Developer Douglas Jemal received approval Monday from the Buffalo Planning Board to renovate the former Black Rock Academy into 90 apartments.
The historic three-story structure at 101 Hertel Ave. will be converted into 40 studio, 27 one-bedroom, 22 two-bedroom and one three-bedroom apartments. Units will range in size from 387 square feet to 1,223 square feet.
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The $15 million project will also feature a fitness room and tenant storage in the basement, as well as indoor and outdoor bicycle storage space. An outdoor courtyard will be located on the first floor. And it will have 55 surface parking spaces in the fenced rear lot available for separate rental, with a driveway entrance off Guernsey.
Located at the southwest corner of Hertel and Guernsey Street, three blocks from Niagara Street, the 1.74-acre site with the former Buffalo Public School 51 is under developer agreement for Jemal to acquire it from the city for $354,000, but a formal purchase agreement is still pending, and the deal has not yet closed.
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Jemal initially presented the proposal to the Planning Board in March, but had to get a zoning variance for residential density before coming back for final approval.
The former Buffalo Public School 51 or Black Rock Academy, at 101 Hertel Ave.
The school complex consists of two connected brick buildings, with the original Renaissance Revival-style structure designed by William W. Johnson and built in 1894-1895, followed by an additional Tudor Revival-style wing designed by Ernest Crimi and constructed in 1927-1928. It later became Black Rock Academy, serving students from pre-K through eighth grade, until it closed in 2005.
Reach Jonathan D. Epstein at (716) 849-4478 or jepstein@buffnews.com.