People turn to doctors when they are sick and need help. Some buildings have no where to turn. The building on 65 Grant St. is on life support.
Grant Street, a once vital part of Buffalo’s West Side, has been in constant decline for some time. However, with the recent addition of Sweetness 7 café, which is a model for Dr. Young K. Paik’s building, and other new businesses, Grant Street is experiencing new and steady growth. Those creating change in the area want to add the building at 65 Grant St. to their list.
“The building has four store fronts and four apartments,” said Bob Franke, member of the Grant-Ferry Association. “If used correctly, this building can be a catalyst for growth in the area.”
The building sits on the corner of Grant and West Ferry. Franke said that the building sticks out among the other buildings. With no residents and sporadic business, there are very few eyes watching it. And because of this, the building is regularly vandalized.
“Three-fourths of the building is boarded up,” said Franke. “The building, as it is, represents unimaginable blight. It doesn’t communicate safety, it invites vandalism.”
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James Comerford, deputy commissioner of the city’s Department of Economic Development, Permits and Inspections, said that despite the boarded up windows, graffiti, and loose bricks, the building does not break any major code violations, and Dr. Paik takes care of any violation within the allotted time frame.
“Besides the financial issues, the cultural impact is great, but I stress, unless it is in direct violation there is really nothing City Hall can do,” said Comerford.
Comerford said that many buildings under dispute do not have a business within them. Regardless of how it looks, if it functions, and has no major safety violations, there is little that can be done.
According to Franke, the building may be listed as a storage unit rather than a medical practice, which would have tax implications. Franke believes that this is the reason inspectors hold it to lower standards.
“The inspector for the Sweetness 7 building put the screws on the building and got stuff done. The inspector for Dr. Paik’s building doesn’t seem to want to do anything,” Franke said.
Many view what is happening to this building as demolition by neglect. In Franke’s opinion, location and social standards take precedent over strong action.
“No one seems to be able to get the building inspected,” Franke said. “The city’s mechanisms that handle this sort of thing do not seem to work on this building for some reason or another. We can not get the building into housing court.”
Comerford said that there are more dangerous structures in the city that have priority. But he believes that the people around 65 Grant St. have the power to make a difference.
Others fear that shutting down a doctor’s building may lead to the area losing an influential individual, which could affect the healthcare of the area.
Attempts to contact Dr.Paik, who resides in East Amherst, were unsuccessful.
“If the building was located on Elmwood or in East Amherst it would not be OK,” said Franke. “But I guess anything goes, down here in the wild, wild, west."