The final 18 units at Lofts @ Elk Terminal are complete and occupied bringing the residential portion of the downtown development’s multi-year rehab effort to a close. First Amherst Development held a grand-opening celebration in late June at the Cobblestone District site. The circa-1920, two building former food terminal contains 70 upscale apartments priced from $895.
When initiated in 2002, the market for upscale downtown loft rentals was new and untested. First Amherst took a conservative, phased approach to building-out the development completing roughly 20 units at a time. The visionary notion of chic, downtown Buffalo living has paid off drawing a mix of professionals, baby-boomers and empty-nesters.
New residents were greeted with a carpet of freshly laid bluegrass sod. First Amherst retained Dave Majewski’s Premium Services Inc. to create and install a fully sustainable landscape program on the property. Majewski’s horticulture and landscape design firm was responsible for soil remediation, prep, construction, paving, and planting.
Due to the property’s former commercial use, Majewski sent soil samples away for a detailed lab analysis to make proper adjustments. Over 5,000 red worms were brought in from South Carolina to aerate the site’s compacted soils. The worms expedite soil purification through their feeding habits and constant activity. A majority of the labor and prep was done manually to avoid further compaction of the soil.
First Amherst’s work at Elk Terminal is not entirely finished as a section of the east building along Chicago Street remains vacant. The developer intends to create additional commercial space for lease. Loft-style office space has been extremely popular with start-up and tech firms throughout downtown. “We currently have two commercial tenants and are speaking to several other companies,” according to Kathy Behan, Executive Vice President at First Amherst. Plans announced in 2005 for 48 new-build units at Elk Terminal appear to be on the back burner however.
So what’s next for pioneering First Amherst? No one is saying just yet. Last year the developer purchased a vacant mansion at 23 North Street and floated plans for 35-40 residential units on the site. First Amherst has also talked about potentially building a residential project on the former Vernor Building lot in the 700 block of Main.
Get Connected:
First Amherst Development, 716.839.1400; Premium Services Inc., 716.432.2960