Buffalo Rising Online

Sep 10th 2007, 11:11am By West Coast Perspective

A beat-up apartment building is going condo in the 'Cottage District.' Capitalizing on a wave of investment in the Richmond/Porter/Kleinhans neighborhood, the new owner of 185 York Street is converting the property into three, full-floor condos. Units are expected to be competed by the end of the year.

A previous owner had started ‘rehabbing’ the property for seven low-income rental units. Load-bearing walls were removed which caused uneven floors, along with original fixtures and woodwork. Without permits, some framing was done but was stopped when building inspectors caught on. An entire addition housing one of the units will have to be demolished.

Jason Moore, working with partners Chris Goffredo and Aubrey Balcom, purchased the three-story building at the northeast corner of York and Union Place, one block west of Richmond in late-May. Interior demolition is currently underway to create three, two-bedroom condominiums.

Units feature nine to 11’ ceilings and a central rotunda connecting all of the rooms. The kitchen, dining & living room will be a continuous, open floor plan with bamboo flooring. Living rooms include a fireplace. Kitchens feature high-end appliances, granite countertops, island workspace, and built-in pantries.

Each unit has two large bedrooms, a 60" Jacuzzi tub and walk-in shower in the master bath, double bowl sinks, walk-in master bedroom closets, ceramic tile in the baths, and stacked washer/dryer.

First and second floor units will each be approximately 1500 sq.ft. The third floor unit with a large arched window overlooking York and Richmond and an octagonal skylight in the rotunda will be 1300 sq.ft. The property has off-street parking.

Pricing is expected to be in the “mid-$100,000 range.” Jason showed his conversion plans during the recent Garden Walk and more than a dozen leads were gathered over the weekend. Interested buyers should contact Jason to be placed on the interest list while the condo offering plan is being formulated.

Jason is clearly sold on the neighborhood. “It might go without saying, but the Kleinhans area's incredible heritage could only go unnoticed for so long,” says Jason. “With such architectural landmarks and beautiful homes, it was just a matter of time before the area rebounded. I'm pleased to be part of the revival.”

Get Connected: 716.276.1029

More on Jason’s story and why he chose to invest in the neighborhood later this week.