Buffalo, N.Y. (WBEN) - Two iconic properties in the Allentown neighborhood devastated by a pair of fires just about seven months apart may be in line for a new breath of life in the coming months.
According to a report from WKBW-TV, the former sites of The Old Pink and Mulligan's Brick Bar along Allen Street are now under contract to be sold to Buffalo attorney and real estate developer Kyle Roche.
The Old Pink, formerly located at 223 Allen Street, and Brick Bar, at 229 Allen Street, were longtime neighbors in Allentown, with only a parking lot separating both businesses that's owned by the City of Buffalo.
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Buffalo Mayor Chris Scanlon was optimistic about the development once he learned of it Tuesday afternoon.
While he knows people have expressed their concerns about what development might take place at those properties, Scanlon says the city has leverage when talking about what might take place there.
"If I was in the persons shoes who was buying those properties, I would certainly want the one between the two," said Scanlon in an interview with WBEN. "It gives us a lot of control over what could take place there, the boards it's got to go through.
"I have not spoken to the person purchasing the projects, I don't know what their intention is with the projects. But certainly the fact that we own that parcel between the two gives us a tremendous amount of input in what will take place there moving forward. And we will certainly make sure that we reach out to and listen to the neighbors in that community right there."
While Scanlon has yet to reach out to the developer interested in both sites, he's excited to get some feedback on what ideas are in store for the future of both properties.
"Anyone who wants to invest in the City of Buffalo, we welcome to the table to have a conversation to see what we can do to improve any neighborhood. Whether it's any corner of the City of Buffalo, in our downtown core, wherever it might be. We'll certainly be talking to him in the near future about what he wants to do there," Scanlon said.
And while several months has passed since both fires took place that resulted in the emergency demolition of both buildings, have there been any conversations as to what the city would like to see done with those properties?
"Very vague, very '10,000-foot' kind of conversations, in particular after the second building came down. Now you have that large expanse of Allen Street there that's empty," Scanlon noted. "Started just having informal conversations within the building say, 'Hey, it would be great to see this there, great to see that there.' But nothing concrete, nothing too serious."
According to WKBW's report, the sale of both properties is expected to close sometime next week.