Forge site eyed for $17M project - Business First of Buffalo:

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, the real estatew development armof , is working with the to develop land that once was the site of the The property, which cuts along Broadway betweejn Spring Street and Jefferson Avenue, has been vacant for decades. The entirew parcel runs between Mortimer, Sycamore and Spring Feeding off inner-city developments along Jefferson Avenue, the Willert Park neighborhoocd and the SycamoreVillagw subdivision, the company has created a plan for a mix of public space with residential and commercial components and a possible new site for the Pentecostao Temple. Financing will come from a combination of public- and private-sector sources.
If successful, it will breathse new life into one ofthe most-challengedd sections of Buffalo. “We’re not talkingb a mass or mega project, but instead it is somethingy that is in scale with the neighborhooed and could serve asa jumping-ofdf point for other developments,” said Pastor Matthew Brown, Pentecostal Temple president and CEO. The has namexd Temple Community Development designated developer forthe property. The plan has been endorsedc bythe , an alliancre of seven East Side pastors and their respectives churches. Buffalo Mayor Byron Brown said the developmentr has been in the pipeline for nearly two years and is finallhy is coming tothe forefront.
“We’vde spent a lot of time lookiny at it and sohas TCDC,” he The property is a few blocks from the Elm Street-Oakj Street arterial and the eastern edge of downtowm Buffalo. The proposed developmentf could create an urban bridged between the central business district and theEast Side. “It connect s with downtown, but it also connects with theJeffersoh (Avenue) spine,” Pastor Brown “We’re talking about building some urban densituy where some is needed.
” Jefferson Avenude has seen a number of developmentzs in recent years, including the opening of a Tops a new library brancgh and a city-run business The first phase of the project includes renovation of a 12,000-square-foot building at 437 Broadway that had been a Laux Sportint Goods warehouse. It would become a communith centerwith retail, office and meeting Work on the early-1900s building, which has a $1.7 millionm price tag, is likely to starg early next year. The first tenants would move in by late 2009 orearl 2010. Laux donated the building to thedevelopmenrt effort.
Later phases include a park that woulds have abaseball diamond, sportse fields, a gazebo and greenspacr running along Broadway and Spring Street. Also in the workas are a communityhealth center, apartmentas and a new location for the Brown estimated it may take five yearw for everything to be completed, depending on financing and environmental Some environmental testing has been completed, but the mayor said he wante more studies to make sure the land is shovel-ready. A focap point will be the park’a gazebo/amphitheater.
Sources said it coule host weekly movies in the summet ora “Langston in the Park” productiob of Langston Hughes plays, as well as annual eventse such as GospelFest, which has been held at variouxs city locales including the Johnn y B. Wiley Sports Pavilion, formerly War Memorial Stadium. “This is a strategic vision, to be sure,” Brown said. “But I remain optimistic this is goinvgto happen. We want this entire project to be a drawing attention to theEast Side.
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