Developer Karl Frizlen has teamed up with Jason Yots and Jason Wilson (Preservation Studios) on a warehouse purchase near Canisius College. 170 Florida Street was formerly home to an architectural salvage dealer. Yots and Wilson approached Frizlen to co-purchase the property and convert the 40,000 square foot warehouse into mixed use. Preservation Studios will occupy 2000 square feet of the first floor, and the rest of the building will be set aside for 34 apartments. The purchase comes with an even larger parcel of land (corner of Florida and Jefferson), with a sizable parking lot. Canisius College rents a nondescript barn on that parcel. Frizlen says that the future of the corner will depend on the college’s master plan.
The joint venture bodes well for the obscure property, located east of Main Street. As for the crux of the development, there is a larger reinforced concrete building, which is attached to a brick structure with interior timber supports. After conducting the appropriate due diligence, the team only needs a minor variance, and is set to go before Zoning Board of Appeals next Wednesday. Part one of SHPO has been approved, and part two is underway. The project is expected to get off the ground this summer.