Article via Buffalo News
By Jonathan D. Epstein
The redevelopment of Ohio Street in the Old First Ward is gaining traction, as Ellicott Development seeks final approval for a planned mixed-use residential and commercial project facing the Buffalo River.
Ellicott is seeking approval from the Buffalo Planning Board to build a five-story, 54,000-square-foot building at 399 Ohio, next to Buffalo RiverFest Park, with 21 apartments on the top three floors, office space on the second floor, and a first-floor restaurant. The project, which will include both one- and two-bedroom apartments, received a variance from the Zoning Board of Appeals in February.
The $4.5 million project, located near Chicago Street, does not yet have a name. It is expected to be the first phase of a larger development on the 6-acre site. Construction is expected to begin as soon as approval is granted, and should wrap up by early 2016, said Thomas M. Fox, Ellicott’s director of development.
Ellicott is also planning an office building across the street on another brownfield site, but CEO William A. Paladino said the company is still “looking at options.”
