CityView Properties, the management and/or development company of Larkin at Exchange in the historic Larkin District, The Root Building, City Centre and 598 Main Street is comprised of four Buffalo businessmen. Joe Petrella and Bill Jones have worked together their entire professional lives and with Howard Zemsky and Doug Swift, the four have enjoyed success working together for over eight years as a whole.
These developers have great depth and experience in commercial real estate with expertise in general and electrical contracting, architecture and business owner.
CityView Properties is responsible for the restoration of the Larkin at Exchange Building. In August of 2002 the decision was made by CVP to undertake it’s largest commercial real estate development and purchased the 600,000 square foot, 10-story building formerly owned and occupied by Graphic Controls. Just over 42 months later the building has benefited by an investment of nearly $60MM in improvements and is occupied by more than a dozen tenants ranging from law offices, engineering firms, advertising agencies and even the back-office support departments for the largest health care provider in Western New York. Ninety five (95%) leased with more than 1800 people per day working at Larkin at Exchange this property is part of a neighborhood that will soon well-known as the Larkin District. The LCo campus tenants enjoy amenities including a fitness center, childcare center, full-service café, conference center, convenience store and more.
When the principals of CVP developed City Centre office and luxury residential condominiums in the early 1990’s, the Main/Chippewa Streets of Buffalo were underutilized and less than desirable. City Centre now (and for many years) boasts a waiting list for the luxury condominiums, the office portion enjoys high occupancy and this property, in part, spurred the well-known success of this neighborhood. The Root Building, located at 70W. Chippewa was the second venture and is over 95% leased. In 2004 CityView Properties completed the construction of a 20,000+/- square foot annex addition to this property leased to the Buffalo Board of Education. The Board leases the first three floors of The Root Building and the entire 32,880 square foot annex for the very successful Emerson School of Culinary Arts.
In 2002 CVP decided to build a 20,500+/- square foot building at the corner of Main Streets and Chippewa. A tenant located on the third floor of City Centre was expanding and their commitment to lease the entire third floor of this new building known as 598 Main Street was the important first step to design and build this handsome, three-story building of pre-cast masonry and glass. Situated in the heart of Buffalo’s Commercial Business District and Buffalo Theatre District, 598 Main Street is a premier example of state-of-the-art construction through the use of high-quality materials and 21st century technology mechanical systems.
June 2007 brought the unveiling of The Larkin District Plan. The Larkin District Plan seeks to enhance an urban neighborhood known for its livability, convenience and character. Located just east of the central core of Buffalo, the historic Larkin District is a prime business and residential location downtown. The Larkin District lies immediately north of Interstate-190, with the nearby Smith Street exit providing ready access to the rest of the city, the airport Niagara Falls and Canada.
Much like the gateways off the I-190 at Smith Street, the Genesee Gateway Project is an important key entrance that provides the critical first impression of a neighborhood. Successful gateways help to create, retain and reinforce the distinctive features that ive an urban district its unique identity. CityView Properties has exhibited the infrastructure and depth of knowledge and experience to lead and direct this Genesee Gateway Project to fruition.
