Residents unhappy with medical corridor

BUFFALO, N.Y. (WIVB) - Residents in Buffalo's Fruit Belt neighborhood have been fighting to be part of the process when it comes to construction at the expanding Buffalo Niagara Medical Campus.

Tenants, homeowners and taxpayers gathered in City Hall Tuesday to once again voice their concerns. A central issue is McCarley Gardens. Residents have been upset for awhile about reports that a non-profit controlled by St. John Baptist Church is in the process of selling the complex to the UB Foundation for Medical Campus Expansion - which is not subject to government oversight.

Buffalo Common Council member Darius Pridgen says he's had trouble getting information about that plan from the UB Foundation about how their plans could impact the community.

"The residents have every right to be concerned and say we want to know," Pridgen said.

A resolution was filed with the Common Council that calls for a Fruit Belt Neighborhood Advisory Council.

"Make no mistake about it, development is going to happen in the area and it should happen in that area but the residents want a voice," Pridgen said.

Pridgen says the Common Council will vote on the advisory council at their meeting next Tuesday. He believes it will pass and residents will get what they've been fighting for and be part of the construction process.