Karl Frizlen and Jason Yots are following Rocco Termini to Chandler Street in Black Rock. Frizlen is seeking a rezoning of 27 and 37 Chandler Street to allow a residential conversion of the buildings. Both are owned by Henry Sontag, Jr. Forty-one apartments, office space, and 65 parking spaces are planned for the properties. Frizlen and Yots are also teaming up to convert a freight house at nearby 68 Tonawanda Street into 37 apartments.
27 Chandler is three-stories and 24,640 sq.ft. of space while neighboring 37 Chandler is 12,760 sq.ft. spread across two stories. The parcels extend to Grote Street and have both M1 and R2 zoning. 27 Chandler was constructed in 1901 as the Jewett Refrigerator Factory and 37 Chandler was built a year later by The Double Brass Cornice Brake Company.
“The Chandler Street factories and the Tonawanda Street train depot share two important attributes: both are in Black Rock and along the Belt Line Railroad,” said Jason Yots, President of Common Bond Real Estate and Preservation Studios, the historic preservation consulting firm that will qualify the buildings for federal and New York historic tax credits.
“Black Rock is one of the oldest and most historically significant neighborhoods in Buffalo, and the Buffalo Belt Line Railroad once was the commercial spine of the city,” notes Yots, “Investing in Black Rock and along the Belt Line aligns well with our business model of reinvesting in underserved historic neighborhoods.”
While their project on Tonawanda Street will feature large, lofted two-bedroom townhouse-style apartments, the Chandler Street apartments will be more economical and will include a mix of affordable one-bedroom “micro” apartments.
“We’re currently planning about twenty one-bedrooms and seventeen two-bedrooms,” said Frizlen, whose architecture firm The Frizlen Group will act as project architect, “These will be efficient and affordable units that will be price-accessible for students and entry-level workers.”
In addition to the 37 apartments, the project will include an office suite along the northern façade of the buildings that will house multiple businesses. “We’re currently searching for a dynamic mix of office tenants that will appreciate a cooperative work environment,” indicated Yots.
Further east on Chandler, Rocco Termini is proposing to redevelop the Linde Air Manufacturing complex at 155 Chandler Street into 80,000 sq.ft. of commercial incubator space and potentially ten apartments (rendering, above left). Across the street, the four-story building at 166 Chandler would also be commercial space (above right).
The Zoning Board of Appeals will consider the land use change at its December 21 meeting. Frizlen and Yots estimate a total project cost of $5.2 million and construction is expected to begin mid-2017.
Get Connected: Frizlen Group/Buffalofts, 716.381.9838