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• Posted Construction Watch: Houk Lofts to Buffalo Rising
  Developer Rocco Termini has started the first of a pair of adaptive reuse projects north of Buffalo State College.  Work is underway at 316 Grote Street to convert the former Houk Wire Wheel building into a mix of commercial and residential space.The $6.72 million Houk Lofts project will contain 22 one and two-bedroom apartments and commercial space.  A tattoo studio and hair salon are expected to be among the tenants in the 28,160 sq.ft. building.  ...
• Commented on Real Estate Rumor: Delaware North Moving to Delaware and Chippewa
  Yes- hit the report button and the comment will be reviewed...
• Posted Ellicott Proposes Fairmont Creamery Makeover to Buffalo Rising
  Redevelopment plans for a Scott Street building are becoming clearer.  Ellicott Development is moving forward with plans to put a mix of uses into the Fairmont Creamery at 199 Scott Street.  The eight-story building occupies a prominent site along the I-190 in the Cobblestone District.  Ellicott Development has owned the 120,000 sq.ft. property since 2001 and is one of the larger completely vacant buildings downtown. ...
• Posted Queen Takes a Haircut on Soldiers Circle to Buffalo Rising
  The Canadian government has been selling seven local residences after deciding to close the local Canadian Consulate office last August.  The largest, on Soldiers Circle, has a new owner.  Stephen and Elizabeth Hays purchased a century-old, 5,000 sq.ft., two-story residence at 196 Soldiers Place for $750,000 today.  The new owners got quite a deal.  The Canadian government paid $1.39 million for the property in 2009 and reportedly spent an additional $200,000 to upgrade the residence. ...
• Commented on Construction Watch: Catholic Health HQ
  It looks like it is 2/5ths the ultimate width- compare columns and bump-outs on second rendering and second pic....
• Commented on Construction Watch: 600 Block Re-Traffic
  The project needs to be bid by June 1. That would likely mean work starts in the fall....
• Posted Done Deal: 185 Niagara Street Sold to Buffalo Rising
  A church in the shadows of City Hall has a new owner today.  Mark Croce's Buffalo Development Corp. purchased the former St. Paul's & St. Mark's United Church of Christ at the corner of W. Huron and Niagara streets.  Croce paid $115,000 for the property that will be renovated for office use. "This was a natural acquisition for me," says Croce who has been investing in the Huron and Franklin street corridors for two decades.  It is a block away from Statler City and two blocks from Croce's planned boutique hotel at Huron and Franklin streets. Nearby blocks have seen...
• Commented on Construction Watch: Delaware/Virginia
  Yes, and then some....
• Posted Façade Work at 686 Main Street Proceeding to Buffalo Rising
  Plans to renovate the last vacant building on the 600 block of Main Street are inching forward.  John J. Barry Jr. purchased the three-story Beaux Arts style building at 686 Main Street in September 2005 for $150,000 and shortly after announced redevelopment plans involving residential and commercial space.  The building fronts the light rail tunnel entrance ramp in the Theater District and features highly-detailed, white glazed terra cotta.The stalled project got a boost last year when the project was awarded $45,000 in funding from the New York Main Street Revitalization grants program administered through Buffalo Place.  Plans for first floor...
• Posted Development Road Trip: Ithaca to Buffalo Rising
  Ithaca, like Buffalo, is undergoing a downtown development spurt.  The city of 30,000 has ten projects representing over $125 million in private investment planned or underway in its downtown area.  Projects include new and remodeled hotels, a new conference center, renovated historic buildings, 197 new residences, offices, and retail and restaurant space.  While the number and scope of downtown Ithaca projects is impressive, so is the scale and design of the new construction.  Nearly all of the projects include active ground floor uses, are built to the street, and for the most part have hidden parking.  A quick look from...
• Commented on Construction Watch: White's Livery Apartments
  Should be 'cottage' district; my mistake. See: http://www.buffalorising.com/2009/02/signs-of-progress-in-the-cottage-district.html...
• Posted Construction Watch: White's Livery Apartments to Buffalo Rising
  The iconic White's Livery in the Cottage District is shaping up.  Crews this week are hoisting roof trusses into place.  The historic property will house fourteen apartments when redevelopment work is complete in the fall.  Savarino Companies is teaming with West Side Neighborhood Housing Services, Inc. on the $3.4 million project. The circa-1889 structure was nearly completely leveled by the City after its historic walls started crumbling.  Neighborhood residents successfully lobbied the City to save the structure's front and rear facades and distinctive tower.  New apartments are being constructed within the remaining walls of the historic building.  Savarino purchased the site...
• Posted Done Deals: Main Street Building and Fruit Belt Lot Change Hands to Buffalo Rising
  Two properties in two up and coming neighborhoods have new owners.  A three-story building at 483 Main Street and a surface parking lot at 933 Michigan Avenue traded hands yesterday.483 Main is the former home of Christian Science Reading Room.  Rebecca and Pete McCauley's 483 Main Street LLC purchased the property for $230,000.  It is located adjacent to Martin Group's new headquarters and Carmina Wood Morris' six-story building at the corner of Main and W. Mohawk Street.  Downtown sources say the new owners are planning to restore the building for a mix of uses.  ...
• Commented on Silo City Rocks and a tribute to Buffalo's mustached men
  I nominate Fred Smerlas!...
• Posted Now Visible, Storefront Looks for Tenants to Buffalo Rising
  Opened in 2002, the ground floor of the handsome office building at 665 Main Street has yet to have a tenant.  Retail downtown has generally had a tough time but twelve years of emptiness is astonishing.  Occupancy of ground floor space in the Theater District appears to be higher than elsewhere downtown but few are retail tenants.  Theaters, galleries, restaurants and offices occupy a good portion of the Main Street storefronts.Until recently, the ground floor of 665 Main was 'hidden' behind outbound Theater District light rail station.  The station has been removed as part of the Returning Cars to Main...
• Posted Streetscape Projects Receive BBRP Funding to Buffalo Rising
  Directors of the Buffalo Urban Development Corporation (BUDC) have recommended that $1.25 million in Buffalo Building Reuse Project (BBRP) funds be invested to advance three key infrastructure projects downtown.  Projects set to receive funding:Genesee Street Gateway & StreetscapeSreetscape enhancements along Chippewa Street from Main Street to Elmwood AvenueAdvanced design and engineering work for Perry Street, to further design work already prepared by neighborhood stakeholders. The funding is part of the $11.25 million allocated to BBRP by Mayor Byron W. Brown in January 2012 and later partially matched by National Grid. ...
• Posted Ellicott Development Moving on Creamery Renovation to Buffalo Rising
  It's been the poster child for "neglected" buildings, but Ellicott Development appears ready to move on reuse of the Coffee Rich building at 199 Scott Street.  Company officials are scheduled to be at the Planning Board meeting on April 9th to present plans to convert the prominent eight story building into a mixed-use complex anchored by 20 market-rate apartments.  According to a draft agenda, Ellicott is also planning a sit-in restaurant, banquet room and offices. The brick building was built in 1920 and has been vacant since the mid-1990's. Containing approximately 122,000 square feet, it the tallest structure in the...
• Commented on Wind Sculptures @ The Outer Harbor
  There is a five-acre parcel shown in the site plan that is reserved for development. Is it too soon to RFP it to see if there's any developer interest? Could make for a neat townhouse and mid-rise (5 floor or...
• Posted Report: Delaware North Looking at Two Sites for New HQs to Buffalo Rising
  Delaware North Cos., with offices now in Key Center, is eyeing two nearby sites as a new headquarters location.  One would put a mixed-use complex on a parking lot along Huron Street, the other in a project proposed by Uniland Development Co. at Delaware Avenue and Chippewa Street. The firm is currently located in 110,000 sq.ft. of space in the south tower of Key Center.  The company has been exploring options for when its lease runs out in 2015 including renewing at its current location or finding new space.  The company is said to be only considering downtown locations for its 350...
• Posted Construction Watch: 476 Rhode Island Gets Windowed to Buffalo Rising
  476 Rhode Island Street is on the homestretch to a mixed-use future.  Vincent Kuntz is redeveloping the three-story structure at the corner of 19th Street into commercial space and upper floor apartments (see back-story here).New windows were recently installed in the three-story, ca.1880 brick Italianate.  Inside, the building is undergoing a complete restoration.  The ground floor will be available for commercial uses.  Two loft apartments, 700 and 750 sq.ft., will occupy the second floor.  The third floor will be a single, 1,700 sq.ft. loft with an open floor plan.  ...
• Posted Dinosaur Bar-B-Que Plans October Opening to Buffalo Rising
  Plans for a Dinosaur Bar-B-Que downtown have been approved by the Buffalo Planning Board.  The restaurant will open in October in a Buffalo Development Corporation (Mark Croce) owned building at 301 Franklin Street.  The single-story building with a small mezzanine used to store film reels.   The Syracuse-based restaurant has been eyeing the Buffalo market for a number of years before selecting Franklin Street in July.   ...
• Posted Work Exposes Elevator Innards to Buffalo Rising
  The Connecting Terminal Grain Elevator (CTGE) along the Buffalo River has gotten a haircut.  Property owner New York Power Authority has been stabilizing the structure including asbestos remediation and roof work.  As can be seen from the striking aerial image taken by ace photographer James Cavanaugh (Facebook, web), the roof over the western portion of the complex has been removed exposing the silos....
• Posted Tappo Starts to Unveil Itself on Ellicott to Buffalo Rising
  Rocco Termini's transformation of the Horton Coffee Co. building at 338 Ellicott Street is coming into view.  The 4,800 sq.ft., one-story building will house Tappo, an Italian restaurant run by chef Mike Andrzejewski. Tappo, Italian for cork, will be a "value-centric" restaurant serving fine Italian food and wine.  Customers will be able to browse the wine rack and select their own bottle....
• Posted Lincoln Parkway Church Conversion Planned to Buffalo Rising
  Another North Buffalo church is going residential.  Six apartments are proposed for the Plymouth United Church of Christ church at the southwest corner of Lincoln Parkway and Amherst Street.  Next Wednesday, Dan Saunders will be seeking setback variances from the City Zoning Board to allow the project to proceed.  The 9,288 sq.ft. church consists of a large sanctuary, two meeting rooms, and offices.  A dining hall with full kitchen and three classrooms are currently located in the basement....
• Posted Craziness: $200 Million Parking Plan Floated to Buffalo Rising
  It has only taken nearly three decades, but Buffalo's 6.2 mile light rail system may finally be growing.  Unfortunately it would only be a couple of blocks, would put a ramp on Main Street to bring light rail trains to the upper level of the DL&W Terminal (when a South Park Avenue or Perry Street surface route would seem to be a cheaper alternative), and connect to a massive parking ramp east of Michigan Avenue at the edge of the Cobblestone District and Old First Ward.  All for upwards of $200 million.  The extension and ramp are aimed at satisfying...
• Commented on Something like this?
  I have to agree- awful! Is that a chain link fence facade?...
• Posted Cobblestone District Growing- Club Planned for Illinois Street to Buffalo Rising
  A vacant commercial building on Illinois Street behind First Niagara Center will be renovated as a music club.  The two-story property at 49 Illinois Street will feature live music at least five nights a week and host local and national acts. The club is planned to also be open on First Niagara Center and Canal Side event dates. The club will also feature a limited food menu. Local developer Roger Trettel purchased the brick structure, located between the arena and the mixed-use Cobblestone Lofts project on Mississippi Street, in April 2008.  Trettel recognized the potential of the neighborhood and originally...
• Posted Construction Watch: Toronto Condo Boom to Buffalo Rising
  Things are looking up in Toronto. There are approximately 150 high-rise buildings under construction in Toronto, more than anywhere else in North America. The Toronto Census Metropolitan Area (CMA) condominium market set several records in 2012 including: construction starts (24,388), active developments (355), total active units (89,251), and total units under construction (56,866) according to Urbanation, Canada's leading condominium market research company.  In the Toronto CMA there were 17,997 new condominium units sold in 2012, between the five-year CMA average of 20,119 annual sales (2007 to 2011) and the ten-year average of 17,139 annual sales (2002 to 2011), but down from the record...
• Posted Wrecking Buffalo: Public Bridge Authority Wipes Out Busti Properties to Buffalo Rising
  The Public Bridge Authority took down eight homes along Busti Avenue yesterday after a restraining order blocking the demos was lifted by Judge Jeremiah J. McCarthy late Friday.  The homes between Vermont Avenue and Rhode Island Street were removed to accommodate an expanded bridge plaza that will expedite pass-through truck traffic and allow for a larger Duty Free Shop.  This is what passes for progress in Buffalo.Three of the houses demo'd were eligible for the National Register of Historic Places, including the locally landmarked Samuel Wilkeson House (below). It was an excellent example of the Tuscan Villa style and was...
• Posted Construction Watch: Steel Rising at Delaware and Virginia to Buffalo Rising
  Scott Croce is developing a three story mixed-use building at the northwest corner of Virginia Street and Delaware Avenue.  Croce, a chiropractor, plans to move his office to the first floor of the building.  The building will feature a corner glass atrium with office space space fronting Delaware Avenue and nine apartments in the portion along Virginia Street.  The Frizlen Group is project architect....