Trio of "Brownstone" Units Hit the Market

The only thing that I can think of adding is to forget about a rear courtyard and focus instead on a rooftop garden.

Am I understanding this right...each "townhouse" includes two units and those two units not only share different sections of the 2nd floor, but also tandem parking? Am I insane or is that totally wacky?

That price seems really high for the size and location.

ok, i'll bite. why are they called brownstone when they're red brick?

What? No comments yet about the lack of retail on the ground floor? I know the parking makes these more valuable to those who really want private parking but it seems odd to have private garage doors on this part of Washington Street. I mean, brownstones don't usually have garages, if anything it is more common to have the lower floor (or basement) a retail or office space. I guess someone couuld convert their garage to a small office if they wanted to.

I'm not liking the first floor plans. I would rather see storefronts. It's time to make Washington St. a destination again, along with street level activity. The building next door is aiming for retail and has a cafe on board, why not extend that down the street?

I'm glad to see that this project has finally gotten somewhere.
It's been on the burner for what, 6 or 7 years? Epstein gets mixed reviews from people. I know some folks who didn't like what he did with the rooming house to apartments conversion on the corner house at Lafayette and Elmwood. Cheapness, I believe, was the main criticism.

Silvestri....UUUUGGGGHHHHHH!!!!!! Absolute worst, cut-rate, hack architecture firm in the area. The design promises to be completely uninspired, with cheap materials and limited functionality. The only reason those guys EVER get work is because they promise it for half the price of any reputable designer. People need to stop using this firm, let them stick to designing Arbys and gas stations...

I like it, and I'm sure the finished product will be great, all while drawing plenty of criticism because one development project by a private entity not using public funding did not solve the ills of the city. Shame, E Square. How about you install a grill at the corner and call it a hot dog stand to shut the retail critics up.

1) can someone explain why Epstein decided the YWCA was only suitable for senior living? I'm not against seniors living in the city by any means, in fact I encourage it. I'm just curious if there was some sort of advantage (tax or otherwise) to developing the property and limiting it to the 55+ crowd. I also understand that the building is not anywhere near capacity.

2) Epstein is notorious for his cheap materials, slow response in adressing tenant concerns, shoddy work, and short sighted thinking as far as planning goes- going back to the days when I rented a house as a UB student. When I realized he was attached to E Square Capital, I almost threw up my lunch. His intrest in his projects does not go beyond how much money he will be making per month after it is completed. He is from Brooklyn, does not live in Buffalo, and despite the fact that ESC, LLC is "located in Buffalo"- lets call him what he is, an out-of-town, absentee landlord/investor.

And yes, the Lafayette & Elmwood project is a disaster. Also, is that horrible sign on the building still up? I'm surprised the EVA lets them carry on like they do.

Epstein was my neighbor about five years ago when I lived on Bidwell. He lived in one of those three-story duplexes a few houses in from what's now Zetti's that have garages built-in under the first floor. Very unfriendly and cold. Neither he nor his wife ever said hi to anyone else. Not a Buffalo ambassador in the least.

This is why there is design review in local historic districts. These are classic 19th century vernacular commercial buildings, storefront on the first floor offices above. These buildings are great for residential rehabs, but the proposed first floor treatments are an embarrasment for a downtown. These aren't brownstones, they aren't residential buildings, they're in a commercial district and are conversions. Garages and curbcuts are terrible for these buildings and they lose their physical connection to the context. If these were true brownstones, you would park on the street.

Over $300K for a each warehouse conversion townhouse -- and this two blocks from Sycamore? I hope Epstein gets this price, but I doubt these units will move any time soon at that price, given the proximity of a great deal of much lower-price housing, not to mention the completely green-less environs (except for those couple of trees on the corner of Mohawk and Washington).

It would be nice to see a split level front with stoops and basement storefronts like the place at Potomac and Elmwood.

http://www.buffalorising.com/2010/02/my-favorite-buildings-bird-feathers.html