Letter to Administrator Roth, General Services Administration - Developer Proposals fo Dillon Courthouse

Letter

Dear Administrator Roth:

We write to discuss the General Services Administration (GSA) disposal of the Dillon Courthouse building in Buffalo, New York. We urge you to choose a developer proposal that would have a significant amount of community and economic impact, and to build into the sale covenants requirements for investment and smart reuse to help prevent against land speculation and underutilization.

The Dillon Courthouse is located in a prime location in downtown Buffalo, and could serve a number of purposes that could benefit the community and boost economic development in the city. The building has undergone several upgrades in recent years, including new elevators, a roof replacement, and the installation of a 150 kilowatt generator. Despite being constructed in 1936, the Dillon Courthouse was recently given an energy efficiency rating higher than many modern buildings.

It is our understanding that GSA received several responses to last year's Request for Information (RFI) with ideas for developing and providing a new use for the Dillon Courthouse. As you evaluate the responses and make a final decision, we urge you to take community and economic impacts of each proposal into account. In scoring the proposals, the GSA should award additional points to proposals that would most benefit the community, even if they are not necessarily the highest dollar offer. We also urge you to ensure that you choose a developer that will make active use of the Dillon Courthouse, instead of simply speculating on the property and leaving it dormant for years.

Buffalo and all of Western New York is currently in the midst of an impressive revitalization. After years of decline and a lack of new investment, today Buffalo is seeing impressive growth and transformation. That revitalization has helped to transform a number of sites throughout Buffalo that had long been vacant into new hubs of energy and activity. In an effort to help build on that success GSA should do everything in its power to ensure that the Dillon Courthouse is quickly put into valuable re-use and does not become a step backward or a black hole in an otherwise growing downtown.

Thank you in advance for your attention to this important matter. Should you have any additional questions, please do not hesitate to contact our offices.

Source