Gala Grand Opening For Avant

It's been 8 years since Buffalo began its effort to lure Bass Pro, the Statler Building has languished for nearly as long and it's anyone bet as to when work on the Seneca Nation's Buffalo Creek Casino might resume.

But in just roughly two years Uniland Development turned the former Dulski Federal Building into an $80 million hotel, upscale condominium, and office complex called Avant, representing the largest downtown development to be completed since HSBC Arena, ... and all during the worst recession in recent memory.

Asked what the difference was between his project and others which have remained on the drawing board for years Carl Montante, who founded Uniland 35 years ago, told 2 On Your Side, "First of all I was born and raised in Buffalo, my heat resides in Buffalo, and this was for us a labor of love."

However tackling a venture which produced condominiums ranging in price between $400,000 and $1.4 million in a city ranked the 3rd poorest in America by the US Census Bureau was not a task taken to lightly according to Montante.

"Uniland and our associates have taken a great deal of risk in taking what was an old, contaminated building full of asbestos, stripping it to its core, peeling away its concrete facade and replacing that with glass in an effort to make something the entire community can be proud of," said Montante.

He also indicated that the risks were so high that they really had no choice but to complete the project once work began.

"I think that's exactly what I'm saying," Montante said.

"There was less government involvement here," said Erie County Executive Chris Collins in assessing why Uniland found success while so many others are still searching for it.

Uniland, according to company Vice President Michael Montante, received an $11 million government grant and several million more in tax abatements for Avant.

However, Collins says the "intrusion" of government in this development was less than in the case of several other large scale projects.

"Bass Pro was all about getting the Aud down which took years, ....the (new) Peace Bridge is almost entirely government controlled, and then we have lawsuits related to people trying to stop the casino. So what you really saw was a private sector development company being able to plug away and get it done."

Buffalo Mayor Byron Brown agreed, in saying Uniland itself had more to do with the success of the project than anyone.

"You have to give them credit, ...they're a local company and they seem to understand the local development environment," Brown said.

While Montante stopped short of saying his company is any better than other downtown developers, ...he does say with 6,000,000 square feet of already existing development it is perhaps more established than others seeking to make their fortune here, and thus probably in a better position to find success, where others are still looking for it.

"The heft of the company from a financial perspective has allowed us to move forward with a project that otherwise might not have gotten done," he said.

Raising a glass to toast the opening of Avant (a french word which means "going forward") Montante told several hundred well-wishers: "We heard too often that this would never happen in Buffalo, and today we still hear 'I can't believe it happened in Buffalo'. Well, it's time for people to begin to believe."