Sisti Park in line for upgrades: Page 6 The Allentown Neighbor September - October - November 2017 Volume 53, Number 3 Published quarterly by The Allentown Association Inc., 61 College St., Buffalo, N.Y. 14201 Phone: (716) 881-1024 • Email: [email protected] • Website: www.allentown.org Art Chase returns Sept. 1 Membership meeting is set for Oct. 24 Pray for balmy skies: Up to six new candidates Rain forced cancellation sought for board of directors of 4 Gallery Walks The Allentown First Friday Gal- One of the highlights of The Associa- lery Walk on Sept. 1 will be all Art NOT RAIN AGAIN! tion’s annual membership meeting is the Chase, the competitive scavenger election of the board of directors. hunt that was such a great success This year’s meeting is set 6-8 p.m., last year. Oct. 24, in the Allendale Theater, 203 Al- Pray for good weather. len St., and up to six new directors will be Downpours or forecasts of needed to keep the board at 21 members. downpours washed out the Frist If you would like to be one of them, Fridays of May, June, July and Au- call the Association at 881-1024 to let the gust, deeply disappointing Gallery Membership Committee know. Walk chair Elizabeth Switzer and Directors are expected to attend regu- her small committee of organizers. POOR FIRST FRIDAYS! larly scheduled board meetings and be “The wonderful performers and available for phone consultation, commit artists we had lined up have also to at least two hours of time per month for been saddened by these events, but Association activities and donate money have been supportive of our deci- beyond the nominal membership dues. sions, as we made them with their They also are expected to volunteer at best interests at heart,” Switzer key events such the Allen West Festival said. “The vendors that had been and Allentown Fall Festival. lined up for the August First Friday This seems to be asking a lot, but resi- artisan market have been contacted dents love this neighborhood and find it about participating in the Allentown rewarding to be engaged in helping it pro- Fall Festival, and we are in conver- gress. sation with the other performers If you cannot commit to a directorship and participants about working with with its monthly meetings, please at least this on future projects. Neighbors of all ages are invited consider helping make Allentown a better “This year was a disappoint- to create teams of four to compete place by volunteering on a committee. ment, but in the end the outdoor in fun challenges around Allen The Association needs a variety of events are simply add-ons to the Street from re-enacting famous people of all ages, genders and races with real heart of First Friday − the in- paintings to performing an im- organizational and personal skills who can credible and vibrant efforts of the promptu haiku. With stellar local contribute to improving the neighborhood art galleries we have in our neigh- prizes for the winning team, this through activities in beautification, histor- borhood.” second-annual event stimulates cre- ic preservation, business development, Of course, the galleries will be ative exploration and support of the public safety and event management. open during Art Chase, which is 6- city's vibrant art scene. Again, call the office and offer to help. 9 p.m. Continued on Page 10 Page 2 PRESIDENT’S REPORT What are your aspirations for our neighborhood? By SETH AMMAN fy the neighborhood; to encourage historic Allentown Association President preservation and property maintenance; to pro- In late June the Association board dedicated mote appropriate business development, to fight an afternoon to step away from day-to-day ac- crime, and to protect and enhance Allentown’s tivities and look to the future of the Associa- unique urban ambiance.” tion at a mini-retreat on the beautiful shores of However, we decided that we lacked a clear Lake Ontario at a board member’s lake house. vision statement that would help guide us in a We spent the time to reflect on the Associa- strategic way in the coming years. We decided tion's current programs, consider an ideal board there are four areas that would be important ele- composition, review the structure and roles ments in the vision: within the organization, and begin a vision state- 1) Develop educational opportunities within ment that will help to serve the community in Seth Amman the neighborhood. the years to come. 2) Work to bolster a mixed-used diverse busi- The afternoon was led by Emily Stewart, who facilitat- ness district. ed the discussion and is a board member of the Lexington 3) Enhance the “Community of Arts.” Co-op and a founding member-owner of Breadhive Bak- 4) Continue to revitalize the cultural landscape and ery & Cafe. Emily brought a wealth of knowledge and she historic elements within the neighborhood. helped to guide the afternoon with an outside perspective The board would be remiss not to ask the membership of the Association's board and operations. what its aspirations are for Allentown in the coming years The board determined that the mission statement of the as well. So, as we work toward an organizational vision organization is still relevant: we invite you to be a part of this process by anonymously “The only purpose of the Allentown Association is to submitting your thoughts at this web address: serve its community. It does that through efforts to beauti- https://tinyurl.com/y9yexw34 New restaurant opens at 23 Allen A Street – Meatball Market has opened at 23 Allen St., adjacent to the Caffeology coffee shop. Owners Bobby Burns and Dennis Glenn say their res- taurant is “a Buffalo bistro with a European flare, specializ- ing in gluten-free beef, chicken, pork and vegetarian meat- balls.” It offers six different sauces, flatbread pizzas, crispy baked sandwiches and some pastries. It also serves milk shakes and healthy smoothies. Burns and Glenn moved to Buffalo from New York City. They said the proximity of the University at Buffalo's new Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences is what drew them to the site. The restaurant’s phone number is 551-0991. Page 3 Neighbors balk at revised plans for Ascension site The Episcopal Diocese of Western New York knows it could sell the for- mer Ascension Church site at North Street and Linwood Avenue to a high- end housing developer for a bundle of money. But it wants to develop it itself for low-income senior housing and a com- munity center, seeing a need for that as the Buffalo Niagara Medical Campus expands and the neighborhood goes upscale. The State Historic Preservation Office approves of this design. It showed its plans Aug. 17 at the Twentieth Century Club to a skeptical to project financing. SHPO objected to ation also had no objections to the de- audience of mostly Linwood Historic three elements: the proposed new sign from two years ago. District residents. building was too close to North Street, But Linwood neighbors com- The diocese and its housing affili- blocking some views of the historic plained that: ate plan a new 4-story building on the church; it also blocked the view of the • The new building looks like a lawn west of the church that will hold parish house; and the new building’s 1970s-style office structure. 25 one-bedroom apartments; a church sloped roof reduced appreciation of the • There’s no parking provided and basement redo to accommodate three 2 church’s roof. finding a space is already hard for -bedroom apartments, and renovations Architectural Resources reworked some residents. (Rev. Cathy Dempsey- to the E.B. Green-designed parish the design, pushing the new building Sims said the diocese is exploring house for common service areas for back on the site; making a sliver of the parking possibilities.) residents. parish house visible, and making the • No new senior housing is needed, The apartments will be small – roof flat. SHPO now approves. with Linwood Manor, Trinity Tower about 600 square feet for the one- The new building’s exterior will and Baptist Manor already on Lin- bedrooms – but none of the age 55 and have a manufactured surface that looks wood. older residents would have pay more like the sandstone of the church, and • An upscale developer might not than 30 percent of their incomes to live four long windows in front that com- need historic tax credits and could there. plement four upper windows on the build something striking incorporating Two years ago, the diocese present- front of the church. the church. ed similar plans, but that design was Pete Carroll, chair of the Allentown The project still must be approved rejected by the State Historic Preserva- Association’s Housing and Historic by the city Planning Board and Preser- tion Office, whose approval is neces- Preservation Committee, said he had vation Board. Residents said they sary to obtain state and federal tax no objections to the plans. The Associ- would argue against approval. credits that the diocese says are critical Susan Lenahan, CRS, CBR Associate Broker 2007-2016 Agent of the Year 431 Delaware Ave., Buffalo [email protected] www.susanlenahan.com www.bnmc.org Your City Expert! Cell: 864-6757 Page 4 The Allentown Neighbor / Autumn 2017 Neighborhood news notes . A few Allentown streets need work To help decide what roads are in need resurfacing and Fall Festival is slated Oct. 14 reconstruction, the city ranks its streets on a 1-to-10 scale − The Allentown Fall Festival will be held 10 a.m.