Douglas Jemal may be busy with his Seneca One redevelopment project but the dynamic developer is moving forward with plans to repurpose the former police headquarters at Franklin and Church streets. Under plans prepared by Antunovich Associates, 130 apartments will occupy the historic building that Jemal purchased from the City last June for $3.05 million.

The apartments will include 92 studio and 38 one-bedroom units. Parking for 84 cars is proposed for the basement level and a portion of the first floor. An amenity area would be located on the basement level and a worksharing space would be created on the fourth floor.

Carmina Wood Morris is assisting with project approvals and tax credit work. From the application to the Preservation Board:

The property will be redeveloped in a single phase project, which will restore the exterior of the building to its appropriate period of significance as established by the locally and nationally certified Joseph Ellicott Downtown Historic District in which the building rests. Specifically, the exterior masonry will be restored to its historic appearance across the building’s facades, including extensive cleaning and repointing. Damaged and deteriorated masonry will be repointed or replaced in kind from salvaged materials should evaluation demonstrate reuse infeasible. Existing double-hung window units to be maintained in their current positions.

A new two-story addition of +/- 5,000 sq. ft. will be added at the rear of the building atop the existing two-story ‘hyphen’ between the two four-story wings that that flank it. The addition will be recessed from the historic face of the building and be clad in contemporary metal and glazed panels. Addition not to exceed the height of the existing parapet wall, so to minimize its visual impact from the pedestrian level. Minimal demolition will occur where the new addition meets the historic wings flanking it. All demolition to be done strategically to ensure as little disruption of historic fabric as possible.

Current parking lot, accessed off Franklin Street, will be reconfigured and used for use by residents of the building with additional parking incorporated into the basement. Extant vehicular entrances at Church Street and from the south parking lot will be utilized to access basement parking. The building will house studio and one-bedroom apartment units. Due to reprogramming, complete upgrades will be made to mechanical, electrical, plumbing, and fire protection infrastructure, while maintaining the historic aesthetic of the interior and exterior of the building following the Secretary of the Interior’s Standards. Internally, historic fabric such as flat plaster walls / ceilings, glazed tile wall finishes, historic door and window moldings, a jail cell-block, and terrazzo flooring will be restored and highlighted in the project. Extant corridors, entrances, and character defining spaces will be maintained throughout the building in accordance with the Secretary of the Interior’s Standards.

The Preservation Board will get its first look at the project on Thursday.