BUFFALO | Development Thread - Page 9

Downtown Bolivar · #**161** Posted **Oct 24, 2006, 7:28 PM**

HOLY COW!!! We can finally put our own thread in the Highrises section. It's time for the dancing banana!!!

westcoastperspective · #**162** Posted **Oct 24, 2006, 7:52 PM**

Some of the details are off, but here it is:

Statler owner ready to build

The downtown Buffalo landscape could see a dramatic change with the new owner of the Statler Towers proposing to construct a 48-story mixed-use tower along Elmwood Avenue.

Plans for the $361 million, privately-financed project are expected to be announced at a news conference, set for Wednesday morning. The tower will be the tallest in downtown both in terms of number of floors and square footage -- potentially 1.3 million square feet.

The building is proposed for a parcel at the corner of Mohawk Street and Elmwood Avenue that is currently used as a surface parking lot.

Bashar Issa, the Manchester, England businessman who earlier this year acquired the historic Statler Towers and is in the early stages of an $80 million restoration of the Delaware Avenue landmark, said he hopes to start construction on the tower within the next two years. The tower will top the HSBC Center by as much as 10 floors.

"We want this building to be a beacon for downtown Buffalo," Issa said.

The project is the latest in a series of developments either planned or underway for the Delaware Avenue spine in downtown Buffalo. Delaware Avenue projects include the new corporate headquarters for New Era Cap Co. Inc., which is expected to open later this fall; a 120,000-square-foot multi-tenant building that Uniland Development Co. is constructing next to WGRZ-TV; a redevelopment of the Dulski Federal Office Building by Uniland and Acquest Development and a new federal courthouse that overlooks Niagara Square.

"This past year has seen an amazing amount of investment and development in downtown Buffalo, notably Delaware Avenue," said Mayor Byron Brown.

The 1.3 million square foot project will include a mix of Class A office space, a 300-room hotel and upscale condominiums.

George Hamberger, a broker with RealtyUSA Commercial Real Estate and Issa's local real estate specialist, said he has tentative contracts for 100,000-square-feet of the proposed 600,000-square-feet of office space.

Hamberger said he will be reaching out to non-local firms to help fill the building's tenant roster.

"Our focus is on new jobs and new tenants for Buffalo and not stealing tenants from other (downtown) buildings," he said.

Construction won't start until the building is at least 40 percent pre-leased, either with office tenants, condo buyers or a hotel chain in hand. Any combination of tenants that brings it to the 40 percent mark will trigger the construction, Issa said.

The dramatic building, with a tinted glass skin, is being designed by Cannon Design of Grand Island. It is designed to play off the planned new federal courthouse, which will virtually neighbor the tower.

Issa has already reviewed his project with Mayor Byron Brown and top members of his administration. Formal plans for the project will likely be filed with Buffalo planners within the next few weeks.

"This underscores how attractive downtown Buffalo is, right now, for investors and developers, whether they are local or from out-of-town," Brown said.

BANKofMANHATTAN · #**163** Posted **Oct 24, 2006, 9:27 PM**

^ *...shits pants w/ glee...*

I can't wait to see this!

I'm a bit concerned about selling space in the tower, but hell, for the would-be tallest building in B-Lo i'll have some high hopes.

I'd hope not to see some half-assed "pinnacle of the city" like that fatty Encana thing in Calgary they just unveiled. Maybe he'll drop something tasteful in Buffalo. I would like to see how it "plays off the federal courthouse" as the article noted.

Anyone know what Uniland's constructing near WGRZ-TV?
That's not HealthNow, is it?

dland · #**164** Posted **Oct 24, 2006, 10:31 PM**

Awesome! Does/Can Mayor Brown's administration get involved in the marketing of this building?

Wheelingman04 · #**165** Posted **Oct 25, 2006, 12:37 AM**

I hope that 48 story tower happens. Buffalo really deserves it.

sullymon54 · #**166** Posted **Oct 25, 2006, 2:30 AM**

I don't care what any nay sayers tell me, i'm gettin pumped about this one.

STERNyc · #**167** Posted **Oct 25, 2006, 5:14 AM**

This news is very exciting! Hopefully Issa can get 40% of the tower leased. Anyone have any pictures of the site where this will be built. Cant wait until this morning.

BuffaloBill · #**168** Posted **Oct 25, 2006, 11:55 AM**

That (Elmwood-Mohawk) would be a couple blocks north of City Hall?

Aesthetically it would be a good anchor on the north end side to HSBC.

westcoastperspective · #**169** Posted **Oct 25, 2006, 1:11 PM**

westcoastperspective · #**170** Posted **Oct 25, 2006, 1:38 PM**

Downtown Bolivar · #**171** Posted **Oct 25, 2006, 3:10 PM**

It's a really great tower--reminds me of stuff happening in London. From the waterfront view on BRO it looks really wide. So within a three blocks you have the Statler, New Era, this tower, Dulski, and the Federal Courthouse--WOW! There are going to be a lot of construction jobs in Buffalo over the next few years.

BANKofMANHATTAN · #**172** Posted **Oct 25, 2006, 3:47 PM**

^ It's is very Londonish. I'd like to see some more renders from different views, incorporating more skyline, as i can't quite grip what it fully looks like. This is only the first render, so keep in mind there may be changes...

If this does get built along w/ the accompanying construction/renovations - hopefully it will, as i've stated before, prompt further development of this sort downtown.

i wonder what the height stands at as of this rendering. 48 floors = ?

Rue B · #**173** Posted **Oct 25, 2006, 3:57 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by westcoastperspective

THATS WHAT I'M TALKING ABOUT !!!

Can anyone confirm the # of floors this tower will have? The Buffalo News
said it will be 40 floors whereas Buffalo Business First and the local TV news says it'll be 48.

Either way is easily the biggest announcement for a Buffalo project in the history of SkyscraperPage!!!

sullymon54 · #**174** Posted **Oct 25, 2006, 4:00 PM**

40 stories and from looking at towers containing those number of floors it would have to be in the area of 600 feet.

I just wish i had a business to locate there to get to help him get that 40%.

westcoastperspective · #**175** Posted **Oct 25, 2006, 4:02 PM**

Definitely 40- Biz First jumped the gun yesterday without all of their facts in order (another example: 600,000 sq.ft. of office). Note the two pools planned:

Anyone that wants the .pdf of Cannon's press kit with the images and the details, let me know. Send me your email in a private message. Warning- big file.

Can we start removing those awful green street lights? ICK

buffaLOVE · #**176** Posted **Oct 25, 2006, 4:17 PM**

This is great!

BANKofMANHATTAN · #**177** Posted **Oct 25, 2006, 4:21 PM**

buffaLOVE · #**178** Posted **Oct 25, 2006, 5:51 PM**

So does any one know what the official height will be?

westcoastperspective · #**179** Posted **Oct 25, 2006, 5:58 PM**

615'

Visiteur · #**180** Posted **Oct 25, 2006, 7:18 PM**

Hmm, Satan must be giving out snow cones if this is really happening...