RoadsideOnline

This article comes from the Buffalo News by way of our friends Doug and Polly Smith. The message here should sound familiar to anyone who's followed us since at least 1995.

Published on August 23, 2009

Author: Matt Glynn - NEWS BUSINESS REPORTER

© The Buffalo News Inc.

Joseph Suppa has seen homebuyers flocking to an area just west of Richmond Avenue, so they can live in close proximity to the shops and restaurants of Elmwood Village.

Many of the buyers were priced out of homes closest to Elmwood, so these blocks are proving an affordable alternative, said Suppa, an agent with M.J. Peterson Co. He said he has sold some homes for more than $100,000 that just three or four years ago were going for $50,000.

The "walkability" factor comes into play in a new national study on home values. Its researchers found that homes located within walking distance of amenities such as schools, parks and shopping aren't only more convenient for their owners, often they're also worth more than homes in neighborhoods where driving is the rule. While the report did not include the Buffalo area in its research, Suppa said he can relate to its findings.

"I think that points right to city living," Suppa said. "There is a huge demand for that kind of lifestyle."

For city dwellers in Buffalo, that is reflected in homes close to pedestrian friendly areas such as Hertel Avenue, Elmwood Village and Allentown, with their clusters of stores, restaurants and services, as well as theaters and entertainment.

The report looked at 94,000 real-estate transactions in 15 markets. In 13 of those markets, higher levels of "walkability" were directly linked to higher home values.

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We have yet to catch a screening of "Beer Wars," but this trailer sure whets our thirst.

One of the greatest developments in our lifetimes besides Al Gore's invention of the intertoobs has to be the rebirth of craft-made ales. Hardly a community in the country worth its salt doesn't have some kind of brewpub or at least a tavern that features a wide variety of ales made by small brewers who actually care about the taste of what they make.

We featured the Yuengling brewery in a 1996 issue of the magazine, but we've since raved on and on about countless number of other small breweries that dot the landscape. Thanks to the ubiquity of brewpubs, we can offer you this one bit of important roadside dining advice: When driving coast to coast, make a point of stopping in towns with big state universities. Almost all of them will have a brewpub, and almost all of those will serve you great food.

When we actually see this movie, we'll post our thoughts.

The Philadelphia Inquirer ran a feature last Friday about people who want to bring back the "victory garden," and put them in their front yards. The idea of replacing lawns with vegetables could be considered downright subversive in some communities, but it makes complete sense to us. In fact, we do it. This year, I turned over a small patch of turf between my driveway and my property line and planted four tomato vines. It had more to do with the amount of sun it gets there than any statement I wanted to make, but in my thinking, anything that shrinks the amount of grass I have to mow (with my vintage push-reel mower), the better. The subject of the Inquirer's story, Roger Doiron, told the reporter, "People are starting to rethink what a healthy landscape looks like. It's not the TruGreen chemical lawn anymore. It's a landscape that's more multipurpose, that combines beauty and utility." Right on, brother. I don't water my lawn. I don't fertilize it. It's loaded with crabgrass and the occasional dandelion, but it's green and it doesn't otherwise cost me anything to maintain. I can spend that money on other things, like my daughter's future. My garden, on the other hand, just provided me with enough tomatoes for a huge batch of chili, dozens of sandwiches, and other meals with plenty left over to share with my neighbors -- and with the other critters in residence.