Aldi has broken ground on its new supermarket located at 998 Broadway, directly across from the Broadway Market.  The 15,000 sq.ft. supermarket is being built on a site that once housed Sattler's Department Store but most recently was a parking lot for a K-Mart building that has been vacant since 2002.

The Donovan Building on lower Main Street is shedding its façade.  Construction crews are 'de-skinning" the eight-story building down to its structural steel.  A new glass and brick façade will take its place.  Benderson Development is spearheading the project which will see a mix of retail, office and hotel uses in what was previously a State office building.

Phillips Lytle LLP will be the building's anchor tenant, occupying 85,000 square feet of space on the top four floors of

The Urban Land Institute's Young Leaders Group of Western New York (ULI YLG of WNY), a subsidiary of the global nonprofit research and education organization, the Urban Land Institute, will be learning about Kissling Interest's Remington Lofts project in North Tonawanda next Thursday. 

The presentation, "Thinking BIG at Remington: How Work/Live Lofts Spur Economic Activity", will tell the story of a $20 million, 160,000 square foot adaptive reuse project, The Remington Lofts on

Leaders from HomeFront, Inc. and Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC) joined federal, state and city officials last week to mark completion of the latest vacant home rehab project transforming a neighborhood on Buffalo's West Side.  The rehab of 113 19th Street is a component of HomeFront's three-year strategy to substantially rehabilitate vacant/abandoned/foreclosed houses in the 19th Street neighborhood and the 14213 zip code. 

Said HomeFront Inc. Executive Director John Murphy,

The Erie County Industrial Development Agency Board of Directors today approved $212,900 in sales and mortgage recording tax abatements to aid the planned $5.2 million overhaul of the historic Graystone Building, located at 24 South Johnson Park.
5182 Group, LLC, an affiliate of Ellicott Development Company, plans to convert the 115-year-old structure into 42 market- rate apartments with first floor commercial space.
The six-story building was designed by Buffalo architect Carlton T. Strong and Ernest L. Ransome, an English-born architect

If you've ever thought that owning a house with a moat was something of a dream, here's your opportunity to make that dream become a reality. As far as I know, this carriage house on Linwood, currently on the market, is the only one around that features a bridge and a moat as its entranceway features. Even without those eccentric features, 355 Linwood has got to be one of the more eye-catching carriage houses in the city. Unfortunately, whatever once stood as the main house on the parcel is long gone, but if you have to look at the bright side, there is the opportunity for a future owner to create

Canisius College has purchased a building at 1716 Main Street that will help to draw more students and creative types to the street. The previous owner was waiting for The City to sell him a small parcel adjacent to the building in order to secure the sale. The Canisius deal was contingent on that acquisition as part of the overall purchase. It's being said that Canisius will continue to operate the first floor as a gallery and will use the second floor as a residence for out-of-state collegiate dignitaries. 
The sale of the gallery will help to stabilize a section of

Representatives from the Allentown Association, the Preservation League of New York State, and the NYS Historic Preservation Office will be on hand to dedicate the newly enhanced Allentown Historic District, listed on the National Register of Historic Places. For over 30 years, only a portion of Allentown was listed on the National Register and through the new One Allentown effort, the entire local Buffalo district boundaries are on the National Register.  
The dedication ceremony will take place at 2 PM Thursday April 12 at 18 Plymouth Avenue, an 1892 Queen

A charming three-story building at the southwest corner of Grant Street and Potomac Avenue is coming back to life.  The 6,000 sq.ft. building has 2,200 sq.ft. of commercial space and two vacant upper floor apartments.  It had been owned by Katherine Martino and was the home of Phil Martino's West Side Appliance and Furniture.  It sold in February.  The new owners are gutting the building and plans call for commercial space on the ground floor and two to four upper floor apartments. 
Arthur Dent has some details on BuffaloHipStar:

A new $38 million Technology Building is taking shape on the Buffalo State College campus.  The three-story, 87,000-square-foot facility--will serve as the new home to the Computer Information Systems (CIS) and Technology departments, which are currently housed in three separate buildings on campus.  The Technology Department features popular programs such as electrical and mechanical engineering technology, and fashion and textile technology.

An Art Deco beauty is for sale.  The Vars Building at 346 Delaware Avenue, southwest corner of Tupper Street, has a $2.8 million asking price.  It contains 25,000 sq.ft. of commercial space and includes parking for 75 cars.

Built in 1929, the four-story structure was named after a tenant, Addison F. Vars, president of the Addison Vars advertising firm.  Architects Lawrence Bley and Duane Lyman designed the building.

Rocco Termini is said to have exciting plans for the vacant AM&A's Department Store on Main Street, but the current work at the building isn't being done by Termini.  He's busy preparing the Hotel Lafayette for its grand re-opening in a few weeks. 

At the department store, scaffolding is up to remove a crumbling chimney.  Though the building is owned by Roslyn Heights-based New Horizons Acquisitions LLC, the chimney removal is being undertaken by the City as an emergency measure. 

Termini is still planning to acquire and redevelop the long-vacant store. 

Winthrop Financial, a new financial services partnership, has opened a 2,500 sq.ft. office in the newly renovated Genesee Gateway downtown.  Other tenants in the building include the U.S. Passport Office, Department of State, Pratt Collard Advisory Partners and NBT Solutions.

Firm founders include Deborah Stauring and W. Lawrence Buck, formerly of Harold C. Brown & Co., a Buffalo-based investment advisory firm that recently closed after 80 years.  Stauring worked at Brown & Co. since 1981 and eventually became one of seven owners.  Steven Harts and Jennifer Roberts,

Until recently 448-452 Amherst Street was in fairly rough shape. The previous owner of the building let it slip into foreclosure and unfortunately nobody bothered to bleed any of the water from the pipes. The pipes eventually froze, and the property sat empty falling into total disrepair. The building was then picked up at a City auction, and the deplorable state of the inside was not realized until the sale was complete and workers were finally able to walk inside to take a look around. It was only when the water was turned on in the basement that they learned that the building had not been mothballed

Elmwood Avenue is in line for another Louie's.  The owner of 1049 Elmwood Avenue is seeking City approvals for a commercial addition to house Louie's Texas Red Hots.  This Louie's shouldn't be confused with Louie's Original Footlong Hot Dogs located at 470 Elmwood.  Louie's Texas Red Hots currently has five WNY locations including two city locations on Bailey Avenue and Delaware Avenue.

A request for proposals for the "Webster Block" at the foot of Main Street will be available tomorrow.  This 1.7 acre site, located directly across from First Niagara Center, is considered a prized downtown parcel due to its location and size.
"This is an exciting time for Downtown Buffalo and its waterfront. For the first time, city residents and visitors have a vibrant and lively waterfront destination that keeps them coming back," said Mayor Brown.  "We've

Historic preservation tax credits have been a critical component for a number of redevelopment projects in Buffalo.  Their use is spreading to the suburbs.   Tzetzo Companies is planning to restore the historic Kronenberg Building located at Main and Buffalo streets in the Village of Hamburg.  
The long-vacant two-story building, which many feared would be demolished, was purchased by Tzetzo on March 14 for $250,000.  It will join a number of newly built and rehabbed properties in the village which has benefited from a Route

There's a mini-boom underway in Allentown where eight multi-family residential projects are underway or planned.  The recent developer interest is happening for a number of reasons.  Allentown is a popular, established, "walkable" neighborhood with a variety of bars, restaurants, retail shops and services in place.  The neighborhood benefits by being adjacent to downtown where residential development is blossoming and growing outward.  It is also located at the edge of the Buffalo Niagara Medical Campus that is increasing the demand for nearby residences.  Lastly,

The Seneca Nation unveiled a new design for the Buffalo Creek casino complex on their nine-acre site in the Cobblestone District.

It's a much smaller proposal than what was once envisioned.

In 2007, the Senecas proposed a 206-suite, 22-story luxury hotel tower, 90,000 sq.ft. gaming hall and 2500 space parking structure.  Construction on the $333 million project stalled in 2008 due to a sputtering economy leaving a four-story steel skeleton to rust.  Crews have begun dismantling the steel

The Erie County Industrial Development Agency today approved a $42,000 sales tax abatement package for Eastman Machine Company.  The 124-year-old company, located at 779 Washington St., in downtown Buffalo, plans a 485,000 upgrade of its manufacturing, communications and information technology systems, resulting in the creation of 20 new jobs over the next two years. The company currently employs a workforce of 102.

Eastman Machine manufactures hand-held and manually-operated fabric cutting machines built to precise specifications, as well a comprehensive line of fully-automated,