By JAMES FINK
jfink@bizjournals.com | 716-541-1611

As part of a settlement reached with New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman, the owners of the blighted Central Park Plaza filed paperwork with the state Department of Environmental Conservation regarding cleanup of the Holden Street property.

The DEC received details for the 29-acre property under the state's mandated Brownfield Cleanup Program. The application was made by Strickler Development Group LLC on behalf of Brooklyn investor Samuel Kurz and his Central Park Plaza LLC partners. The formal application is available for review at the East Delavan Library Branch in Buffalo. Comments will be accepted by the DEC through Jan. 20.

The cleanup is part of a multi-pronged agreement between Schneiderman, Kurz and the City of Buffalo concerning the future of Central Park Plaza, which was once the retailing anchor of the Central Park and Masten neighborhoods.

Kurz also agreed to sell the property. He and Central Park Plaza LLC are barred from owning property in Buffalo as part of the agreement. Schneiderman's office got involved at the urging of Buffalo Mayor Byron Brown, who had been thwarted in previous attempts to revive the plaza or find new owners.

Schneiderman found the property unkempt, virtually empty and a hub for a number of criminal activities, including dog fighting and drug dealing. The plaza is surrounded by single-family homes and apartment buildings. Five schools are located nearby.

"For years, residents living near Central Park Plaza have had to live in fear of this eyesore and dangerous public nuisance located in the heart of their community. As a result of this settlement, the dark days will be over soon," Schneiderman said in late November. "This neglect has threatened the health, welfare and safety of its residents and my office is committed to cracking down on absentee landlords who devastate our neighborhoods."

His investigation found property that was unlit at night and tended to draw vandals and thieves, putting neighborhood residents at risk of being the victims of crime and allowing individuals to dump garbage and trash there.

Moreover, the unlit plaza is a danger to pedestrians and drivers because the parking lot is riddled with potholes and other obstructions, Schneiderman said.

With no proper security, the buildings at Central Park Plaza are routinely vandalized, he added. Making matters worse, the unsecured buildings attract neighborhood children who are able to enter the buildings at imminent risk to their safety.

Brown said last month thst was pleased with Schneiderman's response to his request.

"My city housing inspectors have worked hard to get this site cleaned up and made safer for residents by writing up the Brooklyn-based owners, both the corporation and the individual," Brown said. "Central Park residents will no longer have to live in fear of this dangerous public nuisance."

Under the agreement with Schneiderman's office, Kurz and Central Park Plaza LLC must clean up the property.

Furthermore, the consent order also requires the respondents to:

• Light Central Park Plaza from dusk to dawn.

• Patrol Central Park Plaza from dusk to dawn.

• Repair or secure all broken windows, holes in exterior walls and doors.

• Remove trash and debris.

• Cut and remove all overgrown weeds and grass.

In addition, the agreement requires that the respondents sell Central Park Plaza as soon as is practical.

The case was handled by Assistant Attorney General James Morrissey under the supervision of Michael Russo, assistant attorney general-in-charge for the Buffalo regional office.