential districts and can be cultural
destination points.

7. Resource recovery is an option for marginal sites or structures that

contain unique, period or historic architectural elements worth
relocating or storing for future display or rehabilitation. Resource
recovery is also the last resort for unique or historic structures that
require demolition.

The City has authorized the Buffalo Architectural

Salvage Committee to perform architectural resource
recovery based on an inventory of those resources,
(716) 856-4533.

Element 5: Remediation
1. Remediation applies to land, buildings and facilities impacted or
contaminated with listed chemicals or substances (solid, gaseous or
liquid) at or above threshold levels set by the U.S. Environmental
Protection Agency and/or the N.Y.S. Department of Environmental
Conservation and the N.Y. S. Department of Health.

2. Sites or property requiring remediation before rehabilitation,

preservation, reuse or development include: buildings and facilities
containing asbestos, petroleum products and other hazardous
substances including lead; and listed hazardous waste sites, inactive
hazardous waste sites, and brownfield sites.

3. Remediation or clean-up requirements are set by regulatory

agencies and based on the actual contaminants present,
contaminant levels, treatment options, the potential threat to human
health and the environment, and the characteristics of the site itself.
These parameters are established in regulated NYSEQRA Phase 1
and 2 environmental assessment procedures.

4. Brownfields represent opportunities for business and industry looking

for larger parcels for industrial or commercial uses. Development
incentives and regulatory programs are designed to encourage
remediation and redevelopment in exchange for liability relief.

5. Community organizations should avoid environmentally impacted

sites for community Projects or acquisition.

49
Element 6: Demolition
1. Demolition permanently removes a building or facility to its
foundation (or a designated sub-grade depth) through
deconstruction or destruction in a manner prescribed by regulations.

2. Deconstruction is a method of dismantling a structure to recover and

recycle reusable materials; the separation of materials enables
marketing of some recovered non-contaminated resources
(ceramics, gypsum wallboard, brick, copper, metals, wood) and a
reduction of solid waste for disposal.

3. Demolition is a procedure of last resort performed in a planned or

emergency manner, depending upon the circumstances. Not all
demolished structures are previously vacant buildings or facilities.

4. Demolition may be undertaken by the city, or by private landowners

under city permit only.

5. The Department of Permits and Inspections, the Planning Board,

and the Preservation Board must approve properties proposed for
demolition, excluding some emergency demolitions.

6. The demolition process should include site finishing to a useable,

shovel ready condition, appropriate for the surrounding land use that
ameliorates impacts to surrounding property values, especially in
residential areas.

7. A suitable turf or groundcover should be established to improve

aesthetics, minimize airborne particles, and minimize runoff.

Element 7: Vacant Land Reuse or Conversion

1. The reuse or conversion of vacant land should be consistent with city
and community-based planning for the area in which the vacant land
is located, and should return the land to appropriate, functional,
revenue generating uses or remain natural.

2. Existing vacant land and projected new vacant land should be

assigned near, mid, or long-term redevelopment timeframes to allow
for interim or permanent reuses and land assembly opportunities.

3. Until such time that vacant land is reused, it should be maintained

and mowed by the property owner(s) to a clean and sanitary
condition.

4. New (post-demolition) vacant land should be “finished” with clean

topsoil and seeded for grass cover to control soil erosion, reduce
runoff, and to reduce airborne particles.

5. An inventory of vacant land and important parcel-based

characteristics is essential to track progress, forecast budgetary
needs, and to market properties. See “Information and
Communication” above.

6. Not all vacant land can or should be developed or redeveloped.

Open, undeveloped and natural land – forested, wetland, shoreline,
and grassland – serves important functions in the landscape. Vacant

50
 land proximate to these areas can be reserved for floodplain relief,
snow storage, recreation, green space and natural habitat areas.

7. Interim uses can be put in place until such time that permanent
redevelopment of an area is feasible. Interim uses are intended to
hold the land in a manageable condition such that the interim use of
the land benefits the immediate community and the City of Buffalo.
Interim use and management plans may vary depending upon the
projected redevelopment timeframes.

Interim uses are intended to hold the land in a

manageable condition such that the interim use of the
land benefits the immediate community and the City of
Buffalo.

8. Land assembly areas require interim reuse and management plans

that should be factored into the cost of redevelopment.

9. Impacted or contaminated land (surface or subsurface), buildings

and facilities designated for reuse or conversion must be handled
according to state and federal regulations. Cleanup and reuse
alternatives are site and future use dependent. Brownfield
redevelopment programs offer some relief for commercial and
industrial redevelopment.

Vacant Land, Buildings and Facilities Asset Management Strategy – FLOW CHART Parts 1-3,
following pages.

The “Vacant Land, Buildings and Facilities Asset Management Strategy” flow chart corresponds to the
preceding description of the strategy components.

51
 Vacant Land, Buildings and Facilities Asset Management
Strategy Flow Chart

PART 1

ALL PROPERTIES
Occupied & Vacant

Central
Communication &
Information System

Monitoring – All
stakeholders

Prevention &
Intervention – All
stakeholders

Buildings and Land

facilities from PART 3
from PART 2
Vacant Land, Buildings &
Facilities

Preliminary Evaluation of Subject Sites or Properties

! ID all subject buildings, facilities and parcels

! ID current ownership, title, encumbrances
! ID local goals and preferences for reuse
! ID all regulatory or programmatic requirements
for rehab*, preservation** and reuse
! ID all city and community plans for
redevelopment in subject area
! ID special districts, incentive zones, restrictions,
etc. in subject area

Vacant buildings Vacant land

and facilities
continued PART 2 continued PART 3

52
 Vacant, Land Buildings and Facilities Asset Management
Strategy Flow Chart

Vacant buildings and

facilities
PART 2 continued from
PART 1

YES Is access NO
permissible
Obtain legal and safe? Review
site access assets from
paper and
street only

ASSET LAYER REVIEW

! Additional paper layers
! Detailed examination of
building/facility
! Green infrastructure
! Infrastructure, hardscape
and utilities – location,
condition
! Land at grade – features,
condition
! Land, subgrade
! General location and
other conditions

Professional or technical
assistance may be required.

Is rehabilitation, NO
Rehabilitation preservation or Resource
- Conversion conversion recovery &
YES
- Adaptive reuse feasible? salvage, safety
conditions
permitting
Preservation
- Restoration
Return to - Adaptive reuse Demolition -
PART 1 Planned or
emergency;
continued
PART 3

53
Vacant, Land Buildings and Facilities Asset Management
Strategy Flow Chart

PART3 Vacant land

New post- asset review
Existing
demolition continued from
vacant vacant
PART 1 land
land

YES Is access NO
permissible
Obtain legal or safe? Review
site access assets from
paper and
street only

ASSET LAYER REVIEW

! Additional paper layers
! Detailed examination of
building/facility
! Green infrastructure
! Infrastructure, hardscape and
utilities – location, condition
! Land at grade – features, condition
! Land subgrade
! General location and other
conditions

Professional or technical assistance may

be required.

Brownfield
designation -
Conservation YES Is reuse, NO remediation
for permanent conservation or required
open land, conversion
natural function feasible?
or recreation NO
YES RETURN
TO
PART 1
Projected
timeframe
Immediate
reuse or
conversion Hazardous
Land assembly waste or
- interim uses, conditions –
Interim uses,
maintenance & secure site
maintenance &
mowing
RETURN mowing
TO
PART 1

54
Appendix 6 – Vacant Lot Homesteading Proposal, Priority Areas

2005 City of Buffalo Homesteading Vacant Lot Provisions – Proposed 12/04

2005 priority areas for homesteading of existing vacant residential and newly vacant residential lots:
! Urban Renewal areas
! Comprehensive Code Enforcement areas
! See map for boundaries (next page).

Definitions:

ADJACENT – Sharing a property boundary with an owner-occupied home.

AVAILABLE – City-owned vacant property not reserved for development purposes.
ELIGIBLE – Within the designated priority areas; low-moderate income areas.
QUALIFIED – Purchaser with no outstanding municipal arrears, liens, warrants, etc., and with the
resources to pay purchase price and fees.

General:

The AVAILABLE city-owned, vacant residential lots within the priority boundaries will be presented annually, in
bulk ,to the Common Council for pre-approval for transfer to BURA, for transfer to ELIGIBLE, QUALIFIED,
adjacent homeowners (owner-occupied only) for the agreed upon purchase price and fees, according to the process
set out under the City of Buffalo Urban Homesteading Program.

ELIGIBLE, QUALIFIED homeowners outside of the priority areas may purchase AVAILABLE, ADJACENT,
city-owned vacant lots in a notification and bid process, the starting price based upon the appraised value.

In all cases, the purchaser pays the transfer and other fees to initiate the sales procedures and the agreed upon price
of the vacant lot.

Summary:

Notification of CITY-OWNED vacant lots AVAILABLE for homesteading will go to ADJACENT, ELIGIBLE
homeowners (owner-occupied homes only) within the priority areas.

Multiple, QUALIFIED, interested purchasers may bid on the subject property beginning at the appraised value.
Property will be sold to qualified highest bidder.

- OR -

If no more than one interested buyer, an ELIGIBLE, QUALIFIED single buyer may purchase the vacant property
for a sum of $1 under the condition of cleaning (within 6 months) and maintaining (for 3 years) the vacant lot.

Homestead Program Contact:

City of Buffalo
Office of Strategic Planning – Real Estate
Director – 716-851-5275

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VACANT PROPERTIES ASSET MANAGEMENT STRATEGY

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

The Vacant Land, Buildings and Facilities Asset Management Project and the Vacant Properties Asset
Management Strategy was made possible by the generous contribution of time, guidance, and
technical and financial resources from the following.

Sponsors:
! City of Buffalo Office of Strategic Planning
! Buffalo Urban Renewal Agency
! Cornell Cooperative Extension Association of Erie County
! Cornell University Community and Rural Development Institute (CaRDI)
! Cornell University Cooperative Extension – Community and Economic Vitality

Participating Departments, Agencies and Organizations:

! Mayor Anthony M. Masiello and Administrative Staff
! Buffalo Common Council Members and Staff
! Office of Strategic Planning
Real Estate
Land Use Planning
Analysis
Comprehensive Planning
Economic Development
Environmental
Neighborhoods & Housing
! Administration and Finance
! Taxation & Assessment
! Audit & Control
! Citizens Services
! Community Services
Support Services
Clean & Seal Team
Mayor’s Impact Team
! Fire Department
! Law Department
! Permit & Inspections
! Police
! Public Works – Forestry and Streets & Sanitation
! Planning Board
! Preservation Board
! Buffalo Arts Commission
! Wellness Institute
! Good Neighbors Planning Alliance Co-Chairs and Committees
! Buffalo Environmental Management Commission

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 ! Buffalo Municipal Housing Authority
! Buffalo Economic Renaissance Corporation (BERC)
! Buffalo Neighborhood Revitalization Corporation (BNRC)
! Buffalo Urban Redevelopment Agency (BURA)
! Local Initiatives Support Corporation, Buffalo
! Partners for a Livable WNY
! Buffalo Coalition of Community Gardeners
! Massachusetts Community Outreach Center
! Community Action Organization of Erie County
! Cornell Cooperative Extension of Erie County 4-H Program
! Partners for Urban Resources and the Environment (PURE) Erie-Niagara:
City of Buffalo Office of Strategic Planning Erie Co. Soil and Water Conservation
COB Mayor’s Office of Support Services District
COB Public Works – Parks and Forestry Erie Co. Department of Environment and
COB Environmental Management Planning
Commission NYS Department of Environmental
Buffalo Olmsted Parks Conservancy Conservation – Forestry

And local or regional offices of:

USDA CSREES Cornell Cooperative
Extension Erie County (PURE lead agency)
US Environmental Protection Agency
US Army Corps of Engineers
NY Sea Grant
USDA Natural Resources Conservation
Service
USDA Forest Service
US Housing and Urban Development
USDI Fish and Wildlife Services

Appreciation is extended to the Buffalo community for their generosity and hospitality in hosting
Project meetings and sharing valuable meeting time with the project participants and sponsors.

Thank you to the Department of Permits and Inspections for organizing and hosting a very useful and
eye-opening reality session of sample vacant properties for our inspection.

A special thank you to the following individuals for sharing their support, enthusiasm and knowledge in
this special initiative that seeks to improve the quality of life in the City of Buffalo.

! Daniel P. Harris, Exec. Dir., Cornell Cooperative Extension Erie County

! Chuck Thomas, Dep. Dir., City of Buffalo Office of Strategic Planning
! David Sengbusch, Dep. Dir., City of Buffalo Office of Strategic Planning
! Rod Howe, Asst. Dir. Cooperative Extension, Cornell University
! Don Tobias, Assoc. Prof., Policy Analysis and Mgmt., Cornell University
! John Whitney, District Conservationist, USDA NRCS
! Betsy Trometer, US Fish & Wildlife Service

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VACANT PROPERTIES ASSET MANAGEMENT STRATEGY

BIBLIOGRAPHY

City of Buffalo Office of Strategic Planning. Queen City in the 21st Century – Buffalo’s
Comprehensive Plan. Draft – December 2004.

Cornell Cooperative Extension Erie County. Vacant Land, Buildings and Facilities Asset
Management Project. A Project Report, January 2004.

City of Buffalo. City of Buffalo Master Plan, Phase I: Community /Neighborhood Conditions
Summary. November 1998. Appendix E.

City of Buffalo Office of Strategic Planning. Analysis data and mapping, 12/09/04.

Brophy, Paul C. and Vey, Jennifer S. “Seizing City Assets: Ten Steps to Urban Land Reform.”
The Brookings Institution and CEO’s for Cities. Oct. 2002. [Also online] WWW:
www.brookings.org

“City of Wilmington Vacant Property Registration Fee Program.” [Online] Available WWW:
http://www.ci.wilmington.de.us/vacantproperties.htm

Atlanta Development Authority. [online] WWW: http://www.atlantada.com

Philadelphia Neighborhood Transformation Initiative. [Online] WWW:

http://www.brookings.edu/es/urbsn/publications/kromervacant.pdf

National Public Radio. “Community Leaders Work to Revitalize Michigan Town (Flint),”
Morning Edition. Oct. 21, 2003, [Online] WWW:
http:www.npr.org/rundowns/segment.php?wfld+1473155

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