Business First is reporting a Long Island-based developer is interested in buying the Statler.  Current owner Bashar Issa's BSC Development was forced into involuntary Chapter 11 bankruptcy in April as financial woes intensified for the British developer.  The property is likely to be sold through a traditional sale or a court-ordered auction to pay creditors.  Park Lane Catering owner William Koessler is also said to be working with out-of-town investors to purchase the property.

Uri Kaufman of Lawrence, NY was in town to look at the Statler last week according to

Remember going to the 2001 Junior League Decorators' Show House?  Well, either way, the Chapin Parkway mansion that was rehabilitated and redecorated for the 2001 Junior League event has just been listed for sale with an asking price of $1.4 million. 

The towering tudor sits on Chapin between Potomac and Saybrook and contains nearly 7,000 square feet of living space.  That's an asking price of just over $200 per square foot.  The house last sold in November 2000 for $550,000.  This $1+ million listing comes on the heels of another notable Buffalo mansion selling

Gateway-Longview and the Lt. Col. Matt Urban Center have broken ground on an east side apartment building.  The 12-unit, two bedroom apartment complex will be located on Monroe Street near Broadway and Jefferson Avenue.  The facility will provide a home for teens and young adults who have aged out of foster care and have been placed in Gateway-Longview's Supervised Independent Living Program.

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Ellicott Development is wrapping up construction at The Pasquale, Waterfront Village's new mid-rise residential tower.  To date, 31 of the tower's 49 units are sold.  Purchasers have closed on 13 of the residences at prices ranging from $349,000 to $572,500 on the first through eighth floors in recent weeks.  Penthouse suites are expected to top $1 million.

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The Adam's Mark Hotel's new owners, Western New York Lodging LLC, are investing $700,000 in upgrades to the downtown hotel after the Erie County Industrial Development Agency board today approved a sales tax exemption.  The hotel, expected to soon fly the Crowne Plaza flag, is going to receive a facelift and extensive renovations. 

Included in this phase is a new Internet/phone system, upgraded equipment for the parking ramp, an enhanced guestroom locking system and improved shower valves.  It represents

A downtown housing project targeting students is moving forward.  Jake Schneider purchased 136 North Division Street on May 1 for $1.85 million.  The deal was brokered by Hunt Commercial's Chris Malachowski.

Schneider will convert the 100-year-old Alling & Cory building into a 90-apartment/dorm complex. The Erie County Industrial Development Agency approved incentives for the $16.6

Mark Croce's Franklin Street holdings have grown again.  The prolific restaurateur and property owner purchased a three-story apartment building at 267 Franklin yesterday.  Croce's 'Saturn Development Corporation' paid $475,000 for the property according to public records.

The apartment building contains 14 one and two-bedroom units.  Built in 1883 and known as The Netherlands, it was renovated in 1988 by George Smilanich III, a partner in costume and novelty retailer George & Co. 

One of the neatest renovation projects downtown is sporting new awnings.  The 1875 Buehl Block building at the corner of Broadway and Ellicott Street was recently fitted with the maroon exclamation points.  The Second Empire style brick building received a top-to-bottom renovation by Roger Trettel and contains a mix of commercial and residential space.  It opened in early-2007. 

The mansard-roofed building,

The City of Buffalo is applying for $20 million in Restore New York funds.  Funding would assist with the demolition of 650 vacant properties.  The Restore New York's Communities Initiative aids in the demolition, deconstruction, rehabilitation and/or reconstruction of vacant, abandoned, condemned and surplus properties.  Restore New York places a strong emphasis on projects in economically distressed communities.  Funding for the third and final round of the program is $150 million, bringing

There's a glimmer of hope for the Summit Building.  No, it is not from the ever-increasing hole in the building's roof.  The City is applying for Restore New York funding to help save the historic property at 918 Main Street in the Allentown Historic Preservation District.  State assistance would be used for internal demolition work and façade restoration. 

The four-story,

This one caught our attention in a hurry.  According to Miriam Treger, an agent with Realty USA,  the concept of "foreclosure tours" came from networking with agents out of California who are affiliated with the same national training and coaching organization Realty USA belongs to.  
"As part of our ongoing desire to strive to improve our real estate skills, we belong to an organization that coaches real estate agents from

The Erie County Industrial Development Agency approved a $16.6 million project to create student housing near Erie Community College's city campus and plans to rehab a vacant multi-family structure at 250 Virginia Street. 

Developer Jake Schneider will convert the 100-year-old Alling & Cory building, at 136 N. Division St., into a 90-apartment/dorm complex. Also approved was a $1.6 conversion of a three-story Virginia Street

A strip of decrepit buildings along Grant and Rees streets near Buffalo State College may soon be coming down.  The residential structures are owned by Bflo West Side Properties LLC and Elmwood Village Contracting, affiliates of real estate firm Greenleaf & Company, and a group of investors from Amherst, Massachusetts going by the name of Buffalo Suites LLC.  Greenleaf, partnering with the out-of-towners, is eyeing the assemblage for a new-build residential project geared towards Buff State students.

The residential properties

The last piece of steel was put in place at the Federal Courthouse project yesterday.  Officials and construction workers were on hand to celebrate the milestone event in the construction project.  Pittsburgh-based Mascaro Construction is building the $123 million, 10-story glass structure. 

Photo by Joe Cascio

The traditional "topping off" ceremony saw a flag and tree-topped, signed beam hoisted

The Chairman of M&T Bank and Empire State Development thinks the former AM&A's store on Main Street is a "disgrace."  Robert Wilmer's blast came in an interview with Business First's James Fink:

"Why that building has sat vacant and in that condition for 14 years is something that shouldn't have been allowed to happen."

Some 10 months into his tenure as chairman of ESD, Wilmers has seen the best and worst of economic development opportunities across New York. In the latter

A few projects are moving forward even in trying economic times.  Architect Karl Frizlen and contractor Paul Johnson's 257 Lafayette LLC have started renovation work at the former Catholic Academy School.  The pair are converting it into a mix of commercial and residential space.

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An ornate piece of Main Street's 500 block is for sale.  Chris Malakowski of Hunt Commercial Real Estate is listing the three-floor, 7,680 sq.ft. building at 523 Main Street with a $165,000 asking price.  It is one of several properties on the block currently on the market.

"523 is a very interesting building and I think the price is right.," says Malachowksi.  "The interesting part is that the back of 523 is actually 'attached' or contiguous

A three-story apartment building on the west side is coming back to life. Casa Shelby Development, LLC is proposing to renovate the vacant building at 250 Virginia Street for residential use.  Twenty-four apartments and private parking are planned. 

Business First has the details:

The building, located at the corner of Virginia and 10th streets, has been vacant for more than five years. Originally built as a hotel, it has gone through a number of changes and had been used as apartments.

We're happy to launch the Buffalo Rising Store.  There's a new button in the top right hand corner of the navigation which will direct users to the store, so go ahead and click it.  If you don't see it, hit refresh.   

As we mentioned when we launched this latest version of the site, we've been working behind-the-scenes on the Buffalo Rising Store and a new Restaurant Guide.  Today, we're launching the store. 

Sharon Linstedt's parting story in The Buffalo News is fittingly on the Statler.  The fate of the faded building has filled more than a few pages of the paper over the years.  Linstedt talks to two property owner/developers on what it will take to bring the Statler back.

First from Uniland Development's Carl Montante:

"There's no question it must be saved. It's an icon for the community and very salvageable,"