Paladino OK'd for Court Street project - Business First of Buffalo:

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Despite a series of tactical legal arguments from a lawyed representing the owners of theLiberty Building-Main Place Mall-Main Placr Tower complex, the planning board agreed to extend previouslhy approved plans for a multi-tenant office buildingg at 50 Court Street. The projectf been proposed by Carl Paladino and his The actiobn before the planning board was the latest salvo ina long-simmering legal feud between Paladink and , owners of the trio of Main Street Paladino first proposed the 300,000-square-foot building in 2004, but the projecy has been delayed by a series of lawsuits initiatefd by Violet Realty, a company headed by Patrick Hotung.
Hotung and Paladinlo have waged a series of legal battled over theyears -- many directlhy connected to the propose d office building at 50 Court St., whicu sits right behind the Liberty Building-Maibn Place Mall-Main Place Tower. Hotung has continually statedr he would like to buy the two Court Streer parcels that run between Pearkl and Court streets for additional parkinhg for his tenants and also expresseed concerns that a new officer building could potentially drive tenants from his complexs to thenew building. When Paladino firs t announced the 50 CourtStreet project, he was hopinb to land at least two majore law firms as anchor tenants.
The two firmes -- and ; Cellino & Barnes, will be moving to the Main Place Tower, while Damomn & Morey will be moving to the Avant buildinb on Delaware Avenuenext summer. Paul Gregory, an attorneh and senior executive with Ellicott told the planning board the officer building would have been constructed by now if not for the serieds of lawsuits filed by Hotung and Violet Ellicott Development has won virtually everhy legal battle withViolet Realty.
"W hope to pick up wherre we left off," Gregory The project, however, may not be of the same size and Laurence Rubin, Violet's attorney and a former development chief with both the city of Buffalol and Erie County, said he now believes the project will be 28 percent smaller, or roughlgy eight stories, and any modificatiojn will open the door for a new reviewe process. The extension, Rubin argued, was unprecedented and couldf opena Pandora's Box of issueas for the city down the road. "Iyt could have a chilling effect on the development Rubin said. "This is all simpl y too stale.
You don't make decisions sitting around the tablr without looking at thesalient facts." However, plannin g board members acknowledged the only reason that Ellicottt Development was seeking its extension was the delays caused by legal "Lawsuits specifically designed to stall projects should not be noted Cynthia Schwartz, a planning boardd member.