Unversity Heights Main St Buffalo developments (Amherst, Lee: real estate, 2015, apartment complex)

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Starting out, the first project completed in 2013 right next to Bennett High School. The old Buffalo Meter building had a long start dating back before 2005.
Unfortunately, most of these projects are upscale. Something that is in very ample supply.

Bethune Lofts

by queenseyes May 24, 2013

The first residents at Bethune Lofts are expected in mid-July. Ciminelli Real Estate Corporation is spending $15 million to convert an industrial turned educational complex at 2917 Main Street in to 87 market rate loft apartments. The building is adjacent to Bennett High School and one block from the LaSalle light rail station.

With heavy construction completed, construction crews are busy putting the finishing touches on the building’s common areas and unit finishes. The building’s façade, already vastly improved due to new windows, is being painted. Due to historic preservation tax credits, all work being done meets State Historic Preservation Office guidelines. Designed in 1915 by the nationally recognized engineering company Lockwood, Greene & Company, the Buffalo Meter Company Building is an intact example of a reinforced concrete frame daylight factory. The Buffalo Meter Company had its main offices and shipping on the first floor, a machine shop and assembling on the second, another machine shop and tool room on the third floor and the brass foundry on the fourth floor. In 1969 or 1970, the Buffalo Meter Company left their long-time home on Main Street.

In 1971 the building was purchased by the University at Buffalo. The building was then used by the university to house the Department of Art, the Architecture Department and also portions of the Division of Continuing Education. It was renamed as the Louise Blanchard Bethune Hall, after the first professional woman architect and the first woman fellow of the American Institute of Architects, who maintained an active architectural practice in Buffalo at the turn of the twentieth-century. By 1994, the university had relocated many of its programs to other buildings on its North and South campuses and vacated the former Buffalo Meter Company Building, using it for storage. Ciminelli Real Estate Corporation purchased the property in June 2011 and subsequently had it listed on the National Historic Register.

Of the 87 apartments, 37 are one-bedroom units. There are 28 different floorplans in the building and original features such as fluted columns, brick walls, first floor loading dock doors, and fireplaces, have been incorporated into the units. Eleven of the fourth floor apartments are two-bedroom, two-story units with the master bedroom on the fifth floor. A one-level, 1,250 sq.ft. penthouse unit on the Main Street side of the setback fifth floor has two-bedrooms and 270 degree views.

Apartments feature white oak flooring in the main living areas, carpeted bedrooms, stone tile in the bathrooms, stainless steel appliances, maple cabinets, solid surface countertops and tile backsplashes. Units are spacious with ceiling heights up to fourteen feet. With 70 percent of the building façade being windows, the units are bright. The developer is installing solar shades in each unit to control the amount of light and to provide consistency with window coverings. The operable windows were custom built and the mullions match to a fraction of an inch to recreate the historic appearance of the building.

Tenant amenities include a bike storage room, lounge, and fitness center on the ground floor and an outdoor recreation area. A laundry facility allows tenants to check on machine availability from a cell phone and receive texts when their wash or drying is complete. The building is not intended as college student housing. Ciminelli has been marketing the units on the light rail system and has an interest of over 100 people. The interest list includes University at Buffalo graduate students, UB staff, Medical Campus employees and others.

Rents range from $950 for a one-bedroom unit on the garden level to $2,660 for the spectacular penthouse unit. Two-story units are priced at $2000+ Most units are in the $1,200 to $1,700 range. Rents includes heat, air conditioning and water. Tenants begin moving into the second and third floors on July 15. Occupancy on the garden level and first floors follows on August 15 with the top two floors available on August 30. Leasing started last week.

Carmina Wood Morris, PC is the architect for the project and LP Ciminelli is construction manager. The building is expected to be LEED-certified. This is the second major Main Street project that Ciminelli is working on. The company is also constructing a medical office building at Main and High streets in the Medical Campus

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Old Public School #63 on Minnesota Ave. of of Main St, has been vacant for some time. It's a large well built building. Unlike the above 'lofts', these are apparently affordable. A rare event recently. With the size of the building, I'm surprised it's only 44 units.

by Tim Scanlon November 21, 2016, 3:59 am 7 Comments

The site of the future Lofts at University Heights has been active as of late as construction crews begin to transform the former Buffalo Public School 63/Campus North into a 44-unit mixed-income apartment complex. Official groundbreaking will take place on Monday, November 21, 2016 at 1pm.

The 73,000-square-foot property at 120 Minnesota Avenue is prominently integrated into the center of the neighborhood, with large frontages on Minnesota, Lisbon, and Cordova Avenues. It is within walking distance to UB South Campus and a short walk to Main Street businesses and the Lasalle metro station. The building has been vacant since the school closed in 2007 due to declining enrollment.

Queens-based CB-Emmanuel Realty, LLC will convert the property to residential use thanks to a variety of funding sources. The $16 million project recently received $2 million from the Better Buffalo Fund, and an $8.8 million mortgage through the NYS Housing Finance Agency is providing the bulk of the financing. Other funding is coming from Low-Income Housing Tax Credits, Federal and State Historic Preservation Tax Credits, and City of Buffalo HOME funds.

Due to the tax-exempt bond financing restrictions, three of the units will be for households who earn no more than 50 percent of the Annual Median Income (AMI) for the area, 35 will be for households earning up to 60 percent of AMI, and six will be set aside for households earning no more than 90 percent of AMI, adjusted for family size.

Carmina Wood Morris is project architect and R&P Oak Hill is general contractor. The project is expected to be ready for tenants late next year. Neighborhood stakeholders can check out the University District Community Development Association’s (udcda) website for information on how to help further revitalize the area.

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Keeping with the "University" name, here is the 'hidden' development. Literally around the corner from the previous project, a three minute walk, is a massive four building complex that borders McCarthy Park. Unlike the other two, this is geared towards college students. Hopefully ones that will not act like the ones on Winspear Ave. for the past number of years. The fact it is slightly isolated could be positive or negative.

by Tim Scanlon December 26, 2015

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.

According to the website of lead architect Charles Gordon Architecture, the development “emphasizes a ‘complete streets’ model highlighted by short blocks, lively glassy and friendly street corners, and a series of very small scale usable courtyards. […] Extensive surface parking requirements are hidden behind individual buildings in small pods that feel appropriate to the surrounding neighborhood scale.”

Construction started in December 2014 with full completion targeted for the fall of 2017.

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The newest proposal involving the Keystone building (industrial) and surrounding area across Main St. from Hertel Ave. appears to be massive. Hopefully not too so. This is also geared to "graduate students". Of course, unlike that mistake out in Amherst that was built on a swamp/wetland/marsh back in the 60's, with little around it, there will be easy access to destinations without using a car!

by Buffalo Rising May 9, 2017

DF Fusion Investment Inc. is proposing a significant project at the Keystone Corp. site at 2929 that includes apartments and commercial space. It is located between Bethune Lofts and the increasingly out-of-place Monro Muffler facility, nearly across the street from the LaSalle Light Rail Station and at the terminus of Hertel Avenue. The project involves renovations to two existing Keystone Buildings closes to Bethune Lofts and construction of a five-story new building. Architectural Resources is designing the project.

The Buffalo Planning Board kicked-off the environmental review of the project yesterday. From the Project Application:
The Site has been used for industrial purposes for nearly 80 years and this project represents a much-needed transformation of the Property from industrial to primarily residential purposes. The project includes the demolition of a complex of heavily-impacted structures and the redevelopment of the less-impacted structures along the south-western boundary of the Property for approximately 320 residential units targeted toward graduate students and other accessory retail and commercial uses. There will be approximately 200,000 sq.ft. of residential and 12,000 sq.ft. of retail/commercial uses.

During and after the environmental remediation is started, construction will begin on the new facilities. At first, the remaining structures will be stabilized and work will begin toward their conversion to residential and supporting uses. After the environmental remediation is complete, construction of the new building will begin in earnest. It is expected that the environmental remediation will take 6-9 months and construction will take 18-20 months, with a total construction period of approximately 24 months. Ultimately, the Project will create new, high-quality residential options for students and others living and working in the area and replace an aging industrial facility with a vibrant and modem residential facility.

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Now, to make sense out of all of that, attached is a ariel view from Google earth of the area that is labeled with all the developments. Though there is one area that apparently was existing that I wasn't aware that isn't marked.