A Lockport architect with high aspirations for his hometown wants to do more than just design buildings. He wants to build one.
Jonathan E. Bennett is proposing to construct a mixed-use complex of nearly 250,000 square feet in the heart of Lockport, making it one of the biggest projects in the Erie Canal city in years.
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The $30 million project, dubbed the Rowhouses of Lockport, would bring 66 new market-rate apartments in a pair of new buildings, along with a blend of retail, office and restaurant space, as well as five floors of parking.
It would be located on a 1.29-acre triangular property at 51 and 63 S. Transit Road that Bennett has put under contract. The land is bordered by South Transit and State roads, on the south side of the water.
“Let’s see what we can do with that corner,” Bennett said.
It’s part of a series of revitalization initiatives that Bennett, an architect of 30 years, and several other local property owners are planning for seven or eight properties along the canal, including the old train station.
The goal is to bring a long stretch of the canal back to life, while still maintaining the heritage of the city, including its hydraulic history with the locks, Bennett said.
“We’re all just getting geared up,” he said. “We’re not taking away from Lockport; we’re just redoing what’s there. We want to maintain its character.”
According to documents submitted to…
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