A proposal to convert the former St. Rose of Lima School in North Buffalo into market-rate housing drew some occasional angry words Thursday night, during a public meeting to discuss the proposal.
University District Common Council Member Rasheed Wyatt called the meeting to allow neighbors and others to meet with developer Karl Frizlen and talk about his plan to convert the building into 21 apartments, renting in the $1,000 to $1,300 monthly range.
There were objections to the project completely or complaints some other use should be found.
Parish Finance Council member Sam Iraci said there haven't been other offers and the building is a drain on parish finances.
"It's been difficult to find a user for this building. It's 25,000 square feet. It costs about $25-to-30,000 a year to operate," Iraci said.
"So, about 15 percent of every weekend's collection goes to maintain this building. And, that doesn't count any of the capital improvements that need to be made---roofs, repainting, boilers, and things like that."
Developer Frizlen said there are a series of government approvals needed before he will actually buy the structure and start the renovation. Since the building is in a well-regarded residential neighborhood, the project is in front of the Zoning Board of Appeals next week on the request for a zoning variance to allow apartments in a single-family zone.
