ECIDA relocation on hold

Plans by the Erie County Industrial Development Agency to move its offices to Buffalo's Cobblestone District have hit a snag.

The question is whether the matter will continue to delay or, even, outright kill the proposal to relocate from the city's Elk-Oak corridor.

The ECIDA, the county's primary economic development agency, is in discussions with the developers of the 95 Perry Street Building, a five-story historic structure that's being brought back to life by a partnership between Savarino Cos. and Avalon Development Co., to move in the facility and share space with the Empire State Development Corp.

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The move was supposed to take place this summer.

The catch is Empire State Development Corp., because of its increased Upstate presence, needs more space than first anticipated, thus gobbling up some of the square footage that had been allocated to the ECIDA. The intent was to have both under one roof to help share some services, but to also create a "one-stop shop."

Empire State Development is now taking all of the fourth and fifth floors of the building and the ECIDA is considering whether it will lease all 9,000-square-feet of the third floor.

"We're still looking at the pros and cons of such a relocation," said Andrew Schoeppich, agency assistant treasurer. "We're trying to formulate what strategy makes sense."

If the ECIDA does move, it won't be until sometime in the winter. The original move date was September.

A number of unresolved questions remain, including whether the Enterprise Charter School that leases most of the ECIDA's current headquarters follow through with its option to buy the entire building from the agency. Enterprise Charter School may need the space for its future high school expansion needs.

The Cobblestone District building was selected by Empire State Development following an extensive review process. The state economic development agency hopes to be in the building by later this summer.

In other agency action:

• As expected, recent ECIDA board of director appointees, Philip Ackerman and Phil Corwin, were elected chairman and vice chairman respectively. Both were named to the board last month by Erie County Executive Chris Collins.

Ackerman, National Fuel Gas Corp. chairman, replaces Dennis Penman. Penman, MJ Peterson Real Estate Corp. executive vice president, is remaining on the board.

Corwin, Talking Phone Book executive vice president, replaces local businessman Fred Saia, who has left the agency board.

"I always believe that you want to leave something in better shape than you found it and I believe I did," Penman said. "It is a much more organized company that it was two years ago."

Ackerman said he is looking forward to the challenge.

"We need to get more economic development in this area," he said. "I think everyone is on the same page when it comes to that. The reason I'm standing here today is because I think it is so important to turn this community around."