What may be the largest private-sector development within the Fruit Belt is heading to the Zoning Board of Appeals next week for review. Symphony Property Management is proposing ‘The Lawrence,’ a five-story building with a total of 131 market-rate apartment units and 74 parking spaces for a site that fronts both Michigan Avenue and Maple Street. Stieglitz Snyder Architecture is designing the project.

From the project application:

This is a 131 unit infill project adjacent to the Buffalo Niagara Medical Campus and the Fruit Belt neighborhood on assembled lots in the block bounded by Michigan Avenue, High Street, Maple Street and Carlton Street. The development consists of a ground story of enclosed parking and four stories of residential units above. The building is designed to front both Michigan Avenue and Maple Street. The proposed structure will accommodate 74 parking spaces in an enclosed garage on the ground floor.

The first through fourth floor will have a mixture of Studio, One Bedroom and Two Bedroom units. The first floor will have a fitness center, offices for the building manager, (7) studio apartments, (13) one bedroom apartments, and (11) two bedroom apartments. The second, third and fourth floors will each have (8) studio apartments, (13) one bedroom apartments, and (11) two bedroom apartments. Two lobbies, one along Michigan Ave and the other on Maple Street are accessible from the ground floor.

The building’s massing, disposition and setbacks seek to bridge the context of the Buffalo Niagara Medical Campus and the Fruit Belt. Enclosed parking is specifically included to prevent straining the already limited parking within the Fruit Belt and to limit the adverse impact of increased traffic on the neighborhood. Several design strategies were utilized to mitigate any adverse impacts that a project of this density would have on adjacent residential neighborhoods. Reducing the scale of the elevation along Maple Street is achieve by using vertical elements to break the mass of the façade and using utility bricks which have a nominal dimension of 4” x 12”. To reduce noise pollution, there are no balconies for residents along Maple Street.

A number of Variances are needed to exceed residential density, excess lot width, excess building coverage, reduced setbacks, excess height, a deficiency in ground floor transparency, and excess blank wall widths.