LUSJ reported about the purchase of the industrial ruins at 89 Mill St. by Scott Krzyzanowski.
An out-of-town investor is moving to demolish an abandoned factory that’s been a blight on the Mill-Clinton streets neighborhood for decades.
Scott Krzyzanowski of Dayton, Texas, quietly acquired 89 Mill St. last month, with the thought it looked like a good “long-term investment” in a community he sees as being on the upswing.
Krzyzanowski and his wife, Diana, natives of Dunkirk, N.Y., and Newfane respectively, have made a few investments in Western New York in recent years....This is one of the last properties I would have bet on to be turned around at this time. The short term demolition is a big score on its own. The desire to build on the property holds further potential. The limits on the potential depend on what is eventually built.
...Of 89 Mill, a 1.6 acre parcel accessible from four streets — Mill, Clinton, Olcott and Chapel — Krzyzanowski says it could be an ideal location for a strip plaza. He’s been out introducing himself in the neighborhood and asking residents what they’d like to see on the corner. They’re telling him a convenience store/gas station, a car wash and/or a laundry center would be great ...The term "strip plaza" scares me a bit because of the type of development the term is synonymous with. The neighborhood would be much better off with some structures built up near the street mimicking the existing street frontages. Hopefully something of a little higher quality is possible to promote further investment in the area.
Give the neighborhood this (up to the sidewalk, transparent storefronts, built for the neighborhood):
The exact architecture need not be the same. Simple can also be beautiful if done right.
Do not give them this: (asphalt between sidewalk/st, built for those driving thru:)
Maybe this can be the next LCC?
6 comments:
Hey there~
I DO like the idea that SOMEONE is finally TRYING to do somehting with that place ..
Tear down??? ehh .. it's in a way "historical" maybe keep some of the exterior.. that way it will still "look" historical.. and not so "out of place". Get rid of the Interior stuff .. "abate" it or what ever needs to be done to clean the land up .. but keep the exterior.. prolly may end up cheaper and more "economically savvy" to keep the exterior than to destroy a local landmark.
Strip mall..I do have to say .. NO ... NO .. NO...
Granted, yes Lowertown needs SOMETHING to make it more "viable" .. but a "Strip mall" is not what it needs ... maybe another convienient store (Like when Scaps was in that general area) but NOT a strip mall .. or MAYBE a gas station...
Just my thoughts.
~Jeff
Actually the Aspen Dental building (former McDonalds) in the town is a nice template for the architecture. In today's construction standards we will most likely at best get the cinderblock covered with styrofoam/stucco but the large window spaces and nice fabric canopies really shine. this type of frontage near the street would be a nice addition down there.
Nice find.
In an ideal location the remediation cost could be recouped in development. But not in abrownfield in a "static" city.
There is a reason nobody wants to touch these places and this is one of the reasons why. These people are not charity cases looking to lose money. The state will most likely end up paying for demo and asbestos removal down the road anyways.
Why not give the guy a grant to remove it since the state will pay for it someday anyways and then let him proceed with his planned demolition? He is actually working on removing the structure so I'd be a little past skeptical. In a state that would want business/development that is how it would work. Approach the guy, be nice about it, and offer up the incentives to help move it forward. Don't play the big tough guy just watch another chance pass by.
These projects aren't easy and there aren't any precedents in Lockport. It took Buffalo way to long to have someone take a risk on the old buildings (even with tax credits etc) but once success was shown the development started flowing. N Tonawanda now had their first factory to loft/store conversion. I'm waiting on Lockport...
I just visited the huge complex some time ago while waiting for my mum and sis to come out of jury duty down town, and saw it again on the way back from the fair. I agree with the above first statement in that the old front side exterior of the building (facing the tracks) is in good shape and should be preserved but the newer factory complex and back building should probably come down. It's quite a historical item for Lockport, overall, and it's history must be fascinating--too much so for a simple 'strip mall', and right within the most historic area of the city. Such a place should have gone through a thorough clean up first long before demolition--tourists and residents are being put at risk otherwise, along with the workers. What is the exact history of that factory anyways?
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