Recently in Real Estate Category

The Buffalo Niagara Medical Campus' (BNMC) parking ramp is shaping up for a May opening.  The $34 million facility will be bringing 1,800 much needed parking space to the corner of Michigan Avenue and High Street.  The BNMC presently offers about 6,500 parking spaces for 12,000 daily visitors including 8,500 employees. 

Housing Opportunities Made Equal (HOME) has extended the deadline for the Joanne Champion Granger Scholarship; scholarship applications are now to be postmarked February 15th. 

The scholarship will be given to a college bound high school senior in Erie or Niagara County who, in addition to academic achievement, has demonstrated a commitment to human rights and/or equal opportunity in housing. The scholarship was created in 1995 by Dr. Carl Granger, to honor his late wife's courage, commitment, and inspiration to others. 

The

Although Ellicott Development is not utilizing historic tax credits, the adaptive reuse of the church is

With work winding down on a major Niagara County project, Kissling Interests is hardly taking a breather.  Besides the planned apartments atop 298 Main Street, the company will be starting projects on W. Huron and also on North Street.

Renovation work on the former Remington Rand complex overlooking the Erie Canal in North Tonawanda is nearing completion.  Remington

After unsuccessfully searching near and far for office tenants for its vacant space at 298 Main Street, Kissling Interests is turning to a stronger market to fill the building- residential.  By the end of the year, the building's upper floors will boast downtown's newest, high-end apartments.

Kissling Interests, primarily a residential property developer, owner and manager, purchased the 11-story, multi-tenant office building in 2001 for $2.6 million.  Law firm Damon & Morey's move to Avant in 2009 left Kissling with seven floors of office

A two building, six-unit townhouse project is underway at 363 E. Ferry Street.  The $1.35 million project is spearheaded by Second Chance Ministries and will be a women's facility.  It occupies a vacant lot that was purchased from the City last fall for $14,400.

The new apartments at 1040 are nearly full and one of the partners behind the project is getting ready to start its next project downtown.  James Swiezy of Greenleaf & Company and Paul Kolkmeyer of Priam Enterprises converted the former Lutheran Nursing Home on Delaware and converted it to 49 rental units and office space.  The $5.5 million project officially opened last month.

"We are over 90 percent

Two old ladies were the headliners for downtown development last year.  Mark Croce's purchase and investment in the Statler and Rocco Termini's ongoing work at the Hotel Lafayette are significant in themselves.  To have both properties rescued from an uncertain future, at the same time, is great news for the city.

Croce purchased the Statler in March.  The Niagara Square landmark was tied up in bankruptcy court and would have been mothballed or even demolished if

Behind the boarded windows of the historic Calumet building, big things are starting to take shape. Work is currently underway, restoring the historic fabric of the building and preparing it for new tenants. The law firm of Kenney, Shelton, Liptak, & Nowak (KSLN) partnered with Frank Parisi and Angelo Natale to purchase the building from Mark Goldman and Arthur Ziller in January 2011. Carmina Wood Morris is the architect for the project and Natale Builders is doing the actual

A pair of buildings sold last week are expected to become downtown's latest residential conversion project.  Downtown Biz LLC, owned by Amita Jakie, purchased 472 Main and 283 Pearl Street for $240,000 on December 27.  They had been listed at $450,000 as far back as 2007.  According to The Buffalo News, an undetermined number of apartments are planned.

The largest of the properties, 472 Main Street, is located on the west side of Main between the former Courtyard Mall and former Hens & Kelly's Department Store.  The building contains 28,000 sq.ft. of space on four

On December 20, Carl Paladino, Chairman of Ellicott Development Company, was guest speaker at The Center for the Study of Art, Architecture, History & Nature's noontime lecture series, "IMAGINE Buffalo Niagara in the 21st Century."  The fall lectures have focused on "Why Does Preservation Matter."  Events are held at the Central Public Library.

Paladino, whose company owns a number of historic city properties, calls himself a "practical preservationist." He says

A critical corner of the 500 block of Main Street has sold.  WIL Partners LLC purchased the former Arby's/Grever's Florist building at 537 Main Street yesterday.  The three-story building faces Roosevelt Plaza and the Hyatt hotel.  The new owners paid $250,000 for the property that had been owned by Queen City Lofts, LLC.

WIL

Downtown has undergone a transformation in recent years.  The number of buildings finding new life as residential spaces was only dreamed of a decade ago.  Today, there are few "obvious" residential conversion candidates left.  There seem to be more office tenants relocating into downtown than out.  Restoration of downtown's two grand hotels- the Statler and Lafayette- are significant preservation and city successes.  That doesn't mean there isn't room for improvement downtown.  Newell had a wish

Construction began this week on two major projects at Canalside. The Erie Canal Harbor Development Corporation (EDHDC) started work on the Public Canal System that is set to open on the Aud block late next year, and Benderson Development initiated a redevelopment project at the Donovan Office Building. The projects will generate hundreds of construction jobs and significantly improve the area around lower Main Street and Canalside.

Work on the Aud block includes the removal of transfer beams and pile caps. The existing piles will be reused as part of the support the Public Canal System. 

Plans to add a series of structured patios to the south side of the Lafayette Hotel have been slowed down.  The Planning Board on Tuesday tabled the proposal asking developer Rocco Termini to return with an agreement that would limit outdoor music or bands on the patios.  Earl Ketry, owner of Pearl Street Brewery, will be operating a restaurant and a three-room banquet facility in the former Lafayette Tap Room space and the small additions proposed for the backside of the hotel.  Carmina Wood

Ellicott Development Company is planning two new local hotels in mixed-use projects, one downtown and the second in Amherst.  The downtown hotel would anchor the long-planned project at 50 Court Street at Court and Pearl streets.  In Amherst, a six-story hotel and apartment building is planned for 5195 Main Street, the current site of Stereo Advantage.  The $20 million project is just west of the Village of Williamsville. 

Toronto Maple Leaf Joffrey Lupul took some lumps for tweeting about his view from his Embassy Suites hotel room this past weekend.  City Hall, Statler City, New Era Cap HQs, federal courthouse and the 100 South mixed-use project can be seen from his south-facing room.  It is likely Lupul was soured by the two surface lots along South Elmwood Avenue across from Avant however. 

Western New York Immediate Care is opening its fifth area facility and its first urgent care center within Buffalo city limits on Monday.  The free-standing, fully-staffed facility is located at 2497 Delaware Avenue in North Buffalo.  It was built on the site of Gallagher Printing which was demolished earlier this year. 
 
Of the more than 80,000 people treated at the four Western New York Immediate Care facilities in the Buffalo area during the past year, approximately 12,000