Town Hall MeetingFrank E. Merriweather Library

Tuesday October 6, 2015

Buffalo, NY

roccbuffalo.org

Mission POSSIBLE! Other Cities have built Green

Parkways over Highways

Jim Ellis Freeway Park (est.1976)Seattle, WA

Margaret Hance Park (est.1992)Phoenix, AZ

Klyde Warren Park (est. 2012)Dallas, TX

Jim Ellis Freeway Park (Seattle, WA)

Established July 4, 1976

Cost $118 million when proposed in 1968 (which equals $1.2 billion today)

Publically funded “Forward Thrust” helped initiate many civil and environmental projects in Seattle.

5 acres over I-5 in Downtown Seattle

Maintained by Freeway Park Neighborhood Association (FPNA) since 2005.

Re-named in 2010 after Seattle lawyer Jim Ellis, who helped initiate “Forward Thrust”.

Margaret T. Hance Park (Phoenix, AZ)

Established April 10, 1992

Cost $105 million when formally proposed in 1983 (which is $251 million today)

Funded by the Arizona Department of Transportation (ADOT)

32 acres over the Papago Freeway (I-10) in Downtown Phoenix

Named in memory of Phoenix mayor Margaret T. Hance, who championed the park plan through the 1980s.

Park and activities maintained by Hance Park Conservancy

Klyde Warren Park (Dallas, TX) Established September 12, 2012

Cost $110 million when proposed in 2002 (which is $142.5 million today)

Funding primarily from public; part from 2009 stimulus package

5 acres over Woodall Rodgers Freeway (Spur 366) in Downtown Dallas

Proposal spearheaded by Dallas philanthropists; received full support of the public and Texas DOT.

Named after the son of Texas billionare, Kelcy Warren.

* Was built “out of thin air”; no historic or cultural precedent!

Other Examples

Brooklyn Heights Promenade – New York City, NY (est. 1950)

Lytle Park Cincinnati, OH (est. 1967)

East Reflecting Pool – Washington, DC (1973)

Gateway Park – Arlington, VA (est. 1981)

Leif Erikson Park – Duluth, MN (est. 1992)

Rose Kennedy Greenway (aka Big Dig) – Boston, MA (est. 2007)

Deck Park over I-70 East - Denver, CO (pending)

Leif Erikson Tunnel – Duluth, MN

Freeway Capping vs. Freeway Removal Capping (or decking) creates a tunnel

by placing a green promenade over a portion of a freeway

This is the plan supported by ROCC for Humboldt Parkway

Will restore a portion of original Olmstedian parkway

14.5 acres between East Ferry and Best Streets

Will improve quality of life for Buffalo residents.

Higher property values

Improved air quality

Less noise from rush hour traffic

Renewed commercial investments for Jefferson and Fillmore Avenues

Safe place for people to congregate

Quality of Life Comparisons: Bidwell and Chapin Parkways on West Side

Lytle Park – Cincinnati, OH

Freeway Capping vs. Freeway Removal

Proposal for Kensington Expressway

Freeway Capping vs. Freeway Removal

Removal completely removes freeway, by means of burial or reclassification

Robert Moses Parkway removal in Niagara Falls.

Inner Loop East removal in Rochester.

Road reclassification (from Principal Arterial Expressway to Minor Urban Arterial) sought for Scajaquada.

Repeat: We do NOT want to take away the Kensington Expressway

Contains only existing transit link between downtown and the airport

However...Robert Moses Parkway – Niagara Falls,

NY

Things to Remember

Kensington Expressway cost $45 million when approved in 1954.

Equals $400 million today that we’re still losing!

Construction of whole 10-mile expressway lasted from 1957 to 1970!

Built in phases

Created safety problems for both neighbors and motorists

Took longer than the 427-mile NYS Thruway (1946-1956).

Walls undergoing deterioration that will have to be addressed anyway

Widely regarded as one of Buffalo’s biggest mistakes!

1954 Buffalo News article, courtesy of the Buffalo History Museum

The Reality Each example cost money.

Intelligent spending = Investment

$570 million Investment = $1 billion Profit

Profit = Bringing money back into our neighborhoods.

Many success stories came from initiatives taken from communities at large.

We want to take advantage of redevelopment around Buffalo

We do NOT want to fall behind again.

We CANNOT starve out the conversation!

We Buffalonians must take control of our own neighborhoods!

What YOU Can Do! Contact the NYSDOT!

Darrell F. Kaminski or Craig Mozrall

Mail: 100 Seneca Street, Buffalo, NY 14203

Phone: (716) 847-3238

Contact your local officials

Councilmember

Mayor Brown

Assemblymember

State Senator

Governor and Lt. Governor

Congressional Representative

Senator

State Assembly Transit Committee

Tell them you support this plan!

Sign our petition.

Tell your neighbors.

Ask families and friends from other cities with similar plans.

Visit our webpage

<roccbuffalo.org>

Like us on Facebook and/or Twitter

#IRemember, #RestoreHumboldt, #ROCCBuffalo