Washington developer Douglas Jemal won final approval for his revised Elmwood-Bidwell project Monday evening, after he and his team conducted a full-court press in the past two months to meet with neighbors, explain the proposed project, make adjustments to appease concerns and ultimately try to overcome some of the opposition.
The unanimous vote by the Buffalo Planning Board – with a couple of conditions – came after a 90-minute discussion, and clears the way for the 48-unit project at 976 Elmwood Ave. to proceed once Jemal obtains the necessary building permits from the city. He already obtained five variances from the Zoning Board of Appeals last month.
But it didn’t come without challenges and significant outreach efforts for Jemal’s Douglas Development Corp., which the Planning Board insisted must continue during the construction process.
The biggest source of community criticism for the $15 million project had revolved around the lack of any onsite parking, which neighbors had denounced as short-sighted and inadequate, but which the developer said was purposeful.
Jemal’s team – led by executive vice president Paul Millstein, along with architects and engineers – argued that they were targeting a population of tenants who would not need or want cars but could walk, use bicycles or use public transportation to get around. The project includes 22 bicycle racks, two additional ReddyBike ride-share racks, additional indoor bicycle storage and a bicycle repair station.
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