A popular South Buffalo take-out pizzeria is expanding in a big way. Last week the Buffalo Planning Board approved plans for Imperial Pizza, located at 1035 Abbott Road, to construct a two-story addition at a cost of close to $2 million. Photo: WBFO Upon visiting Imperial Pizza, it’s easy to see why they are expanding. The service is attentive and on-point, the pizza is good and the place is busy. The current tiny seating area consisting of a table and two chairs will become close to 7,000 square feet larger and will have a sports theme. The planned addition will…
Author: Tim Scanlon
Ellicott Developments’ mixed-use project at 960 Busti Avenue is coming into focus with the rehabilitation of the original windows on the East Elevation. The building was constructed in 1922 as a service building for the Buffalo General Electric Company and was last occupied by Multiform Desiccants in 1995. Vacant for twenty years, it will now be home to a mixed-use development and serve as an anchor to a prominent elbow of Niagara Street. Floors one and two of the four story building will each contain around 13,000 sq. ft. of commercial space. They will be topped by 18 higher-end apartments…
Construction on University Place @ LaSalle has been coming along. Legacy Developments’ $40 million, six-building complex will contain about 700+ beds in apartment style suites geared towards college students. A total of 339 units are planned in studio to four-bedroom layouts. To date, one building is largely complete and others have started vertical construction. The development is tucked in just off of LaSalle Avenue and lies a half block from Main Street. It’s just a short walk from the Main/LaSalle Metro Station, allowing residents easy access to downtown and UB’s nearby South Campus. It is also adjacent to McCarthy Park.…
A design feature from a prominent new NYC condo and hotel tower seems to have found its way into Ellicott Developments’ recently proposed project slated for the corner of Franklin and W. Tupper streets. Photo: Wade Zimmerman Located just south of Central Park, Midtown Manhattan’s One57 is the city’s first residential tower to surpass 1,000 feet. Like perhaps most new buildings, it isn’t universally admired as a great piece of architecture, but the idea – that of a building whose cascading facade denotes movement and fluidity – is intellectually cohesive. The curved oscillating glass panels at the bottom of the…
Vacant and underutilized former schools have been a popular target for residential and mixed-use conversions over the past 5 years or so, with both market rate and subsidized projects being completed throughout the city. Unused schoolhouses can make for convenient conversion opportunities in which hallways, benches, large windows, chalkboards and built-ins can be put to good use as features that also work well in a residential context. Each school room is often conveniently an appropriate size for an apartment. As such, two more vacant school buildings will be finding new life after being considered by the Planning Board this past Monday,…
New York State Senator Tim Kennedy is renewing a push for a bill that would give the City of Buffalo power to more effectively deal with problem landlords. In the current environment, City code enforcement officials face a tough time collecting fines for housing code violations from slumlords and absentee landlords who are sometimes blanketed behind limited liability corporations and often live out of state or country. Under the proposed legislation S.4229-A, any unpaid housing code violations would be treated as delinquent taxes. This would permit the city to place a lien on affected properties, giving concerned neighbors more recourse…
Late last winter we were treated to some eye-candy renderings of Crescendo, a loft conversion project with a prominent location towering over the 190, just south of the 198 junction. Over the past week workers have been busy repairing and painting the formerly unsightly facade and installing new windows. So far, the facade is pretty true to its rendering. Located at 1502 Niagara Street, Crescendo will feature 41 one and two-bedroom rental units, indoor secure parking, a rooftop patio, and 4,500 sq.ft. of commercial space. A restaurant tenant is anticipated to occupy the ground floor of the building. Natale Development…
After a slight redesign and second visit to the Buffalo Planning Board, Regan Development Corporation and HHL Architects are moving forward on a project to transform a handsome Classic Revival style complex at 885 Niagara Street. The current 77,000 sq. ft. building will be modified and converted into 53 apartments geared towards low and moderate income residents. Units will be a mix of one and two bedrooms, with 8 apartments reserved for homeless refugees. Previous Design The Medina sandstone and Roman brick structure was constructed circa 1903 for use by the Buffalo Milk Company. It was designed by the architect…
Larkinville will soon be gaining more residents as the Hydraulic Lofts move closer to occupancy. The luxury apartments are located within the “live/work/play” mixed-use development 500 Seneca, which was developed by Savarino Companies and Frontier Group of Companies. The lofts feature several dozen unique layouts ranging from a 600 sq. ft. studio to a 1500 sq. ft. two bedroom unit. Rents range from $740 to $1925. Unit features include restored wood or polished concrete floors, quartz countertops, high ceilings, large custom windows, in-unit laundry, and industrial touches like Edison bulb lighting. Residents will have 24/7 access to the building’s two-story…
While it is easy to identify with peoples’ property rights, it’s also easy to identify with homeowners’ responsibility to perform basic upkeep on their properties. Ellicott District Councilman Darius Pridgen has unveiled a new ‘shamelord’ sign in front of a home on Orange Street in the Fruit Belt, spurred by a common frustration amongst community residents and stakeholders who want their neighborhood to rebound, but hit a wall when it comes to certain properties. “The owner is not responding to our requests to take care of this property. This is a neighborhood that has fought to come back,” says Pridgen.…