Buffalo, NY – Mayor Byron W. Brown announced today that after years of legal delays, crews will begin demolishing the Shoreline Apartment complex on Thursday, January 23, 2020. The project is not expected to impact the morning commute. Crews from the City of Buffalo Department of Permit and Inspection Services along with Buffalo Police officers are conducting sweeps through the Niagara Street complex to ensure no one is inside so that the project can move forward safely and efficiently. The demolition project is expected to be complete by Memorial Day.
“The City of Buffalo Law Department worked with Norstar to aggressively push for the demolition of this structure,” said Mayor Brown. “I am pleased that this eyesore will finally be removed so that the project can move forward creating quality, new affordable housing options for residents of the City of Buffalo.”
The City of Buffalo Department of Permit and Inspection Services will have an inspector on-site daily for the duration of this phase to ensure work is being done according to demolition and environmental standards.
The project had been on hold due to an ongoing court battle. A lawsuit was filed to stop the demolition in 2018 which held up New York State funding, but a judge ruled in favor of Norstar, the owner of
the Shoreline Apartments, in December 2019. Norstar will begin phase 2 of the $34 million affordable housing project immediately following the demolition. The project features 18 new buildings containing 166 units.