NY: Three developers vie for LaSalle Station project with proposals of up to $200 million

Three development groups are left vying for the right to redevelop the LaSalle Metro Rail Station and 11 acres of surrounding land in Buffalo’s University Heights District, with proposals to create hundreds of new affordable, market-rate or senior apartments and a host of public and private amenities at a cost that could top $200 million.

After a 33-month evaluation process by the city and the Niagara Frontier Transportation Authority, what started with 10 firms submitting their qualifications is down to teams led by local developers SAA-EVI and McGuire Development Co., the Albanese Organization of Long Island and Boston-based Beacon Communities.

The groups are battling for the development nod to transform the light-rail station, the adjacent Park-and-Ride parking lot and underused land into an “equitable transit-oriented development,” designed to help fill a housing gap while creating new density and activity at the site. Their proposals vary in size from 337 to 465 new apartments.

Officials want the developers to focus on “innovative and attractive environments that foster talent attraction, intelligent technology and placemaking design, and affordable and accessible transportation,” according to the city’s website. The goal is to draw many more mixed-income and mixed-age residents who are willing to rely more on rail, bus, bicycles and feet than on cars.

The RFP

The site is on the west side of Main Street, across from LaSalle Avenue, and consists of seven parcels: 3000, 3010, 3030, 3012, 3018 and 3036 Main and 447 Beard Ave. Three are owned by the city, three by the NFTA and three by the Buffalo Urban Renewal Agency. Besides the Metro Rail station and the parking lot, it includes the former My Kids Daycare at the back of the lot.

The effort began April 29, 2022, with the release of a request-for-qualifications that drew a host of responses. A period of community engagement commenced, in order to garner public feedback on what was desired and needed, before a more narrowly tailored 72-page request for proposals was issued in May 2024 to the 10 groups that answered the earlier call.

The RFP specified that proposals must incorporate the NFTA station, prioritize multiple forms of transportation, include mixed-income housing, promote ground-floor activity along Main, incorporate “vibrant streetscapes and public spaces,” and provide flexible parking options for users of public transit, the Rails-to-Trails bike path that runs from North Buffalo to Tonawanda, and the adjacent Shoshone Park Fieldhouse.

“The Site has the potential to significantly increase area economic activity and enhance the attractiveness and accessibility of the University Heights neighborhood,” the RFP said.

The RFP also highlighted more than $10 billion in public and private real estate development investment since 2012, as well as the city’s 2023-2027 Four-Year Strategic Plan priorities on “thriving neighborhoods and people, climate resilience, smart and sustainable infrastructure, and economic opportunities and mobility.”

According to the RFP, the city will retain ownership of 3036 Main, which has been designated as parkland since 1991, while NFTA will continue to own the station at 3030 Main, plus 3000 Main and 447 Beard. But both entities are willing to work with the developers as buyer or lessee to improve and redevelop those parcels as part of the project. Other conditions related to restoring greenspace, retaining the Rails-to-Trails path, and creating buffers.

Proposals were due Sept. 3, 2024, but only the three groups responded the second time, with the city and NFTA evaluating the plans since the fall.

All three proposals feature new housing in multiple buildings of varying heights, along with retail and commercial space, amenities, public spaces, energy-efficiency features and community partnerships. All use a variety of materials and colors, and all rely on a mixture of state and federal low-income housing tax credits, brownfield tax credits, other government funding, mortgages and equity.

Now, officials are seeking public input once again, this time on the specific proposals that have been put forward.

SAA-EVI and McGuire

SAA-EVI and McGuire are working with Utah-based Blackfish Cos., Elev8 Architecture and Dirtworks on a project dubbed LaSalle Commons, with Buffalo Construction Consultants as the construction manager. The plan calls for 337 apartment homes across seven buildings, with both market-rate and affordable options. The project also includes 22,000 square feet of ground-floor commercial space, mostly near Main, and 293 parking spaces.

The project would include two five-story midrise apartment buildings, one with 149,890 square feet and one with 60,300 square feet. Both would be income-restricted for tenants earning no more than 80% of the area median income. One would incorporate the Metro Rail station with apartments above, and retail and food service around it.

The first building would feature two wings with 120 apartments, with a public plaza in between and 15,000 square feet of commercial space. It would offer 12 studios, 58 one-bedroom apartments, 38 two-bedroom units and 12 three-bedroom apartments.

The second would have 60 apartments and 7,204 square feet of commercial space. It would include six studios, 29 one-bedroom, 19 two-bedroom and six three-bedroom units, with the same rents as the larger building.

The income-restricted units would rent for $650 to $1,200 per month for a studio; $696 to $1,350 for one-bedroom apartments; $836 to $1,600 for two-bedroom units; and $965 to $1,800 for three-bedroom apartments. Of the total, 14.4% of the units will be set aside for those earning 40% or less of the area median, 29.2% for those at 50% of AMI, 35.4% for those earning 60% of the median and 21% for those making up to 80% of the area median.

Two garden-style apartment buildings of three stories will each offer 71 market-rate apartments in 73,846 square feet of space. Each building will include nine studios at $1,300 per month, 32 one-bedroom units at $1,600 per month and 30 two-bedroom apartments at $2,300 per month.

Finally, three two-story townhome clusters of 6,750 square feet each will feature five income-restricted three-bedroom units, again renting for $965 to $1,800, for a total of 15.

In all, that’s 378,131 square feet of development, with 36 studio, 151 one-bedroom, 117 two-bedroom and 33 three-bedroom apartments and 22,204 square feet of commercial space.

There are also new public walking paths and walkways, a public bike path, a shared townhouse patio and playground, private patios and gardens, a public plaza with splash pads, a public playground, a public plaza with sculptures, two more plazas, bicycle parking, green roofs on four buildings and a charging station. And parking would be managed to accommodate residents, visitors, commuters, recreational users, employees and commercial patrons.

The total cost is calculated at $121.9 million, including $85 million for the affordable housing component and $36.9 million for the market-rate portion.

Albanese

Working with Wendel Cos. and the YMCA, the Albanese Organization is proposing LaSalle Crossing, featuring 465 housing units, a walkable transit plaza around a new and improved train station, a bike hub and ground-floor retail and a sidewalk coffee shop or cafe along Main.

The project would include a multi-use trail network; new greenspace; an overlook to Shoshone Park with a pedestrian promenade and bench seating; public art; an outdoor wooded amphitheater with hillside seating to host talks and performances; and a new LaSalle Community Center with event space and arts, education and community organizations.

Three major buildings are proposed. The largest, a mixed-use building with 11 stories, will feature 253 affordable apartments in 265,000 square feet. It includes 27 studio, 91 one-bedroom, 103 two-bedroom and 31 three-bedroom units, plus a superintendent’s apartment. It also includes 6,000 square feet of retail space anchored by a YMCA day care and a 3,500-square-foot restaurant and cafe. An 8,000-square-foot exterior patio wraps around the building.

The second building would be five stories in height and 133,000 square feet, with 117 senior affordable apartments for those ages 62 and up. It would feature 35 studio and 81 one-bedroom apartments, with a superintendent’s unit, and would be across the street from an improved Minnesota Linear Park and near the Aldi store on Main. Rents for both of the affordable housing buildings would be set by the federal Department of Housing and Urban Development.

For the third building, Albanese is proposing either a five-story market-rate building of 133,000 square feet, with 95 units, or townhomes that would be available for purchase. If apartments, it would include 27 studio, 33 one-bedroom, 23 two-bedroom and 14 three-bedroom apartments, plus the superintendent’s unit.

Each residential building would include a community room, fitness center, onsite laundry, a children’s playroom, covered parking, bicycle storage, a children’s playground and an outdoor roof terrace.

Finally, the existing day care building would be converted into the LaSalle Community Center, with eight to 10 partner organizations offering art, music, dance, recreation and educational programs, at below-market rents. The building would include a 1,500-square-foot “grand room” for 125 attendees for large performances, workshops, lectures, recitals or local organizing events.

The partners include Stitch Buffalo, FC Buffalo, the Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra, Buffalo String Works, Clark Academy Dance Center and Arts for Learning WNY. Three public art installations are also planned, including two mural projects by Alexa and Edreys Wajed of Eat Off Art and a functional “Zen Garden” light installation above the train station, with rooftop access.

“LaSalle Crossing will be intentionally and uniquely integrated into the community,” according to the Albanese proposal. “The site will become a nexus of activity for Buffalo residents with a build-out, amenities and programming designed and provided by local organizations.”

The total cost would be $134.1 million for the big building and $57.25 million for the second building. Additional costs would be provided later, Albanese said.

Beacon Communities

Beacon’s unnamed project would entail 356 new energy-efficient apartments and townhomes, ranging in size from one to three bedrooms, with affordable housing units targeted at those earning 30%, 50%, 60% and 80% of the AMI. It would include 11 buildings or clusters in all, including five apartment buildings and five townhome buildings, plus the Metro Rail station, with 239 parking spaces.

The project would feature two six-story mixed-use buildings, with five to eight ground-floor commercial or retail spaces, plus smaller two- to three-story apartment buildings in the rear, and parking for commuters, park visitors and retail patrons. LaSalle Street would also be extended into the site, which would also include a Rails-to-Trails entrance and connection to Shoshone Park, as well as public art, structured parking, retail space and residential amenities.

Overall, the project would include 197 one-bedroom apartments, 125 two-bedroom units and 34 three-bedroom apartments. Of those, 37 will be set as affordable for those at 30% of AMI, 75 at 50% of AMI, 183 at 60% of AMI and 61 at 80% of AMI. Rents will range from $472 to $1,232 for one-bedroom units, $571 to $1,521 for two-bedroom units and $644 to $1,894 for three-bedroom apartments.

Based on the current Buffalo median family income of $96,900 for the metro area, the project would be available to individuals earning up to $54,250 and families of four earning up to $77,500.

Existing bike paths would be maintained, with a new pedestrian pathway, while plans also call for new street connections and crossings, walkability enhancements, traffic-calming measures, new greenspace, rooftop solar panels, bicycle repair stations and designated parking for commuters, residents, recreational visitors and patrons. There would be 239 parking spaces for residents and 80 more for commuters and others.

The total cost over three phases would hit $194.7 million – $32.6 million in the first phase, $91.1 million in the second and $71 million in the third. The project would be funded with $111.2 million in private investment and $83.5 million from the public sector.

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