Gina Paradis with the Chautauqua County Land Bank, said they hope to sell both the former Ehler’s Furniture Store building and the former School 10 to developers by the end of May.

Ehler’s is located at 400 Central Avenue, while the former School 10 is located at 201-209 Lake Shore Drive East.

Paradis said the Land Bank has owned both properties since 2022.

EHLER’S

A $400,000 Consolidated Funding Application award had been awarded to turn the former School 10 into a housing complex.

Paradis said she is not at liberty to disclose the name of the developer for the former Ehler’s building, but said that individual is looking to create a mixed use of the building, with retail on the first floor and apartments on the two upper floors.

Originally the Ehler’s building was recommended to get a portion of the $10 million awarded to the city of Dunkirk as part of the Downtown Renewal Initiative, but the state declined that request. Because of that, the original developer for the Ehler building walked away.

Paradis said it’s possible that DRI funding could still be used in the future, since some of the other previously planned projects have fallen through.

In January, the land bank had announced it was planning on replacing the roof, however that didn’t end up happening, due to the new proposal for the property. “The developer said that in their plans they would be doing some structural changes to the roof so it didn’t make sense to do the roof, so they’ll end up doing the roof,” Paradis said.

At one time, Old Sarge’s Drop Zone operated out of this location. That business closed in 2015.

FORMER SCHOOL 10

For School 10, it was previously announced that developer Arthur Page has been looking to develop the property into an apartment complex.

On the state’s Workforce Development website, it notes that a $400,000 Consolidated Funding Application award had been awarded to the project.

“This property will be converted to 20 apartments targeting age 62+ tenants, with 7 studio, 12 one-bedroom and 1 two-bedroom apartment. In addition, a day care is planned and, including a large outdoor space and play area. Also, Arthur Page Company will turn a portion of the property into their new headquarters for development, architecture and design, along with a workshop for their various projects,” the website states.

According to the Workforce Development, the property is currently controlled by the Chautauqua County Land Bank, which has designated Arthur Page Company LLC as developer, based on requests for proposals submitted. “In total, this will be an estimated $3.5 million project. Since this is an older structure (built in 1912 with an addition in 1928) with significance in the history of the city as both a grade school and later a trade school (1930s to 1960s), state and federal tax credits are being sought to help complete the project. Timeline is 6 months for pre-construction and 9 months construction from August 1, 2024,” the website states.

Paradis said the land bank recently replaced the old school’s roof, using grant funds.

The building has probably been empty for the last 10-12 years. At one time it was used by the Dunkirk City School District’s offices and later was an Army/Navy surplus store.