Construction Watch: Fenton Village

Unbelievable...the transformation of the most ugly corner on Main St. Now the Willowby (sp?) Insurance bldg on the southeast corner needs to go.

I like the blue bay windows because it adds a better touch of color and draws away from those dull dark greens and browns.

This is unrelated, but as I was driving down the scajaquada yesterday coming from the 190, I couldn't help but notice the run down warehouse to my left. A lot of us here have probably seen it too. Does anyone know if there is anything in store for it in the future, or is it just going to sit there? I had the name of it yesterday but I forgot.

This is a great addition to that neighborhood, now we need to start to see some more work on the east side of main. If one side of the street can get 1000 a month rents why not the other side. Within the next 10 years or so it would be nice to see some projects going along the east side of main at least a block or two in to try and clean up the area and help revitalize the neighborhood.

Although it looks like their site plans are already in motion, I do hope Sinatra will consider geothermal! Karl Frizlen's adaptive reuse project on Connecticut Street is using geothermal, with the installation taking place on a very small lot to the side of the building. Compared to Karl's project, Sinatra has more land available at the Main/Ferry site. I'm sure Karl would be glad to give a tour and describe what they're doing. Go geothermal!

BTW, way to go on the stormwater management. Now if Sinatra, in partnership with neighborhood stakeholders and the preservation community, also pursues adaptive reuse options for the great 1524 Main Street, he'll score 100% -- with bonus points -- on the hero scale!!

1000.00 per month ! oh yeh thats how they keep the rats out !

I'm very happy to hear about this as well as all the other 'upscale loft' and hotel construction going on, it really is wonderful.

Are there any rehab projects to create affordable housing for non-upscale clientele?
Mixed use means both commercial and residential space as well as mixed price housing in the same geographical area. People of all economic strata need to be able to walk and live on the same streets and shop at the same grocery stores. It promotes social responsibility.

Thanks

This is a great addition to the neighborhood. As the President of the Oxford Square Neighborhood Association, I am thrilled to see new investment in the neighborhood. The Fenton is making a total transformation, as is the neighborhood on the whole, all in just a few short years.

For those who don't see any "inbetween" housing options, I can say that the entire street is "inbetween." Rents on Oxford vary tremendously, from the almost-too-cheap to the run-of-the-mill $750-8 you see elsewhere in the village. Most homes are owner-occupied, and we are really starting to see all the old vacant ones getting bought and renovated. This neighborhood is the last bastion of the Elmwood Village and I think Sinatra ahead of the game here.

It's beautifully diverse (and I hope it stays that way) and it also has so much potential. I'm very curious to see how 1000/mnth tenants integrate with the neighborhood, especially since you (gasp!) will see black people from the balconies.

Regardless, the Fenton was always a problem for the community and I'm glad that it's being re-used. We're a "Neighborhood on the Rise" and this project demonstrates faith in that mission. Investors take notice! :)

Pretty sure I said "integration" not gentrification. How do you get desire for gentrification out of "It's beautifully diverse and I hope it stays that way?"

I said I'm curious to see how that goes because I guarantee that will be on their minds when they are paying 1000/mnth to live in primarily a low-income neighborhood that still has some problems with crime and vandalism (15 Oxford which is right across the street from the Fenton was raided by a SWAT team about a month ago and there was a shooting on the other end of Oxford about two months ago). Listen, as a white person living in the neighborhood, I know from experience the "is it ok to park on the street?" type questions I still get when people unfamiliar with the neighborhood come visit. It is mostly a very safe and friendly community, we have a strong block club with members from all walks of life, and most people really care about making it better. All I said was that I'm curious to see how quickly he can rent out these 1000/mnth apts in this neighborhood at this time. I said it was a welcome addition because it's alot better than the tenement the building was before. Period. Again, please explain how you get "we want gentrification" out of that?

Thank goodness for the Pan-Am otherwise half the people in Buffalo would have nowhere to live!

Glad to see this project getting underway. But I worry that this is going to be a bust. As weissingaround said there is crime in the neighborhood. I don't know if someone is willing to pay $1,000 to live in a neighborhood that is not completely safe. Just as weissingaround is curious, I am too, I don't feel it will rent out quickly. Its an expensive project, and seems to be quite the risk for a less experienced developer. Hopefully all goes well, because the project looks great, but the financials don't seem to work in my mind, although obviously i don't know where/at what rate Mr. Sinatra is getting his money.

But $2.3 million for 23 units is $100,000. The average apartment building sells for around $35,000 a unit in Buffalo. The rents aren't outrageously high, but I think it will be tough to rent as mentioned before. They will probably have low utility bills because of the new green tech, which is huge, but there is still taxes, insurance, maintenance (which will be minimal), and management (which I think he already has in place for other buildings). It seems like the rent isn't high enough to make money.. Obviously I hope it goes well, I am just skeptical, and I could definitely be missing something in my thinking.

Everyone wants this neighborhood to succeed.

I think it's counterproductive (and out of place in a public forum) to throw in the comments about race.

I ran across this promotional piece for the Home project which is now known as Oxford Commons apartments:

http://www.pdfdownload.org/pdf2html/view_online.php?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.homeny.org%2FOxford%2520Commons%2FHome%2520Brochure%2520-Final.pdf

Theres a trail blazer for every devleopment success story..here here to Sinatra for kicking it off and heres to 10-15 more developments from Kensington to the medical campus just like this one.

On that note..ditto on the neighborhood, these will be niche apartments because as stated above you can get a much better neighborhood for $1k+ a month elsewhere in Buffalo. 2 blocks west your in the best neighborhood(s) in Erie County for the same price. Without seeing/dealing with the garbage (use your imagination) on Main Street daily. Honestly I can look beyond whats infront of me and see true potential in the most BUT there is truly no excuse for the condition of midtown and the actions of its pedestrians, I don't care what color you are..Main Street is atrocious.

These will be perfect for those round the clock on demand Doctors/Doctors to be at the medical campus. A thousand a month is cheap ..these will be rented to people who need a place to park their car..close to work..safe, convenient and enjoy the amenities the City has to offer during their free time and to get back to the hospital when needed. These will not be your dog walking, spot coffee drinking, vegetable gardening yuppie inhabitants from further West.

I am glad this went off on the interesting tangents it did because the attitudes reflected in some of these posts are so "Buffalo." Embedded in the discussion are the old prejudices of this once so ethnically segregated city and the hopes for a new vision in which geography does not dictate the barriers they once did.

Most Buffalonians will tell you that Main St. is the line of demarcation that separates the city. Just look at maps of preservation districts When it comes to this barrier, to speak of black and white is fair game and not necessarily racist. It became the line drawn in the sand and, if we are honest about it, that is what it is. Yes, the black/white divide is a Buffalo reality and therefore has a valid place in this forum.

Then there is this "border neighborhood" That I will call for the sake of this post the Oxford/Harvard are which includes this. Linwood at one time didn't want to include it. The "nicer neighborhoods to the west didn't want it either. Sure, it was west of Main, but it wasn't good enough for inclusion. The reason I heard cited the most was that the housing stock of these few streets were not of good quality nor were they historical.

Effectively, it created this marginal pocket that had predictable outcomes. The area didn't thrive as did streets to the south and west. Let's face it, the lack of investment and community is visible.

Fenton Village is an enormous step to including this area. Hopefully, this will inspire the property owners. I bet the residents want desperately to be included in the prosperity of their nearby neighborhoods rather than be treated as marginal step children.

Didn't people pick up on the enthusiasm and pride of the President of the Oxford Square Neighborhood Association? This is a group primed to bring change and ready to invest what they have. They have hope, energy, and a willingness to be included respectfully with the others south of Forest and west of Main effectively becoming the last piece of the puzzle in the incomplete picture. In essence, they were invited (finally) and they feel worthy of accepting. And it's about time.

And she got slammed for it...just like old times.

Why not welcome, encourage and support them? Save the racial issues, the arguments about gentrification and its ill effects for another time as thay are irrelevant now and may remain so.