Help Change Buffalo! [VIDEO]

Reading the Buffalo News this morning, I came across a story about Mayor Byron W. Brown's efforts to restructure Buffalo, NY's 50+ year old Zoning Ordinance.  The article identified a Public Meeting / Forum held at ECC on Tuesday, which was attended by a mere 400 people.  I say "mere" because this is a very important issue that should generate hundreds of thousands of people in the community to action instead of "mere" hundreds... but the fact that the issue DOES NOT is, to me, as understandable as the article in the Buffalo News is vague.

The general public is unconcerned about Buffalo's Zoning Ordinances, and it's ill affect on the community, because it's very, very complicated...it's never talked about...and who knows WHO can explain it!  I'm not being critical of the Buffalo News' Reporter, Harold McNeil, but the article never identifies for the reader exactly what the current "City Code" and "Zoning Codes" are...which local businesses are governed by.  He probably didn't get into it because he, like EVERYONE ELSE, either doesn't know or it's just too much to get into.   I tried to Google the topic but even that was difficult... and had I been able to find the actual document regarding the "Zoning Codes" (which is probably somewhere with the City Of Buffalo's website), it would probably be loaded with a ton of legal jargon which would still lose me.

Well, WE NEED TO KNOW!  Here's an example as to why it's important for ALL OF US IN THE COMMUNITY to know...and why it's so important that we support Mayor Byron Brown in his efforts to upgrade and change the current "Code"...called the "GREEN CODE":

According to an article on The Buffalo News' Website ( http://www.buffalonews.com/city/communities/buffalo/article529064.ece ) A local Jeweler on Delaware Ave wanted to put up an electric sign promoting and advertising his business...BUT... one of the current City Of Buffalo's Zoning Codes only allowed him to do so for 10 minutes per hour...the rest of the time, during each hour, had to be devoted to "public interest"...like "the time", "temperature", "stock market quotes", etc.... for the remaining 50 MINUTES!  This is just the "tip of the iceberg"... I think there are some parts of the ordinance or code that even prevents certain types of businesses from operating in certain areas of the city.  Now VISIBLY that seems to suggest that you have to be of Arabic descent to open a business in "the inner city"... of course I'm being facetious....but still!

This Blog is apologetically not very informative in that it explains anything about what's involved in The City Of Buffalo's Zoning Code ordinances... because it doesn't...rather it's more-so an appeal to some knowledgable person, or entity, to please step forward and creatively find a way to reach the community and make us aware of what we are currently unaware of regarding the whole Zoning Code issue.

Here's a WIVB 4 coverage story: