Via Buffalo Rising
By WC Perspective
A controversial billboard on the west façade of 199 Scott Street has been removed as Ellicott Development Company’s substantial redevelopment project enters its final stages. An Ellicott Development representative says that windows will soon be added to the building where the billboard used to hang. The first commercial tenant has moved into the building’s office space and residential tenants will begin moving in next month.
Built in 1920, the eight-story Fairmont Creamery Co. structure was most recently used by the Arctic Freezer Company for storage as a refrigerated storage site for Rich Products Corp. Ellicott Development has owned the 120,000 sq.ft. property since 2001 and it was one of the larger completely vacant buildings downtown. Its vacancy was hard to hide since the building is adjacent to the I-190 and the now-removed billboard was used by Ellicott Development CEO Carl Paladino to chastise local business and government leaders. Containing approximately 122,000 square feet, it is the tallest structure in the Cobblestone District.
Ellicott Development moved forward with the $14.6 million renovation as development has blossomed in nearby areas including downtown, Canalside, the Cobblestone District, the Ohio Street corridor, and Larkin District. The refurbished building includes a mix of apartments, office space, restaurant/banquet facilities, and retail space.
Offices are located on the building’s sixth, seventh and eighth floors. Liazon, a provider of private online benefits exchanges recently purchased by Towers Watson, occupies the eighth floor. The company is expecting significant growth, up to 500 jobs over the next five years, and recently agreed to lease additional space in the building which has been included in sites eligible for Start-UP NY incentives.
Thirty apartments are being created on floors three through five, a banquet facility and meeting space are planned on the second floor, and a restaurant is likely for the ground floor where a large elevated terrace has been constructed. There will be on-site parking for 140 vehicles. AP Architects designed the project.
