Politics
Buffalo City Council Adopts 2024 Land Use Plan to Guide Decisions on East Side Vacant Lots
The plan adopted via Resolution No. 1483 and the East Side Vision For Growth target land use rules and housing demand in neighborhoods with high numbers of city-owned vacant lots.
How we reported this
The Buffalo City Council adopted the 2024 Buffalo Land Use Plan through Resolution No. 1483. This document establishes the framework for future land use policy and regulation decisions across the city, with particular attention to areas containing large numbers of city-owned vacant lots.
Targeted Planning for Four Neighborhoods
The Office of Strategic Planning is developing the East Side Vision For Growth, a focused area plan covering Broadway-Fillmore, Delavan-Grider, Genesee-Moselle and MLK Park. These neighborhoods were selected because they contain high concentrations of vacant land and face ongoing housing demand. The plan aims to shape how city-owned properties are addressed in these specific locations.
Approximately 84 percent of the city's 7,400 city-owned vacant lots lie in East Buffalo. The four neighborhoods included in the East Side Vision For Growth account for 62 percent of that total. Residents in these areas therefore stand to see the most direct effects from any future land use changes or development decisions that follow the new plan.
Planning Board Authority and Resident Input
The city's Planning Board holds authority to make determinations on Major Site Plans and Subdivisions. It also advises the Common Council on rezoning requests, special use permits and adaptive reuse permits. These responsibilities mean the board will apply the 2024 Land Use Plan when reviewing projects that affect local streets and properties.
Buffalo residents can submit public comments on planning applications in writing by email or hard copy. Comments may also be offered at public meetings attended online or by telephone videoconference. This process allows people living near proposed site plans or rezoning requests to provide input before decisions are finalised.
The adopted plan and the ongoing East Side Vision For Growth work are expected to guide how the city manages vacant land and responds to housing needs in the coming years. Future rezoning requests and site plan reviews will reference the new document when the Planning Board and Common Council consider applications from the four targeted neighborhoods.