Rebuilding of the former Tent City property could begin in late summer — one year after a fire largely destroyed the historic complex off Dewey and Lyell avenues.
The section that was saved will be preserved and restored, developers said, and the rest built new.
Developers resubmitted the project for site plan review earlier this month. Plans for what’s being called Gardner's Lofts mostly replicates prior designs for the site.
“As you know, this project was previously approved, and construction was ready to begin when a fire destroyed a large portion of the buildings,” Matt Tomlinson, a partner at Marathon Engineering, wrote in a letter to the city.
Developer WinnCompanies is proposing 88 apartments priced for extremely low- to low-income individuals and families, with a supportive housing set-aside for veterans, including those transitioning from homelessness.
Plans were to repurpose what was a series of six interconnected buildings. But only the three smallest buildings, located at the north edge of the complex, survived the fire. The new construction is shown as a mix of brick and cement cladding, with rectangular instead of arched windows.
Gov. Kathy Hochul had committed $46 million in tax credits and other assistance to the project a month before the Aug. 1 fire. That funding remains intact, officials said. The earlier plan carried a $72 million price tag. An updated cost figure was not immediately available.
The cause of the fire remains under investigation.
In addition to apartments, the rebuilt complex will have 6,400 square feet of retail and commercial space. An outdoor “amenity area” will include a memorial, a flagpole, an eternal flame and seating along with a grill/outdoor kitchen area.
"The new development proposal for Gardner's Lofts largely replicates the design of our prior plan for the site,” said company spokesman Ed Cafasso – adding that the “significant, obvious difference” is this is no longer just an adaptive reuse but an integrated preservation and new construction project.
