Buffalo’s most famous retail address…waiting

Waiting…

That is exactly what 998 Broadway has been doing since K-Mart closed its doors in 2002.

A number of potential deals have fallen through for the site of the former Sattler’s over time.  In recent years, there were two big almosts for 998.  In 2009, True Bethel Baptist Church was close to transforming the site into a multi-purpose facility and in 2007, the Buffalo Public Schools was close to converting 998 into its new alternative school.

The building and the property have been on my mind lately.  As 998 remains dormant, it leaves a big whole on Broadway and in the Broadway-Fillmore business district.

I contacted real estate agent Bob Biniszkiewicz from Pyramid Brokerage who actively markets the property.  He indicated that the building receives a number of inquiries that range from light industrial to retail use.  Biniszkiewicz thinks the likelihood of seeing something along the lines of the a non retail use is probably the most realistic option for 998.

After speaking to Biniszkiewicz, I contacted Buffalo Fillmore District Council Member and Council President David Franczyk for his insights on the property. He was kind enough to to take the time to send me a response. I was originally going to use a few quotes from it, but I decided to post his full response.

BFA: What do you think the best possible reuse(s) for the building are?

DF: Ideally retail, although that seems unlikely in the near future. After the demise of Sattler’s around 1981/82, Dave Gordon of Dave Gordon’s Christmas World showed some interest in the site. He and I met several times about this. ( I earmarked a half million or so dollars in Bond’s to tear the building down some time after 1986 by a Texas Company). Prior to that we had a citizen Common Council Sattler’s Task Force which I chaired. In the late 1980’s I contacted K-Mart corporate in Michigan to build a store on 998 Broadway. At that time Bells Supermarket Exec. Charles Barcelona wanted a Bells Supermarket at 998 Broadway, which I thought was a bad idea given its competition to the Broadway Market. We wanted a store to compliment the Market. K-Mart agreed to build a store on the site only after several years of negotiation plus heavy public subsidy. I met with then EC Executive Dennis Gorski who persuaded the ECIDA to do a loan for a retail project, which they by policy did not do. The K-Mart subsidy by ECIDA was unprecedented at that time. (Their thrust was manufacturing). The City also had to purchase and demolish homes on Mills St. before K-Mart would come in, which cost tens of thousands of dollars as unscrupulous lawyers like Harry Weiman (since disbarred) told homeowners to hold out for exorbitant money, including over $55,000 for a half-burned down house). Finally, in the early 1990’s K-Mart broke ground. We tried to convince K-Mart to build up to the streetscape on Broadway and a connecting pedestrian bridge to the Broadway Market, but they refused to depart from their suburban model of huge parking lagoon and set back building. We did force them to put in a small sidewalk along the Rite Aid drug store feeding into the K-Mart lot by holding up their pole sign. With K-Mart’s meltdown, I think around 2002, they slated the 998 Broadway store for closure. Then Mayor Masiello and I met with K-Mart execs and they kept it open for another year before finally deciding to close it. When I approached Walmart executives about putting a store at 998 Broadway they said that site didn’t suit their needs.

BFA: How vital to the business district and the neighborhood is it to get a tenant for the building?

DF: It is important to get a tenant there. Plans by Result Tech for a school, Rev. Pridgeon’s Church, a computer parts recycling business and most recently a lighting manufacturing company have not come to fruition. It is marketed by Robert Binsizkiewicz.

BFA: Would you like to see some out parceling of the parking lot to help bridge the gap between the the current building and Broadway?

DF: The lot has never been used to full capacity by K-Mart. It comes to fuller use only at Easter for Broadway Market spill off parking. There has been talk of a farmer’s Market, etc. there. The last big event on that lot was eight or nine years ago when the UniversSoul Circus rented the lot for their big parade and circus show. Several thousand people went to the circus on the lot.

BFA: Does your office receive any inquiries about the property?

The last inquire was from a large and successful Buffalo lighting design and manufacturing company. My meeting with this company was about 9 or so months ago. As time goes on, the building will need more maintenance and may at some point be obsolete. Perhaps a whole new approach may be needed.

I liked the last line, “Perhaps a whole new approach may be needed.”

The property also needs more publicity and focus.  It easy to just get accustomed to seeing 998 in its current state…it becomes part of the background in B-F.  More attention needs to be drawn to it to help keep it in the eye of the public and potential developers for reuse.

Whatever the use, bringing “Buffalo’s most famous retail address” back to life would be a big boon to B-F and its business district.

For more info on 988, contact Pyramid Brokerage at 716.852.7500.

BFA is also going to keep a better eye on the property.

Waiting…

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3 thoughts on “Buffalo’s most famous retail address…waiting

  1. I don’t know what the answer is for 998 Broadway. Hopefully someone or some business will take a chance on the property.

  2. This site is critical to the future of BF. If there is a tenant, the offshoot to the market and surrounding neighborhood would help.

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