Buffalo, N.Y. (WBEN) - The finalization of plans for the expansive proposed Marine Drive Apartments project is inching closer to the finish line.
It is expected on Tuesday for the Buffalo Planning Board to discuss the subdivision application from the Buffalo Municipal Housing Authority (BMHA) surrounding the Marine Drive Apartments, which includes the permitting approval process and Waterfront Consistency review.
Meanwhile, the Buffalo Common Council also has a Planned Unified Development (PUD) to vote on, which is a zoning law that will ensure the affordability of 616 units for that community, and to ensure no one is displaced.
"As the Waterfront community grows, 20-30 years down the road, people aren't displaced for their economic status. So we're really building socioeconomically diverse neighborhoods, and I'm just thrilled that the Common Council will be able to vote on that," said Fillmore District Councilman Mitch Nowakowski in a conversation with WBEN. "It's something that's been very important to me as someone that represents Marine Drive residents."
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This project in Downtown Buffalo is one that has drawn a significant amount of excitement for members of the Common Council. This includes Council President Darius Pridgen, who felt as an average citizen of Buffalo, it was important for people of all economic standpoints to be able to live and play by the Buffalo Waterfront.
"I've been concerned about that facility for many years, even before being on the Council," said Pridgen in an interview with WBEN. "I think it's significant. I think it shows BMHA's commitment and Buffalo's commitment to having a diverse Waterfront, and people living on the Waterfront that many may not have been able to afford had BMHA either sold that property, if it was allowed, or did some of the projects that would have counted people out who couldn't have afforded to be there."
As this project for the Marine Drive Apartments moves through its approval stages, Nowakowski feels this has been an initiative that's long overdue.
"The Waterfront belongs to all of us, and to make sure that we have affordable housing and socioeconomically diverse neighborhoods is critical to move the City of Buffalo forward," he said. "I've spent many times with some of the architects in the planning and the planners who really have come up with a really great plan. One thing I want to stress is right now, Marine Drive, those unit sizes are so small and they're not up to ADA standards. The new revision of these new buildings will see even larger apartments and updated amenities for people to live there, and families to really help grow the Waterfront community."
It was officially announced back in February the development team working with the BMHA determined that new affordable housing units were the way to go for this project, rather than overhauling the seven existing residential towers that date back to the 1950s.
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Nowakowski believes as long as the approvals can be processed and completed in a quick and orderly fashion, construction on site should begin sometime late next year. However, he knows the BMHA and their design team are ready to put shovels into the ground as soon as they're possibly allowed to.
According to Buffalo Business First, the first phase of the project will see the demolition of the existing 370-space parking lot and build two 12-story apartments buildings, one three-story building and one five-story parking garage.
Once that is all completed, residents from four of the existing towers will be moved into the newly constructed apartments. Those towers will then be demolished and replaced with two six-story apartment buildings, another five-story parking garage and a two-story community center.
The residents of the remaining three towers will then be moved into the apartments constructed in Phase 2 of the project. The last towers will then be torn down and replaced with two six-story apartments and a third five-story parking garage.
Work on the Marine Drive Apartments is expected to continue into 2031, making it around an eight-year project.
While Canalside is already a hotbed for residents and tourists alike, what will this project do to further enhance the Buffalo Waterfront?
Council President Pridgen says it will be the affordability factor that will enhance the downtown region that much more.
"I've been to a lot of waterfronts across this country, and probably most of them are exclusive to the wealthy. This is just another sign of Buffalo, and people who are living there now, from what I'm being told, will be able to stay there now," he said. "I'm sure there'll be some displacement during construction, but that's exciting. Buffalo should be very, very proud of that."
Nowakowski adds not only will the Marine Drive Apartments make the Buffalo Waterfront that much better visually, but it also will help make the Waterfront community and Canalside denser with people living there.
"We know when people are not just recreating but living there, walking their dogs, sending their kids to schools, it builds a neighborhood for everybody. I'm thrilled the Waterfront, which belongs to all of us regardless of how much money you make, will be a very diverse and strong community," Nowakowski said.
And it's not just the housing that will be an upgrade for residents. To go along with the Heritage Point project ongoing right now in the South Aud Block, Pridgen says it will also be about commercial space for businesses to set up shop as well.
"People who live right now downtown; I, at one point, lived not far from that facility, and there was no place to shop, there was no dry cleaners to take your clothes to," Pridgen said. "I've seen places in Canada that have come up out of the ashes like this will, and having the restaurants and amenities, it just makes it more exciting. But what's most exciting for me is the fact, again, that there will be people who will live there that would not be able to live in a Chicago on the Waterfront, that would not be able to live in a Miami on the Waterfront. That's a huge difference."
Meanwhile, Nowakowski believes a project like this, tied in with the Heritage Point project down the way on Marine Drive, will make it a more walkable community for residents.
"They will be adding a street that will be going through the buildings. It will just be more functional for people to live down there," he said. "I think both projects really will complement each other, and it goes to the testament of how strong Buffalo real estate is, and that people are moving and living in the city."
Tuesday's Buffalo Planning Board meeting is slated for 4 p.m. ET at Buffalo City Hall.
We also reached out to the BMHA, but they were unavailable for comment.