Bevilacqua Development pursues mixed-use projects in Clarence

A site plan layout for Bevilacqua Development’s proposed mixed-use project on Transit Road north of Miles Road in Clarence.

Clarence Planning Board

A pair of suburban developers are proposing three projects in Clarence that would bring townhouses, single-family homes, apartments and commercial space to Transit Road and Main Street.

In the biggest of the three, Bevilacqua Development is planning a mixed-use project for part of the 36-acre property acquired three years ago for $760,000 at 6625 Transit, just north of Miles Road.

Bevilacqua is planning to construct 146 residences on the property, in 31 separate structures and a blend of configurations. The project has been in development for more than two years, and will have components that are similar to Bevilacqua’s Lymstone Lofts in Williamsville and University Place in Amherst.

According to documents submitted by attorney Sean Hopkins and engineering plans by
Carmina Wood Morris PC, the project includes:

  • Two three-story buildings, each with 25,000 square feet of first-floor commercial space, along with 25 upper floor apartments and eight upper-floor townhomes
  • Three three-story townhouse buildings, with 28 units and first-floor garages
  • Nine two-story multifamily apartment buildings with four units in each, for a total of 36 units
  • A commercial building for a restaurant with a drive-thru facility
  • A subdivision with 16 lots for detached homes, on the eastern portion of the project site, with about 8.4 acres dedicated to permanent open space.

“The project sponsor is proposing mixed-use buildings with high-quality architecture along the Transit Road frontage that will avoid the appearance of strip plaza developments that are prevalent along Transit Road,” Hopkins wrote, citing the town’s comprehensive plan and a “preferred development survey” about visually appealing buildings.

The homes will occupy the eastern portion of the site, about 16.8 acres, while the other developments will be focused on the westernmost 19.1 acres, including along Transit. A small portion of the property is considered wetlands, subject to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ jurisdiction, while the property also contained a historic homestead that was not eligible for state listing.

An earlier version of the project from two years ago envisioned five four-story mixed-use buildings with restaurants, commercial space and apartments; two standalone 28-seat restaurants; a bank branch, four four-unit townhouse buildings, nine four-unit apartment buildings and 16 four-bedroom houses. 

Besides town Planning Board approval, the project also needs a variance from the Zoning Board of Appeals for the third floor of the multifamily buildings, as well as a special-use permit from the Town Board.

If approved, the project would be undertaken in three phases for the mixed-use buildings, the subdivision and the multifamily apartments, starting in November and finishing by December 2023.