Chase Commons, formerly the Lockport Presbyterian Home, opened its doors to city and town officials to show off the transformation from an assisted living facility to a market-rate apartment campus on High Street Thursday morning.
Featuring one- and two-bedroom apartments, 22 of the 29 units have already been secured by tenants. An additional 22 will be added in April when the two mansions, built in the 1800s, are fully renovated.
Nicholas Massaro, business developer for the property, said that Chase Commons was “the best you can get anywhere.”
“What we have here is very modern, very clean. I hope everyone is impressed by what they see today,” he said.
Second Ward Alderman Anita Mullane said that the apartments are very nice and she was looking forward to the chance to take a look at them.
“This is my ward, so I wanted to see them,” she said. Aldermen Margaret Lupo and Kevin Kirchberger were also in attendance.
Tenants for the building include many young professionals, said Tina Garcia-Shaffer, leasing manager, who said that graduates who are coming out of school find the apartment perfect for the next chapter of their lives.
“They’re used to amenities. They’re used to a gym, shared space,” she said.
Massaro said that, so far, one small family has moved in, a mother and daughter, as well as some 55 and older tenants.
Another appeal to the new market-rate apartments is the location. Massaro and Garcia-Shaffer noted that Lockport is fairly central to those who grew up in eastern Niagara County — Royalton, Gasport and Hartland — but who work elsewhere in Niagara County and in Erie County.
One tenant, Garcia-Shaffer said, is a doctor who works in Erie County but who grew up in Lockport and still has parents in the area. This option allowed her a quick commute and the ability to hold on to family ties.
“This is a good middle ground for a lot of them,” Massaro said.
Massaro also noted that Phase Two is not finished. Some demolition and trim work has begun on the two older mansions on either side of the newer building — having succeeded in acquiring historic tax credits from the state — and he is very excited about what is to come.
“Come next spring a lot of the pomp and circumstance is going to be generated by those older buildings because a lot of those haven’t been touched in over 150 years. We’re really excited as to what the conversion process will hold over there,” he said.