Three eyesores in the Ohio Street corridor may soon be gone. Ellicott Development is seeking the Buffalo Preservation Board’s blessing on Thursday to demolish decrepit buildings located at 11 Chicago Street, 53 Mackinaw Street and 300 Ohio Street. All three sites are expected to undergo environmental remediation through the NYS Department of Environmental Conservation’s Brownfield Cleanup Program. The site remediation would be a necessary precursor for any intensive reuse of the properties.
The three parcels, purchased in 2011, are amongst a number of properties Ellicott Development owns along Ohio and Chicago streets. Many surround the historic and crumbling Cooperage building and are adjacent to Father Conway Playground. A portion of a larger parcel fronting the Buffalo River will be the site of Buffalo Scholastic Rowing Association’s Patrick Paladino Memorial Boathouse.
An infrastructure and streetscape project along the Ohio Street corridor will be underway next spring. The $10 million project includes funding from the state, city and federal governments. It will turn Ohio Street into a tree-lined parkway with new lighting and landscaping, as well as walking and biking paths, linking the inner and outer harbors. The work will extend from Route 5/Fuhrmann Boulevard to Michigan Avenue, plus improvements along St. Clair Street between Ohio and South streets.
Ellicott Development is also seeking demolition for a number of other properties it owns including 61 Edna Place, 315 Fulton Street, 1175 E. Lovejoy Street, 206 Ontario Street and 43 St. Paul. The Preservation Board meets on Thursday at 3 PM, City Hall Room 901.