Architect/Developer Karl Frizlen has abandoned plans to renovate a Niagara Street property but has another reuse plan teed up nearby. Frizlen is proposing to convert a former freight terminal at 68 Tonawanda Street into a mix of residential and commercial space but has dropped plans for apartments at 1485 Niagara Street.
Working with Jason Yots’ Bedford Falls Preservation Co., 68 Tonawanda will be christened The Railyard Lofts and contain 37 market-rate apartments and 1,300 sq.ft. of commercial space at the Dearborn Street end of the building. The former terminal is currently utilized for warehouse space and light steel fabrication. Since the project is utilizing historic preservation tax credits, the restoration will be done in accordance to Department of Interior Standards. Preservation Studios is assisting with the tax credit documentation work.
Each of the apartments will contain two-bedrooms with a loft area. Sixty-six parking spaces are proposed, many behind the building. In addition, much-needed landscaping is proposed including sidewalks along Tonawanda Street.
The Zoning Board of Appeals will review the project on November 16 since the current M2 zoning does not allow residential use.
At 1485 Niagara Street, Frizlen has given up plans to convert the four-story building into 30 apartments after the anticipated historic preservation tax credits did not get approved. The National Park Service determined that too much of the original complex had been removed to qualify for the financial incentives. Not to fret, word on the street is that another developer already has eyes on the building.
Get Connected: Frizlen Group, 716.381.9838