A warehouse at the northeast corner of Seneca and Hamburg streets will become the Larkin District’s first significant residential project. “The Square at Larkinville” will feature 31 market-rate apartments and 18,500 sq.ft. of office space at 550 Seneca Street. It is being undertaken by Frontier Group of Companies. CSS Construction will be an investor and serve as the general contractor for the $5.4 million project that has been designed by Carmina Wood Morris.
“We will be providing a combination of one and two bedroom units with an average size of approximately 950 to 1,100 sq.ft.,” says David Pawlik, president of Creative Structures Services.
“The creation a vibrant business and retail district now allows for a substantial financial market-rate residential investment which will be at the 550 Seneca Street location,” adds Pawlik.
“This is a cool project with unique units and location,” says Steve Carmina, AIA. “The exterior will have the look and feel of a warehouse. You won’t even know it is a residential building until you are on the inside.”
Rents are expected to be approximately $1.10/sq.ft. Interior parking for 86 cars will be utilized for commercial and residential building tenants and nearby office workers.
The 92,000 sq.ft. building, a former A&P Bakery, is composed of two and four-story sections. Frontier Group of Companies purchased the property last year for $385,000. It is adjacent to 500 Seneca Street that Frontier Group of Companies and Savarino Development Corp. are converting into 300,000 square feet of Class A office space and a nonprofit job training center.
The Square at Larkinville will be the largest residential development in the Larkin District. Larkin Development Group created two residences in the Schaeffer Building at 740 Seneca Street and has two more nearing completion in the former Swan Lounge at 716 Seneca.
Chaintreuil-Jensen-Stark Architects put four apartments into the upper floors of the restored Kamman Building at 755 Seneca Street.
There are plans for other residential projects. Larkin Development Group in early 2011 purchased the Larkin Men’s Club Building at 696 Seneca Street with plans to eventually convert the building to residential use. Nearby, Seneca Holdings LLC has plans to convert the former Larkin Boiler House into 54 residences. Seneca Holdings is currently focused on reuse of the massive Larkin Center of Commerce structure at 701 Seneca Street.
The Buffalo Planning Board gave the project a thumbs-up at its meeting on Tuesday. Work at 550 Seneca Street is expected to start in July and be finished by March 2015.
