NEW
NEW TONIGHT AT SIX... AN EXCLUSIVE LOOK INSIDE SOME OF THE
BIG NEW
DEVELOPMENTS IN
BUFFALO.
2 ON YOUR SIDE GOT
THE CHANCE TO SIT
DOWN WITH DOUGLAS
JEMAL... WHO OWNS
SENECA ONE AND SOME
OTHER HIGH-PROFILE
PROPERTIES IN
WESTERN NEW YORK.
MICHAEL WOOTEN
UPDATES HIS MANY
ONGOING PROJECT...
INCLUDING SOME YOU
MAY NOT HAVE HEARD
MUCH ABOUT YET...
IN THIS 2 ON YOUR SIDE
ORIGINAL.
ORIGINAL.
JUNE
JUNE 4TH... 2016. AS THE TALLEST BUILDING IN BUFFALO
SAT EMPTY...
THE HEADLINE IN THE
NEWSPAPER READ THAT
A "WRECKING BALL" MAY
BE THE BEST OPTION...
WITH A MULTI-MILLION
DOLLAR PRICE TAG...
ONE PROMINENT
DEVELOPER SAID HE
WOULDN'T TOUCH IT
FOR A DOLLAR...
THIS DEVELOPER... SAW
IT DIFFERENTLY...
"DO THE HARD STUFF
AND THE CREATIVE
STUFF. THAT'S REALLY
WHERE YOU SHINE OUT."
DOUGLAS JEMAL
BOUGHT THE TOWER...
NOW CALLED SENECA
ONE... FOR 12 MILLION
DOLLARS.
AND HE'S SPENT MORE
THAN 100 MILLION ON
RENOVATIONS AND
ADDITIONS.
IT APPEARS THAT HAS
"PAID" OFF.
"THIS PLACE WAS
EMPTY. DID YOU THINK
YOU'D BE 80 PERCENT
FULL BY THIS POINT?
YOU KNOW SOMETHING,
I DO BELIEVE IN THE
THEORY OF BUILD IT AND
THEY WILL COME. YOU
TAKE LIFE AS IT COMES. I
THINK WE DELIVERED A
GREAT PRODUCT AT THE
END OF THE DAY."
M-AND-T NEW TECH HUB
IS THE ANCHOR
TENANT... TAKING UP 13
FLOORS PLUS A HUGE
SPACE ON THE GROUND
LEVEL.
THE BANK WILL HAVE
AROUND 15-HUNDRED
EMPLOYEES WORKING
IN THE TOWER...
IT'S LOGO PROMINENTLY
PLACED FOR ALL TO SEE.
"I WANT TO MAKE IT A
SENSE OF A
COMMUNITY. I JUST
DON'T WANT TO MAKE
THIS A BUILDING THAT'S
A BUILDING THAT'S NOT
FOR EVERYBODY."
OF THE 115 NEW
APARTMENTS ATTACHED
TO THE TOWER...
85 ARE FULL -- LEASED
DURING THE PANDEMIC.
JEMAL THINKS WE'LL
NEED A LOT "MORE"
DOWNTOWN HOUSING IN
THE YEARS TO COME...
BECAUSE...
"WHAT'S NEXT FOR THIS
BUILDING?"
"WE'RE HOPING TO
MAKE THIS A GOOGLE
TYPE CAMPUS OF
TECHNOLOGY OR
AMAZON TYPE CAMPUS
OF TECHNOLOGY, A
BANKING CAMPUS OF
TECHNOLOGY. SO WE'RE
ACTIVELY OUT THERE
RIGHT NOW THANKS TO
M&T'S COMMITMENT AND
MIKE WHISTLER FOR
THIS TECHNOLOGY HUB
THAT WE HAVE AN
OPPORTUNITY, THERE'S
A WINDOW HERE IN
BUFFALO THAT HASN'T
EXISTED SINCE ALL OF
THE INDUSTRY HAS
CLOSED DOWN."
SO JEMAL IS BETTING
BIG ON BUFFALO...
HIS REACH... FAR
BEYOND THE TOWER...
"ALL NEW STOREFRONT,
ALL NEW GLASS, ALL THE
TERRACOTTA HAS BEEN
RESTORED..."
JEMAL'S DIRECTOR OF
DEVELOPMENT GREG
BAKER SHOWED US
AROUND THE STATLER.
THE 98-YEAR-OLD
BUILDING JUST GOT AN
OUTSIDE FACELIFT...
WITH MAJOR
CONSTRUCTION NOW
UNDERWAY INSIDE.
"WE REMOVED 4 FEET
OF SLAB AND CONCRETE
TO CLEAN UP THE
SPACE. THEN WE'LL
BRING IN STONE, AND
IT'LL BE UP TO 100-
THOUSAND SQUARE
FEET OF CONTIGUOUS
SPACE DOWN HERE."
THIS IS THE BASEMENT...
A FLOOR UP... THE
BANQUET SPACE
DOESN'T NEED MUCH
WORK.
WEDDINGS WILL RETURN
HERE -- THIS MONTH.
THE MOST DRAMATIC
CHANGES WILL HAPPEN
HIGHER UP.
"THESE WILL BE
PROBABLY SOME
BIGGER FAMILY UNITS UP
HERE..."
HERE..."
THE
THE 18TH
THE 18TH FLOOR WILL SHOWCASE PENTHOUSE APARTMENTS -- WITH
THESE VIEWS...
WHILE MOST AREAS --
LIKE THIS -- HAVE BEEN
GUTTED... LEAVING
BEHIND A BLANK
CANVAS...
SOME REMNANTS
REMAIN OF THE OLD
HOTEL'S SMALL
ROOMS...
"THIS WOULD END UP
BEING JUST A VERY
TYPICAL STUDIO UNIT.
THE PLAN IS FOR MORE
THAN 500 TOTAL UNITS IN
THE STATLER... FILLING
THE TOP 16 STORIES.
IN THE UNUSED AREAS
BELOW... PERHAPS
GAMING... CONVENTION
SPACE... EVEN PARKING.
"IT'S GOING TO BE A
FABULOUS BUILDING."
NEARBY... JEMAL OWNS
THE NOTE TO THE HYATT
REGENCY... BUT THE
FORECLOSURE
PROCESS ISN'T DONE
YET.
HIS PLAN FOR THE NEAR
400-ROOM HOTEL?
"IT NEEDS AN UPDATE. IT
NEEDS A FRESHENING
UP. ROOMS HAVE TO BE
REDONE....... IT'LL BE A
GREAT FIRST-CLASS
HOTEL SERVICING THE
CONVENTION CENTER
AND THE CITY. THE
BONES ARE ALL THERE."
THERE'S ANOTHER
HOTEL JEMAL IS
EYEING...
AT THE RICHARDSON-
OLMSTED CAMPUS.
HE HOPES TO BE
SELECTED AS THE
OPERATOR OF THE
HOTEL HENRY AND
DEVELOPER FOR OTHER
AREAS AT THE SITE.
"IT HAS TO BE MORE
THAN JUST A HOTEL
HENRY."
"WHAT STRIKES YOU
ABOUT THAT PLACE?
THE CHALLENGE."
"WE'RE LOOKING TO DO
THE WEST SIDE OF THE
BUILDING INTO
RESIDENTIAL..."
"SO I SEE A FABULOUS
OPPORTUNITY GOING
FORWARD ON THAT
PROJECT."
FROM ONE HISTORIC
LANDMARK...
TO ANOTHER.
JEMAL IS ALSO
INTERESTED IN
BUFFALO'S CENTRAL
TERMINAL...
"IT'S A GEM. IT'S A GEM."
HE'S ONLY BEEN
THROUGH IT ONCE... BUT
IMMEDIATELY KNEW HE
WANTED TO BE PART OF
ITS FUTURE...
"IT HIT ME AS LOVE AT
FIRST SIGHT, AND I FELL
IN LOVE WITH THE
BUILDING, AND THIS IS A
BROAD BRUST WHAT I
WOULD DO. I WOULD DO
A SUPERMARKET,
POSSIBLY A WEGMANS.
I'D DO RESIDENTIAL. I
WOULD DO OFFICE. I
WOULD MAKE IT AN
EXTENSION ALSO OF
THE TECH HUB. I MEAN,
IT'S UNLIMITED THE
POTENTIAL THAT THAT
HAS."
HE ALSO SEES
POTENTIAL AT ANOTHER
SOMEWHAT ABANDONED
PROPERTY.
JEMAL PURCHASED THE
BOULEVARD MALL AND A
NEARBY WEGMANS
BUILDING FOR 30
MILLION BUCKS.
THE CHALLENGES ARE
APPARENT...
"THE WORD MALL IS
OBSOLETE."
SO HE PLANS TO TURN IT
INTO SOMETHING ELSE...
"IT'S 63 ACRES, IT HAS
TO BE AN URBAN
ENVIRONMENT IN A
SUBURBAN AREA. IT'S
RETAIL, IT'S
RESIDENTIAL, IT'S
OFFICE. IT'S NOT THIS
BIG INTERNAL SPACE."
THAT WORK WILL TAKE
TIME... PLUS SOME
TENANTS STILL HAVE
LEASES IN THE MALL.
SO THIS WON'T BE DONE
FOR YEARS.
MEANWHILE... BACK
DOWNTOWN...
SOMETHING MUCH
CLOSER TO
COMPLETION...
"WHAT'S IN THIS
BUILDING? SO WE HAVE
113 UNITS, MOSTLY 1
BEDROOM, STUDIOS AND
2 BEDROOMS. AND
OPENING SOON? JULY
FIRST, YEA."
SAM SOLTIS WILL BE IN
CHARGE OF LEASING
OUT THE APARTMENTS
IN THE OLD BUFFALO
POLICE HEADQUARTERS.
JEMAL BOUGHT THIS
85-YEAR-OLD BUILDING
FOR 23 MILLION
DOLLARS.
IT'S UNDERGOING QUITE
THE TRANSFORMATION...
FROM THE BASEMENT --
TURNED PARKING
GARAGE...
"WE BLEW OUT ALL THE
WALLS, BROUGHT THE
WHOLE SLAB DOWN
WITH THE THOUGHT IS
WE CAN GET ABOUT 80
TO 90 SPOTS
DOWNSTAIRS..."
TO THE ROOMS ABOVE...
"WE NEED MORE
RESIDENTIAL
DOWNTOWN..."
RESIDENTIAL DOWNTOWN..." "WITH HISTORIC TAX
CREDITS, YOU KEEP AS
MUCH OF THE ORIGINAL
BUILDING AS YOU CAN,
AND SO THE JAIL CELL
AREA IS STAYING HERE.
IT'S ACTUALLY BEING
CONVERTED INTO A
WORK SPACE AREA. YOU
HAVE THESE INDIVIDUAL
SPOTS. THEY'LL HAVE
WIFI AND DESKS TO BE
USED BY TENANTS AND
ALSO PEOPLE FROM THE
OUTSIDE."
THERE'S ALSO MAJOR
CONSTRUCTION ON THE
3RD AND 4TH FLOORS...
CONNECTING THE TWO
WINGS OF THE
BUILDING...
"SO WE ADDED THIS
ADDITION JUST TO
ALLOW FOR THE FLOW
OF THE APARTMENTS,
FOR THE TENANTS TO
BE ABLE TO WALK
AROUND, AND THIS
SPACE ACTUALLY RIGHT
HERE IS GOING TO BE AN
OUTDOOR AMENTITIES
SPACE."
WITH THINGS LIKE AN
ELECTRIC FIREPLACE...
OUTDOOR KITCHEN...
AND EXERCISE AREA.
WITH SO MANY MAJOR
PROJECTS UNDERWAY
OR IN THE WORKS...
ONE THING IS CLEAR.
DOUGLAS JEMAL
BELIEVES IN BUFFALO...
AND HE'S WILLING TO
PUT HIS MONEY... ON
THE LINE...
"WHY SHOULD IT BE
NEW YORK? WHY
SHOULD IT BE
WASHINGTON. WHY
SHOULD IT BE SAN
FRANCISCO. WHY NOT
BUFFALO?"
A LOT OF WESTERN NEW
YORKERS... WOULD
AGREE.
MICHAEL WOOTEN,