Author: jlb716

A fire and “gangs” have doomed a North Buffalo church. Owner Korean United Methodist Church is seeking to demolish the circa-1926 structure located at the southeast corner of Tacoma and Colvin avenues. A three-alarm arson fire in April appears to have sealed the building’s fate. It has been vacant for several years.From the Buffalo Preservation Board agenda:DEMOLITION: After many years standing vacant, deteriorated and rife with mold, decay and structural failures, compounded by illicit occupation by territorial gangs & their related vandalism, the sanctuary portion of the structure was destroyed by a three alarm fire in April of this year.…

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Though Rocco Termini has two major projects planned in North Buffalo, he hasn’t stopped working downtown. Conversion of the former Horton Coffee Co. building at 338 Ellicott Street is in full swing. The 4,800 sq.ft., one-story building will house Tappo, an Italian restaurant run by chef Mike Andrzejewski.Termini and Andrzejewski are turning Ellicott Street into a Culinary Corridor. Andrzejewski owns SeaBar located in Termini’s Ellicott Commons complex at 475 Ellicott and also Mike A steakhouse in the revamped Lafayette Hotel. Tappo, Italian for cork, will be a “value-centric” restaurant serving fine Italian food and wine. Customers will be able to…

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Oak Street is possibly getting a new residence. Devin O’Brien is seeking to convert 256 Oak Street into a one-family dwelling. The Zoning Board of Appeals will consider the application on December 19 at 2 pm, City Hall Room 901. O’Brien needs a use, lot area and setback variance to make the project possible.The buildings targeted are a one-story garage at 254 Oak Street and a two-story former manufacturing facility at 256 Oak. They contain a total of 5,249 sq.ft. of space and are located directly behind Old Editions Bookstore located at Oak and E. Huron streets. The most recent…

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Construction is full swing in the Theater District where cars will be returning to the block between Chippewa and Tupper streets next year. Buffalo Place, the City, NFTA and NYS Department of Transportation are working with downtown property owners and stakeholders on the next phase of the project between Chippewa and Mohawk streets. Preliminary designs were released in late-October and have been since revised, shown here, pillaged from the Buffalo Place website. Construction on the roughly $20 million project is expected to start next year. Automobile traffic was removed from Main Street in 1982 when the Metro Rail system, including…

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The Dun Building, downtown’s first high rise when it was constructed in 1895, is for sale. The ten-story, 27,000 sq.ft. building is currently owned by Clover Management and is listed for sale through CBRE Buffalo with a $1.58 million asking price. It is named for R.G. Dun & Co., a precursor to financial services firm Dun & Bradstreet and was designed by architects E.B. Green and W.S. Wicks. The Pearl Street building is located within the Joseph Ellicott Historic District and is a designated city landmark. It was purchased in 1999 by Dun Building LLC, an affiliate of Clover Management. …

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HSBC will be vacating its signature tower when its lease expires in October 2013. Bank employees currently occupy 2/3 of the 38-story building straddling Main Street, or 650,000 sq.ft. The move will leave the tower nearly 90 percent vacant. Law firm Phillips Lytle will be moving to One Canalside next year and the tower recently lost tenants Capital One Financial and the Canadian Consulate. Buffalo Business First has the scoop: The longtime anchor tenant of the tallest building in Buffalo plans to shift employees to two locations: the HSBC Atrium on Washington Street and its facility in Depew, spokesperson Neil…

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Developer Rocco Termini is planning a pair of redevelopment projects in North Buffalo. Termini has the FWS complex on Elmwood Avenue under contract and is also planning to renovate a nearby industrial property at 316 Chote Street. Both will be a mix of residential plus commercial space and utilize historic preservation tax credits.

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Prolific redeveloper Rocco Termini is apparently heading out of town. Downtown that is. Termini is scheduled to present reuse plans for the FWS building at 1738 Elmwood Avenue to the Black Rock-Riverside Good Neighbors Planning Alliance on Wednesday night. The redevelopment is expected to involve a restaurant along with apartments.Termini has done extensive work downtown, converting seven properties into a mix of retail, commercial, hotel, restaurant and residential space. After tackling his largest project to date, the transformation of the Lafayette Hotel, Termini was expected to turn his attention to transform the mammoth AM&A’s Department Store into hotel, residential, restaurant…

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It may not have been perfect, but it was still a win for Buffalo.Thursday night at a chilly Ralph Wilson Stadium, the Bills welcomed in longtime rivals, the Miami Dolphins, and came away with their first victory in the division this year, 19-14, stopping a three-game losing streak and putting Buffalo in a tie with said Dolphins in the AFC East.It didn’t scream, “We’re back!” with any authority.It didn’t instantly assuage all the fears Bills fans have had about their supposed playoff-caliber team. It didn’t even get them above .500 (they’re now 4-6), but Buffalo at least got to chalk…

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