Queen City Landing moving ahead

[bornandraised]

This development looks great. It was buried in the business section. Good news like this should be on the front page. This site could become the new 'in' place to live with beutiful views of the water. I hope it moves forward quickly.

http://www.buffalonews.com/businesst...ry/328222.html

DEVELOPMENT
Queen City Landing moving ahead
By Sharon Linstedt NEWS BUSINESS REPORTER
Updated: 04/21/08 6:33 AM

JCJ Architecture (image)
The preliminary blueprints for Queen City Landing, a residential/hotel complex planned for the former Freezer Queen site along Buffalo’s outer harbor, have been submitted for approval.

Preliminary blueprints for a ground-breaking residential/ hotel project on the former Freezer Queen site along Buffalo’s outer harbor have been submitted for approval.

A local development team has turned in plans for Queen City Landing, a project to turn the idle Fuhrmann Boulevard food plant and warehouse into a 125-unit condominium complex. Future phases of the project call for a 250-to 400-room, five-star hotel tower to be built on the tip of 20-acre peninsula, as well as a new condominium tower.

A small marina and service retail is also part of the multi-phase plan.

“This is a real, live project and we plan to move ahead as aggressively as the permit process allows,” said Orchard Park businessman Gerald Buchheit, whose resume includes development of Quaker Crossing retail complex.

Buchheit and project partner, Jon Williams, owner of Ontario Specialty Concrete, paid $3 million for the idle Freezer Queen property at auction last November. Buchheit, whose core business is Accent Striping, a national highway marking and specialty paving firm, said he “fell in love” with the site after walking the property and examining its city skyline and waterfront views.

“It’s an absolutely spectacular site,” Buchheit said back in December. “I was blown away by the views out over the lake and the Boston Hills to the south. Then you turn around and there’s the Buffalo skyline. I just kept thinking, ‘people should be living out here and enjoying this.’ ”

Now, months later, his views on the property haven’t changed.

“It’s like being in another world when you’re out there, but you’re only two miles from downtown Buffalo,” Buchheit said last week.

The developers have hired JCJ Architecture, of Hartford, Conn., to design the waterfront housing and hotel project. JCJ, the fourth largest design firm in the United States, is best known locally for design of the Seneca Niagara and Seneca Allegany casinos and hotels.

JCJ architect Brian Davis said the site fits his firm’s niche of “designing for one-of-a-kind locations.”

“One of the first things that attracted us to the project is that it’s a rare opportunity to have an undeveloped, prime waterfront site next to a major urban center,” Davis said. “We jumped all over it.”

A preliminary timetable calls for work to begin this year to turn the sprawling six-story, 350,000-square-foot food plant into housing. The developers are weighing adding two more floors to the building to create more residential units.

Queen City Landing is also being designed as a “green” project, with interior demolition and reconstruction to follow Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design principals.

“We haven’t decided what level of certification we will seek, but we’re approaching it as a LEED project from start to finish,” Buchheit said.

Williams called the first-of-it- kind outer harbor project “very viable.”

“Queen City Landing may be the first residential development out there, but it is very viable and can stand on its own,” he said.

While the first phase of work will focus on conversion of the existing food plant, the developers have conducted site tours in recent days for two hotel companies interested in operating a luxury inn at the site.

The Buffalo Planning Board will get its first look at site plans at its Tuesday session.

slinstedt@buffnews.com

[leftWNYbecauseofBS]

This development looks great. It was buried in the business section. Good news like this should be on the front page. This site could become the new 'in' place to live with beutiful views of the water. I hope it moves forward quickly.

http://www.buffalonews.com/businesst...ry/328222.html

I hate to doubt, but I do not think either of these developers have the money or experience to do this project. In all of the reports, I have yet to see any assumptions on cost. This looks like a giant flip right now.

Spend $3million on the purchase of the land.
Spend some more on plans and design.
Wait for someone to come in with enough money to complete the vision.

I hope I am wrong and I hope they do not listen to Linda. Paying $3million for property that is a "tundra" 4 months out of the year....what were they thinking. ROTFLMAO.

Don't they know that nobody is going to want to live out there.....

[300miles]

cool project!

[Linda_D]

I hate to doubt, but I do not think either of these developers have the money or experience to do this project. In all of the reports, I have yet to see any assumptions on cost. This looks like a giant flip right now.

Spend $3million on the purchase of the land.
Spend some more on plans and design.
Wait for someone to come in with enough money to complete the vision.

I hope I am wrong and I hope they do not listen to Linda. Paying $3million for property that is a "tundra" 4 months out of the year....what were they thinking. ROTFLMAO.

Don't they know that nobody is going to want to live out there.....

I have been in favor of this project from the beginning because these guys are putting their own money up front. You are the one who's been knocking their plans from Day 1.

You've made a lot of excuses as to why you don't think this project will go, lefty, but then you turn around and paint this picture of thousands of condos on the NFTA land to the north. I think what you're really afraid of is that this project will be successful and prove that removing the Skyway and the elevated section of Fuhrman Blvd is NOT AND NEVER HAS BEEN a detriment to development on the Outer Harbor.

BTW, my opposition to Outer Harbor development has always been to putting public money into creating a large-scale project that has as its aim to "revitalize Buffalo". I have no problem with private developers risking their own funds on projects they think are worthy.

By "public money", I include $$$ spent removing the Skyway and building the so-called Southtowns Connector to appease the sensibilities of "urbanists" and their brainwashed followers as well as other expensive stupid crap like a covered football stadium and/or convention center. I don't care how Brian Higgins, the ex-mayor of Minneapolis, you, keyboard, and the folks at BuffaloRising slice, dice, and spin it, the fact is that a few thousand people living out on the Outer Harbor will never "turn the city around".

As for the climate on the Outer Harbor, I will stick by my stand that it's not conducive to foot traffic for much of the year. The next time you fly in from South Cali for Christmas, you take some time to do some jogging along the newly installed bikepath -- if you can find it under the snow.

[leftWNYbecauseofBS]

I have been in favor of this project from the beginning because these guys are putting their own money up front. You are the one who's been knocking their plans from Day 1.

I am for the project as well. I just feel that the two guys behind the current plans do not have the money or skill to complete the project. I feel they are doing what they can, buy the land, develop plans and get approval, but will wait until they find backing to start. I hope they prove me wrong. But I doubt it.

You've made a lot of excuses as to why you don't think this project will go, lefty, but then you turn around and paint this picture of thousands of condos on the NFTA land to the north. I think what you're really afraid of is that this project will be successful and prove that removing the Skyway and the elevated section of Fuhrman Blvd is NOT AND NEVER HAS BEEN a detriment to development on the Outer Harbor.

Why this project will not go under these two guys is different from what I think should go out there and why. I feel that an experienced developer with the money to do the project would favor the boulevard and not the DOT combo. Until these guys pony up the millions needed to start and COMPLETE the project, I will continue to think this way.

In some ways this project is perfect to settle the matter once and for all. If these guys are able to secure financing AND FIND BUYERS for this project AND FIND A HOTEL to operate out there with the DOT plan, I will be 100% wrong. So you are right. If this project goes off, then I would be wrong.

So, I guess we should wait until the secure financing, prove there is interest in the condos and find a hotel that is willing to invest out there.

BTW, my opposition to Outer Harbor development has always been to putting public money into creating a large-scale project that has as its aim to "revitalize Buffalo". I have no problem with private developers risking their own funds on projects they think are worthy.

I can see why you would think this and I think you know from my other comments I love private investment as well. This is my problem with the DOT/Higgins plan. They have NEVER factored in what was going to be the best option to allow for private investment.

It is moronic to think that private investment should cover State roads. The issue is should the state spend $50million on what some feel as a patch or spend $150-$200million on developing what is proven to encourage private development.

The side that you never recognise is IF the current DOT plan is done and it does prevent development like MANY people think, the state will have wasted $50million on the "patch" and keep the city committed to maintaining the skyway AND prevent development. A total loss!

What then Linda? Fast forward 15 years. The DOT pushed through the combo and it was completed in 2011. The combo hurts development and the only thing that goes out there are parks and green space. Saying I told you so, although it would be sweet, would not fix the problem.

How do you propose to fix the situation if people like me are right in 15 years?

By "public money", I include $$$ spent removing the Skyway and building the so-called Southtowns Connector to appease the sensibilities of "urbanists" and their brainwashed followers as well as other expensive stupid crap like a covered football stadium and/or convention center. I don't care how Brian Higgins, the ex-mayor of Minneapolis, you, keyboard, and the folks at BuffaloRising slice, dice, and spin it, the fact is that a few thousand people living out on the Outer Harbor will never "turn the city around".

You are correct that none of these project will turn the city around. However, IF all of the projects are done AND other things like responsible government and productive improvement in public services and the schools are folded in Buffalo can turn around.

This comment is so telling of you. You have very little hope or desire for the COB to ever turn things around. You moved to Jamestown because of it and have vowed to NEVER move back.

The way I read you is you want the city to give up or simply not try because you have a preconceived notion that the city will fail. You just want to ride out the rest of your days and have it cost as little as possible. Even if this mindset kills any chance for the future of Buffalo when you are long and gone.


As for the climate on the Outer Harbor, I will stick by my stand that it's not conducive to foot traffic for much of the year. The next time you fly in from South Cali for Christmas, you take some time to do some jogging along the newly installed bikepath -- if you can find it under the snow.

I fly in from SoCal every Christmas. In terms of the Winter, everywhere is under snow and cold. The difference between the temp on the outer harbor or Amherst is irrelevant because in BOTH places, people are not outside unless they want to be.
In terms of walking, there are things call CARS and GARAGES and PARKING DECKS. People would not go outside UNLESS THEY WANTED TO. In terms of snow covered paths and sidewalks, there are things called PLOWS and SNOWBLOWERS. I mean this is the dumbest argument I have ever heard.