A long-time Elmwood Avenue pizzeria is looking to branch into downtown. Casa-di-Pizza is said to have the OTB building at 13 E. Mohawk Street under contract. The three-story building has been on and off the market since 2009 when it had a $600,000 asking price. Buffalo Business First reports Casa-di-Pizza owners are expected to pay $510,000 for the property in a deal that could close as soon as next month but is not yet a done deal:
“It is far from a done deal,” cautioned Jeff Jacobbi, a Casa -di-Pizza manager.
OTB officials are confident the issues can be resolved and the late June closing date will be met.
“This is a good opportunity for Casa, especially with everything that’s going on in downtown Buffalo,” said Michael Kane, Western Regional OTB president and CEO.
Part of a former Wendy’s restaurant, OTB moved to the site in 1991. The 11,610 sq.ft. building has an elevator and the upper floors have been renovated for office use. The OTB branch is expected to close in late-June.
Casa-di-Pizza would join a mini-wave of new bars restaurants in the heart of downtown that have opened or will open soon including Perks at 523 Main, D’Avolio’s Kitchen at 535 Main, Raclettes at 537 Main, Oshum at 5 E. Huron, Marco’s Italian Deli and Dog e Style on Genesee Street, and Tappo, Big Ditch Brewery, and a second Perks on Ellicott Street. The team behind the redevelopment of 5-7 Genesee Street are also expecting to have a first floor restaurant tenant.
This block of E. Huron Mohawk is currently being reconstructed as part of the latest Main Street Retraffic phase. The site is also next to Carmina Wood Morris’ office building that has E-Café as a ground floor tenant and recently signed two offices leases to fill the last of the building’s five upper floors.
Casa-di-Pizza has been owned by the Jacobbi family since 1953 and is located at 477 Elmwood Avenue at Bryant Street.