It has sat vacant along Niagara Square in recent years, but Jim Fink of Business First expects the Dillon Courthouse to play a key role in a changing downtown landscape.
According to Fink, no other federal agency has shown any interest in taking over the Michael J. Dillon U.S. Courthouse, which was cleared out when the massive Robert H. Jackson U.S. Courthouse opened over four years ago.
Fink expects the city of Buffalo to fill that void. Officials want to transform the former courthouse into a "public safety campus" that would house some of the fire department operations while serving as the new headquarters for Buffalo police.
"It makes perfect sense. It's right in the shadow of City Hall."
With the move, the current headquarters on Franklin Street would be left vacant.
"This is an interesting domino effect."
According to Fink, the city would sell the structure to a developer as an adaptive reuse project. He expects such a project to draw great interest.
"It's another sign of how Buffalo's downtown, especially, continues to reinvent itself. "
When it comes to residential opportunities, waterfront development remains a blank canvas. Gerry Buchheit's Queen City Landing looks to paint a bold stroke while replacing the former Freezer Queen complex.
"I think people are taken aback by the size of it: 23 stories. And I think that has become its own lightning rod," Fink said of the project which has drawn a high level of skeptical public interest.
"Strip that away, we're talking about a private sector person willing to invest $60 million."
Fink forecasts an active market for the 197 residential units at Queen City Landing. Planners promise not to interfere with access to the waterfront's public lands.
"Every question that has been asked, they've answered. At the end of the day, I think the project will get approved. I think it will be a significant landmark on the waterfront."
