Developer Douglas Jemal is modifying his redevelopment plan for the Statler, doubling down on apartments while increasing the number of boutique hotel rooms on three historic floors. The new plan also sharply reduces the number of internal parking spaces in the enormous building.
Jemal, who is trying to bring the rest of the Statler back to life, is adding another 30 hotel rooms and more than 100 additional apartments to the historic complex on Delaware Avenue.
He is seeking to fill a void in hotel capacity in the city, even while the aftershocks of the Covid-19 pandemic continue to reverberate through the worlds of hospitality and bank financing, making the hotel business more challenging.
“This is a direct result of the tremendous demand for and importance of hotel rooms,” said Paul Millstein, vice president of Jemal’s company, Douglas Development Corp. “There’s a shortage of hotel rooms in Buffalo, and it’s hurting Buffalo. So these hotel rooms are more important than ever.”
That will raise the total to more than 200 guest rooms and nearly 450 apartments throughout the building, and effectively makes the three towers above the three-story base entirely residential and hospitality in nature, according to Millstein and a revised site plan application that Jemal’s attorney filed with the city.
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The change represents a significant increase in apartment capacity in the city’s downtown core, especially…
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