LPCiminelli breaks ground on $90 million Highland Park project; team includes Ciminelli Real Estate, HHL Architects, Goody Clancy, and Wendel Cos.

Buffalo, NY LPCiminelli celebrated the official groundbreaking for the company’s Highland Park project, located on the site of the former Central Park Plaza. This marks an important milestone in the project’s development, signaling the start of Phase I construction. 

The $90 million project, which sits on 27 acres in the Fillmore Leroy neighborhood, will be completed in three phases over the course of the next 5-7 years. LPCiminelli has already completed initial site infrastructure improvements, including the extension of Chalmers Ave. into the project, readying the site for the start of construction. 

Upon completion, Highland Park will include housing options totaling 600 units in a mix of rental apartments, for-sale homes and townhomes. Phase I of the project, totaling $24 million in investment, will include construction of four buildings, totaling 52 apartments, and 32 single-family town homes. Preleasing activity for Phase I will begin in spring 2018, with initial occupancy in the summer of 2018. 

Project team members include LPCiminelli, Ciminelli Real Estate Corp., HHL Architects, Goody Clancy, and Wendel Companies.

The site, bordered by Holden St., Central Park Ave., Manhattan Ave.and Bennett Village Terr., was purchased by Highland Park Village, LLC in 2012, with the intention of creating diverse housing options, and further solidifying the neighborhood surrounding the project site. LPCiminelli then worked closely with the city, Elim Christian Fellowship, and community stakeholders to create a project that illustrates the goals of the city’s newly adopted Green Code. As a result of that process, the Highland Park neighborhood is planned as a transit-oriented development. The project’s close proximity to the Metro Rail corridor, integrated public-transit options, and pedestrian-friendly design, make strong connections to the surrounding neighborhood a priority. Community involvement in the planning process has been significant and the resulting plans are expected to be a blueprint for future developments of this type in the city. 

Buffalo mayor, Byron Brown said, “My administration has set the foundation to attract private development back to the city, complementing the investments we’ve made in housing, community facilities, and infrastructure. It’s great to see the success of these with a developer who shares this vision and is building mixed-income housing in a neighborhood that’s primed for a great future.” 

John Ciminelli, senior vice president of LPCiminelli said, “The development process for Highland Park has revealed a strong desire by our community to strengthen existing neighborhoods and build on the assets of the city of Buffalo. The start of construction at Highland Park moves us all one step closer to realizing those goals.”