The stalled Sycamore Village development appears to be on the verge of being green-lighted. If you’re an early bird, the Buffalo Planning Board will be reviewing plans for the subdivision at 8:15 am Tuesday in Room 901 of City Hall. Work on the project ground to a halt in 2002 when contractors discovered that the land was contaminated with lead, mercury and chromium. Three new homes on Sycamore Street built by MJ Peterson/Forbes Homes and James Management were left unfinished and remain boarded up.
With funding through a New York State brownfield grant, the City hired Zoladz Construction Co. to remove and replace the top 18 inches of soil on the 3-acre parcel. With oversight by the New York State Department of Conservation, the $500,000 clean-up effort is complete and the City is moving forward with plans for the residential development. The property is adjacent to the Buffalo Forge plant that was recently demolished.
Sycamore Village will include 25 homes at the southwest corner of Sycamore Street and Jefferson Avenue. The three unfinished homes are expected to be completed and put on the market. Hundreds of new homes, nearly all of them subsidized, have been built in the near east side neighborhood since the early 1980's.