Lockport NY

The Buffalo News reported that Ulrich has sold Taboo to two of the employees.

Taboo Night Club will be sold to members of its management team by Aug. 1.

Club manager Chris Bell and night manager Brian Junke are buying the business from David Ulrich, Bell confirmed Thursday.

Once a new liquor license is in place, they’ll rename it Lock 34 Bar & Grill and operate it seven days a week.

It's great to see the additional operating schedule. My only question is why do most recent businesses have to tack on "Bar and Grill" to their name? It's superfluous and sounds "dumbed down". Or in the case of the old "Indian Bar and Grill", a tad confusing.

Did Applebee's "Neighborhood Bar and Grill" slogan set a bad precedent? I can see them trying to convince us of what they are trying to be but a local place should not need such a propaganda campaign.

"Lock 34" is a nice simple name. I like "Lock 36" playing off the same concept as the "19th hole" in golf. what better place to end your trip up the canal?

And the more taps there are the merrier. I've always pined for an EBC like the one in Fredonia to be located on Main St somewhere.

Bell said, and five taps are being added for a total of nine draft beer selections, two of which will be less common microbrews, like blueberry beer.

In regards to the old GLDC loans, they are being transferred to the new owners.

 Their deal with Ulrich was sealed Thursday, when the Greater Lockport Development Corporation board of directors approved transfer of an outstanding loan to Lock 34 from Taboo. In 2007, GLDC OK’d a 10-year, $177,000 loan to Ulrich; and terms of the business sale included a requirement that Bell and Junke assume the $115,000 balance. The board OK’d the transfer with two repayment offers: 2 percent interest over 4 years or 4 percent interest over 6 years. Bell and Junke didn’t decide which terms to take yet.

Will this end the "Ulrich has these concerts to enrich his bar." comments?

The Buffalo News and the LUSJ have both reported on the GLDC deal with Trek Inc of Medina to occupy the top two floors of 57 Canal St.

A Medina company will be moving some of its employees to Lockport, as it leases the second and third floors of the largest building on Canal Street.

Mayor Michael W. Tucker said Wednesday that Trek Inc. will pay $90,000 a year, or $7.50 per square foot, for the top two stories of 57 Canal St.

Also, the city will be selling the smallest building on the block, 79-81 Canal St., to Lockport Cave for $70,000 as a new headquarters for the seasonal tourist attraction.

Trek, founded in Medina in 1968, is expanding its production facilities and needed someplace to move its engineering, and research and development departments, said Cindy Coons, company human resources manager....

The price is cheap but it will cover the build out and after 4 years it will still be completed viable space if Trek decides to not renew the lease. Could be a kick start if bigger plans are put into place.  It is nice to see that they wisely kept the 1st floor free for a business to generate foot traffic (even thought the facade isn't designed for it). The street will need some infill and the street opened to traffic if any sustained foot traffic and street life are desired.

A second article by the LUSJ on the deal and another about a local connection to the Verison project underscore the positives that can be gained from the "negatives" of the area's children moving away for better opportunities. Instill in them a love for their hometown, etc and someday they could return with opportunities.

The Buffalo News and The LUSJ have both reported on the attempts of small-business to land on Canal St.

Does a “small” business person have a prayer of landing a piece of Canal Street?


A few who’ve tried believe they do not, especially once a bigger entity like inLighten or, now, Ulrich Development Corp., enters the picture.
But the city’s development arm says they are not playing favorites and will consider all offers currently on the table....

This is the highest profile section of street along the Canal in Lockport. The biggest issue here is the city's lack of a plan for the street. If there was a plan in place it wouldn't matter if there were separate entities or one trying to develop the block. Though with the money needed to finish each building and create in-fill to make it successful, I'd say a large developer and their money is needed.

I've mentioned the current draw backs:
-No thru traffic in a pedestrian light area.
-Only two or three street level store fronts separated by almost a city block.
-No continuous street frontage to draw pedestrians down it.
-No plan to ensure it has the best chance of drawing people year round to make it viable.


This should be a signature project. Anything less will sell the street and the city short. It should one-up Ulrich City Center and pick up on what was missed over there. Offer tax-breaks etc to offset the investment needed in exchange for a mixed-use development that should set the precedent for future development downtown while showing visitors a progressive city. Invite successful developers from Buffalo and Rochester to sell them on the opportunity and then bid on it. No one bids well enough, increase the incentives and repeat...

 

Seems Lockport’s (only?) developer David Ulrich is proposing something for Canal St. today. The Buffalo News and the LUSJ reported:

...David L. Ulrich is to meet behind closed doors today with the board of the city’s development agency to discuss the empty buildings along the north bank of the Erie Canal, which were renovated at a cost of more than $3 million, mostly in state and federal grants.

Proposals ranging from a wine store to the headquarters of a digital screen manufacturer have fallen through.
Now Ulrich, landlord of Ulrich City Centre on Main Street, will go before the Greater Lockport Development Corp. to make a pitch for a new project...

What would you hope to see?

I’d love to see the Niagara Wine Loop Shop come back in its original form. I’d be knocked silly if an actual residential mix was proposed. I may need shock paddles if mixed use infill development is mentioned.

UPDATE 06-04-10
Most meeting updates from The Buffalo News and The LUSJ with not much by the way of new information.

Some exciting news for DT/Canal St is being reported in the LUSJ and The Buffalo News. InLighten is considering Canal St for relocation. It is always very interesting to find out about WNY businesses that would otherwise be under the collective radar. It's more exciting when they want to capitalize on current trends of operating out of historic buildings and adding to/parking in the vitality an urban area offers. All the better when it's considering DT Lockport. It's been happening in Buffalo for the last several year's.

Currently operating out of newer leased space on Walden Ave in Depew they are currently looking for their own space:

"Any relocation of inLighten would have to consider how it impacts our growing team of employees and their families," said Dan Snyder, president and founder. "We are searching for a community that recognizes the great opportunity inLighten offers and is willing to work with the company through a relocation and the future growth of our company." ....

...The company was looking at a privately owned site in Lockport, but Tucker said that deal fell through and he stepped in to try to keep inLighten from going elsewhere.
"They were looking for a community like ours. They wanted to be downtown so their employees could walk around," Tucker said.

With its non continuous street frontage and its biggest building having no real street presence. I had doubts with Canal St attaining any high retail use or street level activity. This presents a great opportunity to add workers downtown who will be able to walk to places like Chet's, Tom's, Daily Grind, India Grill etc. No more having to hop into your car to race to a BK (though it would still be an option ;). Add to that Lunch time walks along the canal etc and you start to offer your employees more than a cubicle and a parking lot with tress for their work life.

Watch out on the parking. The land on the other side of Gooding is a waste and prime for canal visitor/worker parking. All Saints lot is a block north and only really used for church services a couple times a week. Perhaps the church would like a few bucks for overflow parking? Non-planned single use parking will kill the whole reason for locating in a DT area. Perhaps this will add some credence to the ramp proposal.

Another bonus is the possible leasing of space at Harrison Place:

Tucker said a rental of some space in Harrison Place, the city-owned former Harrison Radiator Division plant, is part of the deal. He said inLighten would need that space for warehousing and perhaps for manufacturing.

With places like Yahoo coming just outside the city limits, InLighten a possibility, MTC already on Main St what is the plan to get workers to want to invest in the city?

And speaking of MTC, perhaps they could make a phone call or two InLighten? Nothing like word of mouth from your contemporaries who have already done what is being considered.

LUSJ and Buffalo News reporting the GLDC has made a final offer on Settling the Metropolitan debt.

Greater Lockport Development Corp. offered Thursday to drop its litigation against Peter Calieri, owner of the former Metropolitan Bar & Grill, if Calieri will pay the city $150,000.

Corporation Counsel John J. Ottaviano said the city has received several settlement offers from Calieri, but none as large as $150,000. The largest one publicly disclosed was $70,000.
Ottaviano said the development corporation’s loan committee decided to discount one of the loans, for $131,250, which would have been converted into an outright grant if the Metropolitan had stayed in business at least three years. It lasted 14 months.
Ottaviano said the city has a list of Calieri’s assets and has appraised some Florida real estate that Calieri owns, as well as two other businesses here: the Village Eatery, one of Lockport’s most popular restaurants, and the Davison Road Banquet House.
The corporation counsel said the $150,000 offer “was based on what we thought we could recover. At some point, if you push too far, you push the [debtor] into bankruptcy, so you’ve got to know where to draw the line.”

Original Post on Subject

LUSJ Article

Buffalo News Article

Ulrich placed a final bid of $61,000 to eclipse the bids for individual pieces of the property. Thankfully this keeps the interior intact and holds out hope to try to lure a new operator in. City made out with $54,000 after auction fees.

With the net auction proceeds, the debt is down to about $321,000. Ottaviano said the city will seek a judgment against Calieri in court to try to go after any real property or businesses that are held in his name.

The Village Eatery is owned by Lockport Village Eatery Inc. “We’d have to find out who owns the shares of that corporation,” Ottaviano said. Calieri did not return a call seeking comment.

I figure the GDLC would have searched out who owns what etc to actually establish what is backing up the loans before giving them out.

Whatever may end up in there, I hope they have offer up a nice range of specialty drafts.

Original thread here: Default on Metropolitan Bar and Grill