Buffalo, N.Y. (WBEN) - Two months after Buffalo's Acting Mayor Chris Scanlon declared the city would begin efforts to take over the Buffalo Grand Hotel, the owner of the facility says there's been more damage, hampering efforts to get the hotel back up and running.
Stinson claims in the two months since the city declared the Buffalo Grand Hotel abandoned, more damage totaling hundreds of thousands of dollars has happened.
Related
However, Fillmore District Councilman Mitch Nowakowski feels he's heard it all before.
"As somebody who has gone after a lot of unscrupulous landlords, this is just a tactic that I'm assuming that the owner will use in court," said Nowakowski in an interview with WBEN.
Nowakowski says whether the city uses the word, the hotel is abandoned.
"The owner refuses to get concrete plans to actually move this and put it up to productive use. But that's the state of this building. It's been in derelict condition, whether it has spray paint on it or not," Nowakowski said. "And whether the City of Buffalo is using its measures within its charter to seek it through abandonment, we need the property owner to maintain the building and be there, not only to provide security, but for the upkeep for Downtown Buffalo and its neighbors."
The wheels of justice move slowly when it comes to a judge giving the city the green light to take over the hotel, says Nowakowski.
"I'm a frequent flyer in housing board trying to hold landlords, bad landlords accountable. So the city can write it up and then take the procedures within their charter that state the structure is abandoned, and then ultimately, it's up to the courts to make that decision. And then we find our ways through appeals," he explained.
Nowakowski adds the process will take, at least, 3-to-6 months to see any movement.
A call and an email to Stinson were not returned to WBEN.