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Hotel Jamestown, Furniture Mart On Devt. Agenda

In recent months, several downtown building rehabilitation projects have either started or received funding for needed improvements.

Some of these projects include the former Key Bank Building along North Main Street, the Vikings Building along Washington Street and 10-12 W. Second St.

However, what about other downtown buildings that need rehabilitating? Vince DeJoy, city development director, said one building that is not vacant, but needs to be renovated is the Furniture Mart Building. Located on the corner of West Second and Washington streets, the Furniture Mart Building houses a couple of businesses including The Connection, but some of the building is still unused.

“The Gebbie Foundation has been working to get the building redeveloped, but that hasn’t occurred yet,” DeJoy said. “It is an underutilized building that has great potential.”

City officials earlier this year tried to assist the Gebbie Foundation and Buffalo-based Ellicott Development in receiving state funding through the $10 million Downtown Revitalization Initiative program, but state officials denied funding for the project.

The Local Planning Committee for the DRI had requested $1.5 million in state funding to redevelop the 10-story Furniture Mart Building into a mixed-use space with office, hotel and residential uses.

The development would also include an adjoining 354-space parking structure connected to the building.

The Furniture Mart project would also mean the preservation of 350 jobs at The Connection, while also adding 80 additional jobs throughout the rest of the building.

“The mixed-use development has potential with market rate residential apartments, a limited service hotel and commercial space,” DeJoy said. “That one is exciting and we are hoping to work with the Gebbie Foundation and the developer looking at it.”

Another building that isn’t vacant, but needs rehabilitated is the Hotel Jamestown, DeJoy said. He said the building owned by the Jamestown Housing Authority is another mixed-use development that could potentially be used for office and commercial space.

“Most of that building was utilized for office space, but is now underutilized. There is a great deal of capacity,” he said. “We would like to work with the housing authority to find a private developer to recapture the splendor of the Hotel Jamestown.”

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