Ciminelli Real Estate Corporation is in the process of selling off a chunk of its Elmwood Avenue real estate holdings. Whitesand Family LP has agreed to pick up the Bullfeathers Restaurant building, along with 1020 Elmwood, 1024 Elmwood, and 1028 Elmwood.
While the terms of the deal have not yet been hammered out, Tom Sand, a local developer and partner of Whitesand Family LP, said that he has been in discussions with a restaurant to occupy the former Bullfeathers location. He also noted that there are plans to build a mixed use building on the three-parcel site to the north the Bullfeathers site.
The properties were part of Ciminelli Real Estate Corporation’s Elmwood Village building portfolio, considered “the north buildings”, which were also part of the the Arbor + Reverie development. Ciminelli still owns the buildings to the south between Potomac and Bidwell.
“We were not actively looking to sell these buildings,” said president and CEO Paul Ciminelli. “They contacted us. At the time, we were in a wait and see mode, to see how things were going to play out in the Elmwood Village. Currently, we have a lot on our plate with 201 Ellicott and West End. They made an offer, and we took some chips off the table.
Currently, Sands is in the process of getting buy-in from the community. He has already met with neighborhood stakeholders, to discuss his plans, while seeking input at the same time. The initial plans will be presented at an upcoming Buffalo Zoning Board of Appeals meeting.
“We have a chance to pump new life into a sorely missed restaurant and bar space while also adding a mix of modern apartments and built-to-the-sidewalk retail. We’re excited about creating additional retail spaces that will enhance the shopping opportunities in the Elmwood Village and attract more people to Elmwood,” Sand said. “As we do our due diligence, I’m appreciative of the community input I’ve received so far, and I look forward to continuing the dialogue throughout the process.”
Whitesand Family LP currently owns and manages 16 luxury apartments and two studio units at 305 West Utica, and is wrapping up a development at 297 West Utica that consists of eight new luxury apartments and one studio unit.
“We are proud of what we have been able to accomplish so far, and we feel that our best work lies ahead of us,” Sand said.