BUFFALO, N.Y. (WBEN) - It's a notable week for Buffalo's tallest building as residential tenants will begin moving into their homes.
Seneca One developer Douglas Jemal told WBEN that there are about 20 apartments that have already been leased and that the figure is unprecedented because the building is not even open yet.
The 38-story tower features 200 residential apartments. M&T Bank will also lease 11 floors of the tower for use as a tech hub with 1,000 employees. M&T Bank is expected to begin operations there shortly after the building reopens.
Jemal said in July he expected the building to open sometime in early September.
Coronavirus stalled construction and renovation work at the tower for several weeks. Brown said the space that will be occupied by M&T Bank may be ahead of its construction schedule.
Once the project finishes, Brown hopes it will breathe new life into Downtown Buffalo.
"We did some calculating and in a probably ten block radius of Seneca One Tower, there is over $300 million of economic development projects moving forward right now," Brown said. "Even as we deal with COVID-19, the development activity in Buffalo has restarted and moved forward in a very positive clip."
Those projects include 201 Ellicott Street, the Amtrak Train Station on Exchange Street, Shoreline Apartments, and the return of cars on Main Street underneath the tower.