IBM To Bring 500 Jobs To Downtown Buffalo!

This past Monday, during a press conference to promote Upstate NY , the Governor Andrew Cuomo announced that IBM, will be bringing 500 jobs to Downtown Buffalo. The company will bringing the jobs to a new Technology Corridor, that's location has yet to be determined. The Governor was quoted as saying, “If we’re creating jobs, people have a reason to stay here. If we’re creating jobs, people have hope. If we’re creating jobs, it’s a tax base for the mayor. If we’re creating jobs, there’s a tax base for the county. Jobs are everything,” Gov. Cuomo said. “I am so excited about this because it is the right place to be, the right project, the right direction. IBM is the right partner to have.”

This comes days after the announcement that the old Trico Plant was sold to the Krog Corporation for forty-five thousand dollars, which was the last hurdle in the way for the planned Hotel, and Commercial Office space planned for the site. That taken with Time Warner Cables new Headquarters, the construction of more commercial offices at the old New Era Hat Factory, down on Hamburg St., Roswell's expansion as part of UB2020, HarborCenter, and more development, means Buffalo is seeing more construction in the last few months, than it has in the last decade.

IBM has yet to announce the site of their new Technology Center, but for my money, the two places I would suggest are the former HSBC Tower, or somewhere on Buffalo's East Side. The old tower, would probably fit perfectly, seeing as though it's located centrally in the Downtown area, and could use a much-needed face-lift. The tower has a few things working against it, lack of parking, and the space may be too large for IBM's needs.

The East Side of Buffalo, while not the logical choice, would be a great place to put the new Technology Center. It's home to Buffalo's most poverty-stricken residents, and would be a much-needed boost to the area. My feeling's toward this are strong, if Buffalo is to really turn around the malaise that has engulfed the city since the early 80's. Then the East Side needs some sort of development, to bring back its relevance. Even with as rundown as it has become, it's home to some of Buffalo's oldest homes, and architecture.

We are seeing real progress in this area, for the first time in years, its real impact can only be felt if we spread the wealth around! Either way it's a great day to be in Buffalo!