The plan for a new Peace Bridge and customs plaza includes taking 83 homes on Buffalo's west side from their owners. "I live in the neighborhood and I am a condemned resident," says Peter Joseph Certo, one of the few dozen people in attendance at a meeting to discuss the plan Monday night at the Armory Restaurant.

Peace Bridge Authority General Manager Ron Reinas did his best at the gathering to convince residents that the plan for a new bridge will be good for the neighborhood as a whole. "What we are looking to do is bring certainty to a neighborhood that has had the anguish of uncertainty hanging over it for the last 15 years, and we're looking to enhance the neighborhood," says Reinas.

The enhancements now include more greenspace around the plaza, and a berm which would hide the plaza from surrounding neighborhoods. But, the issue of taking people's homes does not sit well with the audience at Monday night's meeting, and they insist it does not have to be this way. "That's devastating. That's worse than (hurricane) Katrina," says Al Coppola of the 83 homes slated to be torn down. Coppola is a former state senator who's serving as a community representative on the issue. "We have some control over our destiny. The people in New Orleans didn't have any control," says Coppola.

Many residents want the Peace Bridge Authority to reconsider a alternative location a few miles north in Riverside. The emotions surrounding this issue really came out when audience members were allowed to speak Monday night. "I know you don't have enough money anywhere to take my parents home that they deserve to live in for the rest of their lives," says a visibly upset woman to Ron Reinas. The woman didn't give her name, but she claims her parents will die if they're forced to move from their home.

Those opposed to the plan may be running out of time. Governor Spitzer has said he expects construction on the new bridge to get underway by the end of this year.