Buffalo, N.Y. (WBEN) - After significant progress was being made in construction efforts down at Canalside with the Heritage Point project in the South Aud Block, work has recently grinded to a halt despite some beautiful winter weather to take advantage of.
Development was finally starting to take shape last year on a pair of six-story buildings that would bring 61 apartment complexes and other commercial spaces to Downtown Buffalo. The hope from developers for each tower was a target date for substantial completion sometime in June or July.
However, activity around the project has essentially gone quiet after financing has fallen through, thus requiring developers to find a new construction lender.
"What I hear is there are financial issues with supplies, the cost of labor," said Buffalo Mayor Byron Brown when asked of the developments with the project in an interview with WBEN. "Again, coming out of the pandemic, the cost of everything is up in just about every industry. I know the developers are looking for another $4 million, they've been talking to the state and other entities about moving the project forward, completing the project. But it will require more resources."
The hope now for substantial completion of the project downtown is sometime in 2025.
Related
Mayor Brown feels when any project starts in the city, he'd like to see them completed on a timely basis. This is especially the case with the Heritage Point project being in a prime area for tourism in Buffalo.
"When we get into the summer months, there will be tens of thousands of people in that area, and to have that development not completed, certainly it's not what we want to see," Mayor Brown said. "I know that the developers are very cognizant of that, they have reported to the city they're working hard to address it, to get the project going and to get the project completed. Sadly, it comes down to a lack of resources and unanticipated expenses that have made the project more costly."
If work continues to remain substantially slow or activity becomes nonexistent on site over the coming weeks, Mayor Brown is concerned about the project site becoming a blight on the region, thus deterring people from taking in all Canalside has to offer.
"We have heard from other entities in that immediate area that want to see the site clean, that want to see the site well-maintained. Those concerns are brought to the attention of the city, and when we hear them from other entities that are located in the Canalside area, we reach out to the developers to clean, maintain the site, and to talk to their neighbors in that immediate area to make sure that people understand what's going on," Mayor Brown said.
And while the Heritage Point project is not a City of Buffalo project - partnered with the Erie Canal Harbor Development Corporation - Mayor Brown still wants to see projects such as this completed in a timely fashion to ensure the benefits for the region.
"From time-to-time, projects move at a slower pace than anticipated, than has been reported to the city and other entities. This is not directly a city project. This is a project where the developers have worked with with the state, they're working very closely with the state to get the resources to keep the project on track. But we see from time-to-time projects in different areas of the city, different areas of the county, different areas of the state that experience delays," he said. "When it comes to the city, obviously we want to see projects be completed on time, on schedule, on budget."
It is not known, at this time, when development on site will resume or accelarate.