Statler on Hold
The Buffalo News’ Sharon Linstedt reports that Bashar Issa has put his Statler renovation on “hold”.
In reviewing my British - American English dictionary, I find that “on hold” translates as “over”.
An employee of Issa’s BSC Development Buffalo LLC, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, said that, although redevelopment is being halted, Issa “is not going to walk away” from the building.
“He made the point he is not selling the building and is not walking away,” the employee said. “He had a loan deal that didn’t pan out, and he will look at Plan B and Plan C. It’s not a dead project.”
The BSC Development staff member also said current vendor contracts will be honored and the halt in renovations will not affect tenants or the Park Lane Catering’s event schedule in the Statler’s Golden Ballroom, and Terrace and Rendezvous rooms.
I think it’s safe to say that Issa was and is in over his head. It’s one thing to build a project or two in your hometown (each of which was overbudget and late), but it’s a whole different thing to do a massive renovation of a local icon in a shrinking Great Lakes city across the ocean. Progress has been slow, Issa got himself embroiled in a nasty labor dispute, and it became increasingly clear that expectations were probably too high indeed.
In any event, I hope Issa can execute plans B - Zed, and we should bear in mind that what little progress he’s been able to accomplish in the Statler is greater than any progress the prior owner had been able to accomplish. But the notion that this young man from Manchester was going to single-handedly show Buffalo a thing or two seems to have been quite overblown indeed.
Terry Says:March 30th, 2008 at 5:00 pm
There goes my condo….
C. Byrd Says:March 31st, 2008 at 12:59 am
When I heard about this today, all I could think of is something I read about earlier this week…the largest privately funded development in Buffalo’s history will be the casino.
If that isn’t a statement as to where Buffalo is economically, I don’t know what else would be better.
I hope they have the Blackjack School reps at “Buffalo Homecoming” in June…
hank Says:March 31st, 2008 at 8:35 am
It’s certainly possible Issa was in over his head.
But—perhaps after the demands of the Laborer’s Union, he decided that it was just going to cost too much to get the job done. 20+dollars an hour for pushing brooms….Yep, that’ll get Buffalo back on the right track.
Senecand Rate Says:March 31st, 2008 at 4:05 pm
Now if only we had given the Seneca’s the Statler …
b Says:March 31st, 2008 at 7:00 pm
as i read this, rick astley is playing on 104.1
apparently issa will never give it up and will only let
us down…. has made us cry and deserted us.
Bflo Says:March 31st, 2008 at 7:55 pm
yeah, it’s the union’s fault. yawn……..
terrace Says:May 7th, 2008 at 12:42 am
Union sucks !!! Let the man do something different in Buffalo.Nobody gave a crap about the building before he owned it, so let him do what he wants and how he wants it. Other than that destory the buiding it an eye sore.
Peter Mundy Says:June 20th, 2008 at 8:24 am
There was a comment in the local press here in the u.k. that said “I wouldnt trust him to build a house out of lego”and as an ex employee of his i couldnt agree more Bashir Issa will wreck your town if you give him half a chance.