Iskalo Development is busy constructing a parking deck at the southwest corner of Oak and Sycamore streets. The 47-vehicle ramp will be used by the US Drug Enforcement Agency, a tenant in Iskalo’s nearby Electric Tower building. The balance of the site will remain surface parking for 71 cars. In late-2007, Iskalo floated a proposal for a larger, three-level, 350 space ramp for the site (rendering below). The developer down-scaled those plans to just one-story to accommodate the secure parking needs of the DEA. Electric Tower has been steadily filling since Iskalo reopened the renovated downtown landmark in August 2007.
Author: westcoastperspective
Construction crews are busy converting the 700 block of Main Street to two-way traffic. The project represents the first phase of a multi-year effort to return traffic to downtown’s pedestrian mall. The work stretches from Goodell to Tupper Street. Construction, started in late-August, will be be finished in the spring at a cost of $2.4 million.
The Daemen College Center for Sustainable Communities is presenting the 4th Annual Environmental Summit on Saturday, September 27, 2008, starting at 9:00 am in the Wick Student Center Building. This year’s event, “My Environment, My Choice,” will include workshops to help citizens save money through energy efficiency and reduce their environmental impact. This event is free to the college community and public and includes workshops on home and community gardening, home energy efficiency and ways to make a difference through individual or community actions. Erie County Executive Chris Collins will kick-off the day’s activities.
LGM, a Colorado-based architectural model shop, has opened a Buffalo office in the Craven Dickinson Seed Co. Building, 567 Exchange Street in the Larkin District. The new office, called LGM East, will function as a full-service model shop specializing in color sales models and 3-D printed models for use by architects and real estate developers.
Bashar Issa appears to be officially checking out of Buffalo. A deal was penned yesterday to unload the Statler to a partnership headed by Toronto businessman Howard Hurst and Erie, Pennsylvania-based hotelier Scott Enterprises. Issa’s BSC Development purchased the 18-story Niagara Square landmark in August 2006 for $3.5 million and proposed turning the circa-1923 giant into a mix of hotel, office and residential space at a cost of over $60 million. The Manchester-based developer swept into town with big plans but was only able to complete elevator repairs and lobby improvements at a reported cost of $6 to $8 million.
The UB School of Management’s Center for Entrepreneurial Leadership, in conjunction with the UB School of Urban Studies, is preparing for the Allstate Minority and Women Emerging Entrepreneurs Program Open House, being held on September 19th. You can go to the Jacob’s Executive Development Center at 672 Delaware Avenue, from 8AM to 11PM, to meet with graduates of the program and the program administrators. The program, under new director, Thomas R. Ulbrich, is geared towards minorities and women in the beginning stages of owning a business. It is funded by Allstate and a $500 fee from each student. “Most of…
A Porter Avenue Queen Anne Victorian is up for sale. The stunning circa-1888 Stanton Mansion at 361 Porter Avenue has six bedrooms, three and a half baths and 3,492 sq.ft. of living space. The beauty has an asking price of $359,900 and is listed with Realty USA’s Calvin Johnson.
A crumbling tunnel is keeping a portion of Washington Street between Clinton and Eagle treets closed. The City shut down the busy downtown block after discovering that a tunnel connecting the former AM&A’s Department Store and warehouses across Washington Street was badly deteriorated. Property owner New Horizons Acquisitions of Long Island will be on the hook for needed repairs being undertaken by the City. The street has been closed since September 2. New Horizons Acquisitions purchased the former department store and warehouses in September 2006 for $2.05 million. The company’s plan to convert the properties into a mix of 180…
The Casa Luce project in Waterfront Village has moved a key step forward, but not before taking a beating by neighbors. The Buffalo Urban Renewal Agency named Waterfront Medical Professionals, LLC ‘designated developer’ for the city-owned, 2.4 acre parcel at 240-260 Lakefront Boulevard. Casa Luce as proposed will consist of eight townhome units and 18 condominiums in an eight-story mid-rise building. Neighbors turned out at Thursday morning’s BURA meeting to oppose the project.
CityView Properties now controls all of the Genesee Block, sans Eddie Brady’s tavern. Genesee Gateway LLC purchased 85 and 91 Genesee Street from Triangle Development yesterday for $25,000. The vacant properties are located at the corner of Genesee and Ellicott streets. 91 Genesee is three-stories. Only the ground floor façade remains at 85 Genesee, formerly a four-story building that collapsed during a 2002 wind storm while being gutted. CityView Properties’ Genesee Gateway development at the other end of the block, 99-125 Genesee Street, is expected to be underway soon. The $12 million project will see the long-vacant buildings turned into…