Just down Paradise Road from Williamsville East High School is a sign that maybe, just maybe, the region's sluggish economy is starting to rev up.

TK Property Holdings Inc. finished the necessary road, water and sewer work as a prelude to development of the Emma Woods subdivision. Within a month, the subdivision's exclusive builder, Z Custom Homes, will start work on the model.

The model should help kick-start interest in Emma Woods. So should the overall activity in the subdivision.

One of the development's 16 lots has been sold. Three other lots have a "hold" on them.

So what does it all mean?

Taken against the backdrop of the economy and the tough road home builders travel to get their projects approved, it represents a pretty significant leap of faith.

Echoing the sentiments voiced by Eliot Lasky, who re-entered the local residential development scene with a new company that focuses on upscale, single-family homes, Z Custom Homes President Howard Zubin said he is seeing enough positive signs in the economy to take this still-risky roll of the dice.

"If this were 2005 or 2006, Emma Woods probably would have been sold out before I finished putting the street in. But it isn't," Zubin said. "But no matter the economy, any time you put a street in and start a subdivision, you are always a little bit fearful."

It took TK Property Holdings and Z Custom Homes more than five years to get Emma Woods under way.

There were delays related to environmental reviews and an arduous review process from the Town of Amherst - both of which took a fair amount of time to navigate.

The payoff, however, may be a swanky subdivision spread over 6.5 acres. Emma Woods is one of the last midsized subdivisions that will likely be developed in the East Amherst area in the foreseeable future.

That alone is creating a buzz. So is the product being built by Z Custom Homes.

Zubin said the homes will run between 2,500 and 3,500 square feet, with prices starting in the $400,000 range.

The intended market? Younger couples looking for their first new home or people in the downsizing mode.

Every house in Emma Woods will be a single-family home.

How about patio homes?

Forget it, Zubin said.

"There's no way we wanted a subdivision where everything looks the same," Zubin said. "I want every home to look different. I do not want cookie cutters."

Individually styled homes are a hallmark of Z Custom Homes.

The Amherst company builds only a couple homes each year, each one unique in design. They also run as large as 7,000 square feet, with a development price tag to match.

Besides larger lot size, the homes average 85-by-150-feet. The northern border of Emma Woods backs up to the Peanut Line property, giving residents access to a natural walking or biking path.

Sales pitches aside, Zubin said the development would not be moving forward unless he felt confident enough in the local economy that 16 buyers could be found - and in a reasonable time frame.

"We're seeing enough (economic) signs that we decided to get Emma Woods in the ground," he said.

The color purple

Wonder why the Larkin at Exchange building has changed its exterior lighting to purple?

It was done in recognition of March of Dimes' "Prematurity Awareness Month."

This marks the second consecutive year building developer Howard Zemsky made the change to mark the special month. Zemsky had the spotlights on LCo's 10-by-15-foot logos switched to purple.

By the way, the LCo building isn't the only landmark to put purple lights on its exterior.

The Niagara Parks Commission has Niagara Falls' night lights changed to purple and the Empire State Building also has adopted the color for the month.

Changing hands

The Mayfair Building - not to be confused with the historic Mayfair Lane residences - has been sold.

The apartment complex, located at 2763 Main St. not far from Bennett High School, has been sold to Staten Island interests.

The group, Mayfair Bldg LLC, paid $350,000 for the complex, according to documents filed in the Erie County Clerk's office.

It had been owned by Mayfair Estates LLC, another downstate investment group.