Old deeds threaten Buffalo, NY hotel development

Buffalo, N.Y. Hotel Proposal Controversy

Recent Developments

• "Old deeds threaten Buffalo, NY hotel development" — Wikinews, November 21, 2006
• "Proposal for Buffalo, N.Y. hotel reportedly dead: parcels for sale "by owner"" — Wikinews, November 16, 2006
• "Contract to buy properties on site of Buffalo, N.Y. hotel proposal extended" — Wikinews, October 2, 2006
• "Court date "as needed" for lawsuit against Buffalo, N.Y. hotel proposal" — Wikinews, August 14, 2006
• "Preliminary hearing for lawsuit against Buffalo, N.Y. hotel proposal rescheduled" — Wikinews, July 26, 2006
• "Elmwood Village Hotel proposal in Buffalo, N.Y. withdrawn" — Wikinews, July 13, 2006
• "Preliminary hearing against Buffalo, N.Y. hotel proposal delayed" — Wikinews, June 2, 2006

Original Story

• "Hotel development proposal could displace Buffalo, NY business owners" — Wikinews, February 17, 2006

Tuesday, November 21, 2006 

Buffalo, New York — Buffalo, New York developers have been stymied by old real estate deeds.

The prospective Elmwood Village Hotel may be scuttled and businesses now located there may be forced to move.

Frustrations over property located in an area once known as "Granger Estates" circulate around a clause in the original deeds over land divided by then-owner Erastus Granger in the early 1800's.

According to the documents, "no business establishment of any kind whatsoever" shall ever be constructed on the property, and they shall forever be exclusively for residential use only. Also prohibited are barns, farms and stables.

Sam Savarino, CEO of Savarino Companies, the prospective hotel developer, announced that his legal research team found the restrictions on properties located between 1109 and 1121 Elmwood Avenue which also stated in part that "no businesses, hospitality establishment of anykind whatsoever" shall ever be permitted to be built on the property.

Savarino, whom is expected to contest the restrictions, said that his company could have ignored the findings, but that, "we can't risk the future of a multimillion-dollar project on the hope they wouldn't be discovered. Our opponents would have had a field day if they'd surfaced after the fact."

Savarino said his attorneys and researchers are anticipated to determine "exactly what weight the restrictions carry and if there's a way for the courts to negate them."

Existing businesses are also jeopardized.

Hans Mobius, owner of some of the restricted properties upon which a carriage house is built, said, he wasn't aware of any restrictions, and "never had a reason to research the deed and title documents." He confidently added that, "the lawyers can get this taken care of."

Other threatened businesses include Don Apparel, H.O.D. Tattoo, Forest Plaza Art Gallery and Allentown Music.

Sources

• Sharon Linstedt. "Restrictions in old deeds threaten hotel" — Buffalo News, November 18, 2006