Haresign and Mills Participate as Members of ULI Advisory Panel
April 22, 2011
Extensive experience in the rehabilitation of existing buildings, compatible infill development and related land-use issues earned David Haresign and Bob Mills an exclusive invitation to participate in a recent Urban Land Institute (ULI) panel. They served as the architects on the ULI's advisory panel of experts to help define a redevelopment vision for the Millard Fillmore Gates Circle Hospital in Buffalo, NY.
Longtime colleagues- Mills, a principal at Commonwealth Architects in Richmond, VA, and Haresign, a partner at Bonstra Haresign Architects in Washington, DC- spent long days on the ULI advisory panel from March 27-April 1 tackling issues related to the future use of the Buffalo hospital and its property, soon to be abandoned.
The hospital is scheduled to close in early 2012 after its services are moved to a new facility outside of downtown. That leaves a major question about what to do with Millard Fillmore's imposing 880,000 square feet of buildings sitting on the 10 acre site.
Haresign and Mills joined land developers, financing specialists and marketing experts on the panel while in Buffalo. Members of the panel conducted nearly 200 interviews, studied the site and presented a vision for the future use of the property on the final day of the week. The plan proposed a solution that will serve as a blueprint for the hospital authority and the community in the future.
The proposal calls for a mixed reuse of the hospital property including 150 market-rate apartments, 150 condos, a boutique hotel with 20-30 rooms, and a 60-bed extended care facility. It also includes medical and professional offices, a grocery store, and other retail uses. Key to the accessibility of the full site was the introduction of a new street aligning with the city grid. New infill buildings with retail on the first floor and residential space above are planned along this street to complete the mixed-use complex. The draft recommendations for the phased development offered a vision that retains and reinforces the site's historic character.
Team members from the DC and Richmond firms provided important design and visualization input for the culminating presentation to the hospital authority and the Buffalo community on April 1.
Through the advisory services program, ULI assembles experts in the fields of real estate and land use planning to participate on panels worldwide, offering recommendations for complex planning and development projects, programs and policies.
For more information regarding ULI, please visit their website, http://www.uli.org/
