By JAMES FINK
Business First

Buffalo's drive to create more development and shovel-ready land in the city has taken significant steps forward.

The Buffalo Urban Development Corp. has agreed to purchase 12.5 acres of land around the former Buffalo Forge site on Broadway. Officials also recently got a good look at the potential of 1,900 acres of land in South Buffalo. The Buffalo Forge land will be marketed soon, but it may take longer for the so-called South Buffalo Brownfield Opportunity Area to hit the streets.

Buffalo Urban Development Corp. directors unanimously agreed to purchase a 12.5-acre parcel that cuts along Broadway, and extends to Mortimer and Spring streets, from Howden Fan Co. They approved paying up to $20,000 an acre for the land, making the entire transaction worth about $246,000.

The deal is expected to close within 90 days.

It covers seven properties that at one time housed the Buffalo Forge plant, which manufactured items ranging from industrial steel products to backyard grills.

Much of the property is ready for development, officials said. It has been eyed for a number of potential uses - mostly residential - in recent years, but none got beyond early planning stages.

"It is an excellent site," said Dennis Penman, BUDC vice chairman and M.J. Peterson Real Estate Corp. executive vice president. "There's good infrastructure on all four sides."

Penman said given the growth and interest in downtown real estate, it wouldn't surprise him to see more commercial-based projects than residential emerge for the property.

The BUDC is expected to issue development requests for proposals for the parcels once the deal closes.

Meanwhile, the sprawling series of parcels in South Buffalo, at one time all industrial land, also could emerge as Buffalo's newest development zone.

The plot could become home to projects ranging from Class A office space to high-tech research incubators.

That was the advance word from the planning team hired by the BUDC to look at possibilities for the land, which extends from the Buffalo River south to the Buffalo-Lackawanna border.