With a real shortage of residential space in Buffalo, two aging and worn buildings on West Delavan Avenue are going to be replaced and added to the mix.
Ellicott Development wound up with the two buildings during construction of its building at Elmwood and Delavan and they have been sitting, aging, since. At the time, city officials were told the buildings were used for the storage of tires and auto parts. Now Ellicott wants to knock them down for replacement.
Ellicott CEO William Paladino said they aren't worth fixing.
"Two houses that we purchased when we started the 905 Elmwood project, which we feel has been very successful for the neighborhood," Paladino said. "The previous owner of these properties pretty much let the properties deteriorate to a point that we don't feel we can reasonably rehab them to, I guess, the 905 standard, which we have next door."
Paladino said he isn't sure whether the new buildings will be rental properties or if they will be built for sale, into a market with a serious shortage of real estate for sale.
"We don't know. We may. We are constructing them in a way similar so that we could go either direction," he said. "We know there's not enough for-sale property in the area and a lot of people have called us about wanting to buy different things that we own that are currently only rentals, so we may very well make these for-sale."
Paladino said the neighborhood remains a draw for millennials.
"People like to be in areas that have a lot of services for them and we feel up here that has gone up there recently and what continues to go on, we feel that retail has had a very difficult time here, but there still is a lot of amenities up there for people to utilize and that's what attracts people, not only to that intersection, but the area in general," he said.
He would like to start construction late this fall, with a lot of details like price still to be resolved.