Buffalo Rising Online

...3 proposals where put in, one was pretty much rejected up front, not put together well, second was from Zepto of course, who wants the space for parking and the third is for apartments [geared toward the medical campus] with a cafe/restaurant. It seems Zepto's proposal is to convert the building to offices and and park in back, it includes also to pull down the addition in back for further parking. Our block club was able to review the proposals along with the city. We feel the city is leaning towards Zepto and has been all along. Our biggest fear is that Zepto will get the property. At our block club meeting on discussion our gut feeling is that one slip of the wreckers ball on removal of the rear portian and bingo...instant parking lot when the whole thing tumbles down and a pathetic fine of $1,500.

...Zepto has not been a good neighbor and not to be trusted. I hope the city does not grant them the building, if they do get it they will be need to be watched, very closely.

...on a side note some food for thought... out of all of Main street why are all of the meter heads missing in front of Zepto only? and have bean for years...

Why would the city choose any other plan than the living units for the medical campus?

GTO... this is Buffalo after all, which doese'nt have a great track record for always doing what makes sense.

Zeptometrix owns the building next to 878 Main Street (not Roxy's, seen to the right of 878 above, but the one of the other side) where they do cutting edge scientific research and run a profitable company. In the past they have been very clear in saying that if they could not own a lot for their employees to park on they would limit new hiring to their Massachusetts (the state, not the avenue) location. Apparently they have now seen that compromise is possible and want to convert the front of 878 Main into an office for themselves, while demolishing the back of the building and creating more parking. Without considering the merits of the housing/restaurant proposal, the Zepto plan is certainly better than the full demo what they're proposed before.

That said, once those wrecking balls start flying it would be awfully easy to - ""oops" - take out the main building. Maybe it would give everyone an incentive to be more careful with the heavy equipment if Zepto/the contractor had to put up a couple of hundred grand as a bond that they'd forfeit if the wreckers got out of hand. If nothing happened they'd get the bond back and all of us doubters would owe Zepto an apology. If something did happen, at least the cost to Zepto would be higher and the City could use the money for something worthwhile like more building inspectors and rehab loans/grants for Allentown.

Beware. The standard script for a project like this is for a demo-hungry potential owner to submit a fake reuse plan, get an architect to do a rendering to make it seem real, and for everything to come to naught because, oops, financing fell through or some other fabricated excuse. Demo is never far behind, espeically if a partial demo is being openly discussed.

Martin, the block club can stop this Zepto from getting this property with a little pressure.

Beware. The standard script for a project like this is for a demo-hungry potential owner to submit a fake reuse plan, get an architect to do a rendering to make it seem real, and for everything to come to naught because, oops, financing fell through or some other fabricated excuse. Demo is never far behind, espeically if a partial demo is being openly discussed.

Martin, the block club can stop this Zepto from getting this property with a little pressure.

There is no "addition." City atlases/maps we found from 1880 and before show that the back portion of the building is original. You can also see it on this 1894 one. (Thanks, Cynthia.) http://www.erie.gov/atlases/buff_94/vol_2/html/city_atlas_2_33.html

I believe this will take more pressure than our block club Chris, I wish otherwise...

I have not had the pleasure of meeting the "block club" but you all sound like a very progressive group. Afterall, trying to a halt the growth and development of a profitable Biotech company at the tip of the Buffalo-Niagara Medical Corridor sounds like a fulfilling past time. So many people from Buffalo stay here to further their education and end up leaving for lack of jobs and several of those people are in the Life Sciences and Biotechnology fields. It is appalling that residents of Buffalo wouldn't want to see companies such as ZeptoMetrix grow and flourish to allow more people to stay around. And for those people who "know" Medical Residents and other medical personnel who may be looking for housing in the 800 block of Main Street, you can bet that 300 sq ft efficiencies are what they are eager to rent. It has been years since anyone outside of ZeptoMetrix has shown any interest in 878 Main Street and it doesn't seem as though the "block club" is ready to put up $500,000 - $700,000 to turn it into something more appropriate than offices and parking for an expanding business so it is time that we widen our train of thought and grow to be more accepting of the people making Buffalo a city of opportunity.

Businesses bring more to the community than the preservationists ever will. All they do is block progress for their own desire to stare at delapitated and ancient architecture for whatever reason. I for one would prefer to see even as few as 5-6 more high-tech jobs in the area as opposed to another crappy building with little to no historical value.