Breaking Ground at Waterfront Place
Officials from the City and Ellicott Development broke ceremonial ground today at the site of Waterfront Place, a new $30 million residential waterfront development, while construction crews already on the job worked in the background.
Mayor Brown said the complex, featuring town homes and a 11-story condo tower, will help complete the Waterfront Village development by offering "walkable, attractive community amenities. "
"Demand continues to grow not only for downtown loft apartments, but waterfront condos and apartments as well," Brown said. "This project represents what my Administration envisions for the continuing rebirth and development of Buffalo's waterfront."
The 5.3 acres of land, which has stood unoccupied for 30 years, was purchased last month for $814,500 by Ellicott Development. Waterfront Place will feature 15 luxury townhouses and a 49-unit condo tower adjacent to a private park.
"We look at this as part of the completion of the Erie Basin Marina, which was started 25 years ago," said Carl Paladino, president and CEO of Ellicott Development. "But we also look at it as just the beginning for us, we've got a lot to do."
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Andrew
That was surprisingly fast! THANK YOU for keeping your promise to start this spring (I hope 50 court st. is the next to do the same) I only wish it were like 15-20 stories or so.
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Andrew
wait the original story said it was 13 stories. is it 11 or 13?
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flyguy
its 11 condo floors on top of 2 parking levels making 13. Court would be great but its held up in court as nearly everything in this town. Court would be a great addition creating a continuous urban street wall from the square to city hall!
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TommyBoi
More 1980's CRAP on our waterfront...Wow! Not impressed
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SteveP
Well, there's your typical comment on the BRO message board complaining about development. I guess you're damn if you do and damn if you don't in this town.
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SteveP
sry ...(damned) if you do (damned) if you don't
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Aloha
Yeah, TommyBoi, but the upside to your comment is this:
Yay! More 1980s construction on the waterfront. Wow! I am thoroughly impressed.
Personally, I love the design. Of course I also still look for reruns of the Golden Girls on TV. I love the '80s, so bring 'em on!
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Andrew
true that flyguy true that. and tommyboi do you like what was there before... NOTHING. Some people in this town are never satisfied unless the building is a winner of a world wide architecture award. If you dont like it dont live there!
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davvid
don't live where, Buffalo?
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TBone
Andrew... the reason you don't see taller buildings is because of there is a step in building code regulations at 14 stories (i think it is 14, it may be 15) which requires a great deal more from construction. Its difficult to develop at this cost given the weak market. Probably why there hasn't been such a build in over a decade, and even then that building relied heavily on government subsidies.
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Sal
Great Project! The city even realized a profit on the sale of the land.
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TimeIsNow
TommyBoi, basically, you are an idiot, bringing high class condos & townhouses downtown is GOOD for the city. The city needs to increase its downtown residency; more people living downtown brings more businesses, tax money and a stronger core for the region! These kind of projects need to be quickly pasted when brought to the board. So TommyBoi think next time before you type!!!!
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Andrew
Thankyou timeisnow, good points all around and tbone thanks for the info.
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chris69
If you look at Ojibwa and the townhouse development...the one thing you will immediately notice is that NONE of the development connects with Niagara Street where it could actually be part of a larger community and where the larger community could benefit.
Now if your going to get tax dollars then you shouldnt be able to build the equivalent of a gated community
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MeliQ
I'm just impressed and happy that it's ACTUALLY being built--like, real progress, I can go see it myself, as opposed to paper ideas that never materialize. For the naysayers, not everything needs to be some magnificent, unique example of architecture, as long as it's attractive and will get people to want to move it, isn't more bodies downtown 24/7 the real goal? I liked Chris 69's comment about connecting to Niagara St. There so much potential for Niagara but it needs to cleaned up (badly!) and get some more convenience businesses in there. They already have a supermarket, but what about things like a coffee shop, cleaners, etc. Buffalo's Hispanic population needs to be tapped into to also somehow in terms of small businesses, restaurants, markets. We could have a really unique section of town here.
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hodgepodge
more private housing on the waterfront and less public access; what's not to like? So glad that our former mayor (Tony-not Jimmy) allowed parts of the waterfront to be designated special tax zones so that the City's premier real estate -- developed by his cronies -- gets taxed the least. Again; what's not to like?
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gobuffaloniagara
Does anyone know when they will start work on the tower?
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Dasein
I think this is a positive development, and while some flaws have been pointed out, it's better than another empty lot. Overall, the design looks decent, and it will fit with the area. Now we just need to connect it to the rest of the downtown area.
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xosder
MeliQ I agree with your Niagara Street potential and it is certainly being underutilized. But I'm not sure a connection to the Erie Basin makes much sense. I think a more appropriate connection of the Erie Basin area to the rest of the City is getting rid of the convention center and returning Genesee Street right through Niagara Square and into the waterfront village.
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FMOB
xosder... great point! all you need to do is look at an aerial photo or map... Genesee becomes the obvious connection
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doc
I agree MeliQ. Not everything needs to be a spectacular development and I disagree with the 1980's stereotyping of this building. Look at Miami and Chicago. Tons of similar buildings. And the lower height of the Buffalo waterfront tower (13 stories) is what Toronto wishes it had done when their waterfront was developed. Now Toronto has created a concrete schism between the Lake and it's people. Sad. I am a fairly frequent visitor to Chicago and this building is taller than many of the towers going up there, actually, and looks just the same with parking and all on the lower levels. The difference may be the critical mass there. In Buffalo, which lacks the same level of critical mass, things tend to stand out more. But as the impetus of our city's development continues there will be less casual scrutiny. I envision a day, in the not-too-distant future, when projects in Buffalo will be so numerous that our self-serving commentary will appear silly.
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RPreskop
I think this new waterfront development is great news. Finally that barren, depressing piece of empty land is being filled in with a combination townhouse- midrise tower luxury condo development. I love the architecture of this new development. As for some of you who consider this project "80s crap" you are narrow-minded and negative and don't seem to like anything new or differant. As for Niagara Street being upgraded and improved, the first thing is to demolish and clear out that hideous, poorly designed Shoreline Apartments and redevelop the old neighborhood street pattern and recreate the old neighborhood that was once on the site of the Shoreline Apartments. As for the proposed office tower at 50 Court Street, it would be awesome if it were going to be at least 20 stories, but the weak demand for office space and the depressed economy make such an idea financially unfeasible at this time. Plus the idiotic lawsuit filed by that scumbag, slumlord owner of Main Place Mall and office tower has delayed this project once again and is going to add more to the cost of developing the Court-Pearl site. We will be lucky if the planned 11 story office tower gets built thanks to that irresponsible, scumbag owner of Main Place and his endless whining of "we need more parking" when the total opposite is the truth.
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