Downtown development continues to chug along with fifty-one downtown area projects finished, announced, or underway last year. That beats last year’s count by one.

There were several large projects completed in 2014 including the ice rinks, restaurants and parking ramp at HARBORCENTER and the canals across the street at the site of the former Aud. Other significant projects completed include the redevelopment of the Tishman Building and Fairmont Creamery, the repurposing of Sheehan Hospital into Compass East, the opening of Catholic Health’s Administrative Center, and new apartments in the Planing Mill and The Hub.

On the construction front, the Marriott at HARBORCENTER is speeding towards a summer completion and 250 Delaware Avenue is on a similar schedule. The Medical Campus is in a significant growth spurt with four projects underway: Conventus, the University at Buffalo Medical School, John Oishei Children’s Hospital, and Roswell Park’s Clinical Research Center. The 500 block of Main Street is also a hub of activity with several restaurant and residential projects underway or planned.

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Residential

It was an average year as far as residential completions go with 123 units brought online.

The largest completed apartment building of 2014 was Apartments at the Hub. Schneider Development converted two historic buildings at 145-49 Swan Street into high-end rentals and first floor retail space. To the north on Elm Street, TM Montante finished what previous owners had proposed but stalled on: redevelopment of the former Spaghetti Warehouse into a mixed-use development. The Planing Mill includes 22 lofts and commercial space.

Ellicott Development completed thirty apartments at The Fairmont at 199 Scott Street. The balance of the structure contains retail and office space.

Repurposing of the Tishman Building by Hamister Group included 18 luxury apartments on the building’s fifteenth through seventeenth floors. Adam Backus finished up nine units at 78 Tracy Street, a long-vacant West Village Historic District property. McGuire Development put two apartments on the second floor of Compass East and architect Steve Carmina moved into his new residence at 9 Genesee Street fronting Roosevelt Plaza.

There are just 61 units underway downtown but many more in the pipeline. Units are underway in 5-9 Genesee Street, 112 Genesee Street, 483 Main Street, and 173 Elm Street. James Jerge is putting 25 units into the former Knights of Columbus at 506 Delaware Avenue and Ellicott Development has nine new apartments coming online at 10 Symphony Circle. On Franklin Street, Don Gilbert is converting 481 Franklin Street to a dozen apartments.

2014 was a good year for residential announcements however as developers continue to seek historic properties for adaptive reuse. Ciminelli Real Estate Corp. purchased the former Educational Opportunity Center at 465 Washington Street on December 30. Sixty apartments are planned for the six-story building. Schneider Development is planning 40 apartments for two historic buildings at 295-305 Niagara Street. Ru’s Pierogies will occupy the complex’s ground floor which will be named Turner Brothers Lofts.

Mark Croce is planning 29 apartments for the Byers Film Exchange building at 505 Pearl Street. Paul Kolkmeyer has proposed 36 apartments for the Stanton Building at 251 Main Street, a property he purchased from David Sweet late last year. At the Marine Trust Building at Main and Seneca Street, Kolkmeyer is planning a mix of banquet space, a boutique hotel, offices, and 25 upper floor condominium units.

Speaking of condominiums, one of the early loft projects is going condo. Schneider Development has obtained State approval to begin sales at Historic Warehouse Lofts at 210 Ellicott Street. The 30 one and two-bedroom condos are priced from $215,000 to $365,000 and are seen as a test of the market for owner-occupied downtown loft living.

Near the medical campus, Sinatra & Company purchased the former Phoenix Brewery at Washington and Virginia Streets. Thirty apartments and commercial space are planned. Pilgrim Village owner Mark Trammel is teaming with McGuire Development on a multi-phased effort to redevelop the circa-1980 townhouse community north of the Buffalo Niagara Medical Campus. The project’s first phase is expected to include 154 apartments.

Wayne Bacon is planning six apartments for the Immaculate Conception Church rectory at Edward and S. Elmwood Avenue. Amy Judd is proposing twelve apartments for the seven story building at 510 Washington Street across from Holling Place Apartments.

In a rare new-build residential project, architect/development Matt Moscati is planning 13 apartments for 500 Franklin Street. The building will feature 12 studio apartments and one two-bedroom unit with enclosed parking. At nearby North Street and Linwood Avenue, the Episcopal Community Housing Development Organization has proposed putting 25 to 30 senior apartments in the Episcopal Church of the Ascension.

Lost count? That’s 411 units in announced projects. Residential units are also expected in Ellicott Development’s reuse of the Buffalo Christian Center at Pearl and Tupper streets, Benderson Development’s new building at Main and Scott Streets, and in the AM&As Department Store that recently traded hands.

Office

With the Seneca One Tower nearly vacant at the foot of Main Street, the downtown office market is cloudy at best. There are two sizeable office space additions underway but both have significant leases in hand.

Ciminelli Real Estate Corporation’s 350,000 sq.ft. Conventus building at Main and High streets is nearly complete. Conventus will be home to multiple tenants including Kaleida Health and UBMD. New York State is locating a biomedical research facility on the building’s seventh floor. There is approximately 90,000 sq.ft. of space on the building’s fifth and sixth floors remaining for lease.

At 250 Delaware, Uniland Development has 193,000 sq.ft. of office space underway in the mixed-use, 12-story building. Delaware North will be moving into 110,000 sq.ft. of space this fall. The Department of Homeland Security has also leased a little over 50,000 sq.ft. of space.

Delaware North’s current offices in the south tower of Key Center will not be empty for long. In June, the State selected Key Center as the site of the Buffalo IT Innovation and Commercialization Hub which IBM has agreed to anchor with 500 new jobs.

Bucking the residential trend, Roger Trettel is spending $3.8 million to convert the historic Gutman Building at Elm and South Division Street to commercial space. Trettel is targeting environmental technology and green energy businesses for the 22,000 sq.ft. building which he has named the Buffalo Green Technology Center.

In a positive for downtown, Kissling Interests is moving forward with its plans announced three years ago to put 26 apartments in the White Building at 298 Main Street. That will remove five floors of office space from the market. Paul Kolkmeyer is also converting dated office space to residential at both the Stanton and Marine Trust buildings nearby.

Catholic Health settled into its new administrative center at Oak and Genesee streets earlier this year. Uniland Development built the six-story, 140,000 sq.ft. office building.

Other office completions this year included two floors of offices at 10 Lafayette that is occupied by Hamister Group, three floors of office space in The Fairmont, and office space at McGuire Development’s Compass East project that is anchored by Time Warner Cable.

2014 ended without answers on the fate of Seneca One Tower. The nearly empty building remains in receivership. Rumors that Terry Pegula is interested in the tower remain just rumors. The AM&A’s Department Store got a new owner with reported plans to put hotel, residential and retail uses in the building, just like the previous owner.

Hotel

The number of downtown hotels on Main Street has doubled with one more underway. The 102-room Courtyard by Marriott in One Canalside opened in May and was followed by the 124-room Hilton Garden Inn at 10 Lafayette in October. They join the Hyatt and Comfort Suites along Main Street. The 205-room Marriott in HARBORCENTER is expected to open in late summer.

Two additional hotels are underway including a 120-room Westin hotel at 250 Delaware and Mark Croce’s Curtiss Hotel with 68 rooms in a historic building at W. Huron and Franklin streets.

One new downtown hotel project was announced last year. Paul Kolkmeyer is proposing a 24-room boutique hotel in the Marine Trust Building that will tie into plans for a banquet facility on that building’s ground floor.

Infrastructure

Work is finished along Main Street in the Theater District. Signage, lighting, landscaping, and new sidewalks are in place but cars have not returned thanks to the foot-dragging NFTA. The 500 and 600 blocks are also being revamped. That work is expected to be complete later this year.

After a lengthy delay, the replica canals on the Aud site opened last month to crowds of skaters and onlookers. Streetscape work is nearly complete along Ohio Street which has seen significant developer interest as of late.

Restaurants

The downtown restaurant scene is hot with a number of new restaurants opened or announced. Many have been centered along Genesee Street and the 500 Block of Main Street including: Dog é Style at 128 Genesee Street, Natalie’s and Marco’s Italian Deli in the Genesee Block, and Marble + Rye at 112 Genesee Street.

Downtown is also joining the micro brew and distillery wave with Big Ditch opening soon in Iskalo’s Development’s 55 E. Huron Street and Niagara Distilling revamping 459 Ellicott Street. A few doors down, Rocco Termini is returning to the Flower District with a makeover of 437 Ellicott Street that will be anchored by Toutant, a Cajun restaurant.

On the 500 Block, Oshun opened at 5 E. Huron Street, and Raclette’s, D’Avolio’s Kitchen, Just Fries, Brick Oven Bistro, and Casa-di-Pizza are coming soon.

Other notable openings last year include Ballyhoo at South Park and Michigan Avenues in the former Malamute, Buffalo Proper in the former Laughlin’s at Tupper and Franklin, HandleBar @ The Hub on Swan, the Garden Grille and Bar in the Hilton Garden Inn, Buzz Coffee Shop at 698 Main, and the long-anticipated Dinosaur Bar-B-Que at 301 Franklin Street.

At the foot of Main Street, Tim Hortons and (716) Food and Sport opened in HARBORCENTER and Pizza Plant has signed a lease for space at One Canalside. Jason Davidson is opening the Roux Soup Bar and Café on the top floor of The Buffalo News in coming weeks.

Other projects announced this year include the planned sale of the Market Arcade Cinema complex to Benchmark Group which is bringing in AMC Theaters as an operator, a five-story addition to the Roanoke Building by Evergreen Health Services, and a four-story addition to the City Mission at E. Tupper and Oak streets.

What this map doesn’t capture are the projects happening elsewhere such as in the Larkin District, Hertel Avenue, North Elmwood, Elmwood/Forest, Gates Circle, Five Corners, and Midtown. Downtown chugs along and other areas are joining in.

Thanks to all of the developers and investors both large and small that keep us busy at Buffalo Rising year round. Apologies to anyone overlooked in this recap.