BFC Partners along with Oak -Michigan HDFC, Inc., the owner of McCarley Gardens, are proposing a significant addition to the development located at the southern end of the Medical Campus. The team renovating the existing McCarley Gardens units are proposing a six-story mixed-use building at the northwest corner of the site at Virginia and Ellicott streets.
Under a conceptual plan prepared by Carmina Wood Morris, the 265,000 sq.ft. building would include 24,000 sq.ft. of retail space, 250 parking spaces and 212 affordable and market-rate apartments wrapped around a central courtyard. The developers have requested a rezone of a portion of the site and are also proposing to relocate a stretch of North Oak Street to connect to Virginia Street.
From the Project Application:
The Applicant is seeking to expand upon the improvements to the existing McCarley Gardens development by adding an additional approximately 212 workforce/affordable and market-rate housing to a 1.63-acre portion of the northwest corner of 172 Goodell Street. This second phase of the McCarley Gardens renovation project is a crucial step in bringing urban amenities to residents of McCarley Gardens, the Fruit Belt and the broader Buffalo Niagara Medical Campus. Surrounding residential developments have a long waitlist for units at all price points, underscoring both demand and need for additional housing to accommodate the influx of young professionals and health care workers employed at Medical Campus that to seek urban living arrangements.
The proposed development will also improve safety and enliven the streetscape of Ellicott and Virginia by adding continuous storefront retail around this corner. Retail presence drives foot traffic, improving the economy and the safety of the surrounding streets. The Project includes up to 20,000 square feet of 1st floor retail space, with likely tenants including casual fare restaurants, providing a key amenity to Fruit Belt residents and Medical Campus workers alike. Further, up to 250 parking spaces will provide parking to nearby offices and businesses and will assist in easing existing parking congestion in the vicinity of the Project Site.