Buffalo Rising Online

Yup, the only thing that could be better is if it were 10 stories tall instead of only 5.

When are we going to get past that darn 5 story limit?

What a great addition to the downtown landscape. It will also compliment what will EVENTUALLY be built a bit further down Delaware (Federal Courthouse). Actually, what would be nice is 2 or 3 floors of housing....but I'm not complaining. :-) Thanks Uniland! Looking forward to plans of your joint venture with Mark Croce on Pearl behind Sheas.

Looks Great !!!

Cool ...... like all the other projects ..... get it done

Delaware between Chippewa and Virginia is really poised to become Downtown's retail core. We already have Pitt Petri and the Ultimate Men's Shop and the blocks are anchored by hotels. There is residential, restaurants and cafes scattered throughout as well. The buildings at the corner of Tupper and Delaware have huge windows and parking on the street is plentiful as well as behind the buildings. It could be a mini version of Chicago's Miracle Mile.

Those big steel plates on the roof...are they just for shade? Could they also be utilized for solar heat?

Hearty congratulations to Uniland for proposing an urban building for an urban context. I am pleased to see ground floor retail, multiple stories, mixed uses, appropriately placed landscaping (trees between sidewalk and curb instead of shrubberies between building and sidewalk), and a clearly findable front entrance.

There's a simple way to predict which buildings will generate urban vitality and which will suppress it, and that is the doorknob/door handle test. The more doorknobs (i.e. restaurants, retail, etc.) reachable from the sidewalk on any given block, the more pedestrian traffic. Chippewa Street west of Pearl has lots of doorknobs and lots of vitality. Chippewa street east of Pearl has no doorknobs and no vitality.

Contrast this design with the blank facade and rear entrance that arguably better architects are foisting off on us at the BPAC. My prediction? No doorknobs or even windows at the sidewalk, therefore no urban vitality. That is what makes it a suburban building, more appropriate for an office park in Amherst.

Uniland's design would be even better if it had operable windows to take advantage of cool lake breezes in the summer. Maybe it does, I can't tell. Inoperable windows are punitive and depressing for the occupants and this building is a mile from one of the country's largest natural air conditioners, Lake Erie.

I also have to ask: what is up with that pointless blank wall extending from the front corner of the building? It appears to provide ideal wino or mugger haven.

On a scale of 1-10 in terms of urbanism, I give it an 8.5.

What an improvement. Too bad they didn't bring the design aesthetic to the Niagara Center, but much better late than never.

Looks great. Responding to an earlier post - yeah, doesn't seem like anyone wants/can build high buildings. Seems with all of the downtown rentals going in - as well as a need for owner-occupied units, they could've added some housing. Needless to say - it will be a tremendous addition to Delaware Ave. Bravo.

BP is not on a commercial strip - it's part of the Buffalo State campus. Nothing on that block of Elmwood is remotely like the commercial strip, which begins (or ends) at Forest. I think it's unfair to compare the new art center's siting and context to these buildings - it's apples and oranges.

The Good: New 5 story Office building with what appears to be streetfront retail space. FIlls in an empty lot in an important area of Delaware. Speculative building (finally, now for larger scale...), no presigned tenants. A modern looking building for DT.

The bad: Oddly protruding stone walls. ( I can overlook this oddity )

Other comments: I absolutely love the idea of building small scale urban buildings in the 4-6 story range downtown. I feel that building these medium density buildings will allow us to fill in our gaptoothed streets. The very tall 10+ story buildings can come last and fill in the final remaining gaps. My thoughtprocess for this one is this: I would prefer to have 2 5 story buildings occupying more land than one 10 story building occupying half as much land. This allows us more street density and more street front retail opportunities.

Right on, Larry. I'm happy to see the West Village being referred to as "arguably Buffalo's hottest area for new develpment." The examples cited were great support for that argument. We're very excited down in the West Village and on the Lower West Side about all the new develpment going on. Don't forget to mention that Hutch Tech is undergoing a $22-million restoration project, which should really enhance that already beautiful, historic building. The budget for that project is much bigger than Uniland's budget for building this new thing on Delaware.

I'm sure if Uniland added 5 floors of residential it would be leased up before the building was completed. With all the great living space being added downtown none offers dramatic views that a taller building can offer.

I agree with Jordan about not being disappointed in the size of the building. I like the extended retail opportunities existing along the first floor that would be fewer in a taller structure with a narrower base. Also, most of the buildings on Delware aren't tall (with the exception of the to be demolished Dulski federal building). I don't want to shift the central district from Main Street to Delaware. I like seeing the in-fill on Delaware. Hopefully, some of the shovel ready parking lots along Washington Street could site taller towers to complement those along Main Street. Good to see Uniland getting in the game and building some spec space outside of the typical suburban office parks. Since the ECIDA has decided to help finance spec office space in the suburbs with tax breaks, hopefully they will be just as supportive of downtown (although I wish they hadn't opened the door to tax breaks).

LUV THIS DESIGN, Modern, to the street, retail space, fills a long time empty space, creates mass to a growing part of Downtown. Can't wait till it's complete.

It's not spec. M&T is going to sign a lease before the first shovel is in the ground.

It's not spec. M&T is going to sign a lease before the first shovel is in the ground.

This will be very nice. The quasi-industrial feel of the design would also make a large "sister" structure a nice fit in the Cobblestone District. Are what appear to be brise-soleil in expectation that before long continued global warming will have everything south of Hudson's Bay part of the Sun Belt?

would like to have seen it cover more space along Delaware. It seems to leave large open areas at each end. I thing the stone wing walls are an attempt to mitigate this.

I like the design. Fills in one of many gaps Downtown. I agree with Jordan that DT needs mid-rise buildings first to fill in the gaps before the talls become necessary. Now if Channel 2 could either vacate or redesign their dreadful stuidio to complement rather than mar the streetscape. Nothing worst than half of "restuarant row" being lined with a horrid razor-wire fence.

Good design breeds good developenment. When projects are well conceived and executed it draws others with money to invest (and recoup their investments), as the adjacent Church redevelopment has started to do. Lets hope that Uniland actually builds this as designed and/or not sit on this property for another ten years.

WGRZ's concentration camp fence is warm and inviting, isn't it? It wouldn't surprise me to see them move INTO one of the new buildings going up in the next few months/years, opening up the possibility for their current location to be replace with something a little more appropriate to the neighborhood. Corner studios with windows to the street seem to be the hot new thing for stations in larger markets across the country, and will eventually happen here.

Was Buffalo recently touched by the magic wand of the construction faerie? I don't know what's going on, but I like it.

I think the extensions on the corners are to hide loading dock and trash areas.

Many called for The Church to be torn down. They blame the obstructionist preservationists for forcing this building into renovation rather than for use as a new parking lot.

Hoooray for the obstructionists!

very cool, but yes 5 stories higher would be nice with condo's or apartments...but hell, i'll take it!

For the architectural jargon-impaired, "brise-soleil, " a term used by Perry Fisher, are sun-shading louvres. I had to look it up myself. Here's an example:

http://www.buildingdesign.co.uk/arch/levolux/

Very nice design. Very good to have it in the 'hood. Extremely good work by the neighborhood in partnership with many other entities to clean up the area of unlawful activities allowing for more reinvestment of the area. Go, WVRG!

As far as additional residential - before you folks who do not live in this area complete your plans for it, please be advised that the area has little or no parking. Johnson Park has two multiple dwelling units - one with 20 apartments, the other with 33, as well as a rooming house of 8 legal units (though it sometimes goes over that limit) and a number of two and four unit buildings - all with only seven driveways and alternate parking. We are also surrounded by approximately six other major multiple dwelling units (average number of apartments is 20 per unit).

Additionally, the population density is one of the highest in Buffalo (nevermind the Central District's estimate of 6 per acre - that also includes all of the government and former retail space of downtown - look, instead, to the neighborhood) is more like 26 per acre.

If, and I do mean a strong IF here, Paladino actually does residential over boutique hotel, this would increase population density to an inordinate proportion. If anything, we need more retail - more service oriented shops and businesses. I think the current plans fit very nicely and compliment the area perfectly.

Thanks for the article and plug, WCP! And thanks, Uniland, for believing the "The Village."

Here is the bright side for Buffalo! Our city is horribly under-built because there hasnt been any construction on speculation in 75 years (lol). That means that while many cities in the rest of the country are going to experience a real estate correction, Buffalo will continue to chug along consistently on well earned momentum.

The question that Im begging to be asked is: -when will the Jefferson & Best exists of the Kensington be redeveloped as entrances to the life sciences corridor and the olmstead park -when will the kensington be downgraded back to humbold parkway between Jefferson and downtown putting traffic back on the local eastside streets feeding eastside residential and commercial renaissance -when will the light rail be extended to the airport -when with the Peace Bridge construction start and when will Niagara Street be redeveloped according the New Millenium Group's Gateway plan. -will the 8 million dollars from Pfizer for UBs Center for Excellence in Pharmacy be added to the life sciences corridor and when will the local Pharmaceutical companies form a consortium with the life science's research. -when is the new Buffalo Convention center going to be discussed and financed? -lastly, following the success of the high density light industrial/office parks in Amherst, Tonawanda and now Cheektowaga...when will Buffalo come up with a real plan for these parks in each of its communities (common council districts).

We have the momentum, but now we have to put this momentum into some really big projects for our local economy.

I'm certain Uniland is pleased to hear such rousing approval of what is truly a great project. Let's hope it raises the standard for all new development in the city. A rising tide lifts all boats.

About the wierd wing walls. I now see that they're intended to shield the street from parking on the side. There is a better way to do this. Extend the footprint into an actual T shape, which provides more rentable space and better shields the dumpsters or cars.

NICE....build it.

In responce to the first comment, 5 stories is small, but think about this, ,,, paris and london are both cities of 5 story buildings..... its not the height, but the density that matters.

Just a heads up. A big blank concrete wall like that is just screaming out for some graffiti. Not that I'm going to do it or anything. I'm just saying that that part of the design is asking for it.

I think it is an ugly building for the price tag!